BMW and Bridgestone Develop New Tires for BMW i3
Bridgestone teamed up with BMW on development of an all new unique tire, designed exclusively for the BWM i3. The i3 is the only vehicle on the market with the new tire size of 155/70R19. We Know that this is nothing new, car and tire manufacturers have worked together numerous times in the past to create tires for specific vehicles. But, what BMW and Bridgestone came up with was a tire size and compound like nothing else fitted to a car before. Most tire manufactures produce rubber compounds for high performance sports cars. Usually, the compound is just super rubber with increases grip and there’s basically no tread. This way they can producce time faster than their competitors, even though that tire is useless in light rain or wet roads. Well that just wasn’t going to work for BMW designers.
The BMW i3 tire requirements were very specific:
- It needed to be narrow
- It needed to have superior grip
- It needed to have a low rolling resistance, minimizing wasted energy, improving vehicle fuel efficiency, AKA Eco-Friendly!
But narrow and eco-friendly tires are terrible for both grip and comfort. So Bridgestone had to invent some new methods to make the tires both eco-friendly, while maintaining superior grip, as well as comfortable for the BMW owners. It was an incredulous task but that’s exactly what they did.
The key lies in the tires size. The BMW i3 is the only car on the market with this tire size of 155/70R19. The 155 is in reference to the width of the tire, which is 155 mm. The 70 is the aspect ratio of the tire which, long story short, means how large of a contact patch the tire has with the ground. And the 19 is the size of the wheel, in inches. At 155 mm wide, the i3’s tires are far narrower than anything else on the road. The are basically motorcycle tire thin. But because they are so tall, sitting on 19s, and have a large contact patch length-wise rather than width-wise, it allows the i3 to grip the road with a similar grip as a much wider tire.
Though Bridgestone developed the stock tire for the i3, other tire manufactures are beginning to produce them as well. Nokian Tyres new winter tire for the i3, which is the same size of 155/70R19, has reported excellent results, even in the snow of Finland. So it goes to show that it’s not just Bridgestone’s tire compound, but the size, that aids the i3 so much.
Another benefit of having such skinny, lightweight tires on skinny, lightweight rims, is the lack of unsprung rotating mass. I Know what does that nerd speak mean? Unsprung mass is any mass that isn’t carried by the chassis of the vehicle, but attached to the outside of it. So brakes, wheels and tires are unsprung rotating mass. So reducing this helps the car grip better, ride better, and even handle better.
It’s amazing how far BMW has gone to insure that every detail about the i3 is as optimized as currently possible. With something as simple as wheels and tires, BMW decided to go through the trouble of reinventing the wheel (yes, yes pun intended) to make the BMW i3 ride and handle in the manner a BMW’s is supposed to. It’s just another reason, atop the myriad of reasons, why the BMW i3 is the most innovative car on the road.
The BMW i3 will save owners money due to it’s eco-friendly tires and a very reasonable / low cost maintenance schedule (as compared to similar vehicles):
Service due at 15,000 Miles
| Action: | Description |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Safety check and road test |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Rotate tires and inspect tread depth and wear pattern |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Replce cabin air filter |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Replace gas filter |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Replace engine oil and filter |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Lubricate door, hood hinges, and locks |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Inspect transmission |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Inspect suspension components |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Inspect steering system |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Inspect seat/safety belts, SRS airbag units, and windshield washer systems |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Inspect fuel system |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Inspect engine |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Inspect clutch |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Inspect brake system and adjust hand brake |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Inspect body corrosion and paint condition |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Inspect and lubricrate electrical antenna |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Inspect and adjust drive belt |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Inspect all fluid levels |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Inspect A/C and heating systems |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Check horn, headlamp flashers, hazard flashers, and turn signals, lights, and controls |
Service due at 30,000 Miles
| Action: | Description |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Safety check and road test |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Rotate tires and inspect tread depth and wear pattern |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Replce cabin air filter |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Replace gas filter |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Replace engine oil and filter |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Lubricate door, hood hinges, and locks |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Inspect transmission |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Inspect suspension components |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Inspect steering system |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Inspect seat/safety belts, SRS airbag units, and windshield washer systems |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Inspect fuel system |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Inspect engine |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Inspect clutch |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Inspect brake system and adjust hand brake |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Inspect body corrosion and paint condition |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Inspect and lubricrate electrical antenna |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Inspect and adjust drive belt |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Inspect all fluid levels |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Inspect A/C and heating systems |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Check horn, headlamp flashers, hazard flashers, and turn signals, lights, and controls |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Service transmission |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Replace valve cover gasket and brushings |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Replace spark plugs |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Replace air cleaner/element |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Inspect timing belt |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Inspect and change drive belts |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Inspect and adjust valve clearance |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Inpect and change differential fluid |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Flush and pressure test cooling system |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Change brake fluid |
Service due at 45,000 Miles
| Action: | Description |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Safety check and road test |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Rotate tires and inspect tread depth and wear pattern |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Replce cabin air filter |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Replace gas filter |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Replace engine oil and filter |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Lubricate door, hood hinges, and locks |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Inspect transmission |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Inspect suspension components |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Inspect steering system |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Inspect seat/safety belts, SRS airbag units, and windshield washer systems |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Inspect fuel system |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Inspect engine |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Inspect clutch |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Inspect brake system and adjust hand brake |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Inspect body corrosion and paint condition |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Inspect and lubricrate electrical antenna |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Inspect and adjust drive belt |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Inspect all fluid levels |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Inspect A/C and heating systems |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Check horn, headlamp flashers, hazard flashers, and turn signals, lights, and controls |
Service due at 60,000 Miles
| Action: | Description |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Safety check and road test |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Rotate tires and inspect tread depth and wear pattern |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Replce cabin air filter |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Replace gas filter |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Replace engine oil and filter |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Lubricate door, hood hinges, and locks |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Inspect transmission |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Inspect suspension components |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Inspect steering system |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Inspect seat/safety belts, SRS airbag units, and windshield washer systems |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Inspect fuel system |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Inspect engine |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Inspect clutch |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Inspect brake system and adjust hand brake |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Inspect body corrosion and paint condition |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Inspect and lubricrate electrical antenna |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Inspect and adjust drive belt |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Inspect all fluid levels |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Inspect A/C and heating systems |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Check horn, headlamp flashers, hazard flashers, and turn signals, lights, and controls |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Service transmission |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Replace valve cover gasket and brushings |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Replace spark plugs |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Replace air cleaner/element |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Inspect timing belt |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Inspect and change drive belts |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Inspect and adjust valve clearance |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Inpect and change differential fluid |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Flush and pressure test cooling system |
| Inspect/Adjust/Change | Change brake fluid |
For other scheduled services from 75,000 Miles to 150,000 Miles, please call us at Pete’s Otto of Valdosta, and either Tiger or Andy will be happy to assist you.
