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BMW i8
- Thread starter Doug_G
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- bmw i8 Electric Vehicles
EarlyAdopter
Active Member
Actually, I think we'd be far more critical of it. After all, it has a gas engine and a small battery. Very counter to Tesla's mission.
Saw a i8 in the wild at a Thanksgiving 5k this morning.
In Florence, SC. This car is great looking in real life I must say.
In Florence, SC. This car is great looking in real life I must say.
Good for low rolling resistance, or snow. Not so good for cornering and sporty driving.
Bear in mind that racers never use very wide tires. I'd suggest that most of the sporty handling you're referring to comes from the tread compound and not the tire width. Of course, wide tires are more expensive, so the tire manufacturers tend to keep quiet about that.
In fact, these are the optional "wide" ones. It is as 215/245 compound, mine are 195 front, 215 rear.
Narrow tires wont give you tons of grip but they reduce the unsprung weight. The car really steers and turns nicely, it's a different,delicate and engaging experience also thx to the ultra rigid carbon chassis.
Narrow tires wont give you tons of grip but they reduce the unsprung weight. The car really steers and turns nicely, it's a different,delicate and engaging experience also thx to the ultra rigid carbon chassis.
I should be driving one very soon, and I'll reseve judgement until then. Obviously there is a lot more to handling than just the tires, but sticky rubber is where it all starts.
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I never commented on the profile, just the width.
dennis
Model S Plaid
Tire width is also a function of HP and torque. Street cars have to meet FMVSS 126 handling standards, which basically keep the car from spinning/rolling even when drivers do stupid things. Wider rear tires provide additional safety margin against oversteer/swapping ends. This interesting chart was sent to me by a friend who does chassis design. Note that all of the Porsches (notorious for oversteer) have extra wide rubber for their HP.
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SwedishAdvocate
Active Member
Not everyone can keep their standard of living if they upgrade to a Model S. Some people might potentially have to move from their current homes. Some might have to change their day job. Others might eventually see their significant other leave them.
Personally I would rather see folks driving around in the i8, than in ICE-two-seaters from Alfa, AMG, Aston, Audi, Chevy, Ferrari, Jaguar, Lambo, Lotus, Maserati, McLaren, Merc, Nissan, Porsche, Spyker, SRT etc. (The Porsche 918 might previously have been an option even though it cost like what? Six times as much as an i8? But it’s apparently sold out.)
Why would I rather see folks driving around in the i8?
Because it’s got a lower carbon footprint than everything above. (Model S excluded.)
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RobStark
Well-Known Member
The only racers that use narrow tires are ones that move in only one direction and only on the front tires. Not the tires that are putting power to the pavement.
I think people are confusing "narrow" here. I believe he meant "low profile". They're definitely fairly wide (wide tread) tires.
Wide tread is used on race cars to improve cornering... one they are wide "enough", it doesn't really matter if they're any wider as far as straight line acceleration is concerned.
You quoted me, and I meant what I said, I did not mean low profile. The tires look narrow, as in tread width.
Except these drivers can't drive slow otherwise the tyres cool down and they have no grip.
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