Best tires for i3?

[Dvoid]

Anyone experienced have a recommendation for the best tires for the i3? Mine has winter tires from previous owner which I’ll replace in the Spring. Thank you.

 

[EvanstonI3]

There are extremely limited options on tires for this car available in the USA. More options in Europe.
Also what size are your wheels? 19" or 20"

 

[Dvoid]

19”. 2015 model.

 

[nyeguy007]

Anyone experienced have a recommendation for the best tires for the i3? Mine has winter tires from previous owner which I’ll replace in the Spring. Thank you.

Hi Dvoid,

Nokian Tyres Hakkapellitta R5 get my vote (I have a 2017 REX 94Ah with 155/70 R19 wheels front and rear during winter)...

https://www.nokiantires.com/snow-winter-tires/nokian-tyres-hakkapeliitta-r5/
Here's why:

I live at 7000 ft (2130 m) in the mountainous region of Northern Arizona which surprisingly averages just under 10ft of snow each year. Last year we got 14ft of snow; precip often falls as rain first. Our other vehicle is an AWD Subaru Forester. My wife has a 50 mile commute each morning/evening to/from work through mountains and canyons and when the roads are icy or snow packed, she prefers the i3 with the Nokians (over the Forester with all-season tires) because of how well the Hakkapellittas perform on our i3. I am of the same opinion... so much so that I got another set of the Hakkapellitta R5s for the Subaru. Prior to this, I would take the kids to school in the i3 rather than the Forester on snowy days. The i3 with the Hakkapellitta R5s is better than my 4WD F150 (shortbed) with all-terrain tires.

Now you obviously aren't going to plow through a foot and a half of snow in the i3, but I really like the Hakkapellitta R5s for a non-studded winter tire on icy snow packed roads. The company describes their technology as "arctic grip crystals" within the rubber that grip the frozen road. I thought this was a little gimmicky, but combine those with the siping and the fact that these are designed with consideration for EVs... my experience has made me a believer. My previous experience is generally with all season and all terrain BFGoodrich tires on trucks and SUVs for comparison; I have not tried the often recommended Bridgestone Blizzaks, but I would expect those to also be a good and possibly a more readily available option depending on your location.

Sorry to have not replied to this sooner but if you are still thinking on it, hopefully this will help! I picked up a second set of four 19 inch wheels (all what would be the skinnier fronts on a REX) for use with the winter tires. It's a little extra effort swapping wheels a couple times a year, but we put lots of miles on our i3 and this is a good setup for us and we've had no issues. Caution in selecting the appropriate tire pressure and care in not overloading the vehicle is warranted since going this route results in non OE size tires on the rear of a REX equipped i3.

 

[Archmeister]

I've recently switched from the stock Ecopia (EP500) to Michelin ePrimacy. These I think are "summer" tires. So I might be on the wrong thread, but I would imagine that you'll need a non-winter set too.

F 155/70/19 at 36 lbs
R 175/60/19 at 41 lbs

It's a night and day difference in traction and ride comfort. I drive the car reasonably hard.

We haven't had a proper rain yet in the past two weeks (since the switch), but it's far stickier than the stock Ecopia and the sipes (grooves) are wide. So I would imagine that it would perform better than the Ecopia in the rain. I thought the Ecopias were hydroplaning with a cm or two of standing water and I never felt confident in them at highway speeds in a rainstorm.

Note the photos: Ecopia here is a rear at approx. 25K km (see the wear indicator on the outside blocks). The ePrimacy here is brand new and has the Michelin branding inside the sipe ().

We run Michelin Pilot Sport 4S and Pilot Sport 4 on the other two cars and the performance gap is large compared to the Pilot Sport 4 (and is even bigger compared to 4S). Obviously, the cars are different too. Pilot Sport 4 is far superior to ePrimacy in everyway. Both the eGolf (Pilot Sport 4) and i3 are running H&R springs on otherwise stock suspension.

To set the stage, there's a set of Ss near my home which I drive multiple times nearly everyday. It's hilly, with several tight turns (right, left, right, left, right) and is narrowish, but not a switchback (no hairpins).

The ePrimacy has ZERO tire chatter and slippage at higher reference speed compared to the Ecopia. I think I can push the ePrimacy much harder, but at 5-7km/hr lower speed (compared to the reference speed of the ePrimacy), the Ecopia is "telling" you it's at it's limit. Those Ecopia tires are making all sorts of noise and slipping.

Don't get me wrong: the driving is actually more fun in the Ecopias!

ePrimacy is also stickier dragging straight out of a nearby toll booth from a dead stop. The orange traction warning light has NEVER lit up in this scenario with the ePrimacy on a dry road surface (hasn't rained yet).

