EV Tires! What Should You Buy?

[@jimsEVadventures]

I will have the new tires installed tomorrow (8/15/2024)...at 42,000 miles and change. I could get about 3,000-4,000 more miles out of them, but it rains a lot here, and the tires are getting a bit dodgy when I am on the interstate and the rain is ponding 2-3 inches deep. It is better to be SAFE than to be SORRY. Update coming in a few weeks. I did not go with Continental, Yokohama, Nokian, Michelin, or any of the "top ten" big names in the tire industry. Installed, warranted, with a road-hazard guarantee, they cost less than $135 per corner! Stay tuned...

[@kelviskelvis7140]

Nice job on breaking down things to consider when buying a replacement tire. One thing to note is EV's are now being sold without any provision for a spare or even fix a flat. I think that should be added as a factor to consider with OEM tire replacement decision making.

[@jimsEVadventures]

Most cars don't come with spares anymore--not just EVs. It is a cost saving technique for all the OEMs. Upwards of a $3 million per production run. I keep a plug kit in my car ... and an electric pump. Cheaper than buying a new spare.

[@bkanegson]

Definitely agree. Will not buy any car that does not have some provision for a spare, at least a donut. Experience teaches the necessity of one.

[@chrishar110]

One of three spare tyres is flat. Two of three are over 5 years old. Completely useless to use and dangerous. Only one of ten drivers check the pressure of his spare tyre once every month and one of thirty replace his spare when it's over 5 years old.

[@TheGreg7664]

Thank you, Jim.....Excellent information, as usual!

[@randyfitz8310]

Looks like you’re doing my homework for me! We bought our 2023 White Bolt EUV seven months ago and only drive about 1,000 miles a month so far. My wife drives it most and on her previous car managed 82,00 miles from the OEM Continental tires and still had the factory original front brakes at 156,000 miles in 22 years of ownership. I replaced the OEM Hankook Kinergy GT tires on our Golf SportWagen last year with Michelin Defender and the ride and quietness are both better though the cost is higher.

[@jimsEVadventures]

Thanks...the Hankook tires are on my short list.

[@Dryloch]

​​@@jimsEVadventuresI hope you mean short list of the worst tires ever made. Kinergy tires are terrible, especially in the rain. Check tire rack reviews to see just how bad it is.

[@Davran2742]

The roads are rough where I live, and after a blowout of one of the fragile, stock Michelin tires on the bolt, I got a set of Nokian Ones, which have been great. Luckily, the tire shop I go to gave me a trade in on three remaining stock tires, offsetting a bit of the cost of the upgrade.

[@jimsEVadventures]

On the Nokian One...any changes in range? Better or worse?

[@kens97sto171]

Recently got a new set of tires on my 2020 Bolt... 45,000 miles and the OE tires were about done, and had some tearing on the surface in the sipes.. Decided to try a tire I had A LOT of experience with on my previous car.. that was used for rideshare. I put over 225,000 miles on this tire on my last car. Sentury Touring They are inexpensive, and I always got about 50K out of them.. Good dry and wet performance, and decent in snow. Dry Tractions seems a little better than the Michelin OE self seal tires.. and they are a LOT lighter. efficiency seems better in stop and go traffic probably the lower weight, and a bit worse in high speed highway driving. The BIG difference is in the sidewall stiffness.. it is a MUCH softer sidewall.. so steering response is reduced... but the ride quality over small cracks, and bumps is much better. Kinda hated the steering response at first.. But got used to it... and this is a work car... I am not tearing around town like its a racetrack. If you are looking for a tire and don't want to spend a lot.. try them out. Discount tire will let you try them for a month and if you don't like them.. you can exchange them. I think it was $420 for the set out the door, with the warranty on them.

[@rp9674]

WoW, that price! I of the bennies of normal dia 17incherz

[@jimsEVadventures]

I will give them a look, but I have to have great steering response because I spend a lot of time on I-4 in Orlando...also known as the Orlando Motor Speedway. If you don't keep your head on a swivel and your eyes on the road, you will become the little frog in Frogger!

