Wheel and Tire Replacement

I live in Houston where the roads are bad and flooding is a problem. I'm considering buying an i3 then swapping out the wheels/tires for a more traditional set. Yeah, I know it's less efficient. Does anyone have any idea if this is possible, and would a typical wheel/tire set stick out of the fenders some since they are thicker than the OEM? Would appreciate any thoughts.

ericonline said:

I live in Houston where the roads are bad and flooding is a problem. I'm considering buying an i3 then swapping out the wheels/tires for a more traditional set. Yeah, I know it's less efficient. Does anyone have any idea if this is possible, and would a typical wheel/tire set stick out of the fenders some since they are thicker than the OEM? Would appreciate any thoughts.

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http://www.tirerack.com/

http://bmwi3.blogspot.com/ The wheels shown on Tom's car are available on the tire rack and are reasonably priced at around $285 each i think, same tires that come on the car are also available there.

I personally really like the wheels on Tom's i3. I have the 428 wheel though and I like it too, too much to fool with switching and all the fuss of having two sets of wheels to store ect.....

If flooding is the issue that you are concerned about then wider tires will be the opposite of what you want. Narrow tires perform better in rain and snow than wider tires. As for performance in general, the contact patch on the i3 tires is just about the same as the Mini Cooper.

The worry with flooding is not hydro planing, but damage to the rims from hitting potholes that cannot be seen as they are underwater. A higher profile, or "more traditional" wheel and tire combo will have a taller sidewall to resist this sort of damage. You can be driving at well below the hydroplaning speed through a puddle and still bend a rim hitting the edge of an unseen underwater pothole.

BTW, a higher profile tire does not always mean a wider tire.......

WoodlandHills said:

BTW, a higher profile tire does not always mean a wider tire.......

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But on the same 19" diameter wheel, it would mean a larger tire diameter which would affect the speedometer/odometer accuracy. Although with the i3's speedometer/odometer reading a bit fast/far, a slightly larger tire diameter could result in a more accurate speedometer/odometer.

I have overinflated my rear OEM tires to their maximum sidewall pressure with the front tires 8 psi less than the rear tires to try to protect the rims while driving on bad Honolulu roads. I haven't noticed any degraded ride quality although I realize that these higher pressures likely reduce the size of the contact patch and thus traction a bit. But my range might be increased a bit as well, so I'm willing to make the trade-off.

The OEM wheels have almost maximum positive offset (the bolts and hub are nearly even with the outside edge of the tire). Finding a wheel with similar offsets so that the edges don't stick out too far will not be easy. I haven't looked critically at the suspension/brakes/steering to see if a smaller diameter wheel would work. Finding a low-rolling resistance tire that would fit might also be tough. Good luck.