[stevon]

GregL65,

LRR is an abbreviation of Low Rolling Resistance used in my post. There are 4 different Michelin Energy Saver part #s, all sold and labeled as 'Energy Savers" with a few differences between the different product numbers, none are focused on traction as a specific goal. It seems that traction and other performance features were traded off against mileage/EV range. I bought the part number 16798 91H and at 20 pounds a tire, I noticed slightly better EV range than the old OEM part number 11674 91H. The lighter tires seemed to help with the range but I did not keep records of actual KwH consumed on either tire set, that would have been a more scientific test. The GOM or Guess-O-Meter is hardly accurate.

MFR# 16798 91H 20 lbs Different Thread Formula (To make them last longer)
MFR# 11674 91H 21 lbs OEM Volt
MFR# 33539 91H 22 lbs OEM Bolt - Self Sealer
MFR# 51569 94V 22 lbs V Speed Rating


Stephen

Pretty sure Stevon meant LRR, i.e. Low Rolling Resistance.

 

[jtechau]

I started with Michelin Energy Savers from the factory. Not very impressed - almost no traction. I like Michelin, so I switched to Premier. I liked the ride much better than the Energy Savers, and they lasted a lot of miles. Recently I needed to replace them again, and the Premier wasn't available in the right size. The tire guy recommended BF Goodrich Advantage Control. BF Goodrich is owned by Michelin, so I figured I'd give them a try. I can't believe how much better the Advantage Control is than the Premier! The ride is so much smoother, and quiet.

That said, I don't have a great feel for how well they perform in heavy rain. We did have some serious rain here in California this year, and traction seemed at least as good, if not better, than the Premier. Based on my experience so far, I give the Advantage Control a thumbs up.

 

[anxiousMN]

I replaced my OEM tires at 50,000 with Goodyear Weatherready Assurance tires. Far better in rain and snow than the originals. Just turned over 90,000 and the tread depth is still very good, expecting to get at least 60,000 out of the set. There may be a slight hit in range but I'll take it for the better grip.

 

[scottf200]

FYI for comparison:

"Tesla has just switched stock 18″ tires for the Model 3 from Michelin Primacy MXM4 to the new Hankook Kinergy GT H436 ones." Tesla Model 3 now comes with Hankook Kinergy GT tires instead of the Michelin Primacy MXM4 - Tesla Oracle

 

[pkvolt]

I currently have a set of Nokian One tires on my Gen 1 Volt. It seems to be Nokian’s OEM budget offering for the US market. There’s much to like, it’s a fairly quiet tire, and has even improved the ride of the already soft Gen 1. It maintains good traction in rainy weather, and mild winter conditions. I have Nokian snow tires for deep winter snow. Blogger Out of Spec Kyle has had positive comments about these tires, but also mentioned that Ones have a more aggressive tread than most touring tires. Nokian’s spec sheet says it’s a LRR tire good for 80,000 miles. It’s a noticeably heavier tire than the OEM Goodyears, and I have noticed at least a 15% range penalty. This actually surprised me at first, because my Nokian snow tires have almost no range penalty. Considering the increased weight and more aggressive tread, maybe it makes sense. I’m guessing the Nokian One should be able to handle Seattle weather, and Nokian quality is among the best.

 

[begreen]

I've stuck with the Michelin Energy Savers, and I live in FL with very significant rain. I just replaced mine, and I got a bit over 70k miles out of the last set.

I have these tires still on our 2018 Volt and they are doing fine in Seattle rains. I also have them on our Dodge Van. A lot of people knock them, but I don't have a complaint.

On our 2013 Volt I switched to the first gen Continental Pure Contacts from the stock Goodyears. This was a nice improvement, especially for road noise. They were replaced at 37K with the second gen Pure Contacts which were a nice improvement.

 

[herness]

I can highly recommend Michelin Energy Savers . Probably the best tires i ever had in my life. Got them after recommendation of tire agent (here you can read about them https://tire-agent.pissedcоnsumer.com/review.html) and definitely wasn't disappointed. Michelin is a leading tire brand for many years now as the quality of their products is very high.

 

[PlugMeInOK]

I just bought a 2017 from a used car dealership. It's our first hybrid of any type. The front tires are new but crappy. They are Westlake SA-07, super cheap. Not too bad on dry roads but very slippery on wet roads. Here in the Seattle area we drive on wet roads a LOT, and often the rain comes down faster than the water can drain off to the side of the roads. Sometimes some of the roads look almost like rivers. And we're in a wet season; I expect lots of wet road driving to continue until sometime in June. We've only had it a week, and my wife commutes with it while I drive it less often, and those awful Westlake tires have already slipped on me a couple of times.

So these tires are going to have to go. The rears are a better model, Road Control Touring A/S, but nothing special and at about half tread. I'll be replacing all four of course.

Normally when tire shopping I place top priority on wet road performance. I want tires that will hold the road even when it's masquerading as river, let us stop firmly, not hydroplane, and track straight through shallow ponds in the roads at 40mph.

