Is driving with summer tires possible year-round in Texas?

[richs]

I recently purchased a 2017 REx that came with the 20" wheels. I'm aware that there simply are no multi-season tires available for the 20" rims, so I'm stuck with summer tires. I live in Austin, which never gets more than a dusting of snow (and completely shuts down until that melts) but it does get below freezing occasionally.

My question is this: given where I live, can I get by with summer tires year round on my car? I've always had "all season" tires since that's the default tire on most cars. I've never had a car with summer tires before, so I don't know what to expect when the temperature goes down.

I've also read about other issues with the 20" rims: mainly that the ride sucks, the low profile tires are easily damaged by road hazards, and the rims themselves get bent a lot since the tires don't protect them well enough. The ride hasn't bothered at all since I've driven small cars all my life and I guess I'm used to it. The other two issues, though, may be of a concern, although I'm tempted to just "wait and see" for now.

Opinions?

 

[jadnashuanh]

Summer tires really aren't designed for use below about 40 F. So, what happens is that any rubber gets harder as it gets colder. That affects cornering grip and stopping ability. Plus, the tread pattern is not designed to purge any snow that might get clogged in the treads, making it even slipperier. The tread blocks tend to be bigger with fewer sipes, giving fewer grip points when deflected. Should you be out when there's a dusting of snow, you may not get back home.

So, can you use them below that temp, sure, but if you get into a situation where you need every amount of grip the tires can provide to either stop or turn, you may be in for an avoidable surprise.

I think of winter tires as insurance. Some avoid it. Some get stung.

 

[Fisher99]

Are they ideal? No. Would love to have an all season option. But I drive my i3 in the winter unless there is snow on the ground. Temps are mostly in the 20's and 30's with some days in the teens and even some occasional single digits.

 

[jadnashuanh]

All it takes is once when you need all of the traction you can get. Whether that will happen , hard to say...that's why there's insurance. NObody plans for that and you hope you never need it.

Had a little accident in January in my plane. The hospital bills were around $75K. Nobody plans an accident. Lucky to be alive. Could have happened in a car, too.

 

[robthebold]

I live in Austin, which never gets more than a dusting of snow (and completely shuts down until that melts) but it does get below freezing occasionally.

(emphasis mine)

That sounds like you'll never have to venture out on wintry roads, so that's in your favor. As others have pointed out, you lose grip on those summer tires below 40F, so you'll notice extra spinning the rear wheels on acceleration and understeer on turns -- and increased stopping distance, of course -- on your cold days. If you're willing to drive with extra following distance in cool weather to allow for extra time to react to the unexpected, you may be okay.

 

[richs]

I live in Austin, which never gets more than a dusting of snow (and completely shuts down until that melts) but it does get below freezing occasionally.

(emphasis mine)

That sounds like you'll never have to venture out on wintry roads, so that's in your favor. As others have pointed out, you lose grip on those summer tires below 40F, so you'll notice extra spinning the rear wheels on acceleration and understeer on turns -- and increased stopping distance, of course -- on your cold days. If you're willing to drive with extra following distance in cool weather to allow for extra time to react to the unexpected, you may be okay.

OK, you noticed my key point about snow. I just won't be driving in it, so that's a non-issue. The bigger question I had was about cold weather performance, where "cold" is less than 40 degrees. It sounds like summer tires are just barely possible here year-round, as long as extra care is taken when it gets chilly out. I'll just be super careful and see what happens next winter. If the grip is really bad (of if I bend one of my fancy German 20" rims on a pothole, as seems all too common) I'll just buy a set of 19" wheels and M+S tires and be done with it.

I guess I really don't understand the point of BMW putting summer tires on an i3. It's dumb. It's not a sports sedan, and shouldn't be driven like one, even if it is 70 degrees and sunny out. But I wanted a Tera World with a sunroof, and the 20" rims always seemed to be bundled in with the cars I wanted to buy, so here I am.

 

[Anonymous]

I wanted a Tera World with a sunroof, and the 20" rims always seemed to be bundled in with the cars I wanted to buy, so here I am.

Was my situation too, wanted the Tera

After a few months driving on the cr@p roads in the DFW area, putting bends on the inside of all four rims, and then hitting a major pothole and putting pinch blisters in two tires, ruining them, I dumped the 20's. Was going to get a set of the 19" Rial X 10-I wheels from Tirerack, but found a good set of used OEM i3 wheels on the local Craig's list for $300 for the set .

The low sidewall summer/sport tires just don't have enough depth for protection from bad roads. Plus I like the ride on the 19" higher sidewall all-seasons much better. The 20's have a real harsh ride compared to the 19's

 

[arodi3]

I also live in Austin and have a 2015 i3 Rex with the 20" rims. So far, no issues in about 4 years.

