How to Choose the Best Tires for Your EV Like Our Chevy Bolt EV
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- Опубліковано 1 сер 2024
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Tires Are More Important Than You May Think
The tires you put on your EV are more critical than you may imagine. Tires are likely the most expensive routine maintenance cost for your electric vehicle. The tires will also impact the ride you get, safety, road noise and the efficiency of your car-and, therefore, its range.
We’ve identified six considerations to help you choose new tires for your EV. There isn’t a perfect tire for every car; what you prefer may differ from the tire we choose.
Here are the six considerations:
Rolling Resistance: Tires can be designed in terms of tread and material to have different features, including, among them, lower rolling resistance, improving efficiency and, therefore, range. The data suggest that this can make a difference of about 1 percent, perhaps impacting your range by three to five miles.
Road Noise: EVs are quiet. The primary noise you experience driving the car on the freeway is the sound the tires make on the road. The motor makes a fraction of the noise that an internal combustion engine makes. Manufacturers design some new tires to produce less noise in a variety of ways.
Strength: EVs are heavy, weighing about 20 percent more than otherwise similar cars. You may want to consider strength and stability, given the weight of your car.
All-Season Traction: depending on where you drive, you may want all-season traction. If you live in an area with a lot of snow, you may prefer to use snow tires in the winter. If you live in Florida like us, you may not need to worry about this.
Weight of the Tire: When we replaced the tires on our Chevy Bolt EV, we chose tires with run-flat features because the Bolt doesn’t come standard with a spare tire. When we took our first road trip, we discovered the mileage and range were about ten percent worse! Thankfully, the vendor offered to swap the tires for free; we chose a set that recovered our range. The most significant difference was the weight of the tires.
Order Online: One of the lessons we took from our tire purchase was that the tires available at a typical tire dealer are somewhat limited. Their expertise in selecting tires for EVs is limited. You may be better off researching tire options for your EV and then ordering them online. Your local tire shop can then mount them for you.
The famous CarTalk team recently published a list of popular EVs and good tires for them. The list includes three tires for a Chevy Bolt:
Michelin CrossClimate2 (amzn.to/3e7JUEQ)
Bridgestone Turanza Quiettrack (amzn.to/3VlYmd9)
Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 Plus (amzn.to/3EprpX1)
Of these, we think the Continental Extreme Contact is the best for our needs. We prioritize efficiency over road noise. The Continental is the lightest weight tire of the three. That said, it is not explicitly designed for low rolling resistance or low road noise. We’d give those up for weight to get what we hope would be peak efficiency. You might prioritize low road noise and therefore choose one of the other tires.
The Continental ExtremeContact is the cheapest of the three tires, but not especially cheap. Amazon sells a popular tire called the Milestar MS932 Sport All Season Radial Tire (amzn.to/3rAcPnW) that fits the Bolt and weighs less than a pound per tire more than the Continental but, as of this moment, costs 45 percent less. If cost is a priority for you, this tire, with over 7,000 ratings averaging 4.6 out of five stars, could be worth considering.
Whatever you do, we encourage you to plan ahead, do your research and be strategic about the tires you put on your EV.
Share what you’ve learned about EV tires in the comments or by reply.
Great video ! Those considerations ARE very important. I've noticed at least a ten percent reduction in range and a slight but noticeable increase in road noise from my new replacement all season tires. Yes, they were 80 dollars cheaper, per tire than the OEM Bolt tires but I wish I had gone with the OEM's. Yes, in a few years, quietness, range and grip will be standard-fare on tires ( hopefully with the cost driven down ) but this is a very informative video, thank you !
Great vid. One note is that the Cross Climate 2s are part of a new class of tire that was called All Weather. Now that branding seems to be fading, but any All Season tire with a 3 peak snowflake on it is All Weather. Given that these cost about the same as old all season tires but perform far better in the snow I think the old ones should just be phased out. I had some Vredestein Quatrac 4’s on my last car and I liked them so much I paid extra to put them on my Bolt as soon as I got it. They have a bit more road noise, and when pumped to their specified 50 PSI they have less cushion, but give similar range and have great grip in snow and wet. This video explains all weather tires well. I think they should be default for all cars used north of Georgia.
I would also caution strongly against buying lesser known tire brands on Amazon. There may be a few thousand reviews, but chances are over half are fake. It’s also possible that the tires do work well initially (when the review is written) but then don’t hold up over time. For online tires I recommend tire rack, they do their own tire testing that is far more reliable than amazon. My only note for them is to not use their recommended installers, they’re all ripoffs. Have the tires shipped to your home and then find a local garage that’ll install tires for a good price and simply drive them there.
ua-cam.com/video/PT2odY3C6Og/v-deo.html
Matt, that is great feedback. I didn't know all that so I'm glad you've added that information. The community will benefit from your knowledge about these tires.
