Would do better putting bicycle tires on the car. Easily damaged on less than perfect roads and the rate of wear is ridiculously excessive no matter the driving style. Cost to replace a set is around $300 a corner - crazy. These are the only US option for the BMWi3 - making this a fatal flaw for an otherwise great car.
155/60 R20 Tyres
Everything we know about the 155/60 R20 tyre size: 3 owner reviews covering 3,501 miles of driving, and EU label data for the tyres you can actually buy in it.
- 3owner reviews
- 3,501 milescovered on them
- 5tyres made in this size
155/60 R20 EU tyre label data
EU label values are declared for each individual size, so the figures here are exact for 155/60 R20 rather than a range across a model. 3 tyres carry label data in this size. The most common load index is 80 (up to 450 kg per tyre). Speed ratings on offer: Q (160 km/h).
A Best wet grip
1 tyres in this size hold the top EU wet grip rating, class A. The highest scoring on Tyre Reviews:
- Continental EcoContact 6 Summer 7.5
A Lowest rolling resistance
The most fuel efficient choice: 1 tyres in this size reach rolling resistance class A. The highest scoring on Tyre Reviews:
- Michelin e.Primacy Summer 8.2
68dB Quietest tyres
The quietest 155/60 R20 tyres are labelled at 68 dB external noise:
- Michelin e.Primacy Summer 8.2
- Bridgestone Ecopia EP500 ologic Summer
Label values come from the EU EPREL database and apply to the EU market versions of each tyre. Wet grip and rolling resistance run from class A (best) to E; noise is the measured drive-by figure. A good label is a floor, not a verdict - the tests and owner ratings above tell you far more.
What does 155/60 R20 mean?
A 155/60 R20 tyre is 155 mm wide, its sidewall is 60% of that width (93 mm) tall, and it fits a 20 inch wheel. That gives an overall diameter of roughly 694 mm.
| Section width | 155 mm |
|---|---|
| Sidewall height | 93 mm |
| Rim diameter | 20" (508 mm) |
| Overall diameter | ≈ 694 mm |
| Circumference | ≈ 2,180 mm |
| Revolutions per km | ≈ 459 |
| Revolutions per mile | ≈ 738 |
Also written as
155/60R20 155/60 ZR20 155-60-20 155 60 20
Figures are calculated from the nominal size. A loaded, rolling tyre runs a few percent smaller, and true widths vary slightly between makes.
What cars use 155/60 R20 tyres?
The cars most often running this size in our owner reviews. Each links to the best rated tyres for that exact car.
What drivers say about their 155/60 R20 tyres
The most recent owner reviews fitted in this size, in their own words.
Comparing to the Bridgestone Ecopia tyres which were on the car when I bought it, the Michelin e.Primacy is quieter and gives a better ride. A slightly bigger positive effort on the steering wheel is needed to begin a turn, which I prefer. Stops very well wet or dry.
Haven't been hurling this car around on the doorhandles so not going to comment on handling.
Haven't been hurling this car around on the doorhandles so not going to comment on handling.
I imported Continental EcoContact 6 from UK through eBay as in the US, Bridgestone Ecopia EP500 is the only available tire for BMW i3. EP500 has been released around 2013, and have only received minor updates since then. As a result of this, they have some notable issues, a) poor wet grip, b) very small amount of usable treads, c) poor wear, d) mediocre handling. I was tired of those tires, and wanted to see what EcoContact 6 can do vs EP500.
WiselyAutomotive measured the tread depth of Michelin E.Primacy, Bridgestone Ecopia EP500, and Continental EcoContact 6 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJIOQBxudrY around 1:25 mark). The EcoContact 6 had the most amount of treads in both the center, inner, and outer sides of the tire (6.26 mm, 6.55 mm, 6.13 mm). This means that out of all 3, we can expect generally better wet grip. This holds true in the EU labels as well, since EP500 received C/B rating for wet grip, whereas EcoContact 6 received constantly B or A.
After international shipping, the cost came out to be actually cheaper than EP500. I was happy to have installed all 4 of those for R20 wheel option, which is 155/60R20 and 175/55R20.
Handling - this tire handles really well. I was able to go around corners where EP500 lost grip, and it kept pulling through. It has bit of oversteery balance to it, but very predictable.