Lastly, it's also a bit more plush on bumps (cutting a corner with one rear tire coming out of a driveway, with the foot path about 4-5 inches higher than road surface) with accleration.

I think they did a great job with this tire. Where I am, it's the same price as the Ecopia. Thanks @nyeguy007 for sharing re the Nokian (we don't get snow where I am)!

 

[m6rk]

Anyone experienced have a recommendation for the best tires for the i3? Mine has winter tires from previous owner which I’ll replace in the Spring. Thank you.

Hi, I have a 2018 i3s with 20" rims. After the 1st set of stock tires I opted to use another brand with slightly higher sidewall; 55 instead of 50. Additionally I used 195/55 R20 both in front & at rear. You know front rims are a bit narrower but this width is on the limit. Having 195 instead of 175 in front gives tremendous confidence on handling & brake. The tire I'm using now is "Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance".

This seemingly small difference makes actually a big difference in vehicle comfort and driving. First of all, it softens the reactions of the shock absorbers to a noticeable extent, providing both comfort and reducing the stress placed on the vehicle chassis on rough ground. The sidewall flex in bends provides a more error-free ride. Since the inner volume of the tire expands, the same hardness is achieved with 2-3 psi lower pressure. As the tire diameter increases, speed and km data shown at the front panel are exactly synchronized with GPS data. So deviations disappear. Normally while max. speed shows 162kph, the car actually travels at appx. 157kph with its original tires. Now is 162kph for real

This also affects the total range figures. It will seem lower, but actually is the right number.

Tire wear is much less than EP500 on these. Rear tires were dead at 37k km on EP500, E.Grip finished at 62.5k km. Front tires seems to have another 10-15k km.

Performance wise they are quite similar. Here in Turkey this set is much cheaper & easy to find compared to EP500. Best of both worlds

Strangely, there are fewer alternatives for 19" rims. I couldn't find anything up to 195, all 19" tires available on market are 205 or wider.

For the first time, last week I've started to use Goodyear UltraGrip winter tires of the same dimension with Egrips.

 

[weajd]

Hi, I have a 2018 i3s with 20" rims. After the 1st set of stock tires I opted to use another brand with slightly higher sidewall; 55 instead of 50. Additionally I used 195/55 R20 both in front & at rear. You know front rims are a bit narrower but this width is on the limit. Having 195 instead of 175 in front gives tremendous confidence on handling & brake. The tire I'm using now is "Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance".

How is the steering with the larger front tires?
Can you turn the wheel to full lock without tire rubbing on the inside wheel wells or the lip of the outer fender?
The extra sidewall (changing from 50 to 55) will provide a more comfortable ride.

 

[TheAirman]

Hi, I have a 2018 i3s with 20" rims. After the 1st set of stock tires I opted to use another brand with slightly higher sidewall; 55 instead of 50. Additionally I used 195/55 R20 both in front & at rear. You know front rims are a bit narrower but this width is on the limit. Having 195 instead of 175 in front gives tremendous confidence on handling & brake. The tire I'm using now is "Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance".

This seemingly small difference makes actually a big difference in vehicle comfort and driving. First of all, it softens the reactions of the shock absorbers to a noticeable extent, providing both comfort and reducing the stress placed on the vehicle chassis on rough ground. The sidewall flex in bends provides a more error-free ride. Since the inner volume of the tire expands, the same hardness is achieved with 2-3 psi lower pressure. As the tire diameter increases, speed and km data shown at the front panel are exactly synchronized with GPS data. So deviations disappear. Normally while max. speed shows 162kph, the car actually travels at appx. 157kph with its original tires. Now is 162kph for real

This also affects the total range figures. It will seem lower, but actually is the right number.

Tire wear is much less than EP500 on these. Rear tires were dead at 37k km on EP500, E.Grip finished at 62.5k km. Front tires seems to have another 10-15k km.

Performance wise they are quite similar. Here in Turkey this set is much cheaper & easy to find compared to EP500. Best of both worlds

Strangely, there are fewer alternatives for 19" rims. I couldn't find anything up to 195, all 19" tires available on market are 205 or wider.

For the first time, last week I've started to use Goodyear UltraGrip winter tires of the same dimension with Egrips.

195/55 R20 is a hard tire size to find in the US. I think I found only one set but not sure if they are available yet due to the holidays. I would like to know more about your setup also. Pictures maybe? Do the fronts rub the fenders?

