Ride quality REX vs BEV

I'm considering buying a used i3.

We all know the i3 has a somewhat harsh ride over rough pavement, and the pavement in LA where I live is super rough. Has anyone noticed a difference between the ride of the REX and the BEV?

Since the REX is heavier, does it bounce less? Or is the difference negligible?

Any difference, if there is one, is normally down to the difference in tyres.

The ReX has lower profile tyres at the rear than the standard BEV but then most BEVs have option wheels which also include lower profile tyres on the rear.

If you opt for the 20" wheels these have even lower profile tyres all around.

I have both with 19" wheels and can't find any noticeable difference in the ride. I think I can feel the (a little) better acceleration of the BEV though.

The REx has slightly different springs than the BEV, but differences in ride are subtle. The BEV is faster, though. I switch between my staggered 19" wheels to winter tire set (which is square), and do notice a difference in ride (the winter tires have a softer compound, and it does affect the handling and slightly the ride), so the width probably makes a difference, too. Only the base level BEV comes with the square tires, but I think all REx's have staggered (but the square winter tires do work on it as well). At least, that's the way it is sold in the USA, other countries may differ.

Interesting. Well what about ride difference between 19" and 20" wheels? Anyone noticed any difference?

jadnashuanh said:

Only the base level BEV comes with the square tires, but I think all REx's have staggered (but the square winter tires do work on it as well). At least, that's the way it is sold in the USA, other countries may differ.

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Does that mean the base BEV is the only i3 where you can rotate the tires and prolong their life?

slipnslider said:

Does that mean the base BEV is the only i3 where you can rotate the tires and prolong their life?

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Only the base BEV (Mega World) with 19" wheels has the same wheel and tire sizes front and back, so its tires can be rotated normally. All others can be rotated only side to side which isn't as good for extending a tire's life.

Even worse, all 2014's except Mega BEV models have 4 different wheels, right and left side versions of the narrower front and wider rear wheels. So if one rotates the tires side to side, wheels designed to be on the right side would be on the left side and vice-versa. This isn't the end of the world because starting with 2015 models, BMW installed the same narrower wheels on both sides of the front axle and the same wider wheels on both sides of the rear axle. So the rotation directions of the wheels on the right side differ from those on the left side.

alohart said:

slipnslider said:

Does that mean the base BEV is the only i3 where you can rotate the tires and prolong their life?

Click to expand...

Only the base BEV (Mega World) with 19" wheels has the same wheel and tire sizes front and back, so its tires can be rotated normally. All others can be rotated only side to side which isn't as good for extending a tire's life.

Even worse, all 2014's except Mega BEV models have 4 different wheels, right and left side versions of the narrower front and wider rear wheels. So if one rotates the tires side to side, wheels designed to be on the right side would be on the left side and vice-versa. This isn't the end of the world because starting with 2015 models, BMW installed the same narrower wheels on both sides of the front axle and the same wider wheels on both sides of the rear axle. So the rotation directions of the wheels on the right side differ from those on the left side.

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So you're saying just like some tires are "directional" and can't be simply flipped to the other side, the 2014 i3's WHEELS were directional as well. Thanks good to know.

The Bridgestone winter tires are also directional, so you can only easily rotate them front to back on the same side unless you want to remount them. FWIW, when I ordered a set from BMW, they all came mounted for the left side! They had to remount two of the tires before I could even get them out the door! Somebody messed up, and it's likely someone else got four for the right side...hope they noticed!

slipnslider said:

So you're saying just like some tires are "directional" and can't be simply flipped to the other side, the 2014 i3's WHEELS were directional as well. Thanks good to know.

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Yes, all but the Mega "pizza" wheels are directional, but as BMW had demonstrated since 2015, the directionality of the wheels can be ignored unlike with directional tires (the i3's summer and all-season tires are not directional but do have inside and outside faces). Because I don't like the looks of our 2014 Giga wheels as BMW originally mounted them, I have already rotated them side to side to try to even out the tire wear a bit and will continue doing so (the right rear tire seems to wear faster than the left rear tire).

slipnslider said:

So you're saying just like some tires are "directional" and can't be simply flipped to the other side, the 2014 i3's WHEELS were directional as well. Thanks good to know.

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Lots of confusion here. The i3 tires are NOT directional, but they ARE asymmetrical. They have an inside sidewall and an outside sidewall. They can be rotated side to side. If they are not remounted on the wheels, then they will be fine, as the wheels are similarly asymmetrical with an inside and an outside which make them nearly impossible to incorrectly mount.

Some of the 2014 models had wheels that were both asymmetrical AND directional. The wheel patterns looks like they were meant to be rotating in a specific direction, and that look could be either way, but you sure did not want to mix that patter front and back where you can see both tires. After 2015, BMW gave up and just used one direction, so the front and rear tires always looked like they were meant to rotate the same way, but the left and right sides of the car had the opposite look. This issue is purely cosmetic. The tires and the wheels asymmetry are important to proper handling.