Who has or is planning to get an electric car / EV Talk

[JT2002TJ]

Also why no rear fog lights in the US? They have been compulsory in Surope for years.

I never knew if they were illegal or not in the US, just that we don’t have them. My A4 had them (double pull of the dial), and most people with Audis here have no idea and drive around with them on. My 3 series, had the switch and bulbs (it was a US Spec import), but some older BMWs had a switch without the option, and bulbs missing (all you had to do was change the switch and put bulbs in).

I think people here would just use them all the time, since it would be new to most. But eventually people would learn.

 

[JT2002TJ]

We mostly wear Summer tires all year long. Today for exemple it's raining and around 18:00 it's 16 outside (61F). During the night around 10 (50F). You could have that during the day in a really cold day. There were a few hours of snow in 2004.
Not bad considering it's almost the same latitude as Washington (just a refreshing swim eastwards).
My Model 3 still has its original Michelin e-Primacy which are among the worst I have ever had. They will be replaced in due time with either PremiumContact or Goodyear equivalent.

Where are you located? 50F doesn’t really need winter/all season tires. So that makes sense to keep summer tires. It’s an average of 40 F and below.

Just an FYI, it is pretty standard for tire manufacturers to deliver different compound tires to vehicle manufacturers, even with the same name. You can buy a car with Brand X, Model Y tires, the are crap, then you go buy the exact same tire Brand/Model at a tire shop and they are fantastic. I think tire manufacturers provide the minimum specifications to vehicle manufacturers, while when you have a choice in a store, you would not put up with it.

They really should give them a different name if they are changing anything to remove this confusion.

 

[JT2002TJ]

What were you replacing? The Conti's?

They were Conti’s, not sure which. It was the standard Conti’s that come with the Tesla Model Y with 20” inductions. The were summer tires. When I was looking, almost every OEM sized tire were summer tires. I actually had to go bigger to find the CC2’s.

Now I have 255/45/R20’s, it came with 255/40/R20’s. So I have about an added inch of tire height (0.5” above and below the hub). It rides much softer, like I had the 19” wheels.

 

[icanhazmac]

I have Conti ProContact 255-45-19 that came on it. As tires are one of the big topics with EVs I am paying attention to what current owners have to say. Weather is also a concern as I am in the NE of the US.

PS - That s3xy knob is really cool, I might need to consider it! So far I've added floor mats, screen protector and a back seat protector. I just got the car cerami-coated and tinted as well.

 

[timber]

Where are you located? 50F doesn’t really need winter/all season tires. So that makes sense to keep summer tires. It’s an average of 40 F and below.

Just an FYI, it is pretty standard for tire manufacturers to deliver different compound tires to vehicle manufacturers, even with the same name. You can buy a car with Brand X, Model Y tires, the are crap, then you go buy the exact same tire Brand/Model at a tire shop and they are fantastic. I think tire manufacturers provide the minimum specifications to vehicle manufacturers, while when you have a choice in a store, you would not put up with it.

They really should give them a different name if they are changing anything to remove this confusion.

Lisbon (Portugal)
They used to deliver Michelin Pilot Sport and those are great.
Some time ago they started using these e-Primacy that everybody hates.
More than cost I believe they do it to get a few extra kms in range.

 

[JT2002TJ]

Lisbon (Portugal)
They used to deliver Michelin Pilot Sport and those are great.
Some time ago they started using these e-Primacy that everybody hates.
More than cost I believe they do it to get a few extra kms in range.

Yeah, everything is about published rage.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

I never knew if they were illegal or not in the US, just that we don’t have them. My A4 had them (double pull of the dial), and most people with Audis here have no idea and drive around with them on.

Front and rear fogs are used quite regularly where I live and in fact last Thursday we had thick fog along my route to work, about 50 metre visibility. I know cars that are imported from the US and Japan to the UK have to have fog lights retrofitted. It does seem bizarre how it’s not just a standard across the world. I mentioned Yiannimize and his imported Cybertruck needed orange indicators and fog lights fitted as part of his application to get the vehicle road legal for the UK. Bizarrely the indicators are red which is dangerous as brake lights are also red here.

My only annoyance is when people put fogs on in heavy rain, just to dazzle everybody and make other drivers think they are constantly applying their brakes. Those sorts of people probably need to be put to death, or at least retake their driving test as a less extreme measure IMHO.

 

[AlaskaMoose]

Tire rotation is a Nort America thing, I know it doesn’t get done in Europe.
AFAIK rear fog lights are illegal in the US

Te reason for tire rotation is to allow the tires to wear as evenly as possible, with in turn extends the life of all the tires. It matters not if the car is electric or not. Tire rotation depends on the vehicle's traction design, which tires steer the car, and which tires drive the car. But there are numerous exceptions, too many to mention in this post. I will tell of one as follows: some RWD sports cars have different tire sizes at the front than the rear tires, in which case rotating the front tires to the rear tires is not possible for safety reasons. Reasons for tire rotation:

What Is The Best Way To Rotate Tires?

