new I3 REX owner. some questions. sorry.

[marvintherepairman]

I am considering replacing the original 20 inch wheels that came on my car with new OEM 19 inch wheels and new all season tires. I have a 2017 Rex. I have always fancied the i3 428 style from BMW.

I thought there had been a topic with regards to wheel replacement but have not been able to locate it.

My question is whether any tire store could change the wheel and tires or would it be better for me to take the car in to BMW to let them install the new wheels and new tires? At some time over the past two years or so, I thought I had seen an article that there had been some concern with wheel replacement and a specific procedure to follow which mentioned it would be better that BMW replaced the wheels. My recollection is foggy so it may have been an article with regard to performing alignment procedures.

I recognize that Tire Rack would possibly give me a better price on the tire replacement than BMW. Another option would be to purchase the all season tires from Tire Rack and have them ship the tires to a local Discount Tire store, their local installer. Yet, again I run in the same issue: my concern that the technician might not be aware of a specific procedure or installation step. I am aware that the front and rear wheels would be of different sizes so that would be one specific requirement.

Being one of two i3’s located in my town, I am pretty sure that any of the tire stores located here have not had any experience in this.

Has anyone experienced this or recall any concerns with a specific procedure when changing wheels?

 

[alohart]

My question is whether any tire store could change the wheel and tires or would it be better for me to take the car in to BMW to let them install the new wheels and new tires?

I have rotated the 19" wheels and tires on our 2014 i3 and noticed nothing unusual about the process, so any capable tire shop should be able to transfer the pressure sensors from the old to the new wheels, mount the tires on the wheels, balance them, and install them taking care to mount the wider tires on the wider wheels and to install the wider wheels and tires on the rear. If the current wheels have wheel locks, the lock keys would need to be provided to the shop. I would prefer that the lug bolts be hand tightened to the 105 ft-lb torque spec.

At some time over the past two years or so, I thought I had seen an article that there had been some concern with wheel replacement and a specific procedure to follow which mentioned it would be better that BMW replaced the wheels.

2014 and maybe some early 2015 19" and 20" wheels had 4 different part numbers because each wheel was different. However, it really doesn't matter on which side each wheel was installed, just that the front and rear wheels on each side were matched. Both front and both rear wheels on later wheels which I'm guessing that you have are identical, no front and rear wheels needn't be matched.

I recognize that Tire Rack would possibly give me a better price on the tire replacement than BMW.

If a Costco tire store is nearby, they frequently have the lowest prices during their periodic Bridgestone tire sales. Some have reported competitive BMW dealer prices, so it might be worth checking their price.

 

[marvintherepairman]

Thank you, Art.

I am under the impression that the 20 inch wheels can not be rotated from side to side.

With regard to the replacement 19” wheel that I am considering, with a Rex is it possible to put the same front wheel on the rear, facilitating a normal rotation going forward; i.e., front to back? What is the purpose for having a larger rear wheel in comparison to the front wheel on a Rex? I had always presumed that it had something to do with the weight from the small engine.

Thank you in advance for helping me to understand better.

(As a sidenote, I am intrigued by the current i3 that you are driving which is Imperial Blue as mentioned in your signature. I like that combination as well, so congratulations on finding the car. Several months ago I found a 2021 used model that was Cashmere Silver Metallic with Giga interior. It did not have the heat pump. Would have enjoyed driving that car but I did not want the expense.)

 

[alohart]

I am under the impression that the 20 inch wheels can not be rotated from side to side.

There is nothing about the design of any of the i3's wheels that prevents them from being rotated side-to-side.

With regard to the replacement 19” wheel that I am considering, with a Rex is it possible to put the same front wheel on the rear, facilitating a normal rotation going forward; i.e., front to back?What is the purpose for having a larger rear wheel in comparison to the front wheel on a Rex? I had always presumed that it had something to do with the weight from the small engine.

BMW didn't deliver any REx with the same wheels front and rear, likely due to the extra 300 lb of REx engine over the rear wheels. Installing the 5" front wheels with 155 tires on the rear would likely accelerate rear tire wear and might overload the tires with 4 occupants plus some cargo. Some have installed the 5-½" rear wheels with 175 tires on the front so that they could be rotated to the rear. Doing so might require spacers on the front, however (not sure).

(As a sidenote, I am intrigued by the current i3 that you are driving which is Imperial Blue as mentioned in your signature. I like that combination as well, so congratulations on finding the car. Several months ago I found a 2021 used model that was Cashmere Silver Metallic with Giga interior. It did not have the heat pump. Would have enjoyed driving that car but I did not want the expense.)

I'm actually not wild about Imperial Blue because it looks almost black when not in the sun and is delivered with gray rather than i-blue accents. Many prefer dark cars, but not me which is why I prefer the Giga over the Tera or Deka interiors. I would have preferred a white, silver, red, or gold exterior. Unfortunately, the 2018 and later Giga interior is darker than that on our 2014 i3, so I prefer the early Giga interior with its eucalyptus rather than dark oak dashboard trim. I considered swapping interiors, but our 2014 seats did not have seat heaters whereas our 2019 does which would have made the swap more challenging. There were few used 2019 or later Giga World i3's with the Tech Package available on the West Coast during the year that I was looking, so when this Imperial Blue became available at a reasonable price, I took it. Unfortunately, a previous owner was a smoker, so I plan to try to eliminate the smoke smell after I return from 3 months of travels at the end of September. I've driven our 2019 only 150 miles, so I don't have much experience with it. I really love its range compared with our 2014, however.

 

[stumbledotcom]

I'm actually not wild about Imperial Blue because it looks almost black when not in the sun and is delivered with gray rather than i-blue accents. Many prefer dark cars, but not me which is why I prefer the Giga over the Tera or Deka interiors. I would have preferred a white, silver, red, or gold exterior. Unfortunately, the 2018 and later Giga interior is darker than that on our 2014 i3, so I prefer the early Giga interior with its eucalyptus rather than dark oak dashboard trim. I considered swapping interiors, but our 2014 seats did not have seat heaters whereas our 2019 does which would have made the swap more challenging. There were few used 2019 or later Giga World i3's with the Tech Package available on the West Coast during the year that I was looking, so when this Imperial Blue became available at a reasonable price, I took it. Unfortunately, a previous owner was a smoker, so I plan to try to eliminate the smoke smell after I return from 3 months of travels at the end of September. I've driven our 2019 only 150 miles, so I don't have much experience with it. I really love its range compared with our 2014, however.

I also prefer the Giga/Lodge interior. Had it on my 2014 and now the 2021. (The 2017 in between had Tera/Suite, which I quickly got bored with.) But I prefer the LCI version. I like the bolder cloth and smooth light grey leather on the armrests. Also happy they dropped the beautiful but wildly impractical light grey floor mats. For what it’s worth, I believe in the US at least eucalyptus remained the default trim for Giga (that’s my config) with dark oak being a no cost option.

 

[RichBChicago]

- Should I get snow tires in Chicago? Do the summer tires really end up like hockey pucks?

A: Re: Snow Tires in Chicago -- YES!!! It's a must, unless you don't want to drive the car when there's any more than a dusting of snow. I learned the hard way, and it was quite scary trying to ice skate on streets that any snow or ice at all. Speaking from experience having my i3 REX since 2021, it's money well spent, so you don't end up in an accident which would cost much, much more than a set of tires...or possibly injure someone. Good luck!