Tire time! What’s eveyone using?

[Radek Uchytil]

In Europe, these labels help us.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

I am approaching 60 k on my OEM Ecopias. Prob replace before the rains start despite that likely being a bit early. Torn between going with the same verses getting something from Les Schwabs due to sentimental reasons for buying from them.
Any recommendations from their line up? They don't carry Ecopias

 

[DougWantsALeaf]

Tires, tires, tires... sounds like the gawdawful Formula-1 series.

"...some of you appear to hang out in a tough neighborhood considering the kinds of the off-brand tires you are running "

I'm no kneeslider, but I know how to push a car hard around a corner and know what to expect when I do. Good tires don't need to be expensive, if you know what to look for, and know how to drive worth spit.

I push my eRange tires much harder than I could with the ecopias.

 

[SoCalJF]

I had to replace my tires in a pinch, and the closest Walmart had the Douglas Touring A/S 215/50R17 95V All-Season Tire in stock. Overall, I have been pleasantly surprised that the set has performed and wore very well after 5K+ miles. It's worth noting, though, that my car skid the first time I drove in the rain. I think there must have been some kind of coating on the tires initially. Once this wore off, the tires have done well in wet conditions since then.

2017 Nissan Leaf SV

 

[alanlarson]

Having found a bit of damage on the side of my rear passenger side tire, I am afraid I have to replace sooner than expected.

The tires are 215/50 R17 Michelin Energy Savers, original equipment with 42000 miles on them (2014). I wanted to stay with Michelin, and my normal tire shop has:
Michelin Energy Saver A/S P 215/50R17 90V SL BSW NI 55,000 mile $249.00 Original equipment tire
Michelin Defender 2 P 215/50R17 95H XL BSW 80,000 mile $204.00
Yokohama YK-GTx P 215/50R17 95V XL BSW 70,000 mile $164.00

Comparing the Michelins:
Energy Saver Presumably saves energy, increasing range on a charge.
Defender 2 $45 better price, longer warranty.

Unfortunately, there is no information on how much range difference there would be between the two Michelin choices.
I would appreciate any comments that might arrive before I have to replace these. Presently I am guessing that I would
not see the difference in range, but would see the difference in price and lifetime.

 

[Bombastinator2]

“a bit of damage!?” Well I suppose it could be worse… it is still on the wheel and not spread out all over the roadway. An entire wheel didn’t pop off and go careening down the street and hit a little kid or something.. still those tires wouldn’t be more done if you stuck a fork in em. One of the issues is electric cars eat tires. This is because of the standing start torque thing. There are ice cars that have the same issue as the leaf…high hp hot rods. So a leaf seems to use up tires like it’s a street rod. Which makes sense because that’s what it takes to beat one in a 1/8th drag race. You apparently thought you were buying an econobox. So did I. We were wrong.

I use the narrowest, toughest low rolling resistance tires that aren’t expensive I can find and expect them to last about a year and a half.

 

[Dooglas]

I am approaching 60 k on my OEM Ecopias. Prob replace before the rains start despite that likely being a bit early. Torn between going with the same verses getting something from Les Schwabs due to sentimental reasons for buying from them.
Any recommendations from their line up? They don't carry Ecopias

I also like to do business with Les Schwab but I found that they really couldn't provide me with a good low rolling friction tire when the time came. I am also in the Northwest and I found that I could source Ecopia Plus from Point S. They are a good shop to work with and offer similar customer service to Les Schwab in my experience. The Ecopia Plus tires gave good service on my '16 LEAF S30.

 

[gozer]

i just got nokian wrg-4's on my '22 S. so far so good. Slightly louder, but similar energy consumption. I need something that will hold the road through the winter in upstate NY...

 

[alanlarson]

“a bit of damage!?” Well I suppose it could be worse… it is still on the wheel and not spread out all over the roadway. An entire wheel didn’t pop off and go careening down the street and hit a little kid or something.. still those tires wouldn’t be more done if you stuck a fork in em. One of the issues is electric cars eat tires. This is because of the standing start torque thing. There are ice cars that have the same issue as the leaf…high hp hot rods. So a leaf seems to use up tires like it’s a street rod. Which makes sense because that’s what it takes to beat one in a 1/8th drag race. You apparently thought you were buying an econobox. So did I. We were wrong.

I use the narrowest, toughest low rolling resistance tires that aren’t expensive I can find and expect them to last about a year and a half.

Yes it could be worse. I guess I must have a rear wheel drive car to have done that damage to a rear tire from the starting torque. I suspect the damage was from a curb, parking a bit too close...

The real question is how much the rolling resistance differs between the Defender 2 vs. the Energy Saver tires. Is it really worth $200 difference in price for the 4 tires? (The battery is 10 years old so I only get about 80 miles range as it is, and I don't see the $$$$ to replace the car.) Are there any specs available on what the rolling resistance of the tires really is? (While looking at specs, which are quieter, too.)

 

[Bombastinator2]

i just got nokian wrg-4's on my '22 S. so far so good. Slightly louder, but similar energy consumption. I need something that will hold the road through the winter in upstate NY...

I had a similar issue in Minnesota. I got a set of 16” steel rims and put blizzak snow tires on them.

 

[Bombastinator2]

Yes it could be worse. I guess I must have a rear wheel drive car to have done that damage to a rear tire from the starting torque. I suspect the damage was from a curb, parking a bit too close...