Good tips! I like that you included the Michelin Cross Climate 2 tires. They are great for those of us with snow and ice (Michigan) and yet you don't have to swap them out for summer tires because they're all-season. I have them on a 2015 Chevy Volt and a 2015 Tesla with AWD and they are rock solid, quiet on dry pavement, and quite efficient with respect to rolling resistance.
Karl, that is such great feedback. You've tested some of these tires! Thanks for joining the conversation on this vid. That is helpful to the whole community.
Just came across your channel: we’re looking at the Aliner Scout as a quiver of a 2nd camper for distance towing. Now I understand what you mean about the additional stop.. We don’t have EV yet but understand electricity well. Looking to get our first EV for wife; We love our F150 for our large camper; When we travel far and purposely stop every 150 to 189 miles. Although our Tow Vehicle can get easily 200 miles and still have a 1/4 tanks left. But we do plan to tow the Aliner with the EV, right now looking at the Tesla Y . We live in South FLA so simply getting out of the state takes us 8 hours towing. Not towing six & half hour drive.
Very informative video, thanks. A note about the Continental DW Extreme Contact series of tires--- after much research some years ago, I bought a set for my (then) ICE car. After 1 or 2 years (8,000 miles for me), I was visiting overnight in a hilly city where the custom is to park with tires angled into the curb, to prevent a runaway if e-brake fails. Next morning the tire had a large blister in the sidewall that was in contact with the curb. "An unfortunate anomaly I thought", and replaced it. 6 months later the same circumstances produced the same result on a different wheel. Now, in looking deeper to online forums, I discover this is a known problem with these tires. BEWARE
Wow! Thank you so much for the warning! Too late for us, but you may save someone else!
Great video and very informative, you both are true EV tire experts and enthousiasts 👍
Thank you so much!
I did recently purchase the Milestar MS932 Sport All Season Radial Tire for my 2020 Bolt. I find I get 3.2 to 4.2 Miles p Kwh with the tires. Other than noticing a different tire noise (with windows down) They were a good choice. Thanks for all the research you do. Dave.
Thanks for contributing to the discussion!
Did you notice any change in the miles per kWh from the original Michelins?
@roncarguy6361 Yes I had only been able to squeeze out 4.1 M Kwh, sometimes 4.2.
I have two 2020 Chevy bolts have put Nokian Tyres on both of them. And yes that is the way they spell tires! these were recommended on UA-cam. I have found these to be excellent tires number one difference is the ride quality improved not so rigid with these tires number two did not affect mileage range negatively and number three perhaps the most important is that these are more pothole resistant tires have special webbing on sidewalls to help with pothole this has been the reason I’ve had to change tires on both of my bolts in the past not the tread wearing out but the potholes being hard on tires so I highly recommend these tires.
Check out EV-olution on UA-cam
Fantastic! Thank you for sharing!
I just went with the stock Michelin Enerrgy Saver Self Sealing tires for my Bolt. At the time I was looking for new tires, the self sealers were on sale for about $130 apiece while other tires were around $200 and were not self sealing. I have never had a flat with the self sealers. It was hard to pass up that bargain. My originals only lasted about 30k miles, but that was due to my neglect by not maintaining the correct air pressure and not rotating enough. I also saw many videos where mileage was affected. If I l hadn't gotten the stock, I would have probably gotten the Michelin Crossclimate 2. They are all season but also have a snow rating for those who only see occasional snow.
Mark, that's great feedback. Thank you for watching and sharing your experience with the community!
Thanks a lot for sharing your experiences with the Chevy Bolt. I have a 2018 Bolt, it is an outstanding car, in my case I use it as a city car, only drive about 3,000miles/year. As a retired process design engineer I tend to think that companies that design equipments, in this case the Chevy Bolt, put a lot of thoughts and engineering calculations in the design of those equipment, so most of the time there is no better alternative than the original part for those equipment. Again, I only drive 3,000miles/year, so if my tires only last 25,000miles that is about eight years of driving on those tires, not bad. By the way my Chevy Bolt produce 5.2miles/kw.
Yes, it would be the 4th consideration which is the weather here in Illinois. How good do the tires work in the snow and ice. I am planning on getting a Bolt EV this coming April 2023. Thanks for the video.
The weather should be your top consideration, for sure! We hope you love your Bolt as much as we do!
New tires usually have a break-in period where they're super sticky and will dramatically reduce efficiency. After about 500 miles, you should be past that period and will get the expected efficiency.