[@kens97sto171]

@@jimsEVadventures Certainly took me a little getting used to. At this point I don't even notice it. I have put 46, 000 mi on my bolt in 8 months. Use it almost exclusively for ride share use in the city. West Texas we haul ass on the highways as well. Speed limit is only 60 but everybody runs 10 over at least. And the open interstates speed limit is 80 and we normally run 85 to 90. Did my first tire rotation at 5,000 mi and didn't notice any difference in tread depth. Going to be interesting to see whether these new tires wear out quicker than the Michelin OE tire. Definitely noticed a more rapid wear on the front tires on the OE tire.

[@im4udevco]

I have a model Y and was looking at the Michelin CrossClimate 2, but it seems like I might stay Continental’s ExtermeContact DWS06 Plus series. The Hankook Ion Evo is also on my radar.

[@jimsEVadventures]

I have the Hankook Ion on my short list...but the Continental inches it out by just a bit on my checklist.

[@ArielBatista]

On my 2020 Bolt LT, I put on the Continental tires and they have been working fine. On my VW ID.4 I ended up with the Perelli Scorpion Zeros AS Elec. And it's been good for the larger car. My wife's Leaf is still on the Michelin that came with the car. 48k and still have 6/32 left. My VW original tires lasted 49k, and the 2020 Bolt LT, 38k. But I think it is due to my daughter driving it and she has a heavier foot. Kids....

[@jimsEVadventures]

Thanks. I understand the kids with a heavy foot…three boys and lots of tires later! 😀

[@roncarguy6361]

Thanks for the video. Roads here are awful with patches and filled potholes on most secondary roads. The OEM Michelins on my 2020 ride over these imperfect surfaces like solid rubber tires of the early 20th century. To soften the jolting ride I reduce the pressure to 36 lbs. That seems to be the sweet spot between efficiency and ride comfort. BUT, the trade off is reduced longevity. I have a LT model and fit a donut in the well where the sub woofer is mounted in the Premium model. Jack points are easy to locate, so no issue there IMO. However, my wife feels more secure knowing that the OEM tires self seal... mostly. But no doubt there are softer riding tires out there. Heck, even the Michelins without the goop ride better. Man, are they heavy with that stuff in 'em. I would love to find a soft riding tire, with long service, and keep my KwH/mile at 5.But, I don't think that combo exists, or does it?

[@jimsEVadventures]

Yea, verily! There are a couple of roads here that make ANY car ride like an 1890’s buck board!

[@nathanbrumbaugh8545]

I have tried Nokian Tyres and Michelin stock tires have five different 2020 Chevy bolts. Both work well shopping around at dealerships can save a good bit on Michelin tires they’re not all the same price.. my pic is the Michelin stock tires. The reason is I think the cars handled just a wee bit better with them.

[@milohobo9186]

The roads and road debris is horrible here. Unfortunately the self-seal tires didn't and even my attempt to plug didn't work either. So I have an affordable tire as a replacement.

[@jimsEVadventures]

Self-seal tires are hit and miss on performance. I keep a plug kit in my car, so whatever tire I get will be a Jim-seal tire!

[@rp9674]

Continentals sound good. I don't care for self sealing. $ / traction / range, in that order. I put moderate wear on tires. At least the shorter range tires if I don't like them I don't have to live with them for years. Must rewatch vid.

[@jimsEVadventures]

Great points.

[@roxter299roxter7]

I believe there are specific EV tires. The side wall of the tire has to be stiffer in order to handle any extra weight of the car. The handling of the vehicle are affected by this stiffness. The moose test is an important test in the handling of an EV.

