Tire Suggestions Please from Cheap to Expensive

I want to replace all FOUR tires on my LEAF SV.... Suggestions, cheap, mid price, expensive designer brand...

Currently the tires on it are mix and match (total miles 29,800).
Front are pair of DORAL SDL 55A - 205/55R16 - $60 each you can find them - Tread about 50%..
Back are pair of Bridgstone Ecopia EP422 - 205/55R16 - $90, available - Tread about +80%

I bought 3 year old LEAF SV 3 years ago this OCT. It had 20K miles, now has just shy of 30K. It had these tires when I got it. WHAT TIRES COME ON LEAF's NEW?

Bridgestone's are good tires from my research. The DORAL's are el-cheap-O brand....

I could replace just the two DORAL with new Bridgestone's and have a match set....

My go to are Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ at $135 each. However with how little I drive this as a 2nd car and might sell it someday (sooner or later) I don't think I want to go for the gold plated tires.

Or do nothing and drive... Ha ha.

gmcjetpilot said:

I want to replace all FOUR tires on my LEAF SV.... Suggestions, cheap, mid price, expensive designer brand...

Currently the tires on it are mix and match (total miles 29,800).
Front are pair of DORAL SDL 55A - 205/55R16 - $60 each you can find them - Tread about 50%..
Back are pair of Bridgstone Ecopia EP422 - 205/55R16 - $90, available - Tread about +80%

I bought 3 year old LEAF SV 3 years ago this OCT. It had 20K miles, now has just shy of 30K. It had these tires when I got it. WHAT TIRES COME ON LEAF's NEW?

Bridgestone's are good tires from my research. The DORAL's are el-cheap-O brand....

I could replace just the two DORAL with new Bridgestone's and have a match set....

My go to are Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ at $135 each. However with how little I drive this as a 2nd car and might sell it someday (sooner or later) I don't think I want to go for the gold plated tires.

Or do nothing and drive... Ha ha.

Click to expand...

It depends upon your range needs and climate. Michelin's sport tires are good, however they are subject to sidewall cracking over time in hot, dry climate so you need to drive enough to wear them out before the sidewalls are junk. Michelin Energy Saver A/S is 17-inch OEM and Bridgestone Ecopia is 16-inch OEM. My experience is that Ecopias offer much better braking traction (especially when wet) than the Energy Savers, but only if the Ecopias are inflated to at least 40 psi, preferably 44. Ecopias gave me a bit better range than the OEM Energy Savers on the 2015. Having had two sets, I consider the OEM Energy Saver A/S to be the worst radial tires I have owned.

If you don't need maximum range and are not in a hot climate, then go with the Pilot Sports. If you need maximum range with reasonable handling and good wet traction, then go with Ecopias. If range is not an issue, but you are concerned about flat tires, then do what I did and go with Bridgestone DriveGuards. Performance seems to be similar to Ecopias (or a little better), but range is significantly lower than the Energy Savers or Ecopias.

What budget did you have in mind? Are you willing to spend close to $100 a tire?

GerryAZ said:

If you don't need maximum range and are not in a hot climate, then go with the Pilot Sports. If you need maximum range with reasonable handling and good wet traction, then go with Ecopias. If range is not an issue, but you are concerned about flat tires, then do what I did and go with Bridgestone DriveGuards. Performance seems to be similar to Ecopias (or a little better), but range is significantly lower than the Energy Savers or Ecopias.

Click to expand...

Based on the reviews on TireRack, Ecopias do NOT perform well on ice/snow (but they're not the worst tires, either). If you're in a cold climate, I'd strongly recommend a different tire. I personally use Continental PureContact LS, which give me great traction in all conditions, however, I've noticed a significant range difference compared to what others' report on the forums. I suspect the tires are causing a 10-15% range loss compared to Ecopias, but to be honest, nothing really compares to the Ecopias' range.

Also keep in mind the Ecopia 422's are significantly better than OEM Ecopias.

Ratings of various tires:
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/surveydisplay.jsp?type=GTAS&width=205%2F&ratio=55&diameter=16&tireSearch=true&filter=y&autoMake=Nissan&autoYear=2011&autoModel=Leaf&autoModClar=SV

For you, if you don't see a lot of snow and ice, I'd buy a pair of Ecopia 422's so you have a matched set, as you said.