[kvn2118]

So I popped a tire on Friday on my ‘15 Volt, and ended up replacing all 4 tires (36k miles 5/32) and was opting for these Road Hugger GT Eco as the salesman recommended me personally as a Electric car owner.

Unfortunately they didn’t have enough in stock and threw on some Goodyear Assurance Touring tires ($25 more per tire) I guess considered an upgrade?

I have yet to try out the full range to see how much I’ve lost, but figured I’d ask..what are other owners throwing on to maintain range. If I notice a big difference I may just opt to come back and get the original set I purchased.

 

[caronjeff]

At tirerack.com if you select an individual product you will see a link to “specs”. The OEM Goodyears have a tread width of 6.9” and weigh 19 pounds. You can do comparisons on that data. Wider and heavier affect range and fuel mileage. I am running Michelin Primacy MXV 4’s in 93V , Weighs 22 lbs. tread width 7.3 The same tire in a 94V weighs 26lbs with Tread width 7.6, As an example.

 

[Guest]

Much more important that the weight of the tire, is whether or not it' rated for 'Low Rolling Resistance' (LRR). If a tire carries this designation, it can extend your electric range by 5 to 7% or more and if they aren't, it can lower what your Volt used to do by about that same amount. The gas mileage will suffer by a like amount, so paying a bit more for a 'correct' EV tire will save you in the long run

Don

 

[tgolden]

Michelin Premier A/S are an excellent option. I purchased mine at Costco. I actually gained range compared to my previous OEM tires. Ride is so much better.

 

[kvn2118]

Thanks for the tips. I went ahead and looked it up, weight it's the same as OEM apparently, but of course not really an "Eco" tire." It seems like the set they gave me is some collab between Goodyear & America's Tire Co. Had 51 miles yesterday and only squeezed 44.9 out of it. Granted I was on the highway doing 60-65mph so it seems decent.

I'll definitely get a better idea on my commute to work this week and see how it goes. This mornings wasn't able to get full and had 45 miles charged up, drove 26 and now have 17 miles remaining.

 

[Guest]

Continental TrueContact are a well-reviewed LRR Eco rated tire. Several threads about them in the wheel and tire subforum.

I've been running mine for a couple months now and they've been great. Still need to put a few thousand more miles on them before they're broken in for full range but I can get 40 miles as it is on my '13.

 

[rmay635703]

You should loose no range with Goodyear Assurance since those are the stock tire.

Personally when my front oems wore out another set of the same went on.

 

[hellsop]

You should loose no range with Goodyear Assurance since those are the stock tire.

... after the break-in period, anyway.

 

[Dutch]

what he said

 

[gieso]

Michelin Premier A/S are an excellent option. I purchased mine at Costco. I actually gained range compared to my previous OEM tires. Ride is so much better.

I am also very happy with my Michelin Premier A/S tires. Much quieter, better handling and better in the snow than the OEM tires. I did lose about 5 miles per charge range. I have the V rated version. I have seen posts indicating that the H rated version loses no range compared to the stock tires.

 

[dweiss]

I bought the Michelin Premier A/S 94H tires and noticed a 15-20% decrease in range initially. After two months of driving on them it is at a 10-15% decrease. Except for the economy they are a great tire. I was going to get the Continental TrueContacts before I saw these. Wish I had.

 

[feldmanbd]

I just replaced the OE tires on my 2014 with a set of Continental ExtremeContact DWS06 tires. Right now I have about 2500 miles on the set.

They're not rated LRR. They're Ultra-High-Performance All Season. I looked all over for an actual rolling resistance comparison between LRR and non-LRR tires and was unable to find one.

That being said - here are my observations:

The max range on my guess-o-meter with the OE tires last summer peaked at 49 miles. So far this season it's around 43. I'm expecting maybe it'll climb a little bit when the temperatures rise just a little more. (Update: 40 miles yesterday on battery with 7 miles remaining when I got home)

On a kwh - kwh basis, same (local) trips, I might see a 5% difference between the original set and the new tires. And that doesn't take into account the fact that these tires are nearly new and that was when those tires were 2/3 of the way through their life.

Grip is leaps and bounds better. The tires don't spin on damp pavement and it corners much better. There's the safety factor too.

On highway trips the rolling resistance matters less as a higher fraction of your drag is wind resistance.

The OE set had about 50,000 miles (safely) on them when they were replaced (I think one tire was replaced before I got the car - second owner). I've gotten 40,000 miles on 3 sets of DWS tires before on my previous car (Acura TL). I'm already saving about $800 a year in fuel costs and oil changes. I think the DWS06 tires are totally worth the tradeoffs vs the original LRR tires.

 

[daves2015volt]

I have the Continental ExtremeContact on my 2015 volt, I've had them for about 40/50-thousand miles or so. I have a few more months on them and plan on replacing them with the Continental PureContact with EcoPlus Technology - SIZE: 215/55R17. I really liked the extreemContact, but want to see if the PureContact adds to the MPG.

 

[G-PA]

Continental TrueContact are a well-reviewed LRR Eco rated tire. Several threads about them in the wheel and tire subforum.

I've been running mine for a couple months now and they've been great. Still need to put a few thousand more miles on them before they're broken in for full range but I can get 40 miles as it is on my '13.

I agree with Continental True contact. Better ride, better in snow, LLR rated no loss of range

 

[emg77]

I was forced into a quick decision due to a nail that couldn't be repaired and finding the tires were at 4/32 anyway, so I ended up with (it's a mouthful) Continental Control Contact A/S Touring Plus tires. They seem to be a Discount Tire exclusive product. I've only had them 2 days, so no report yet, other than the ride is nice and quieter than OEM. I'll report back after the break in. People seem generally happy with Continental tires, so hopefully I made an OK choice. I have Blizzaks for the winter, so I wasn't concerned about all season performance, but I did want something better than the OEM.

 

[noFüLN]

I am also very happy with my Michelin Premier A/S tires. Much quieter, better handling and better in the snow than the OEM tires. I did lose about 5 miles per charge range. I have the V rated version. I have seen posts indicating that the H rated version loses no range compared to the stock tires.

I lost the same amount of range (5 miles) on these tires as well. Handling and noise are better. Disappointed and will not repurchase.