19" or 20" wheels?

davidviolin said:

Hi guys,

my first post! Regarding the 19 inch vs 20 inch I have driven both multiple times, and there is no question in my mind that the 19 inch provides a smoother ride and is overall best. The 20 inch are harder and I imagine much easier to flat if you are unlucky with a pothole in addition to damaging the wheel. I would recommend the 19.

David

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I have 20 inch, but in hind-sight I should have gone for the 19 as the ride is much better on old english roads (like rock-climbing).....

Ahh.... That's making me nervous. I'll be test driving soon, but worried the 20" won't feel as comfortable as the 19"...and can't find a model I like with the 19 at the moment....

hdbrew said:

Ahh.... That's making me nervous. I'll be test driving soon, but worried the 20" won't feel as comfortable as the 19"...and can't find a model I like with the 19 at the moment....

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lol... but in all honesty, what is one inch? not a lot! In fact its only 0.5 inch on each opposite side really... In terms of looks the 20 inch is awesome... the ride not really that much different..

Thank you all. Got the car with the 20" wheels. Purchased last night. Really felt comfortable. Not sure if it was the nice Giga interior or the bigger wheels, but it drove beautifully.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/135194874@N06/shares/o860a6

hdbrew said:

Thank you all. Got the car with the 20" wheels. Purchased last night. Really felt comfortable. Not sure if it was the nice Giga interior or the bigger wheels, but it drove beautifully.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/135194874@N06/shares/o860a6

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Hey congratulations...

noakey said:

hdbrew said:

Hey congratulations...

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Thank you!

Driven both size. 20s is very uncomfortable, especially on the highway. You can tell that the suspension setup was not design for the 20", it gets very harsh and doesn't absorb high frequency noise. I'm considering replacing it with 19" as I drive a lot on British motorway.

It somewhat depends on what car and tire/wheel setup you're coming from. Depending on the model, the 19" wheels may be square or staggered...if staggered, they've got the same footprint, as the rears are the wider. One advantage in comfort is that the summer performance tires' rubber compound is softer (and doesn't wear as well) that may compensate for the slightly larger air cushion available in the 19" package. If your roads are lousy, that extra inch of rubber can make the difference between bending/cracking a rim and not. I don't make it a habit of staring at my car...I drive it, so, especially since I do see frigid conditions, the all-season tires are useful and the 19" ones seem fine (and preferable to me). I do run winter tires on mine, but the all-seasons allow me a bit more flexibility about when I need (verses should!) do the changeover.

I have read all 48 posts regarding this issue. Does anybody speak plain English for those of us who don't know a spark plug from a wing nut?
While the information was fascinating no one could really answer the question. And, yes, I read the post that said the question can't really be answered because it is personal preference.

However, towards the end of all these posts someone finally came through . Tue Mar 10, 2015 8:51 pm:
Hi guys,

my first post! Regarding the 19 inch vs 20 inch I have driven both multiple times, and there is no question in my mind that the 19 inch provides a smoother ride and is overall best. The 20 inch are harder and I imagine much easier to flat if you are unlucky with a pothole in addition to damaging the wheel. I would recommend the 19.

David

Thanks David. That's all I was looking for. I have been driving the 20s for two years and I think they suck but I didn't want to jump from the frying pan to the fire. The only information that confused me was the nature of each tire. Did I hear this discussion say the 20s were summer tires and the 19s were winter tires? Or did I hear they don't make winter tires for the 20s but do make them for the 19s. Either way it won't affect me if the later is true because I made it through my Santa Fe winter just fine with the 20s.

If I've missing anything and you want to comment, I'd appreciate it. Just keep it simple. All I want is a smoother softer, drive and don't care how the 19s look.
Thanks,
Richard

The existing 20" tires available for the i3 are summer rubber compound/tread design. IMHO, in Santa Fe, you were somewhat lucky you found them adequate.

The 19" OEM tires are rated all-season. Nobody, to my knowledge, makes a 20" winter tire or all-season tire to fit the i3. There are three winter tires available for the i3, but only two of them are available in the USA: the OEM Bridgestone, and the Nokian R2. Between those two, I believe the R2 is a better winter tire, but I have the Bridgestone. If I have the car long enough to need replacements, I'll go with the Nokian, as I've always had good performance from them in the past. I bought the winter tire/wheel package from the dealer as part of my initial vehicle purchase, and got a deal on them. Now that I have the wheels, the next time, I have more choices. If you read some of the tire reviews on the R2, the general consensus is that it transformed the car when driving in the winter. That extra bit of safety makes it worth the cost to me for swapping things twice a year. The stability and stopping/cornering performance in the cold, nasty weather, is substantial.

As a general rule, a higher profile tire will ride better. Now, the 'look' and performance of the 20" wheels/tires on the i3 is personal preference...the difference in performance is IMHO, minor, and not worth the ride difference.

While the 19" tires included with new i3's in the U.S. have been all-season tires, a 19" summer tire like the 20" version has been and may still be available. Some i3 owners who have ordered replacement 19" tires have ended up with the summer tire version, so when ordering 19" tires, care should be taken to specify all-season or summer.

My 2014 i3 had 19” staggered wheels and all season tires. They seemed fine. But the 2017 I swapped for in June came with the 20” and summer tires. Having lived with it for a few months now, I definitely prefer the 20” handling and ride. The 2017 turns in crisper while the harshness penalty is minimal. Keep in mind 95% of my driving is on San Francisco city streets, which are anything but smooth these days due to seemingly never-ending construction. Even with the 20” I find the i3 more compliant (and less exciting) than my E90 with the M-sport suspension. So if there’s a third i3 in my future, it will probably be the S variant.

(And in case you missed my reference to SF, I am lucky enough to live on the California coast so that whole winter tire thing is thankfully a non-issue.)

I have been driving my i3 with 20' summer tires for the past two years.

It is horrible on the snow and ice, it slides very very easily. I was silly to have driven it in the snow last year, and ended up in a minor accident that needed a replacement front end of the car.

Never tried the 19' all season, not sure how they perform in that type of weather.

Due to the "skinny" profile, and the harsh regenerative braking, it is best to leave this car at home during snowy/icy conditions.

In dry conditions, the summer tires have sufficient grip, even with the skinny profile, and fairs well in the rain.

The ride is not that harsh, I like the handling that comes with it.

It is a sports car made by BMW not a Lexus afterall...

I have both.... 19" for winter 20" for summer (different tires), both rides are fine (not much difference on good roads).

BUT you need 19" winter tyres, because the 20" in winter is crazy (car is all over the place) ! And even the 19" snow set is dangerous on snow with ice (regen locks the rear so you have to use your left foot to brake).

Style wise: 20" looks better (personal).