If it never snows are the 20"s better than the 19"s?

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EVBob

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 18, 2017
Messages
154
Greetings All,

I have read a few threads about the 19" vs 20" rim. It appears the consensus is that overall the 20" drives and handles better than the 19"

However, the following had conflicting opinions/statements
- 20" give a more "stable" ride than 19" during highway driving?
- 20" Summer tires are not as good as 19" all season tires in rain/wet conditions?
- 20" tires wear out faster than 19"?
- 20" tires are more prone to damage than 19"?
-19" gives a softer ride over rougher roads?

Any clarification on the above would be of great help.

Located in South Florida - so snow conditions are not a concern. However wet/heavy rains/1-4" standing water conditions and occasionally driving on less than perfect roads are common.

We are looking at two i3s - roughly the same price...one has 8K more miles but has Giga and 20" wheels vs less miles Mega and 19" wheels. We have a Mega with 19", so was thinking one with Giga and 20" to change it up a little ;-)
 
Summer, performance tires generally have a lower tread life sometimes for up to two reasons...it tends to be softer for better grip, and to help prevent squirming of the tread blocks, many actually start out new with less actual usable tread depth. While not perfect, check the tread life number on the two tires. In the case of the tires for the i3, they both have the same wear rating of 440, which is a little unusual.

Keep in mind, while most of the i3's sold in the USA have similar, staggered tread width F/R, the lowest cost package has a square setup.

I have 19", staggered all-seasons and a square winter tire set for my car. While there is a difference between the all-season and winter set, I really don't find either one lacking. The ride on the 20" ones is worse from the rare time I've driven one.

The tread compound on the summer tires starts to lose to the all-seasons and winter tires when the temperature drops below about 50-degrees F. A temperature you probably see part of the year in FL...it is much more evident in the summer tires verses the all-seasons...the winter tires retain their abilities below those temperatures by a bigger margin.

FWIW, a narrower tire generally fares better in heavy rain, but the staggered 19" has the same issue as the 20" on that. Without instrumented tests, not sure if the average person would notice. The all-seasons have more sipes that should evacuate water better than the summer tires, allowing them to retain grip. Those additional sipes prevent the tread from being as stable, so perceived cornering can be different, but break-away may differ (usually masked by the stability control).
 
I find the 20's summer is surprisingly good in wet conditions.

In colder temperature (below 5C), I do find the rubber compound harden, and the ride becomes harsher.

Icy, snow conditions is obviously not ideal for a summer tire.

In general, the ride comfort is decent, it is a BMW afterall, the ride is meant to be sporty.
 
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