I have a 2019 eNiro with 22,000 miles on it. I am going to need new tires before winter. I live in Grand Junction CO and don’t need snow tires. I would like 4-season tires, but might consider just summer tires. Most of my driving is around town or on trips of less than 200 miles. The OEM tires wore out faster than I would have liked and didn’t provide good handling, IMHO. Does anyone have recommendations? I am considering the Continental PureContact LS tires as they appear to have less rolling resistance than some of the other tires. I have done a search on YT and on this forum and didn’t see answers to my specific question. If there is a thread started let me know and I’ll delete read it. Thanks!
I would seriously consider Michelin Cross climate 2. https://www.michelinman.com/auto/tires/michelin-crossclimate2 https://tirehungry.com/michelin-crossclimate-2-tire-review/
@ Harris_L_EV Please let us know what tires you end up using and if they handle better. My 2019 Niro EV will need them in a few months and I hate the way the stock ones handle.
After checking Consumers Reports I ordered the Michelin Cross Climate but have not put them on yet. The factory supplied tires have the worst traction in mud and snow of any tire I’ve owned. I’m 76 so there have been a few tires
I have a 2020 Niro EV, put 215/55R-17 Continental Truecontact Tour SL on it. Purchased them from Tirerack.com, there was a $170 rebate if you bought them with a Continental credit card. Total for the set was about $600 and includes 2 year road hazard protection. I had them installed at a local National Tire & Battery (NTB). This was about 3 months ago, so what the prices are now I don't know. I did look around and Walmart sells these for $172.99. For our local Walmart, I wouldn't let them install tires on a tricycle! I'm very happy with the tires and being "EcoPlus" they seem to get about the same range as the original tires. I run about 255/260 miles range when its warm, when cold 230-245.
Just swapped the OE Michelin shoes into Vredestein Hitracs. 215/55/17 OE size. Installed yesterday, and will need some breaking in time for a good comparison. They are stellar wet road tires based from reviews and personal experience on the other vehicle. Consumer Reports also has high praise for the Hitracs, though it's worth mentioning they tested a tire size other than the 215s. On the noise front, not much different. The Niro is just loud on rough Pacific Northwest pavement. But they do soak up the rough pavement a little better over the deafening low frequency road noise of the Michelin OEs. Good on the occasional snow days too, from experience with the other vehicle. Sent from my ONEPLUS A6003 using Tapatalk
Thanks everyone for your comments and recommendations. I’ll get back to you when I’ve switched tires.
Managed a 147 mile trip up north today, with the HiTracs. Efficiency wasn't noticably affected at 4.3 mi/kWh. Vehicle was loaded with 3 adults + 120 lbs of dog. Temperatures ranged from 65F to 75F, with speeds maxing out at 60 MPH while traveling at 50-55 MPH frequently. Tire pressure was set to 39 PSI at 70F (cold). Pleasantly surprised by how smooth these tires are. And while the road noise is still present on rough pavement, these sound to muffle the rough pavement into a more tolerable tone. The HiTracs fail to smooth out larger road imperfections over the Michelin OEs, however they do smooth out lighter imperfections into a glide. I'm not well versed on desirable Niro road handling and steering feedback, and wouldn't know what to expect with the Niro, we have a Mini SE for that fun factor. The HiTracs feel okay on the Mini Cooper, but do offer less feedback over the summer UHP OEs on the Mini. Not much help here, apologies. Overall, a respectable brand out in Europe at an affordable price in North America. $140 - $150 on Tire Rack last I checked. Tires are far from broken in, hopefully first impressions remain positive. Sent from my ONEPLUS A6003 using Tapatalk
Another thumbs up for Vredestein Hitracs as an all season, all around tire, none better on wet roads. Highly rated in all categories by both Tire Rack & Consumer Reports. I have them on my 2023 Outback & am very pleased with them. If I were buying new tires today, I 'd go with the Vredestein Hitracs. They are a bit hard to find but Tire Rack or Discount Tires have them. Continental Truecontact Tour is also a great, reasonably priced tire. I tried them on my Niro but thought they were a bit stiff & swapped em for Michelin Premier AS. The Premier AS has been great on my Niro, but $$$, not so hot in snow, and many report that they wear out rather quickly mine are still 7/32s at 16,000 miles. If dry performance is what your after the Conti LS is probably your best choice but in side by side testing on Tire Rack it placed behind the Mich Premier AS tires. If I were buying new tires today, I 'd go with the Vredestein Hitracs. They are a bit hard to find but Tire Rack or Discount Tires have them.
We like Kumho Crugen on our EV6 and we'll no doubt stick with them. Also Cross Climates are getting good reviews. I like quiet and though it's only rained once here in 3 years a good wet handling tire.
Tire manufacturers are just beginning to produce EV tires. You will have to make a choice of a very good all season tire and damn the mileage, i.e. rolling resistance. Or you buy a very low rolling resistance, i.e. higher mileage per charge, and not as good all season capability. IMHO… Best all season tires are front Michelin and Nokian. For low rolling resistance see… https://drivingpress.com/best-low-rolling-resistance-tires/
Michelin has the upper hand in the Continental PureContact vs Michelin Premier match-up. The latter has an edge in performance, though Michelin offers a lower warranty than Continental. However, consumer reviews showed that Michelin’s Premier A/S has superior grip on dry and wet roads compared to Continental’s PureContact. However, when comparing the Purecontact and LTX, the former has a slight edge.
When comparing the Continental Purecontact vs Michelin Premier, Continental’s PureContact has attractive specifications, especially long-lasting tread life, but Michelin Premier has superior performance in dry, wet, and snow conditions with exceptional noise reduction and comfort level.
First I want to thank all the responses. I really appreciated them. I am back in country and got to Discount Tires to install new tires. I had decided to go with the Vredestein HiTracs but they were not available at my store [or city] and wouldn’t be available for at least a month. So I was torn between the Michelin Premiers and Continental PureContacts. I was able to get a small discount on the Continental’s and not on the Michelin’s so with $40/tire difference I went with the Conti’s. If I could have gotten the discount down on the Michelin’s I would have gone with them, but at $160 difference, it was a tough choice. Small amount of testing today: Six months ago I found a section of road I could use as a stopping test. I ran 3 tests from 60 - 0 on the old tires with about 4500 fewer miles on them. I used a little spray paint to mark my results. With the new tires I consistently achieved 12-15’ LESS in stopping distance. Not astounding, but notable. Acceleration was tested but only for wheel spin. This is quite subjective but with the old tires with 4500 fewer miles on them I easily got lots of wheel spin and chirping through 35mph before traction control took over. With the new tires I had very little wheel spin and didn’t feel any traction control taking over. It feels more peppy off the line and much more controllable. Again, VERY subjective. On a specific stretch of road I measured db levels with 4500 fewer miles on the old tires. I got 72db at 60mph with calm/no noticeable wind. With the new tires I got 65db under basically the same conditions. Ride quality and cornering seem OK and not special. It “feels” like I get more control on corners but I can’t measure it. I do get less tire squeal at the same speeds with the new tires, but I don’t have specific measurements. Thanks again for your help.
A single foot can make the difference between "Whew!" and a trip to the body shop. Thanks for reporting your results.