When I changed the tires on my 2014 Volt, I lost about the same 10% in range. After the tires broke in, it was only about 5% lower efficiency from the OEM LRR tires. I got Pirelli P4's. They made the ride so much more quiet and comfortable. A worthy sacrifice in efficiency. I'll probably go the same route with my Bolt. That's only about 10-15 miles in range for the Bolt.
Great contribution to the discussion! Thank you so much! 🙏
2009+ Cruze and all Sonic wheels, as well as Buick Encore wheels have the same bolt pattern, center bore, and similar negative offset as the Bolt -- 5x105mm BP, 56.6mm center bore, and 40-45mm negative offset. Also, 205x65x15" tires are the same outer diameter as the stock bolt 215/50x17s, and 205/60x16s are only 0.2" taller, which gives many more choices of tire/wheel combinations.
I liked the bridgestone ep422+ tires on my prius so much for LRR that I plan to try them on my yet-to-be delivered Bolt ev at some point, though the ecopias are not good in the winter. For winter I usually use LRR michelin xi3s or x-ice.
Excellent! Thank you for sharing your experience and insights!
@@oursolartrailer -- Thanks for your videos :)
@@davidrandall2742 😁
I'm on my 3rd set for the fronts. I don't rotate and get 11.250 miles per pair. So pair number 3 in about 22.500 miles. The OEM Michelins have gone way up so I just got the Goodyear Electric Drive. Even then, Discount Tire charged $500 a pair. I looked at Hankook and Nokian but they don't make them for the Bolt in the model I wanted.
Have you considered the Hankook Kinergy ST? It has eco focus sidewalls and is 3lbs lighter than the continental extremecontact dws 06 that you went with. Also I would like to mention that I recommend dealing with a tire garage instead of ordering tires online because of these benefits that tire garages usually offer with tires purchased from them: free rotation and they handle treadlife warranty claims. I’ve had plenty of tires not last the whole warranty and it’s been helpful to have a garage handle warranty claims. I also buy road hazard since I usually end up with a puncture atleast once over the life of the tires and 1 time had to replace a tire and a road hazard warranty would’ve covered that. Interested in your feedback!
-fellow bolt owner
Great feedback. I have purchased the road hazard policy several times in the past. Never again. When I used it, sure it covered the tire, but the shop charged me almost as much in various fees to put the tire on. The Hankook Kinergy ST sounds like a great option!
We ordered our Bolt EUV recently and are waiting on its arrival. We live in Alaska and definitely will need good winter tires that can grip on snow and ice. We have Blizzaks on our hybrid but am wondering what the best snow tire would be for the EUV?
A viewer in Michigan recommends the Michelin Cross Climate 2 as good all-season options. We don't have any EV experience with snow tires, but where traction is the priority, you may want to go with the Blizzaks again--you'd know better. :)
I bought a used 2022 Chevy bolt from a dealer. The tires a Douglas. They look very new, as they r Goodyear tire branded for Walmart. Walmart tells me the warranty is not transfer-able. They r pretty quiet and the mileage seems pretty good. Anyone have experience with them. Certainly don’t have a run flat feature. Thoughts?
After my extensive research, our bolts chew through tires like an afternoon snacks so tread wear ratings to me is highest priority. Michelin defender are best but pricey. I settled for Pirelli p7 AS Plus 3, treadwear rating of 740AA with 70K warranty. Believe the continental extreme sadly had 540.
Great point, Mike! The Continental tires do have a shorter life and that matters a lot budget wise!
Thanks for the excellent Content. Really enjoy watching your UA-cams. Do you carry a spare tire? I know the bolt does not come with one but have you considered purchasing a spare tire? Thanks
Robert, we've been thinking about the spare while we're talking about tires. What do you recommend?
@@oursolartrailer I have a 2012 Prius Plugin. The car does not come with a spare. I did get a full size spare and a tire bag for the spare. I leave it at home when I am driving locally and when I go on trips I put it in the car. I wipe the tire bag down before putting it in the car so it's pretty clean. So, yes, I do believe in spare tires. I think the entire setup was about $275 and it gives me a bit of peace of mind.
@@robertbaxter2684 Thanks! 🙏🙏🙏 That makes a lot of sense!
Extra weight: nope!
@@rbrown6808 The answer isn't easy and probably depends on how you use your car.
Curious-never considered tire weight. When shopping for new tires on my Bolt, I went with Hankook Kinergy 4s2. I based my decision on Consumer Reports research that indicated their rolling resistance was much lower than the CrossClimate2s (the other tire I was considering-I live in Alaska).
How can I compare the weight of those two tires?
Great question! Most online tire retailers display the weight of the tires. I would check the weight of both using one online store. It is possible that stores use different sources or methods for determining weight so I wouldn't use two different retailers.
Hi Randy- any estimate on reduced range you’ve had?
