Mounting winter tires & what color?

[itnetpro]

I plan to purchase the 19" wheels from TireRack with winter tires. My local Goodyear tire dealer wants $100 to mount all 4. BMW wants over $200 just to mount. Has anyone used a 3rd party tire dealer to mount their winter tires? My concern is the fact our cars are made of carbon fiber and I'm concerned a 3rd party might somehow damage the car while lifting.

Also, we have the Laurel gray metallic color and I am having a heck of a time deciding between the silver or blacked out Rial rims. I searched and searched and was unable to come across a single photo of either rim with my color. Anyone hear have my color i3 with these rims? Any chance you can post a photo so I can see what they look like?

What color Rims would you choose is you were me?

http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/WheelCloseUpServlet?target=runWheelSearch&autoMake=BMW&autoModel=i3+with+Range+Extender&autoYear=2015&autoModClar=Tera+World&initialPartNumber=X1050943W645B&i1_Qty=4&wheelMake=Rial&wheelModel=X10-I&wheelFinish=Black+Painted&wheelFinish=Black+Painted&showRear=no&packageFlow=false

John

 

[jadnashuanh]

FWIW, the i3 uses the same lift mounting points of all other BMW's - a plastic, replaceable insert designed to lock the optional jack in place. If lifted at those points, it should not damage the car, but even the BMW dealer damaged one of the replaceable cups on my other car (they replaced it). A dealer with good equipment designed for alloy wheels should not have issues on the i3. The type of balancing equipment they have can make a difference in the end result. The torque rating is 104ft-pds.

 

[gte355u124]

Please mount these yourself!! ha, the novelty of tirerack is that they are basically ready to be mounted as soon as they get to your doorstep (no balancing or anything required). You can get the bmw lift pad for $10-15 online if you are concerned with damaging it.

also, I ordered the rial's in black and they look awesome.

 

[jadnashuanh]

FWIW, black is one of the hardest colors to keep looking good in inclement weather. Your choice...grey or silver can have a lot of crud on them and not look too much different, less shine, but it doesn't tend to look as splotchy. For the summer, maybe, not my choice for the winter.

 

[gte355u124]

agree black is a nightmare too keep clean (my wife has a jeep gc in black that royally sucks since it's so big). But, I do think (when clean), the black wheels go well with the black two-tone look of the i3.

 

[alohart]

You can get the bow lift pad for $10-15 online if you are concerned with damaging it.

Of course, you'd also need a jack since the i3 has none. I understand that BMW sells a jack whose lifting surface fits into the plastic jack point so that it would not damage them, so that might be a DIY alternative.

But if you or your mechanic use a jack that doesn't fit into the jack point, a BMW jack point adapter, a soft pad that protects the replaceable ($$) plastic jack point, would be required to protect each plastic jack point (there are 4) against damage. These jack point adapters require a jack that has a flat lifting surface.

 

[PDXelectric]

I plan to purchase the 19" wheels from TireRack with winter tires. My local Goodyear tire dealer wants $100 to mount all 4. BMW wants over $200 just to mount. Has anyone used a 3rd party tire dealer to mount their winter tires? My concern is the fact our cars are made of carbon fiber and I'm concerned a 3rd party might somehow damage the car while lifting.

Also, we have the Laurel gray metallic color and I am having a heck of a time deciding between the silver or blacked out Rial rims. I searched and searched and was unable to come across a single photo of either rim with my color. Anyone hear have my color i3 with these rims? Any chance you can post a photo so I can see what they look like?

What color Rims would you choose is you were me?

http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/WheelCloseUpServlet?target=runWheelSearch&autoMake=BMW&autoModel=i3+with+Range+Extender&autoYear=2015&autoModClar=Tera+World&initialPartNumber=X1050943W645B&i1_Qty=4&wheelMake=Rial&wheelModel=X10-I&wheelFinish=Black+Painted&wheelFinish=Black+Painted&showRear=no&packageFlow=false

John

Hi,

I believe if you look around, you can get a set of OE"M 19" 427s with the Bridgestone winters and the TPMS sensors for cheaper than the tire rack package. Is your dealer charging $200 to install the already mounted tires or are they balancing/mounting the tires on the rims for that price. $200 seems steep for 30 minutes of labor.

Good luck!