 

[Anonymous]

So far, no issues in about 4 years.

Yeah, Austin may actually maintain their roads. Dallas has to have the worst roads in the state .

Though I didn't even realize my rims were all bent until I was checking underneath for filter and drain access, to see how hard it would be to do my own oil changes.

 

[Fisher99]

Ok. Now I've got to go crawl under my car and take a look...

 

[richs]

I also live in Austin and have a 2015 i3 Rex with the 20" rims. So far, no issues in about 4 years.

Thanks, that's somewhat reassuring to hear. Even if I do eventually decide to switch to 19" rims, there's no rush to go out and spend money on them right away.

BTW, these have to be some of the rarest cars around Austin. I'll wave if I ever see another one. :lol:

 

[jadnashuanh]

In lots of parts of TX (and some other states as well), it's a LONG way to anywhere. WHen used as a 'city' car, I think the thing is great, but you wouldn't be taking it from Austin to El Paso, or even Dallas might be a stretch without a lot of prior planning on where to recharge.

 

[richs]

In lots of parts of TX (and some other states as well), it's a LONG way to anywhere. WHen used as a 'city' car, I think the thing is great, but you wouldn't be taking it from Austin to El Paso, or even Dallas might be a stretch without a lot of prior planning on where to recharge.

Just this past weekend, I drove my i3 to College Station. Left Austin with 95.5% state of charge in my 33 kWh battery, and...I didn't make it. About 10 miles short, the REx kicked in to save the day. The College Station area has no DC fast chargers. Zero. There ARE several free L2 chargers, if you have hours to spare. (I used one at the George Bush Presidential Library, of all places. Talk about irony!) But I didn't need to use that charger. I can treat my i3 REx like a plug-in hybrid if I have no choice. Now, bear in mind that it has to be fed gas every 85 miles, requires premium for no good reason, and only gets 35 MPG, so this is obviously not ideal, but it's workable for the occasional road trip. So, would I take my i3 REx from Austin to El Paso? Absolutely. Would I try this if I had an i3 BEV? No way!

OTOH, I agree that my i3 is a wonderful pure electric car for the 95% of the time when I'm just driving around the Austin area. I charge it at the library down the street from my apartment for a flat $50 a year. At work, I charge for free. And it's fun. Not Tesla-level fun, mind you, but certainly a blast to drive compared to the HR-V I traded in, or the Prius I had before that.

 

[jadnashuanh]

I bought a BEV because it would not be convenient to use a REx for my occasional long-range trips. But, for my typical running around town (I live less than about 7-miles from any of my normal destinations), it's great. My local grocery store is less than a mile away, the mall is a bit further, but not much, the center of town is 3-miles. SO, my ICE was a terrible thing to use for those trips as it would almost never get fully warmed up which leads to all sorts of issues with an ICE from engine corrosion, muffler degradation, etc. Plus, I can pre-condition the i3 before I go out. So, as it was designed, it's a great vehicle...not so much if you need it to go on a longer trip.

My next vehicle may be the X5 45e, which has enough battery capacity to handle my normal running around town, and the quick fill of a gas tank to take me on whatever trips I want and not have to worry about finding a charging station.

FWIW, I rarely get my i3 down to a low battery condition. I think it has only seen a range left of less than 10-miles a handful of times. I'm not patient enough to rely on charging away from home unless I'm planning some other activity. Then, you have the issue of whether the charge point is actually working and available when you need it. Some places overseas are now starting to put plugs on all of the lampposts, so charging, although slow, is available in lots more places. The charging situation is improving in the USA, but the current administration is certainly not helping in the matter as they'd prefer to also curtail the federal tax credits still available on many vehicle brands. You can infer that from the recent roll-back of efficiency requirements this week.

 

[richs]

After a few months driving on the cr@p roads in the DFW area, putting bends on the inside of all four rims, and then hitting a major pothole and putting pinch blisters in two tires, ruining them, I dumped the 20's. Was going to get a set of the 19" Rial X 10-I wheels from Tirerack, but found a good set of used OEM i3 wheels on the local Craig's list for $300 for the set .

The low sidewall summer/sport tires just don't have enough depth for protection from bad roads. Plus I like the ride on the 19" higher sidewall all-seasons much better. The 20's have a real harsh ride compared to the 19's

Yeah....looks like I'm already heading down the same path. I've had my i3 for exactly one month now, and tonight I hit what I considered a pretty minor pothole. A few minutes later, my car informs me that the pressure is low in my right front tire. Made it home ok, but it was down to 20 psi so I assume the tire at least is shot if not the rim, too. Ridiculous! BMW should be ashamed of themselves for these rims.

