BMW i3 Tyres

On this page you will find the best real world tyre reviews from owners of the BMW i3.

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Tyre Reviewed Dry Grip Wet Grip Feedback Handling Wear Comfort
Nokian Hakkapeliitta R3 (14) 72% 74% 71% 70% 63% 88%
Continental EcoContact 6 (95) 75% 59% 58% 61% 55% 70%
Bridgestone Ecopia EP500 ologic (3) 63% 63% 53% 63% 10% 53%

BMW i3 Tyre Review Highlights

Writing about the Continental EcoContact 6 given 94% (155-60-20-)
Driving on a combination of roads for 1 spirited miles
I imported Continental EcoContact 6 from UK through eBay as in the US, Bridgestone Ecopia EP500 is the only available tire for BMW i3. EP500 has been released around 2013, and have only received minor updates since then. As a result of this, they have some notable issues, a) poor wet grip, b) very small amount of usable treads, c) poor wear, d) mediocre handling. I was tired of those tires, and wanted to see what EcoContact 6 can do vs EP500.

WiselyAutomotive measured the tread depth of Michelin E.Primacy, Bridgestone Ecopia EP500, and Continental EcoContact 6 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJIOQBxudrY around 1:25 mark). The EcoContact 6 had the most amount of treads in both the center, inner, and outer sides of the tire (6.26 mm, 6.55 mm, 6.13 mm). This means that out of all 3, we can expect generally better wet grip. This holds true in the EU labels as well, since EP500 received C/B rating for wet grip, whereas EcoContact 6 received constantly B or A.

After international shipping, the cost came out to be actually cheaper than EP500. I was happy to have installed all 4 of those for R20 wheel option, which is 155/60R20 and 175/55R20.

Handling - this tire handles really well. I was able to go around corners where EP500 lost grip, and it kept pulling through. It has bit of oversteery balance to it, but very predictable.

Dry - I was impressed with just how much stuff I can get away with this tire. I can stop in a comically short distance, and the tire had really good feedback overall. It felt like I was driving a completely different car.

Wet - This tire performed exceptionally on the wet. I could not get it to slide unless I was intentionally trying to get it to slide. Really good grip, and it was very confidence inspiring compared to EP500. It can however lose grip suddenly rather than predictably at times, so caution is always advised when driving on the wet surfaces.

Wear - This tire has more treads than EP500 to begin with, and newer technology. Tires have improved a lot since 2013, and it shows. After approx 1,000 miles, they look still brand new.

Ride quality - People complain that R20 option is too stiff and unforgiving. This tire fixed it -- it was so comfortable, the noise may be at 70 decibels, but it was much less harsh than EP500. It is considerably louder than Blizzak LM500 though, as expected.

A quick note about this tire -- the maximum pressure for rears is only 44 PSI, and the front even less (EP500 is rated for 50 PSI). So starting 2018-ish, BMW raised i3's tire pressure to 44 on the rears and 39 on the fronts. So I advise you check the tire pressure often if you are running 44, because there's a potential to exceed certified rating of 44. If you want to be safe, you can run 41 instead, which is pre-2018 tire spec for BMW i3 with the identical suspension and tire components for the most part.

Overall, I was super impressed, would buy again.
tyre reviewed on 2023-05-07 13:21:46
Writing about the Bridgestone Ecopia EP500 ologic given 20% (-60-19-)
Driving on mostly town for 7000 easy going miles
These tires may be the biggest scam in the world of tires. They are the only tire available for the BMW i3 and they are so poor the manufacturer doesn’t warranty them. I average between 7,000 and 11,000 miles on a set. The car is rear wheel drive, but all 4 wear out at the same time so it not about driving. It’s just about the tire being awful. It seems the tire is not capable of maintaining tread in hot weather. I live in the American southwest and our summers are hot. The tires wear down to nothing so fast. The math on this is .11 to .16 per mile. Depending on the current price of gas, this atrocious performance means it’s more expensive to drive the EV than to drive a gas powered vehicle. At the end of this cars life with me I will be actively avoiding any Bridgestone product and implore those considering the i3 to take into account the $1300 per year you will need to spend on these terrible tires.
tyre reviewed on 2022-08-07 18:49:19
Writing about the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R3 given 90% (155-70-19-W)
Driving on a combination of roads for 500 average miles
I am running Nokian Hakka R3s on a BMW i3. I have had the tyres for about 3 weeks now. The weather has been cold initially but has gone back to being very mild. This sort of weather is where dedicated winter tyres can for want of a better expression slip up. Pleasingly the Hakka 3s are giving a level of grip well above my expectation in this mild and wet weather. In the dry too, this tyre is performing more like an all season tyre than a winter tyre.

I deliberately put the pedal down on one occasion much harder than I would normally do and the tyres started to lose grip. This however was the only time and it was a deliberate test. Otherwise on tight cornering and unexpected hard braking, the tyres have performed admirably in both wet and dry conditions. In the cold weather they are even grippier and have given a preview of their winter capability. I can now confidently look forward to some harsh winter weather to see how they perform.

The other thing of note is that they are incredibly quiet and are head and shoulders above the summer Bridgestone
tyres which are now off for the winter. I will revisit this review with my experiences in harsh winter weather but at present the Hakka 3 looks like a winner so far. Just be careful about pushing them too hard in mild and wet temperatures though.
tyre reviewed on 2018-11-13 13:23:46
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