Winter wheel/tire fitment 2018 i3s

[dm930]

Hi friends. Hope someone out there can help figure this out with me. I have a 2018 i3s. Tirerack has a winter wheel package with the Rial 19x5 wheels and Blizzak LM500 tires. My concern is the offsets. I think I will need spacers so they will fit correctly. Here's what info I know so far.

Stock on my 2018 i3s
Front - 20x5.5 with 33 offset
Rear - 20x6 with 39 offset

Winter Wheels/Tires are
Front and Rear 19x5 with 43 offset

Need to see what front and rear spacers are needed to make the fitment work.
Also, need to know can I use my factory wheel bolts as I will probably lose some threads bolting them on, correct?

I really appreciate any knowledgeable help. Thanks.

 

[CanisLupus]

You need to get advice from a trained alignment technician . That person will have the knowledge and answers for proper fitment . Calculations suggest that there is more backspace in the winter wheels and they won't even fit on the front without spacers . Definitely get lug bolts that are longer . Ensure that the same length of bolt extends as before . However in the rear , the winter wheels have less backspace and should fit on without issue . The questions are " In the front , do you want the centerline to end up in the same place (10mm spacer) to keep the same scrub radius ? " and " In the rear , is the minor difference (4mm) in centerline acceptable ? "

There might be a winter wheel/tire package available specifically for the i3s , currently from BMW , and from aftermarket retailers now or in the future . But yes , if we have a winter wheel/tire set already , we'd like to use it .

Again , Consult an alignment Technician !

 

[dm930]

Thank you.

 

[ksnax]

No matter what winter or all-season tires ultimately are available, there will be variations in how they handle anyway. From sidewall stiffness to slip angles they can tolerate, like for like, minor scrub radius changes are not going to be something you will notice either in the way the car drives or how the tires wear.

It's more important to stay out of the ditch!

 

[PBNB]

I have been looking for winter options for our I3 non "S' model with the 20" option. It seems that there are no more 19" wheels available at Tirerack and there is no option for a 20" winter tire to fit the 20" wheels or the I3s or 20" option wheels.

This does seem to be a challenge.

I have looked at some other wheel providers but aftermarket wheels are typically 20" or larger and there are still no winter tire options for these wheels. Going to a more conventional wheel and tire combo, could work but it will stick out of the fenders and also create more drag and rolling resistance which will use more power to move the car.

It seems that Nokian or Bridgestone need to make a 20" snow tire as BMW is continuing to produce the I3.

Perhaps new I3's need to be sold with a second set of wheels and snow tires right at the beginning (at least in colder winter climate areas). We might have to use one of our ICE cars with winter tires should it snow out here.

 

[jadnashuanh]

FWIW, pretty much every winter tire manufacturer suggests for best performance in snow to do a minus-1 fitting. That would highly suggest that a 20" tire for an i3 wouldn't be a very viable solution. The i3 volume isn't huge, so it's nice that there are two choices in 19". A bit more sidewall in the winter is helpful.

Car manufacturers generally try to line up at least two providers of tires to have a backup plan in case something goes wrong. Given the volume, it may have taken some twisted arms to get reasonably priced tires from just one. Nokian is from an area that has a high EV population/capita, so they have a reason to consider making their winter tire for them.

 

[CanisLupus]

Because the 20" tires are rated as 'Summer' , when I bought my 2016 i3 , Brian Jessel offered a winter tire/wheel package . It was a good price and growing up in the interior , I prefer to have 2 sets of wheel/tires . It's the best idea , I think and as Jim has mentioned before , the cost of having tires dismounted , mounted , rebalanced , etc. 2 times per year quickly adds up to more than the price of an extra set of rims . If your dealer didn't offer a winter package when you bought , ask them what they can offer . The 20" are not at all recommended for winter as our temperatures some days have highs at or below freezing and hopefully they can help with that . If you can't find a set , let me know . I have an extra set . We are thinking of getting another i3 but if we get an i3s , the wheels would be a different size or offset .