Any suggestions as to how I should proceed? Should I replace the 20" tire and deal with it later? Or should I just go ahead and get 19" rims and tires and be done with it? If so, which ones? And where should I shop for these rare beasts?

 

[jadnashuanh]

Not necessarily in defense of BMW, but having lived and driven in Germany, they don't seem to have the same problem with potholes that we do...they seem to take pride in what they do...their roads are built with a longer lifespan and they actually deal with repairs, when needed. The average roads in the US were not designed to last anywhere near the time that they have, and they show it. Both cars and trucks have gotten larger, and the volume has increased to far more than they were designed for. But, as taxes get cut, and don't even think about trying to raise them, the conditions will only get worse. There's less money for repairs, and the lowest bidder gets the build.

There's something to be said about all of the taxes they pay on fuel in Germany, and much of the Eurozone. Think about buying new tires and rims, broken springs, worn out shocks, alignment and other bent bits. We pay more to keep our cars running in repairs...they spend more in driving it.

Nobody wants more taxes, but when what we have doesn't keep up with inflation, things start falling apart, if it ever was enough.

Personally, I really don't care that much how the car looks, I care more of how it functions. Bigger wheels have their place, but they only function well and last a reasonable time when the roads they're driven on are in good shape. Now, the 19" ones aren't all that much better, but they are better. BMW forges the wheels for the i3 for two reasons, they're lighter and they're stronger. One to help with the overall weight, the other to help keep them intact. While you may find another wheel that may fit, the odds are that it will not be forged, so may end up heavier and not be able to handle impacts as well. A non-forged one is more likely to bend, but that's not good, and may be a reason to replace it as well as a broken one.

Most places in the US get cold enough to where the summer, performance tires will not have ideal performance or longer life than the 19" wheels and tires. Larger wheels on any individual car are more susceptible to damage. It's just a fact of life - the sidewalls need to be shorter as the wheel size goes up to maintain the outer dimension and keep the gear ratio and related stuff working. A freeze/thaw cycle on a poorly maintained road is a big invite for potholes to occur. Neglecting maintenance is one, too.

You can have your larger wheels, but it should also come with the understanding that they are more susceptible to damage. Not much in life comes for free.

FWIW, there are places in the world where doing something like using summer tires in the winter would get you a ticket. Maybe they know something and mandate winter tires.

 

[richs]

Well, regardless, I live in the US and have to deal with crappy US road maintenance. As I said earlier, I actually wanted the 19" rims with all-season tires, but I just couldn't find a Tera World with 19's so I was stuck with these 20's.

Anyway, let me rephrase my question. Let's just assume that I'm already fed up and I'm willing to buy 19" wheels for my car. It looks like the Real X10-I rims are the only ones I can find, other than the overpriced BMW rims, Are the Real rims any good? Is there any reason to avoid them?

 

[Anonymous]

Rial wheels have been manufactured in Germany since the 1970's, and are considered a Premium brand in aftermarket wheels there. Rial was bought by Günter Schmid, ex-owner of the ATS wheels company in 1987. ATS is a German manufacturer of high-end wheels for Motorsport and Formula racing, and Rial uses a lot of the same manufacturing processes, testing, and quality control that ATS does for their racing wheels. At one time Rial ran their own Formula 1 racing team, participating in 32 Grands Prix, entering a total of 48 cars, and scoring six championship points, finishing a highest of ninth in the constructors championship in 1988. In other words, Rial wheels aren't coming out of a coal-fired forge in a big tin shed with a dirt floor in China . Never seen a bad review of the Rial wheels.

http://rial.de/en/pruefverfahren/

 

[richs]

Thanks, Mark, for your informative answer!

Well, Firestone finally found the pinhole leak in my front tire and it can't be patched. Sidewall damage, of course, and the pothole I hit wasn't even that big. They actually did have a 20" Ecopia in stock in their local warehouse, but I said no thanks to a replacement; felt like throwing good money after bad. I've only owned the car a month and I'm already ditching the 20" rims. (Maybe they're great in Germany, but they sure suck in Texas.)

Since I'm constantly filling the tire with air from the compressor and I don't have a backup car, I'm ordering the Rial rims and a set of all-season Ecopias from TireRack today. I don't have the time to haunt Craigslist waiting for bargains, unfortunately. I'll post a follow-up later on with what I think of the Rial rims.

(As an aside, I have a friend who rented a little sporty BMW in Scotland with very similar rims and tires. Within days, he hit a Scottish pothole and destroyed the tire. So, this isn't just an American issue...)

 

[Fisher99]

Post a pic of the car with the new wheels/tires , when you can.