i3 in the snow

[gte355u124]

So, on the verge of getting an i3, however, I'm torn on what to think about driving in the snow in the northeast. The reviews I've seen are mixed. Cons: lightweight, rear wheel drive, regen braking makes driving even more difficult. Pros: skinny narrow tires are great for snow.

I'm going with the 20" wheels, so swapping winter tires isn't going to work. I'd have to get some new wheels and tires. but doing this makes the economics on a 2 year lease less attractive.

Anyways, if anyone has some personal experience, please let me know. Most of our roads get cleared very well and are flat, but I do a small windy hill I have to drive up to get to my house.

 

[archieb]

I live in Wisconsin so our winters will be similar to yours. I got my i3 in late January so I used the stock 19" all seasons this past winter. Not great, but acceptable. With new tires traction was OK and stopping in most circumstances was controlled with minimal ABS. I did not like driving at highway speeds on snow packed roads although nothing ever happened. It just felt like I was driving at the edge and it would not take much to make things interesting. I plan to purchase a set of Nokian R2 winter tires before winter of 2015-16. I use winter tires on my other cars and know driving safety and performance will improve on ice and snow.

With the 20" summer tires you will have no choice but to get a set of 19" wheels and mount a set of tires to them. In your situation a set of winter tires is the best option. You will have the 20" summer tires to use 7 months of the year and dedicated winter tires for the other 5. Both the Bridgestone and the Nokian winter tires are low rolling resistance so range reduction due to tires will be minimal. Low temperatures will reduce your range more than anything else. Expect 20-30% or more reduction in range.

One last point. On a two year lease you are better off getting the 19" wheels and just use the OEM all season tires. You will be adding quite a cost getting 4 wheels and 4 tires that you will only use for two years. With the 19" wheels you can purchase 4 winter tires for about 1/2 the cost of a wheel/tire combination. With purchasing, mounting, dismounting, and balancing you are looking at less than $1,000 for two years of use.

 

[gte355u124]

I was afraid of that! It might be a deal breaker. I feel as though the 20" wheels really make the car look like an actual bmw. And somehow transforms it from mars rover, into cool futuristic...

 

[epirali]

I was afraid of that! It might be a deal breaker. I feel as though the 20" wheels really make the car look like an actual bmw. And somehow transforms it from mars rover, into cool futuristic...

Have you looked at various reports here about pros/cons of the 20" wheel. There are differing opinions but some people say it does make the ride a bit more harsh, and some people are experiencing a noise that develops that hasn't been diagnosed yet.

 

[websterize]

You can get the OEM winter tire kit — snow tires, wheels, TPM — installed for between $1,600-$1,800 from the dealer. I drove home with the four sport tires in the back last November.

That is a chunk of dough, but the kit brought brought me great peace of mind during last year's very cold winter season in the mid-Atlantic. (My Mega shipped with the 20" sport tires.) In a RWD car in the Northeast, it's a must.

Keep in mind the tread on the summer tires progressively hardens, becoming slicker in wet conditions, as the air temperature falls below ~40ºF. So snow is only half the story.

I swap the winter tires myself with an official BMW wheel jack set. Takes an hour tops.

 

[websterize]

… and some people are experiencing a noise that develops that hasn't been diagnosed yet.

It's a tire issue on early 2014 sport tires that both Bridgestone and BMW know about — the tires make an annoying whoop-whoop noise.

 

[epirali]

… and some people are experiencing a noise that develops that hasn't been diagnosed yet.

It's a tire issue on early 2014 sport tires that both Bridgestone and BMW know about — the tires make an annoying whoop-whoop noise.

Was this changed out in the 2015 model?

 

[websterize]

Yes, fairly sure EP500s manufactured after fall 2014 (September?) and after no longer had the noise from the tires. Shouldn't be an issue on any 2015 i3s with sport tires.

 

[gte355u124]

yeah, just priced an aftermarket winter tire/wheel set on tirerack, it was $1700.

 

[gte355u124]

I would be doing a 2 year lease, so the economics don't work on buying the winter tires. I wonder if I could work the oem winter set into the lease? Assume original cost would be $2k, factor in 50% residual which equates to $40/month, and then show them a $25/month bid if they want to get the deal done.

 

[epirali]

Yes, fairly sure EP500s manufactured after fall 2014 (September?) and after no longer had the noise from the tires. Shouldn't be an issue on any 2015 i3s with sport tires.

Not to derail the topic, but if this is really the case then why doesn't BMW just replace the tires on 2014 models with the problem with the newer tires?

 

[websterize]

They will if you go through your local dealer and its "good will" option. They'll need to create a PuMA ticket about the tires.

Squeaky wheel (or tires, in this case) gets the grease. I'd be surprised if BMWNA were proactive about replacing any of these early 2014 sport tires.

 

[websterize]

… I wonder if I could work the oem winter set into the lease? …

Sure could. Figure about $30/month extra per $1K.

The snow tires are worth it considering where you live. Compared to metallic paint or a better sounding audio system, it's money well spent.

 

[jadnashuanh]

IMHO, running summer performance tires on a rear-wheel drive car in the snow belt is foolish.

 

[epirali]

IMHO, running summer performance tires on a rear-wheel drive car in the snow belt is foolish.

And as a secondary note summer tires do degrade if exposed to low temperatures. At least high performance ones do.

 

[NoMoreGas]

Another option is to find a set of takeoff's. I bought lightly used set of 19 inch (427) rims for $500 for 4 off ebay. I then bought the R2's and I am all set for a little over $1000. In addition, I had the four rims powdercoated gloss black and that added $400 but it was unnecessary.

 

[spinball]

My local dealer quoted me $1450 for the full OEM winter wheel set on 427s. The 19" winter tires with TPS costs nearly $1000 and requires a service fee twice a year to swap.

Considering I could resell the winter set after my lease, I don't see really a big difference between biannual swapping 19" tires (which can degrade the tire bead and/or incur damage from carelessness) vs changing the whole wheel. It's certainly much simpler to change the whole wheel than swap just the tires.

 

[jadnashuanh]

For decades, I've swapped from summer to winter tires myself. I like to get a good view of the brakes and other stuff, and it doesn't really take all that long if you have some equipment (you'd pay for that the first time you paid the dealer to do it for you in most cases). There will come a day when I can't or don't want to do this, but for now, that's the plan. Resetting the TPMS takes a few button presses, then driving it (the i3 takes a bit longer to reset than some others I've owned), but is totally painless and easily done as well. This way I also can ensure the wheel bolts don't get over-tightened by some quack in a hurry. It gives me a good chance to check out the tires for damage and wear characteristics.

 

[gte355u124]

Is it possible to reset tpms sensors yourself using completely new sensors (aka winter wheel/tire set with sensors)?

 

[spinball]

Is it possible to reset tpms sensors yourself using completely new sensors (aka winter wheel/tire set with sensors)?

Yes, very easily.