I've had tires that do exactly that, but they're not low rolling resistance tires. I typically lose at least 1mpg compared to other tires, and I assume more than that compared to low rolling resistance tires. I wouldn't be interested in low rolling resistance tires if they signficantly compromized wet road performance, but I've read that today's low rolling resistance tires are substantially better at traction than was the case years ago. I'm not sure how much of the Volt's electric range I'd sacrifice going with the kind of tire I usually chose. If I can keep more electric range while still getting great wet road performance, I'd be interested in a low rolling resistance tire.

It's also nice to have a little bit of honest-to-god snow & ice capability so I'm not putting on the chains when the first snowflake falls, but it isn't critical. We don't get a lot of snow around here, but when we do the hills add to the fun. And the weather here has a habit of partly melting the snow during the day, then refreezing the roads overnight to silky-smooth skating rinks for the morning commute. Day after day after day.

So I went to Tire Rack and filtered on Grand Touring and Eco-Focus (aka low rolling resistance), and sorted by Consumer Highest Rated. After looking at the reviews, the candidates I think look interesting are:
-- (First, the top model listed is Michelin CrossClimate2, but I had those on another car and I thought they were really loud. Which would be all the more annoying on the comparatively silent Volt running on battery. I'm going to pass on them.)
-- Continental PureContact LS.
-- Yokohama Avid Ascend GT.

Removing the Eco-Focus filter, the Vredestein Quatrac Pro looks good. It also has the "Severe Snow Service" rating.

Any suggestions or comments? How much range would you expect to lose with the Vredestein Quatrac Pro compared to the other two?

UPDATE:

After doing more digging, it sounds like:
-- The first two have great wet road performance, and EV range similar to the (apparently otherwise crappy?) OEM tires. And:
-- The Yokohama Avid Ascend GT is on the loud side, while the Continental PureContact LS is much quieter.

I think I've made my choice. It's going to be the Continental PureContact LS. But I'd still be interested in hearing any comments or recommendations.

Did you buy the the Continental PureContact LS tires? If so, what do you think. Since my commute is almost as long as my range with the OEM tires, I don't want to lose any range. Can you give me your range and conditions (avg. speed, cty/hwy) for your new tires on the battery alone?

 

[snic]

Did you buy the the Continental PureContact LS tires? If so, what do you think. Since my commute is almost as long as my range with the OEM tires, I don't want to lose any range. Can you give me your range and conditions (avg. speed, cty/hwy) for your new tires on the battery alone?

I went for the Yokohama Avids. I had PureContacts for years on my '16, and I was reasonably happy with them. Good range and decent grip. But they seem kind of fragile - there was always a slow air leak, and more frequent punctures than I'm used to. I've only had the Yokohamas for a few months on my '17, but so far I like them. No drop in range, maybe a little better road grip than the Continentals, and I don't notice them to be any louder than I'm used to. Too early to know how they do with treadwear, snow/ice, and road hazards.

 

[mi_volt]

I went for the Yokohama Avids. I had PureContacts for years on my '16, and I was reasonably happy with them. Good range and decent grip. But they seem kind of fragile - there was always a slow air leak, and more frequent punctures than I'm used to. I've only had the Yokohamas for a few months on my '17, but so far I like them. No drop in range, maybe a little better road grip than the Continentals, and I don't notice them to be any louder than I'm used to. Too early to know how they do with treadwear, snow/ice, and road hazards.

Did you go with the Avid GT or LX? How is the ride compared to the Contis?

 

[snic]

Did you go with the Avid GT or LX? How is the ride compared to the Contis?

GT. I like the ride, I don't notice much difference.

 

[cbordian]

I got Continental TrueContact Tour 54 tires and I have noticed reduced range. I couldn't find information about rolling resistance in order to do comparisons. I may have slipped up and gotten the TrueContact instead of the PureContact (which I was targeting mainly because of this forum) although, even now, I can't find any objective measure to compare mileage.
Anyway, now the range indicator for battery starts at about 47 but as soon as I'm out of the driveway it's down to 43 or so. I'm pretty disappointed! The tires drive nicely but if I had it to do over again I'd be more careful - maybe even I'd go with original Michelin's. Yes, they may not be the grippiest tires, but I'm a conservative driver anyway.

 

[Ralph31]

I got Continental TrueContact Tour 54 tires and I have noticed reduced range. I couldn't find information about rolling resistance in order to do comparisons. I may have slipped up and gotten the TrueContact instead of the PureContact (which I was targeting mainly because of this forum) although, even now, I can't find any objective measure to compare mileage.
Anyway, now the range indicator for battery starts at about 47 but as soon as I'm out of the driveway it's down to 43 or so. I'm pretty disappointed! The tires drive nicely but if I had it to do over again I'd be more careful - maybe even I'd go with original Michelin's. Yes, they may not be the grippiest tires, but I'm a conservative driver anyway.

Good to know. The importance of tire performance (excluding range) is important to me based on the driving I do, and the way I drive.
I want a quiet tire on the freeway and stiff sidewalls for the country roads I travel.
Range isn't that important. The Coopers do all this well.