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BMW i3 Will Be Riding on Specifically Designed Tires

The all-electric, city-car from BMW, the i3, will not only be using revolutionary technology but everything had to be special about it, down to the tires.
BMW i3 1 photo
Photo: BMW
We talked about the full specs of the car, the way the BMW on-board technology will change the way you drive around the city but now we're talking about something that everyone noticed at first sight but didn't talk about: the tires.

You surely must've noticed the weird (for a BMW) shape and size of the wheels on this car. Most wondered how come they look so weird and small, when BMW is usually fitting its cars with huge rims for proper traction.

The dimensions of the standard tires (155 / 70 R19) are specific to the BMW i3. The large and comparatively narrow tires allow a certain degree of balance between dynamics and drag, and the aerodynamic properties and rolling resistance of the tires are designed to provide extremely efficient driving.

However, their contact patch barely differs from that of the tires fitted as standard on conventional cars. Indeed, even when the BMW i3 is driven with sporting intent, longitudinal and lateral dynamic forces are always transferred with great assurance and poise, even triggering (rarely) the DSC module.

Talking about the DSC (Dynamic Stability Control) module, we should make a short list of all the safety systems that the i3 will have on-board. Amongst them you'll find the Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Cornering Brake Control (CBC), Dynamic Brake Control (DBC), Brake Assist, Start-Off Assistant and the Brake Drying function.
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