Dry - I was impressed with just how much stuff I can get away with this tire. I can stop in a comically short distance, and the tire had really good feedback overall. It felt like I was driving a completely different car.
Wet - This tire performed exceptionally on the wet. I could not get it to slide unless I was intentionally trying to get it to slide. Really good grip, and it was very confidence inspiring compared to EP500. It can however lose grip suddenly rather than predictably at times, so caution is always advised when driving on the wet surfaces.
Wear - This tire has more treads than EP500 to begin with, and newer technology. Tires have improved a lot since 2013, and it shows. After approx 1,000 miles, they look still brand new.
Ride quality - People complain that R20 option is too stiff and unforgiving. This tire fixed it -- it was so comfortable, the noise may be at 70 decibels, but it was much less harsh than EP500. It is considerably louder than Blizzak LM500 though, as expected.
A quick note about this tire -- the maximum pressure for rears is only 44 PSI, and the front even less (EP500 is rated for 50 PSI). So starting 2018-ish, BMW raised i3's tire pressure to 44 on the rears and 39 on the fronts. So I advise you check the tire pressure often if you are running 44, because there's a potential to exceed certified rating of 44. If you want to be safe, you can run 41 instead, which is pre-2018 tire spec for BMW i3 with the identical suspension and tire components for the most part.
Overall, I was super impressed, would buy again.
WiselyAutomotive measured the tread depth of Michelin E.Primacy, Bridgestone Ecopia EP500, and Continental EcoContact 6 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJIOQBxudrY around 1:25 mark). The EcoContact 6 had the most amount of treads in both the center, inner, and outer sides of the tire (6.26 mm, 6.55 mm, 6.13 mm). This means that out of all 3, we can expect generally better wet grip. This holds true in the EU labels as well, since EP500 received C/B rating for wet grip, whereas EcoContact 6 received constantly B or A.
After international shipping, the cost came out to be actually cheaper than EP500. I was happy to have installed all 4 of those for R20 wheel option, which is 155/60R20 and 175/55R20.
Handling - this tire handles really well. I was able to go around corners where EP500 lost grip, and it kept pulling through. It has bit of oversteery balance to it, but very predictable.
Dry - I was impressed with just how much stuff I can get away with this tire. I can stop in a comically short distance, and the tire had really good feedback overall. It felt like I was driving a completely different car.
Wet - This tire performed exceptionally on the wet. I could not get it to slide unless I was intentionally trying to get it to slide. Really good grip, and it was very confidence inspiring compared to EP500. It can however lose grip suddenly rather than predictably at times, so caution is always advised when driving on the wet surfaces.
Wear - This tire has more treads than EP500 to begin with, and newer technology. Tires have improved a lot since 2013, and it shows. After approx 1,000 miles, they look still brand new.
Ride quality - People complain that R20 option is too stiff and unforgiving. This tire fixed it -- it was so comfortable, the noise may be at 70 decibels, but it was much less harsh than EP500. It is considerably louder than Blizzak LM500 though, as expected.
A quick note about this tire -- the maximum pressure for rears is only 44 PSI, and the front even less (EP500 is rated for 50 PSI). So starting 2018-ish, BMW raised i3's tire pressure to 44 on the rears and 39 on the fronts. So I advise you check the tire pressure often if you are running 44, because there's a potential to exceed certified rating of 44. If you want to be safe, you can run 41 instead, which is pre-2018 tire spec for BMW i3 with the identical suspension and tire components for the most part.
Overall, I was super impressed, would buy again.
Drive on 155/60 R20 tyres?
Review your tyres and help the next driver choose. It takes about five minutes, and every review on this page came from a driver who took them.
Where this data comes from
Owner ratings are submitted through the review form on this site, naming the tyre, the size and the distance covered, and are checked by hand before publication. Test results come from independent published tyre tests indexed by size, and label values from the EU EPREL database.
About the TR Score
The Tyre Reviews Score rates each tyre out of 10 using independent test results and the full body of owner reviews, so you can check a car-specific ranking against the wider evidence.
Who does the testing
Every test published as a Tyre Reviews test is run by Jonathan Benson, who has been testing tyres independently since 2007.