The real question is how much the rolling resistance differs between the Defender 2 vs. the Energy Saver tires. Is it really worth $200 difference in price for the 4 tires? (The battery is 10 years old so I only get about 80 miles range as it is, and I don't see the $$$$ to replace the car.) Are there any specs available on what the rolling resistance of the tires really is? (While looking at specs, which are quieter, too.)

Those were the REAR wheels? Leaf is a front wheel drive car. If those were the rears you hit something or there is rubbing. Hit something most likely I think. Those look like tears. As for what the actual difference is with rolling resistance, there are car tire sales companies on the internet that keep track of such things. One of the big things around here seems to be to be over inflating tires for less rolling resistance. Seems to usually be 40 or 43psi. Instead of the standard 35

 

[glazeronline]

Me personally, I don't pay too much attention to road noise or quality of ride with tires for my Leaf. It is a commuter car for city which means they're potholes and noise, but the one thing I will not forgo is run-flat tires. The leaf does not have a spare so I make sure to get run flats, the Bridgestone Driveguard Plus tires are a good balance of ride quality and quietness for a run-flat. As far as mileage goes I've got 13,000 mi on them and I've had the tires for 6 years, so mileage isn't a concern to me either. Good luck!

 

[Bombastinator2]

Me personally, I don't pay too much attention to road noise or quality of ride with tires for my Leaf. It is a commuter car for city which means they're potholes and noise, but the one thing I will not forgo is run-flat tires. The leaf does not have a spare so I make sure to get run flats, the Bridgestone Driveguard Plus tires are a good balance of ride quality and quietness for a run-flat. As far as mileage goes I've got 13,000 mi on them and I've had the tires for 6 years, so mileage isn't a concern to me either. Good luck!

Apparently it CAN have a spare and the Japanese versions do. It apparently stores under the car. The North American ones don’t for sure, though I would think the plate for the Japanese will fit it is gotten. I have no data though. ATM I keep one of my snow tires and a jack in the trunk because I don’t trust “tire goo” at all. I’m surprised doing that is even legal.

 

[glazeronline]

Thanks for the info on the spare tire holder! I looked into it and it is possible, but I'm not going to go through all that work to install one that should have been there in the first place. I live here in Texas so we do not have snow tires, when it snows the state just shuts down . I am glad that you found the solution that works for you. I think people put too much thought into buying tires for a city car, if you are keeping a spare then just buy the cheapest tires you can get, these cars can only go 50 or so miles on an 80% charge.

 

[Dooglas]

I think people put too much thought into buying tires for a city car, if you are keeping a spare then just buy the cheapest tires you can get, these cars can only go 50 or so miles on an 80% charge.

Actually the range at 80% SOC depends on which year and model LEAF you have. I usually get about 175-180 miles from an 80% charge. And the point of low rolling friction tires on an EV is increased mileage.

 

[orca]

I've lost single tires to nails and potholes over the years and still had one original on my 2019 SL Plus. Replaced all four in August with the Michelin Pilot Sport AS4. Consumer Reports rated it as one of the best UHP all-season tire. Handling, braking and noise are more important to me than efficiency and they had them for a reasonable price at the Costco. They are quiet and I am satisfied with the performance. The car claims 200 miles range with a full battery.

 

[Bombastinator2]

Thanks for the info on the spare tire holder! I looked into it and it is possible, but I'm not going to go through all that work to install one that should have been there in the first place. I live here in Texas so we do not have snow tires, when it snows the state just shuts down . I am glad that you found the solution that works for you. I think people put too much thought into buying tires for a city car, if you are keeping a spare then just buy the cheapest tires you can get, these cars can only go 50 or so miles on an 80% charge.

I haven’t decided whether to buy the parts for it or not. I’m sure it will be at least a couple hundred bucks and may only fit one of those “limited service”spares anyway so I’d have to buy a 9th rim and tire too. The snow tire eats a lot of trunk space. It seems to be how much do I want to pay to get my trunk back. I’m a bit astounded that it’s even legal. Apparently it isn’t in Japan I guess. The things should come with it.

 

[Chad E. Mo]

There's always the option of adding a well: cut one out of a junk car, drop in into a hole you cut in the back of the leaf and seal it up. It's under/in the back of the car so it doesn't even need to be pretty, unless you want it to be.

A third option is the trailer-hitch mounted spare... like a bike-rack, but with a mount for the spare.

 

[Drew21]

A third option is the trailer-hitch mounted spare... like a bike-rack, but with a mount for the spare.

Bonus: You'll make all the mall-crawler Jeep/SUV/truck owners jealous.

 

[rayc]

Actually the range at 80% SOC depends on which year and model LEAF you have. I usually get about 175-180 miles from an 80% charge. And the point of low rolling friction tires on an EV is increased mileage.

I’ve had my 2018 leaf now for 3 years. I live in Ottawa Ont.
Have been going through the ritual of putting on and removing my snow tires twice a year. I am retired. I don’t take the vehicle on long trips. It’s pretty much a city vehicle in the spring. I will be due to have to buy new summer tires I am actually considering putting on all weather tires these are not the same as all season tires. AW work at lower temperatures as well as Summerhays they have a somewhat aggressive tread pattern to handle snow. I’m certain the rolling resistance is not great but if these will save me from having to change tires twice a year, it makes a lot of sense to me. Add to this, the fact, it with global warming our winters are not as harsh as they used to be.