Rear Wheels on Front Anyone?

[racerferro]

I love my i3, but do not like the skinny 5" wheels in the front. I have the 19" wheels with 5.5" in the back and 5" up front. I am wondering if anyone has tried mounting the rears up front? And what is involved? Just a 20 mm hub spacer? Ideally, I would purchase another set of 5.5 rims, swap out the front rims and try to sell them on ebay or something. I figure a wider wheel upfront will provide better braking and handling, in addition to lookin better. Not too concerned about milage or efficiency.

Anyone try or consider this yet? Thanks in advance.

 

[CanisLupus]

You can/should ask an alignment technician but maybe (if they will fit) a 10mm spacer would position the centers of the 5.5s in the same place as the original 5.0s . That might be the best choice but you must determine how much clearance that gives and the risks if that clearance is too small .

 

[jadnashuanh]

Just don't try to run them without a proper spacer...others have tried accidentally, and trashed the tire.

 

[racerferro]

Thanks. I am not sure it will help with braking grrip, but the current tires want to slide when you brake hard or stop short. I am sure that is combibation of the lack of weight in the front and the contact the tires make with the pavement.

 

[jadnashuanh]

Any tire, inflated to the same pressure, should end up with the same footprint. The orientation of that footprint will change. The i3's choice of tire size creates a longer footprint than say a smaller diameter, wider tire would. In reality, it should help in braking and acceleration, but not in cornering, since it will be oriented more longitudinally versus laterally. You can probably chalk it up to the low rolling resistance construction of the all-season tires. The summer performance tires should be better unless it's cold out.

 

[LevinBR]

I am looking to do the same. Here are the numbers - the .5 inch wider rear wheel along with the extra 10mm of offset puts it 16.35mm closer to the suspension assembly up front. So, a 17mm spacer will be required up front to avoid rubbing the tire on the suspension.

Now, if the larger tire adds some extra sidewall girth, then we may need even more (?)