Use our Tire Service/Maintenance Record (PDF) to log tire rotations, seasonal tire changeovers and tire-related vehicle services. This type of record is often helpful if warranty consideration is ever necessary. Download Now! Tire Service/Maintenance Record (PDF) We all hear that tire...

www.tirerack.com

 

[Apple fanboy]

Te reason for tire rotation is to allow the tires to wear as evenly as possible, with in turn extends the life of all the tires. It matters not if the car is electric or not. Tire rotation depends on the vehicle's traction design, which tires steer the car, and which tires drive the car. But there are numerous exceptions, too many to mention in this post. I will tell of one as follows: some RWD sports cars have different tire sizes at the front than the rear tires, in which case rotating the front tires to the rear tires is not possible for safety reasons. Reasons for tire rotation:

What Is The Best Way To Rotate Tires?

Use our Tire Service/Maintenance Record (PDF) to log tire rotations, seasonal tire changeovers and tire-related vehicle services. This type of record is often helpful if warranty consideration is ever necessary. Download Now! Tire Service/Maintenance Record (PDF) We all hear that tire...

www.tirerack.com

My i3s has different size front and rear tyres so not possible for me. Fortunately I’m gentle on the throttle (well you have to be when you drive a rocket ship). So glad I wasn’t driving this sort of car at 17. I’d be eating tyres. As there is only Bridgestones as an option they are not cheap!

 

[JT2002TJ]

My i3s has different size front and rear tyres so not possible for me. Fortunately I’m gentle on the throttle (well you have to be when you drive a rocket ship). So glad I wasn’t driving this sort of car at 17. I’d be eating tyres. As there is only Bridgestones as an option they are not cheap!

Do i3 owners report being able to use alternate sizes? I know a fellow i3 member who said they went wider with their tires (when he had an i3). This may open up other brand tires for you…

 

[AlaskaMoose]

My i3s has different size front and rear tyres so not possible for me. Fortunately I’m gentle on the throttle (well you have to be when you drive a rocket ship). So glad I wasn’t driving this sort of car at 17. I’d be eating tyres. As there is only Bridgestones as an option they are not cheap!

I can tell Is your EV front or rear-wheel drive?

 

[timber]

The i3 is rear engine and RWD.

 

[cyb3rdud3]

Te reason for tire rotation is to allow the tires to wear as evenly as possible, with in turn extends the life of all the tires. It matters not if the car is electric or not. Tire rotation depends on the vehicle's traction design, which tires steer the car, and which tires drive the car. But there are numerous exceptions, too many to mention in this post. I will tell of one as follows: some RWD sports cars have different tire sizes at the front than the rear tires, in which case rotating the front tires to the rear tires is not possible for safety reasons. Reasons for tire rotation:

What Is The Best Way To Rotate Tires?

Use our Tire Service/Maintenance Record (PDF) to log tire rotations, seasonal tire changeovers and tire-related vehicle services. This type of record is often helpful if warranty consideration is ever necessary. Download Now! Tire Service/Maintenance Record (PDF) We all hear that tire...

www.tirerack.com

Yes our BMW was staggered, my Porsche is also staggered, our Polestar is square tyres but staggered wheels, rotation makes no sense on those vehicles. But my Range Rover was square wheel and tyre setup, I rotated them each time when I swapped to AT tyres and back.

 

[cyb3rdud3]

Fog lights in the UK are only legal to use when visibility is significantly reduced; less than 100m (328 feet). Yesterday was one of those days, snow in the morning, rain in the afternoon, foggy in the evening. But as I was driving back through all that to the Netherlands, the rules are different on the continent; Netherlands mandatory when visibility is below 50m but not allowed when raining, Belgium allowed when visibility is below 100m, France mandatory below 50m fog or snow visibility, but not allowed when raining.

Or to put it simply, when you cannot see the car in front, that is a pretty good indication the car behind you can't see you. So switch it on and be seen.

 

[Apple fanboy]

Do i3 owners report being able to use alternate sizes? I know a fellow i3 member who said they went wider with their tires (when he had an i3). This may open up other brand tires for you…

i3 yes. i3s not without spacers and wheel changes. I’m not sure you’d see any savings by the time you factor in all that.
Plus I’m sure the design team at BMW know more about the correct wheels and tyres than I do.

 

[JT2002TJ]

i3 yes. i3s not without spacers and wheel changes. I’m not sure you’d see any savings by the time you factor in all that.
Plus I’m sure the design team at BMW know more about the correct wheels and tyres than I do.

They may know more, but better technology comes out after the R&D of a vehicle. Just like when the i3 came out, there were very little to no low rolling resistance tires. Spacers are cheap enough, that in the long run it could be cheaper to change tires. One thing the guy cited was the i3 is very unstable on our windy highways at highway speed (mid-west open highways with little to no tree wind barriers), the wider stance made it bearable.

For your use case it makes no sense to change what you are already doing. This is just an FYI, for why they reported that it was worth it to modify their wheel/tire setup.