Thank you for attending to focus on weight of the wheel assembly. I just toke that advise of you, and removed the original OEM rims. I placed 6.00Jx15" 5x105, bore 56.6 mm, ET 39 mm steel rims; they exactly fit ♥. I choose Goodyear Vector 4 Season Gen 3 195/65R15 95V extra load tires. Some numbers of weight, OEM tires 21 kg, new tires 16 kg. That 5 kg reduction on each wheel give roughly about 12% better energy efficiency and thus as well 12% more range ♥. Thanks for good advise ♥ !!
Please let us know if that holds true after you run that way for a few miles. That would be a cool confirmation of the theory!
@@oursolartrailer I've done some longer runs. It's now cold + 5C, clouded, with some drizzle, grey. If you start driving and you use the heater, the consumption is as before shortly sky high. When I accelerate the car accelerates already quick at 70 kW, personally I don't like to push the pedal more downwards. I've done some testing at the highway at 95 km/h and did see 17.5 kWh/100km now with the heater at 22C. I always put it on auto, and then I select the lowest fan speed, at 1. It blows air at all ports at the lowest speed. When the blower starts, it initially kicks up to 20-22 kW while driving 95 km/h. But later on, you see is clearly dropping to 15-17 kW. The computer makes an average of 17.5 kWh/100km. During this test, there was no sun, because I learned earlier that if you get sunlight, also on cold days, the big windshield is heating up the cabin quick by sunlight. On an earlier drive, at the only highway, constantly at 95 km/h with the OEM tires, comparable weather situation, (+5C, some rain, constant overcast skies, drizzle and rain at times) for a 2,5 hr drive, the car consumed with the heater on in the same configuration as above, 18.5 - 19.5 kWh/100 km in that order. When I see it is getting tight with the distance given by the car computer and the distance I need to travel on, I start driving some 80+ km/h, something like 85-87 km/h. Not to disturb the lorry truck drivers, but then I get efficiency like 15.4 - 16.0 kWh/100 km. This testing was just a piece of highway around the corner, later on, when I will be driving more distances I will get even better views of the energy efficiency improvements. Besides of energy improvement, one thing is for sure, and if you're doing long trips, and that is the ride quality, it feels sooo much better. My first cars where Citroen, and what I really don't liked from the OEM tires is pain in my body. Coffee smashed everywhere during driving, and that is much improved now with the new tires. ♥
@@MrNollemans great work! Thank you for sharing! Those details help.
@@oursolartrailer Yes. You gave me good advice and I searched further on and on. I just tested again, and to my personal observations pressure at 2.6 bar is best. I tried 2.8 bar, but it is getting too stiff again. Generally, I am driving for the overall big majority on asphalt, in the Netherlands. We got high-quality roads because we pay huge taxes to the government. But I do recognize, some massive noise increases when you are driving on concrete block pavements. We do have them in industrial areas and harbor dock yards areas, but the roads are mainly asphalt, and totally flat. I did see on youtube some people driving in the USA where the entire highway was this kind of concrete pavement block. If this pavement is one of the main structures of road types you are driving a lot, then perhaps R16 tires are a better choice. Elsewise, you gonna maybe try to attach isolation foam, do it yourself, and glue it in the inner part of the tire. I don't have experience with that. Further, If you like to go for more details: ua-cam.com/video/NYvKxsYFqO8/v-deo.html found this one, theory. Besides theory and practice that could perhaps deviate, there is some underlying truth in the theory. I do recognize, ( ua-cam.com/video/8kY7BGGtDeY/v-deo.html ), the purple line in the graphic. The energy per distance consumed increases a lot above 60 km/h. Therefore I do recognize the 12% improvement in energy efficiency, much more effective at speeds above 60 km/h and typically 95 km/hr, highway speeds. Thank you for your advise, I was happy with the decision to choose the 195/65R15 Goodyear Vector 4 Season tires. ♥
@@MrNollemans Thanks for following up. This is amazingly helpful!
Good video. Since bolt doesn't have backup tire. the orginal tire should be michelin energy saver all season that is slighly heavier than the michilin Crossclimate® 2 but with selfseal function. I would stick to the original tire.
Thanks for joining the conversation!
You’re also dead on on tire weights importance. Wheel weight is similarly key, and I’ve heard of Bolt owners putting on 15 inch Chevy Cruise wheels on to save weight and improve range, acceleration, and braking (just be sure the tires you put on them are rated to handle the Bolt’s weight). It’s honestly ridiculous that people pay more for larger wheels that perform worse in all these key ways. This video explains it well.
ua-cam.com/video/NYvKxsYFqO8/v-deo.html
Thanks, Matt. You're a great part of our community! Together, we'll help people make wiser decisions.