 

[jonproctor]

Hi, I have a 2018 i3s with 20" rims. After the 1st set of stock tires I opted to use another brand with slightly higher sidewall; 55 instead of 50. Additionally I used 195/55 R20 both in front & at rear. You know front rims are a bit narrower but this width is on the limit. Having 195 instead of 175 in front gives tremendous confidence on handling & brake. The tire I'm using now is "Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance".

This seemingly small difference makes actually a big difference in vehicle comfort and driving. First of all, it softens the reactions of the shock absorbers to a noticeable extent, providing both comfort and reducing the stress placed on the vehicle chassis on rough ground. The sidewall flex in bends provides a more error-free ride. Since the inner volume of the tire expands, the same hardness is achieved with 2-3 psi lower pressure. As the tire diameter increases, speed and km data shown at the front panel are exactly synchronized with GPS data. So deviations disappear. Normally while max. speed shows 162kph, the car actually travels at appx. 157kph with its original tires. Now is 162kph for real

This also affects the total range figures. It will seem lower, but actually is the right number.

Tire wear is much less than EP500 on these. Rear tires were dead at 37k km on EP500, E.Grip finished at 62.5k km. Front tires seems to have another 10-15k km.

Performance wise they are quite similar. Here in Turkey this set is much cheaper & easy to find compared to EP500. Best of both worlds

Strangely, there are fewer alternatives for 19" rims. I couldn't find anything up to 195, all 19" tires available on market are 205 or wider.

For the first time, last week I've started to use Goodyear UltraGrip winter tires of the same dimension with Egrips.

Great to see someone treating their tyres and pressures correctly. We have been pleased with the ride and handling of Michelin e.Primacy 155/70R19 on the front wheels. This is the standard dimension for our i3 Rex. We are some time away from new tyres on the rear but will likely fit either the Michelin e.Primacy or the all season Crossclimate which works very well here in England, UK. (Slightly higher rolling resistance than the e.Primacy though.)

 

[TheAirman]

As an update (Dec. 30, 2023), Tire rack has the Ecopia EP500 fronts (175/55 R20) on close out sale for $95.28 per tire.

The rears on close out are (195/50/R20) priced at $173.88 per tire.

A super deal on these tires. Not many are left over. Act fast. Call Tire Rack at 888-541-1777 ask for Tanner at ext. #4118.

 

[odbcman]

Thanks for the heads up on the tires. This is such a great deal. It's a no brainer. I didn't need tires at this time, but with a deal like this I'll keep them in my garage until I need them for now.

 

[FrozenRex]

Please note the Tire Rack advertised low prices are on 2020 production tires so they have been sitting on their shelf for 3-4 years. Very good deal if you will be using them soon.

 

[autobahndan]

Hi Dvoid,

Nokian Tyres Hakkapellitta R5 get my vote (I have a 2017 REX 94Ah with 155/70 R19 wheels front and rear during winter)...

https://www.nokiantires.com/snow-winter-tires/nokian-tyres-hakkapeliitta-r5/
Here's why:

I live at 7000 ft (2130 m) in the mountainous region of Northern Arizona which surprisingly averages just under 10ft of snow each year. Last year we got 14ft of snow; precip often falls as rain first. Our other vehicle is an AWD Subaru Forester. My wife has a 50 mile commute each morning/evening to/from work through mountains and canyons and when the roads are icy or snow packed, she prefers the i3 with the Nokians (over the Forester with all-season tires) because of how well the Hakkapellittas perform on our i3. I am of the same opinion... so much so that I got another set of the Hakkapellitta R5s for the Subaru. Prior to this, I would take the kids to school in the i3 rather than the Forester on snowy days. The i3 with the Hakkapellitta R5s is better than my 4WD F150 (shortbed) with all-terrain tires.

Now you obviously aren't going to plow through a foot and a half of snow in the i3, but I really like the Hakkapellitta R5s for a non-studded winter tire on icy snow packed roads. The company describes their technology as "arctic grip crystals" within the rubber that grip the frozen road. I thought this was a little gimmicky, but combine those with the siping and the fact that these are designed with consideration for EVs... my experience has made me a believer. My previous experience is generally with all season and all terrain BFGoodrich tires on trucks and SUVs for comparison; I have not tried the often recommended Bridgestone Blizzaks, but I would expect those to also be a good and possibly a more readily available option depending on your location.

Sorry to have not replied to this sooner but if you are still thinking on it, hopefully this will help! I picked up a second set of four 19 inch wheels (all what would be the skinnier fronts on a REX) for use with the winter tires. It's a little extra effort swapping wheels a couple times a year, but we put lots of miles on our i3 and this is a good setup for us and we've had no issues. Caution in selecting the appropriate tire pressure and care in not overloading the vehicle is warranted since going this route results in non OE size tires on the rear of a REX equipped i3.

