Wheels, Rims, and Tires

[sventchik]

"Not enough competition for i-Miev tires in US"


the i-miev tire size are the same as the Smart Fortwo (first generation, from 1998 - 2003).
In Europe, we have for sure more Smart as in US, but it helps to decrease price.

 

[FiddlerJohn]

I wonder if the OEM TPMS can be moved to the new wheels ... ?]

It looks like the TPMS sender can be unbolted and move to a different wheel.

Notice the taper on the top inside half of the wheel. Mount the tire's RED dot near the stem. Al wheels are very easy to scratch.

The is no CAMBER, CASTER or KINGPIN alignment mechanism. Only TOE-IN can be easily aligned. If your front tires are wearing on the inside, your tires are pointing outward. The MiEV front wheels should point straight ahead for zero TOE-IN.
If your front tires are wearing on the inside and the steering is straight LENGTHEN each TIE-ROD (unscrew).

1. Loosen the locking nut with tie-rod bellows clip removed,
2. Perform the adjustment by turning the TIE-RODS.
2. Install the tie-rod clip, and tighten the lock nut to the specified torque. Tightening torque: 34 ± 5 N·m
3 .Check the toe-in standard value of ZERO.
4. After adjustment, check that the steering is straight ahead.

 

[acensor]

the i-miev tire size are the same as the Smart Fortwo (first generation, from 1998 - 2003).
In Europe, we have for sure more Smart as in US, but it helps to decrease price.

Wait, wait:
Are you saying that the older Smart Fortwo , like the MiEV, uses different front and rear tires..... and if we can find tires here (USA) that claim to fit the Smart Fortwo they'll fit the MiEV?
And even if so.... would them be low-rolling-resistance tires?

 

[melloyello]

the i-miev tire size are the same as the Smart Fortwo (first generation, from 1998 - 2003).
In Europe, we have for sure more Smart as in US, but it helps to decrease price.

Wait, wait:
Are you saying that the older Smart Fortwo , like the MiEV, uses different front and rear tires..... and if we can find tires here (USA) that claim to fit the Smart Fortwo they'll fit the MiEV?
And even if so.... would them be low-rolling-resistance tires?

Smart car tires would fit the euro/JDM i-miev, but not the US i-miev, unfortunately.

 

[sventchik]

"but not the US i-miev, unfortunately"


for what reason ? which tire sizes do you have in U.S ?

 

[Barbagris]

"but not the US i-miev, unfortunately"


for what reason ? which tire sizes do you have in U.S ?

Euro:
145/65 R15
175/55 R15

US:
145/65 R15
175/60 R15

AFAIK

 

[PV1]

"but not the US i-miev, unfortunately"


for what reason ? which tire sizes do you have in U.S ?

Euro:
145/65 R15
175/55 R15

US:
145/65 R15
175/60 R15

AFAIK

Yep, and the 175/55R15 will NOT work on US i-MiEVs, despite the minimal difference (regen is disabled).

 

[acensor]

Yep, and the 175/55R15 will NOT work on US i-MiEVs, despite the minimal difference (regen is disabled).

I COULD probably piece this info together from all the previous posts on this thread.... maybe.

What what's the bottom line on tires for us USA owners.... if we're unwilling to change rims?

Exactly what brands do make tires for our stock sizes.....
and which (even fewer?) make low resistance tires for our USA MiEV stock tire replacements?

Can we even order replacement tires from a MitSu dealer at some exhorbinate price?

Anyone whose been following this topic closer than me willing to compile what I believe would be a very short buying list for USA MiEV stock size tires?

 

[PV1]

In stock sizes, to summarize, we have the OEM Dunlop Enasave which are ridiculously overpriced, Yokohama Avid ENvigor, and Dunlop Graspic winter tires. Continental makes the front tires for the i-MiEV and are a lot cheaper than Dunlop. They also don't have the range hit that Yokohama's seem to have.

I have front Continental with rear Dunlops. My car tends to pull to the right, and I haven't bothered to check why yet. I did get it re-aligned when I got my new Dunlops.

At $692, the dealer was my cheapest option to get Dunlop tires. Since my tires only lasted 13,000 miles, I was able to make a warranty claim and get new tires at a discount.

 

[GdB]

I have front Continental with rear Dunlops. My car tends to pull to the right, and I haven't bothered to check why yet. I did get it re-aligned when I got my new Dunlops.

You could swap the front wheels to see if the pull switches direction.
Also check if your tires are installed symmetrically, left being a mirror of the right.

 

[acensor]

.......At $692, the dealer was my cheapest option to get Dunlop tires. Since my tires only lasted 13,000 miles, I was able to make a warranty claim and get new tires at a discount.

I THOUGHT I had already asked this, but don't see my note regarding this

Did you mean Mitsubishi had a mileage warranty on the tires, or Dunlup? How many miles? And what sort of hoops did you have to jump through to get the dealer to (or Dunlop) to honor the warranty and prorate the replacement cost?

