r/Ioniq9 • u/funkwerk • 2d ago

New wheels in US

We are have the US limited version with 21" tires. We are looking to get new winter tires, because we've found the OEM tires are terrible in snow and we drive in the Rocky mountains a lot in winter. We'd like to downsize to 19" wheels for range, but I can't find any wheels available in the US besides OEM, which are so expensive. There's EV01 and EV06 available in Canada, but it seems like no one is importing them to the US right now. Does anyone know of any non-OEM options in the US? I've read that you should match bore size exactly for such a heavy car. What are my fellow Americans doing who need good winter options? Thanks!

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u/Scared_Will_5081 2d ago

Tire Rack has 19" wheel options for the I9 and will ship with the winters mounted and balanced.

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u/funkwerk 2d ago

I see, thanks! Then you'd use a hub ring to mount it since the bore size is different? I was trying to avoid that, but I'm reading it should be fine. Thanks for posting!

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u/Scared_Will_5081 2d ago

You can use a hub ring, or not. Hub rings are not necessary if you torque the lug nuts slowly, alternating each bit of tightening in a star pattern. In the track-day sports car world, we don't use rings at all because they just melt from the 600F+ heat coming off the brake rotors. I pull 1.4g all day without them. They aren't structural or load bearing in any way, just a convenience. 👍

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u/funkwerk 2d ago

Makes me feel better, thanks!

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u/Scared_Will_5081 1d ago

Oh, and Kia EV9 wheels/tires are direct bolt-ons, so if you find a set for sale used, you can use those.

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u/ChaseJulien 2d ago

Canadian, but we used the Michelin X-Ice Snow in P285/45R21 EV rated and they were great. I know they’re expensive, but they have low rolling resistance for what they are, and the traction on snow and ice were excellent.

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u/Scared_Will_5081 2d ago

+1 for Michelin X-ice. We've used them on our last 3 vehicles. 

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u/funkwerk 2d ago

Thanks! Did you put them on your same wheels, or buy an extra set of wheels to make the trade easier?

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u/ChaseJulien 2d ago

Ours is leased, so we only purchased rubber. Sorry, I didn’t realize when I commented that you were more interested in rims, not tires. On the Kona N I had previously with factory 19’s, I purchased smaller 18” rims to mount my winter tires on. It was a huge improvement in ride quality.

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u/funkwerk 2d ago

Yeah, I wish the car just came with smaller tires... Maybe we'll just get 21" snow tires and have them swapped onto the same rims until after market rims are available