Do they only carry the one size? Is it acceptable both front and rear?

 

[ksnax]

Please note the Tire Rack advertised low prices are on 2020 production tires so they have been sitting on their shelf for 3-4 years. Very good deal if you will be using them soon.

No guarantee they will be that old however. I think they sometimes just run the sales to clear out excess stock which may include older tires. The closeout ones I received this last summer were advertised as 2020, but what I got was 2022. Maybe somebody in the warehouse screwed up though.

 

[Map40]

I just bought 2 for my 2018 I3s. They were out of them for my 2019 I3.

 

[m6rk]

How is the steering with the larger front tires?
Can you turn the wheel to full lock without tire rubbing on the inside wheel wells or the lip of the outer fender?
The extra sidewall (changing from 50 to 55) will provide a more comfortable ride.

The steering feel is quite the same, only it gives more confidence. No tire rubbing in any circumstance, not even on hard cornering with heavy load.

 

[m6rk]

195/55 R20 is a hard tire size to find in the US. I think I found only one set but not sure if they are available yet due to the holidays. I would like to know more about your setup also. Pictures maybe? Do the fronts rub the fenders?

Here are some pictures to compare the difference. After two years, I can safely say this dimension should be the stock tires instead of 175-195/50s

I had a set of 19" equipped with 155 winter tires, but I stopped using them this winter since I found winter tires with the exact dimensions of my summer tires. So, for i3s: 195/55R20 it is

 

[shoei600]

I'm in the UK. I have the 2021 i3s with 20" wheels, ought as a BMW approved with only 1200 miles a few months ago, supplied with 175/55/R20 and 195/55/R20 sizes. Its now freezing and will be for sometime and I have noticed a fair amount of minor slips which caused me to investigate the tyres only to find the Bridgestone Ecopia supplied are summer tyres and which would have a significant performance drop off below 7 degrees. There are no 175/55 tyres (all season or winter) available for the this car in the UK.

Encouraged by the posts from M6rk above that says 195/55 can go on all wheels, I spoke with my local BMW dealer to see what BMW's position on this might be. I dont want to put something on and find that should the car be in an accident, somebody will use the larger tyres as a reason to wriggle out of their responsibilities. Conversely I have my kids in the car and if the tyres aren't changed the car is far more likely to be in an accident. I'm somewhat shocked that BMW UK have sold a car, virtually brand new with summer tyres without any warning or note attached. They didn't say to use it only in summer or above 7 degrees either.

It looks like my best option would be to add wheels spacers to ensure 195 tyres on the front remain with sufficient design clearance. I'm assuming that the 20mm increase in tyre width would be 10mm either side so 10mm wheel spacer would bring it out the same, but would put the wheel 20mm further outwards. Will ned to check it remains within the arch and the rear is similarly placed. May have to add spacers to the rear to make sure it doesnt look odd.

I'm keen to hear what have others done for winter/all season in the UK please? Sounds like the US have more options, is there an importer and would they be legal in the UK?

Thanks.

 

[user 10067]

Hi I picked up a 21 plate 2,000 mile i3s just after crimbo and got the dealer to fit the bmw accessory black 19” alloys plus winter tyres; they were £2k fitted and the originals went in the boot with the seats down. I don’t even know if there are spacers etc fitted I asked the dealer but never checked, the rears are level with the bodywork. They came with Blizzaks which are fine for what weather we have here, we had -9 up near Ciren/Glos the other morning and apart from a bit of range anxiety performance is great. Haven’t had a chance to push them through snow yet. I’ve covered about 700 miles and they’re just scrubbed in, I can’t really comment on the wear.

 

[user 10067]

Hi I picked up a 21 plate 2,000 mile i3s just after crimbo and got the dealer to fit the bmw accessory black 19” alloys plus winter tyres; they were £2k fitted and the originals went in the boot with the seats down. I don’t even know if there are spacers etc fitted I asked the dealer but never checked, the rears are level with the bodywork. They came with Blizzaks which are fine for what weather we have here, we had -9 up near Ciren/Glos the other morning and apart from a bit of range anxiety performance is great. Haven’t had a chance to push them through snow yet. I’ve covered about 700 miles and they’re just scrubbed in, I can’t really comment on the wear.

And ps my insurer is Nfu and they’re cool with winter tyres - pardon the pun - as long as they are oem or manufacturer approved.