 

[cyb3rdud3]

i3 yes. i3s not without spacers and wheel changes. I’m not sure you’d see any savings by the time you factor in all that.
Plus I’m sure the design team at BMW know more about the correct wheels and tyres than I do.

I’m sure they do, and know more than me as well. However they also design for the lowest common denominator.

 

[cyb3rdud3]

i3 yes. i3s not without spacers and wheel changes. I’m not sure you’d see any savings by the time you factor in all that.
Plus I’m sure the design team at BMW know more about the correct wheels and tyres than I do.

I’m sure they do, and know more than me as well. However they also design for the lowest common denominator

They may know more, but better technology comes out after the R&D of a vehicle. Just like when the i3 came out, there were very little to no low rolling resistance tires. Spacers are cheap enough, that in the long run it could be cheaper to change tires. One thing the guy cited was the i3 is very unstable on our windy highways at highway speed (mid-west open highways with little to no tree wind barriers), the wider stance made it bearable.

For your use case it makes no sense to change what you are already doing. This is just an FYI, for why they reported that it was worth it to modify their wheel/tire setup.

I can definitely see that. Never been a car id love to go for a long distance in. The very narrow but relatively large diameter wheels don’t scream stability to me. Same with a Smart Car for two. Underpowered, slow gear changes, and rather unstable such that passing a heavy goods vehicle is always a scary event.

 

[Apple fanboy]

They may know more, but better technology comes out after the R&D of a vehicle. Just like when the i3 came out, there were very little to no low rolling resistance tires. Spacers are cheap enough, that in the long run it could be cheaper to change tires. One thing the guy cited was the i3 is very unstable on our windy highways at highway speed (mid-west open highways with little to no tree wind barriers), the wider stance made it bearable.

For your use case it makes no sense to change what you are already doing. This is just an FYI, for why they reported that it was worth it to modify their wheel/tire setup.

The i3s is a lot more stable than the i3 buy all accounts. They changed a few bits on the suspension as well as the wheels and tyres.

 

[Anonymous Freak]

I’ve been driving mine for three years now and it hardly ever explodes (contrary to what social media would suggest!) 😀

I live in a city that had some anti-police protests a few years ago. Right-wing media, especially "alternative news sources" made it sound like the city was being burned to the ground nightly.

I told one of my out of town relatives "my house has been arsoned three times this week, and I was murdered twice, but we're all doing fine."

 

[Anonymous Freak]

The i3 is rear engine and RWD.

BMW's carbon fiber, rear/mid-engine, 11,000 RPM, 50/50 weight balance, RWD, better-drag-coefficient-than-an-Enzo "hypercar". (I miss mine. Perfect size little city car.)

 

[AlaskaMoose]

The i3 is rear engine and RWD.

Thanks!

Yes our BMW was staggered, my Porsche is also staggered, our Polestar is square tyres but staggered wheels, rotation makes no sense on those vehicles. But my Range Rover was square wheel and tyre setup, I rotated them each time when I swapped to AT tyres and back.

Yes, and this is common with a lot of vehicles (EV's or not), specially in EV's with motors at the rear only, and cars that have high amount of torque push the vehicle forward (lots of sports cars are RWD). AWD can also be used for both EV and ICE vehicles, but in this case the torque or power has to be distributed to both the front and rear wheels. It gains more traction, but it also loses energy sooner than a solely FWD, or RWD vehicle.

While I don't need an EV where I live at, the mechanical and electrical technologies of both EV and ICE automobiles, specially the combination of both (hybrid tech.) peaks my interest. While I haven't watched F1 racing in recent years, I certainly read all I can about the hybrid technologies being used in Formula 1 races. FE racing, has come along quite well, too.

 

[cyb3rdud3]

Thanks!


Yes, and this is common with a lot of vehicles (EV's or not), specially in EV's with motors at the rear only, and cars that have high amount of torque push the vehicle forward (lots of sports cars are RWD). AWD can also be used for both EV and ICE vehicles, but in this case the torque or power has to be distributed to both the front and rear wheels. It gains more traction, but it also loses energy sooner than a solely FWD, or RWD vehicle.

Agreed, although in the case of an EV, they have a motor per axle so, there are fewer loses in the drivetrain. And some have triple motors, like two in the back, and a single for both front wheels.

While I don't need an EV where I live at, the mechanical and electrical technologies of both EV and ICE automobiles, specially the combination of both (hybrid tech.) peaks my interest. While I haven't watched F1 racing in recent years, I certainly read all I can about the hybrid technologies being used in Formula 1 races. FE racing, has come along quite well, too.

The closest in a normal road gong car that I'm aware of would be in the Porsche Hybrid system. Most car hybrids use the electric part to get going and then add the engine to it. Porsche can do that as well when you are gentle, but if you are not, it is engine only, and then the electric part gets added at the top end. Like an extra boost, you are getting. It is quite an experience and still gets me every time. You need a fully charged battery to have that party trick.