getting new wheels, looking for opinions

so it looks like I will be having a set of wheels made from RSV Forged but I am undecided about which set to go with, it will be from the S1 series, and there are 3 I have narrowed it down to, RS10's , RS8-D, or RSF1... The RS10's were my original choice but the more I think about it I will be lowering the i3 and going more "sporty" so the RSF1's might look great. Not to count out the RS8's, but not sure I want directional rims... Then to top it off, I don't know what color for the outer barrel, the spokes will be brushed candy matte black. I was thinking of going brushed raw with just a slight dark tint, but now I am thinking of going even darker (maybe brushed gunmetal).... Thoughts/opinions??? Once completed RSV wants some pictures for their site.

Off topic a bit, but what lowering solution are you going with?

I like the S|3 RSF1 shown in the upper right corner of the gallery. Its blue hardware and gloss black trim would complement the i3's blue trim and gloss black hood and hatch.

However, 7.5" appears to be the narrowest wheel offered. The i3's tires must be too narrow for wheels that wide, so what tires would you use, and would they fit in the i3's wheel wells?

alohart said:

I like the S|3 RSF1 shown in the upper right corner of the gallery. Its blue hardware and gloss black trim would complement the i3's blue trim and gloss black hood and hatch.

However, 7.5" appears to be the narrowest wheel offered. The i3's tires must be too narrow for wheels that wide, so what tires would you use, and would they fit in the i3's wheel wells?

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yeah, the starting price for those are $10 to $12K, even with the promo discount way out of what i want to pay. Yes they are going to build the specs to the i3 (I have 19" with 5.0 (F) & 5.5 (R), which since they make in house they can do this. I am going hidden hardware so the bolts will not show but I am going with ice blue "RSV" colored center caps.

Right now the only springs I know about are from Cobra Suspension. I contacted them and they are charging just over $300. I don't know of any else making them. I have seen pictures but no names, honestly I would like to go a little lower than what Cobra is showing so I may hold out a for while

alohart said:

I like the S|3 RSF1 shown in the upper right corner of the gallery.

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Those show the exact color I am going with for the spokes, then thinking a slightly darker lip..

went with the RSF1's, Candy Black Matte Black, Satin Black Lips, and inner barrels. Josh from RSV is going to stop by the BMW dealership to get the i3 Ice Blue and color match the RSV center cap logo

Are there any other wheels that are available that are reasonably priced?

Other than the OEM BMW wheels, www.tirerack.com has one aftermarket wheel for the i3.

FWIW, all of the BMW wheels are forged which allows them to end up lighter and stronger than cast ones.

I will weigh the new RSV Forged to the stock 19"

I ordered the Rial wheels and Blizzak winter tires from the Tire Rack. The traction on snow & Ice has been really good so far and the wheels don't make the infamous "whoop whoop, whoop" noise that the 20" Sport i3 wheels do. Here's some more pics: http://bmwi3.blogspot.com/2014/11/bmw-i3-tires-get-ready-for-winter.html

FWIW, the old full wheel moon disks create the least drag, but also can be problematic for brake cooling. The wheels BMW sells for the i3, while maybe not the most stylish, were designed to minimize drag, lightness, and to provide proper brake cooling.

I haven't done extensive searches, but the wheels sold at TireRack seem to be the only aftermarket wheel readily available in the USA. Some in Europe have mentioned some in that market.

RSV Forged said they can make almost all of their wheels in any size for the i3. They are well made (and completely forged, so very light). Nowadays any quality wheel thats forged you are going to be laying down some dough. The cool part is you can get these in almost any color you want for either the center, lips or inner barrel. They went to the BMW dealership to match the blue ice on the i3, just for the center cap logo... I can't wait to get these and the springs installed! Also going in this week to get a quote on a vinyl wrap I want to get done, taking inspiration from Topspeed rendering they did on an i3 M

Granted those are a really nice wheel, the price is preposterous for a 19" wheel. They must sell very few wheels at that price.

Pixelpro said:

Granted those are a really nice wheel, the price is preposterous for a 19" wheel. They must sell very few wheels at that price.

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Agreed, they typically sell to the well heeled, take a look at their Instagram & Sema pictures.they sell enough as you will see. There are only a handful of US companies that make their own forged wheels, but they sure are nice. A preposterous price for one person can be a drop in the bucket for the next, it's all relative. I am more than willing to pay a little more on some well made forged wheels.

Bumpers. Can't wait to see pictures when you have the wheels on the car.

m3lover1 said:

Bumpers. Can't wait to see pictures when you have the wheels on the car.

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guess I forgot to update the forum. This week I received the wheels (finally), went to have them installed and ran into an issue... Apparently most BMW's are a bolt spacing of 120, but not the i3 (it's 112 fwiw)... So RSV is redoing them and they should be here this coming week.

Good luck with clearances once you do get them installed...and, a wider tire will reduce your range: wider, more drag, and a typical tire you install will not likely have the same low rolling resistance as the OEM versions.

jadnashuanh said:

Good luck with clearances once you do get them installed...and, a wider tire will reduce your range: wider, more drag, and a typical tire you install will not likely have the same low rolling resistance as the OEM versions.

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same width as stock 5 front & 5.5 rear, where did you read I was getting bigger? Stock tire will be retained

same width as stock 5 front & 5.5 rear, where did you read I was getting bigger? Stock tire will be retained[/quote]
REad somewhere, one of them only came as narrow as 7.5"...same width AND offset, shouldn't be any issue at all.

jadnashuanh said:

same width AND offset, shouldn't be any issue at all.

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same width but the offset is changed a little bit to bring them more flush. Offset doesn't affect weight, it just changes where the wheel sits in relation to the car. Now saying that, these wheels do weigh 1 more pound over stock (stock is 18 fr and 19lbs rear) where as the new are 19 & 20lbs. FYI if you have FB look under the i3 group, I have pictures posted of the wheels