 

[PBNB]

Because the 20" tires are rated as 'Summer' , when I bought my 2016 i3 , Brian Jessel offered a winter tire/wheel package . It was a good price and growing up in the interior , I prefer to have 2 sets of wheel/tires . It's the best idea , I think and as Jim has mentioned before , the cost of having tires dismounted , mounted , rebalanced , etc. 2 times per year quickly adds up to more than the price of an extra set of rims . If your dealer didn't offer a winter package when you bought , ask them what they can offer . The 20" are not at all recommended for winter as our temperatures some days have highs at or below freezing and hopefully they can help with that . If you can't find a set , let me know . I have an extra set . We are thinking of getting another i3 but if we get an i3s , the wheels would be a different size or offset .

I know what you are saying about extra wheels as I have extra wheels for 3 of our 5 vehicles. We bought the i3 in the summer as our second work vehicle and didn't research the tire situation too closely at the time as it never really occurred to us that we would not be able to get tires to fit the rims on the car. We had the dealership put new summers on the car at that time. It would be nice to use the car all year but I guess we could just park it when the snow arrives. We don't use our Mini in the snow mainly because the other drivers in Vancouver seem to like playing bumper cars. We are in the process of getting all setup with Langley BMW and will check out their selection of wheels and tires. I will keep my eyes on Craigslist as well for a used set. If you were to part with a set, what would you be looking at for them? Are you in the interior or on the coast? Thanks, Peter

 

[Anonymous]

Depending on what your dealer can or cannot offer, you might check around your neck of the woods to see if anyone sells Rial wheels. RIAL Leichtmetallfelgen GmbH makes the X10-I in 19" specifically for the i3. Here is the US they are available at TireRack, though the TR web site shows they are all sold out for the season.

 

[PBNB]

Depending on what your dealer can or cannot offer, you might check around your neck of the woods to see if anyone sells Rial wheels. RIAL Leichtmetallfelgen GmbH makes the X10-I in 19" specifically for the i3. Here is the US they are available at TireRack, though the TR web site shows they are all sold out for the season.

I went to look at the Tirerack offering and noticed that same thing. Sold out for the season.

I just have to keep my eyes on some used ones or maybe from the dealer??

 

[Anonymous]

There is this used set, and they include winter tires

https://www.ebay.com/itm/4-BMW-i3-Winter-Wheels-Styling-427-i3-I01-BMW-155-70-R19-84Q-6852053-RDCi-Top/263552960835?hash=item3d5cfb0943:g:rAsAAOSwWeJbjWr7:rk:49f:0

 

[TheMK]

Nice find, though OUCH almost $500 shipping from Germany!

 

[Anonymous]

Nice find, though OUCH almost $500 shipping from Germany!

Even with shipping though, that's still only $312 per wheel, with winter tire already mounted and balanced, ready to bolt on the car. The winter tires alone are $140 plus at least $20 per for mounting and balancing new - so figuring at $160 each plus, that leaves about $150 for the wheel. Even on Craig's list, haven't seen any used i3 wheels go for less than $200 - $230 per, most are $300 to $350, Granted the tires likely have a season or two on them, but still look pretty good.

 

[PBNB]

Nice find, though OUCH almost $500 shipping from Germany!

Unfortunately, they don't ship to Canada!

 

[Anonymous]

Unfortunately, they don't ship to Canada!

Odd - you might message the seller and ask to be sure. I once bought an overdrive transmission for an MGB on eBay UK, where the listing specifically said, would not ship to the US - messaged the seller, and he had no problem shipping it out to me in Dallas, packed and shipped it out DHL Airfreight, arrived in 4 days.

 

[Anonymous]

Or do a short-term rental on a box at the UPS store in Blaine, just across the border, so you have a US ship-to address.

 

[CanisLupus]

Hay Peter , I've sent you a PM , I'll return from the island on Thursday . George

 

[PBNB]

Hay Peter , I've sent you a PM , I'll return from the island on Thursday . George

Hi George, I replied but I am not too sure if the PM went as it appears to be sitting in the forum outbox.

Can you shoot me a quick description of these to me cell at 604-866*0039.

Thanks,
Peter

 

[Boxbrownie]

Be careful as those eBay set have the lower rated tyres, only suitable for the BEV not the REX.

 

[Bluei3s]

There's a lot of good fitment information in this thread (it's my thread, but others were very helpful). I ended up with the BMW winter wheels and tires due to the fact that they ended up cheaper than a lot of the aftermarket things you'd have to buy.

I'd also rather have wheels that don't require spacers for safety reasons, so if they're safer AND cheaper it seems like a no-brainer.

http://www.mybmwi3.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=5402&p=47004#p47004