Tire Options in November 2020 ?

[wbarnum]

Hi everyone, 1 year owner of a used 2016 i3REX. Love the car.

My factory Ecopia tires need replacing and they really were horrible last year in the winter if there was any snow.
Looking at previous forum posts, it appears that there were these options:

Ecopia - bad winter tires
Nokian R3, R4, WRD4
Blizzaks - LM500

I have the factory 19 inch pizza rims.

Ideally, I'd find a good all-season tire or a winter tire that could pass for a summer tire and not have to change every 6 months or buy new rims, but for the life of me, I can't find any complete sets of tires right now except for the Ecopias. At this point, I'd be fine with a summer and winter set of tires, even buying a new 19 or 20 inch rim set if needed.

I also read in another post about someone bought some extensions that allowed them to use wider tires with a different set of rims. I would be ok with that if I knew exactly what to buy and take to the local tire shop. I've asked a couple tire shops, including Nokian dealers to find me some tires and they have had no luck, but also are not going to put in the time to find a more creative solution.

Does anyone have any recommendations of what options are available and practical right now (Nov 2020)? I'm game for anything that lets me drive this winter, but I'm not a "car guy" and need pretty specific instructions. (I am a software engineer, I have coded my i3 and can wrangle that, but don't want to make a tire mistake). If the only option is Ecopias, then I'll have to keep it garaged at any hint of snow (which is not the end of the world).

Thanks for any help.

-W

 

[jadnashuanh]

It helps if you put your general location in your profile since what may be good for one country, may not be for others!

The OEM winter tire set can sometimes be a good buy. Those pizza wheels retail for about $500, but you can buy the winter tires for less than that already mounted, balanced, and TPMS installed.

I think the Nokian is a better winter tire, but I have the Bridgestone on my i3 now (will be selling it soon). All-season tires are a compromise, all seasons.

Winter tires come in several flavors, based on how much dry, cold, versus, snow ice you may encounter. The R3 is best in snow/ice. The Bridgestone is more of a cold/slush optimized tire. https://www.nokiantyres.com/tyres/by-tire-size/winter-tires/?s=155-70-19 depending on where you live, you might have a choice of 3 different Nokian winter tires. They aren't available everywhere.

 

[wbarnum]

good point, I live in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. We typically are pretty dry in the winter, (it's technically a desert here), though when it snows, we can have a day or two of hard pack or thick powder on the road. We rarely have ice for long as it tends to sublime off or is melted by road salt.

Im going to try to get one of the local Nokian dealers to try a little harder to get some that will work.

@jadnashuanh,
"The OEM winter tire set can sometimes be a good buy. Those pizza wheels retail for about $500, but you can buy the winter tires for less than that already mounted, balanced, and TPMS installed."

Are you saying that the BMW dealer can/will sell me a winter version of the Ecopia on a set of new rims for $500 each? If so, are the winter version of the Ecopias decent for snow? I did not know there was such a tire.

thanks
W

 

[labtebo]

i don't know if you are particular with the aesthetics of your winter wheel/ tires.
I just bought a spare tire/wheel at tire rack:
- after market rim - $210
- tire and other fees - see receipt
tire rack should have a snow tires as well.

tried to look for a used rim at ebay but the new after market rim was cheaper in tire rack.

link to spare tire - https://photos.app.goo.gl/siw5vtbxBsN7VDiK9
link to spare tire compare - https://photos.app.goo.gl/k5rfbDWmWTSeDaCC9
link to tire rack receipt - https://photos.app.goo.gl/xhxcwzYPvad2cLa6A

 

[labtebo]

https://photos.app.goo.gl/WQTQs1cx3x8yEXnh7

found one winter tire at tire rack. they even costs cheaper than the regular ecopias

 

[labtebo]

i'm in california, and my order arrived complete (with sensor, balance and wheel/tire) within 24 hours - 36 hrs.

 

[jadnashuanh]

https://www.ecstuning.com/Search/SiteSearch/i3_winter_tire/ And, sometimes, the dealership is cheaper. These are decent. The Nokian R3 is a better tire for deep snow and ice, but that doesn't seem to be your problem.