[@jimsEVadventures]

Thanks for the comment... Contrary to popular belief, EVs range from 6 to no more than 15 percent heavier than the gas powered cars in the same class--not the "thousands of pounds heavier" mantra that is so popular on other KZbin channels. Sidewall stiffness is relative to the design of the tire, the profile of the tire (higher or lower), and the materials used to manufacture the tire. If you're comparing the same exact tire - one with a higher load rating than the other - the sidewall will most likely be stiffer on the higher load rated tire... but not as a function of supporting weight. So, sidewall stiffness isn't really a part of the rating systems for tires but more of a fallout of the several and varied part of the ratings already in place. And I can increase the stiffness of ANY tire simply by increasing the PSI...but there is a delicate balance between PSI and tire failure during testing. As for the Moose Test...I am old enough to remember the Suzuki Samurai roll-over problem and the issues with the 1997 Mercedes A-Class were a fallout of some of the original Moose Test actions. The physics that caused BOTH of these problems was more of a function of car design than were the tires used to perform the test. The Battery Electric Vehicle tends to have (in almost all cases) a lower center of gravity than do gas powered cars. Therefore, MOST will perform the Moose Test better than the cars in their same class. The effects that the tire will place on this test have to do more with the weight the tire can handle and the traction of the tire. There is also something to be said about the DRIVER performing the test...that is always large variable in the Moose Test equation. So, back to your statement that the "tire has to be stiffer in order to handle the extra weight of the car." It is not technically correct due to a number of factors related to physics, design (not stiffness) of the tire profile, the amount of air in the tire (PSI), the weight rating of the tire, and the traction rating of the tire. It is much more than just being a "stiffer sidewall." Much more...

[@Captain_Aubie]

Less than 10K miles on my 23 Bolt EUV and definitely going to replace tbe OEM Michelin tires before 25K miles; 8/32nd inch vs the standard 11/32 isn't worth is the rolling resistance delta, IMO.

[@maj429]

I just hit 41, 000mi on my 23 bolt EV, and I still have 4/32 left on my tread with the oem Michelin. I'm sure you'll be fine.

[@stephenadams9211]

Thank you for making this video, as I'm currently looking at tires for my 22' Bolt EV with nearly 18k miles on it. (OEM tires) The OEM tires were never rotated before I owned the car and have very uneven wear as a result of hard acceleration by the previous owner. I was looking at Hankook ION EVO AS or Pirelli P Zero AS Plus Elect for my new set of tires. Any thoughts?

[@bendino9016]

what about weight of the tire?

[@toonman361]

I drive my BEUV round-trip to work 100 miles a day plus regular daily trips. I have used the suggested Michelin EV tires sold by the dealership with absolutely no issues or faults. Saying they are "not the best available" is highly subjective as they perform nicely on my 25K a year mileage. Not only do they have the self-sealing feature but they are manufactured with a thicker sidewall for handling curves and turns and treads for less friction, allowing better milage. I drive in all weather including snow covered roads with no issues and get the maximum EV benefits from my tires. What else could you want? Pay less, get less.

[@EuvCharging]

Does this apply to any spare tire? any recommendations?

[@jimsEVadventures]

My only spare tire for the two Bolts I have owned for the past 5 years has been an electric pump and a plug kit. My backup plan for a flat tire is to call my roadside service and have the car towed. So far, I have had to use neither plan--plug or tow. As for a "spare tire," there are several videos on purchasing a "donut spare" (not recommended for use on the front wheels) and a jack. I have seen people on the blog posts say you can get both for $25. Again...not advocating for a spare tire here. Jacking up the Bolt (for the inexperienced) can be tricky and, if jacked in the wrong place, you can damage the battery pack.

[@EuvCharging]

@@jimsEVadventures thank u for the insight 🙏, very informative

[@bkanegson]

Always a fan of Michelin, as they've outperformed on my ICE pickup truck in most ways over every other brand I've tried. Regardless of spec, quietest, smoothest riding, longest lasting and grippiest regardless of spec. Pleasantly surprised to see them as OEM. I buy at Costco when they have a several times a year sale, usually 4 tires for the price of 3 with free install. Costco has the best tire buying service and value I've experienced, hands down.

[@jimsEVadventures]

Thanks for that feedback. I will check Costco for whatever brand I wind up choosing. 4 for the price of 3 is a no-brainer! :)