Best Tires for the BMW I3

Would do better putting bicycle tires on the car. Easily damaged on less than perfect roads and the rate of wear is ridiculously excessive no matter the driving style. Cost to replace a set is around $300 a corner - crazy. These are the only US option for the BMWi3 - making this a fatal flaw for an otherwise great car.

Have been using these tires on my BMW i3 for the last two winters and have been absolutely delighted with them.

I must stress I would never normally have considered Fulda tires, however the choice of winter tires available for the i3 is extremely limited. When I purchased these neither Continental or Michelin had any stock available so given how comparatively cheap these were I decided to give them a go and could replace them if needed.

Genuinely I’ve been amazed how well these have performed. In summer I’ve driven the i3 both on its stock Bridgestone tires and Michelin e Primacy, these fulda tires are more than a match for both!

The i3 retained its sharp precise steering feel and the grip in all weathers has been faultless. We predominantly have wet weather throughout the winter and the i3 has hardly troubled the stability control at all even on full throttle starts merging onto main roads. I’ve never had the ABS trigger (other than on ice) while fitted, I do frequently brake very strongly to help clear the disc surface of corrosion (caused by the strong use of regen braking by the i3).

This seems to be a contrast to lots of the reviews on here, perhaps the extremely narrow width of the i3 tires are better suited to the fuldas tread pattern.

I consider myself a fussy tire purchaser, who is happy to pay extra for the security offered by premium brands, but these Fulda tires have totally exceeded my expectations. Had I paid the same price of Michelins or Continentals I would still be extremely happy with my purchase, the fact they were over £300 cheaper for a set makes them a genuine bargain. Will definitely purchase them again once the performance starts to deteriorate but at the moment they are as good as the day I bought them.

Well done Fulda.

Comparing to the Bridgestone Ecopia tires which were on the car when I bought it, the Michelin e.Primacy is quieter and gives a better ride. A slightly bigger positive effort on the steering wheel is needed to begin a turn, which I prefer. Stops very well wet or dry.
Haven't been hurling this car around on the doorhandles so not going to comment on handling.

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.

These tires are not fit for purpose. I have HAD TO replace 5 tires through pot hole damage in just 6 months. Neither BMW nor Bridgestone are in anyway interested in assisting. These are THE ONLY BMWi3 tyers available. Best not buy BMW nor Bridgestone again Shocking !!!

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.

I am running Nokian Hakka R3s on a BMW i3. I have had the tires 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 tires 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 tire is performing more like an all season tire than a winter tire.

I deliberately put the pedal down on one occasion much harder than I would normally do and the tires 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 tires 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
tires 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.