 

[PV1]

We called Dunlop and they said that we should get 30,000-40,000 miles from these tires. We called the dealer and they worked with Dunlop to handle the warranty claim. The dealer contacted me a couple of times to verify mileage and tread depth. We then scheduled a time to go to the dealer (an all day process for the 98 mile roundtrip) to get the tires. Obviously they kept the old Dunlop's to send back to the manufacturer. I only had the rear tires mounted and balanced as I had new Continental tires on the front (I've yet to be refunded for the rear Continentals. Their customer service is among the worst I've dealt with, so I won't be buying Continentals again). The dealer also filled all four tires with Nitrogen.

Other than dealer BS and their check system rejecting my checks, it was a fairly smooth operation. At the time, there was a nationwide backorder on the Dunlop's (I guess everybody was buying tires at once).

As for the Continental tire experience, they first rejected my return, so the tire shop sent them again, and they have been "evaluating" for at least 4 months now. I'm about ready to tell them return them to me and I'll sell them to a local Smart driver. The front tires have been good (and I found that the pulling is caused by lane tilt with zero toe in. The car is straight in the left lane of the highway.

 

[acensor]

"...We called Dunlop and they said that we should get 30,000-40,000 miles from these tires. We called the dealer and they worked with Dunlop to handle the warranty claim....."

Thanks! Good jnfo to have. Hope my mitsubishi dealer will be as willing to go to bat for me with Dunlop as yours was if I don't get 30,000 miles. Advantage I have is dealer is only 15 miles away.

Actually it will take us about 2 more years to get even 20,000 on our tires... So maybe the whole tire availability option for us will have improved by then.

 

[tomrh]

Just an update of this thread. Since november I have been using winter tires which are 1 cm wider both at the front and rear (on original rims), and I am very happy with that choice. Stabily has increased a lot and the car handles side wind much better.

I am currently using:
Front 155/60-15, Toyo Snowprox S943
Rear 185/55-15 Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2

The R2 is renowned in Europe as the non-studded winter tyre combining the best winter grip with the lowest rolling resistance. But it has soft side walls and quite mediocre traction. This was compensated by choosing the S943 front tyre which has harder side walls and a really great traction. I would recommend this combo for winter, it is superior compared with the Continentals I used the first couple of seasons.

The rear 185/55-15 would maybe also fit US i-MiEV's since it is only 1% smaller circumference than the original 175/60-15?

 

[tomrh]

When it comes to wider rims, it is now possible to find Sento Mits rims which are especially made to fit i-MiEV, they measure 4,5"x15" ET38 front and 5,5"x15" ET38 rear. I'm currently considering buying these.

My experience is that wider tires improve stability (cf. previous post), and these rims would allow 165 front and 195 rear. I would use 165/60-15 and 195/50-15 for my european i-MiEV, but US i-MiEVs should use 195/55-15 at the rear.

 

[GdB]

I wonder how much they weigh? Also has anyone had experience with ride quality over bumps with heavier than stock wheel/tire combinations? Range (except steady cruising) and acceleration are reduced also. Tire weight vary quite a bit when I looked on tirerack.

When it comes to wider rims, it is now possible to find Sento Mits rims which are especially made to fit i-MiEV, they measure 4,5"x15" ET38 front and 5,5"x15" ET38 rear. I'm currently considering buying these.

My experience is that wider tires improve stability (cf. previous post), and these rims would allow 165 front and 195 rear. I would use 165/60-15 and 195/50-15 for my european i-MiEV, but US i-MiEVs should use 195/55-15 at the rear.

 

[tomrh]

I bought the Sento Mits rims and have used them for a couple of weeks now. They are just perfect for 155 and 185 tyre width.

 

[blownb310]

I bought the Sento Mits rims and have used them for a couple of weeks now. They are just perfect for 155 and 185 tyre width.

We would all love to see a picture of the car with the new wheels.

 

[JoeS]

STATUS UPDATE
It's been over a year and 13,000miles since I installed the Yokohama ENVigors on my original i-MiEV. The mileage has improved a bit, with full-charge RR now in the low-70's (the car has over 36,000 miles on it). Front tire wear appears to be significant (I haven't measured). Been running them at 60psi for at least six months. For anyone who says the i-MiEV doesn't handle well, I'll be happy to take them for a ride... hmmm, perhaps I should figure out YouTube and post my HD dashcam typical drive home.

 

[Don]

The 'mileage' should improve as the tires wear - The smaller tire reports the car is going farther than it actually is . . . . this is probably why you had such a large disparity the day you took off your previously bald tires and replaced them with full tread depth new ones

Front tires nearly worn out after only 13,000 miles? Perhaps due to the infamous understeer these cars are so famous for??? ;-)

Don