Bent rims

[Anonymous]

Hit a major pothole at 40 mph, boxed in by a delivery van on one side, and a police car on the other, so could not dodge it, and had a pickup truck right on my tail, so couldn't slow down much. Now all four rims look like this on the inside (20 inch wheels):

View attachment Rim.jpg

 

[PBNB]

The OEM wheels are supposed to be forged so this sort of damage is surprising. Was the hole more like a ditch?

What are you going to do for replacements? I saw a full set of wheels on a local Craigslist site for $800 cdn recently. They are the 19" model 427. no tires but a good deal which shows that the wheels are out there.

I really like the 20" wheels so it would be tough for me to go to a different style unless they were the i3S wheels

 

[Anonymous]

Was a very large, deep pothole, right across the whole lane, from heavy rain washing out a patched section. From what I've been told, forged wheels aren't any stronger than cast ones, just lighter. Around here you can pick up 427's for $100 per, but I'm not great a fan of the pizza slice wheels - and I'd have to add 19" tires, where my 20's still have half or more tread left. Looking at getting the 20's repaired at a wheel shop - guesstimates are $125. per wheel. :roll:

 

[Srivenkat]

Is this a case of the impact causing the tires to be squished enough for the wheels to take the impact? I am surprised the tires aren't damaged.

 

[Anonymous]

Is this a case of the impact causing the tires to be squished enough for the wheels to take the impact? I am surprised the tires aren't damaged.

This actually happened a couple of months ago, and I just noticed the damage this week - no air leaks or any problems with the tires visible on the outside. Will see if any damage inside the tire, when pulled for repair.

 

[i3Houston]

This is terrible! If the ditch was big then maybe 19inch wheels would have had the same dent!

It seems tires/odd wheel size on i3 is not practical for consumers but only for BMW engineers.

ps- assumption is based the fact that, there is NO single post where someone has praised i3 tires/wheels.

 

[jadnashuanh]

A forged wheel is stronger than a typical cast one unless the wall thickness is quite thick. Thus, it can be stronger and lighter than a typical one. But, while stronger, they can still be bent. A big enough hole at speed would probably damage things, regardless of the tire's aspect ratio. Fast enough to damage the rims, I'd seriously look at the tires...you might be driving on a set ready to blow out.

 

[Anonymous]

It seems tires/odd wheel size on i3 is not practical for consumers but only for BMW engineers.

I don't think this is a problem specific to the i3. In my area there are at least five shops making a pretty good business out of just repairing bent and cracked alloy rims (bent steel rims usually just get replaced with new for cost reasons). So hitting pot-holes and curbs hard enough to damage wheels must be pretty common. Looking at posted reviews for the local wheel repair businesses, car owners list Mercedes, Lexus, Tesla, Jaguar, etc. where they have had their bent alloy wheels repaired.

 

[Anonymous]

Fast enough to damage the rims, I'd seriously look at the tires...you might be driving on a set ready to blow out.

Definitely something to check, though I hit the pot-hole ( at 40 mph) several months ago, and just notices the bent rims last week - no tire pressure issues, no vibration or noise. Was just checking under the rear of the car for the Rex oil drain plug location, and saw the bend on the inside of the rear rim. And am just assuming it was the pot-hole I hit that did the damage, the bent rims could have been this way when I bought the car as a lease-return.

 

[alohart]

ps- assumption is based the fact that, there is NO single post where someone has praised i3 tires/wheels.

Here's one I appreciate the narrow tires because of their reduced aerodynamic drag and low rolling resistance that increase the range of our BEV and because the resulting narrower fenders do not impinge on interior space as much as wider tires would. With 19" wheels and tires, we haven't had a single flat tire in our 4.5 years of i3 ownership despite the poor condition of Honolulu streets and still have lots of tread left on the original tires. So for us, what's not to like?

 

[flyboy320]

Your local city/town might cover the cost if it was a known issue on that section of road?

 

[i3Houston]

Ha ha...

We are happy for you.... Now stop or you might jinx it!

 

[Anonymous]

Your local city/town might cover the cost if it was a known issue on that section of road?

Unfortunately Texas law dictates that cities are not responsible for vehicle damage caused by street debris or potholes.