Tires (Summer/Winter/All-Season)

Enough

 

Nonsense.
Down here in NC, that could only be from a truly epic blizzard.

 

Hehehe yes, and the state would take the day off… and be back to normal later that day when it climbed into the upper-50s!

 

Just wanted to add my recent experience after following all the info on this thread.

I've driven the OE Hankook Ventus S1 Evo3 summer tires on 17" wheels over 2+ years, mostly on Green mode, although my car insurance says there's too much "lateral acceleration." After 25K mi, a screw punctured the sidewall and since the tread had about 1/3 life left (4-5mm) and needed an alignment, I got a new set from Costco. With the December sales, I got the Bridgestone Driveguard Plus runflat all-season tires installed for about $850 (including Costco warranties).

I really wanted all-season tires since there are only a few dozen winter weather days in the DC area, and even fewer of those days where I want/need to drive. Basically we were just garaging our SE during the winter for the first two years. Runflat was a nice bonus, so the wife doesn't need to deal with a tow, though I would've been ok with the Michelin Pilot 4 All Season if they were on sale.

After first installing the tires, I noticed it being a bit less precise and a little harsher than the Hankooks. But since the SE handles so well and the ride is already so bumpy, I don't really notice the difference after 1K miles. My wife hasn't noticed anything different either. I think mileage has dropped about 10% on my regular commute during comparable weather, but I get to drive it an the additional 3 cold months out of the year without having to switch & store winter tires, so I'm super happy about them!

 

I apologize if this has been covered in the last 39 pages. Has anyone in the US been able to find any EV specific 16” summer tires with the EU “A” rating for efficiency? I’d really like to try to maximize range this summer.

 

And can that person who knows how to find the EU efficiency ratings tell how the SE's 3 different OEM summer tires rate?

 

I was able to pick up a complete set of JCW Track Spoke wheels shod with Michelin X-Ice xi3 tires for $1250 on Monday. They are brand new and never have been installed or used and even included the TPMS sensors! They are now safely stored in the garage until the next winter weather event Seattle gets when I will swap them on. My preference is to continue to run the Pirelli P7's on my Power Spokes until I need the winter grip though.

 

Wow!

 

I have only seen 1 model reported for 16" wheels in the SE delivery tracking spreadsheet: Hankook Ventus Prime 3. Have you seen others?

In 195/55 R16 87W fitment, the EU Tyre Label ratings for the Hankook K125 Ventus Prime 3 are:
Fuel Efficiency: A
Wet Grip: B
Noise: 67dB

TireRack classifies this tire as Ultra High Performance Summer and notes it is the official MINI fitment (but they don't currently have any in stock). Perhaps @Quiet Mini could source a set through their dealership?

 

I’d like to find a different brand. I didn’t really care for the Ventus Prime.

 

Are you looking for high-performance (sporty) tires, or do you lean more towards grand touring tires (focused on longevity & comfort)?

 

My priorities:

1) range
2) noise
3) 30-40,000 mile longevity

I’d take a GT or sporty if I could meet the above criteria.

 

I giggle that sorry tires have “mileage ratings” 30k miles on a Michelin 4S LOL

 

Just had my 3rd set of new tires installed last week. This time I went with the Pirelli P7. Previous tires were Pirelli P1. Hopefully these will last a bit longer, as they do have a harder tread rating. The SE is very difficult to drive slowly. Which is both good news, and, well, more good news.


Sent from my iPhone using Inside EVs

 

Cross-shopping tires between EU and North America can be frustrating, because there are often models/specs available in EU that we can't get here (and vice-versa). The 16" size is an even bigger challenge, as the stock Hankooks are tough to beat from an efficiency and noise perspective.

For example, I can find EU Tyre Label for -
Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance
195/55R16 87H or 195/55R16 91V
Fuel Efficiency: A
Wet Grip: B
Noise: 68dB

But when I search the usual online places in USA, I can only find the Run On Flat variant, which takes a big efficiency hit and is much louder -
Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance
195/55R16 87W Run On Flat
Fuel Efficiency: C
Wet Grip: B
Noise: 71dB

All other options I found don't even have the same model available on this side of the pond (at all, or only in larger diameters).

 

Has anyone went to all seasons from their summer tires and not lose any efficiency? I’m on 16’s and have a set of all seasons (blizzaks that came on loop spoke wheels) and I tested them the past couple weeks. I get about 3.5 mi/kWh on the all seasons and currently getting 5.0 on the summer tires. I’m hoping there’s an all season that doesn’t lost a lot of efficiency.

also has anyone upgraded to 17” wheels from 16’s? Wondering if there’s a huge difference.

 

I went from 17 summers to 16 winters. I lose efficiency. I know supposedly larger rims make if worse but the difference in summer vs winter even in same temps is huge. I haven't tried swapping just tires as I swap rims as well. I assume the winter tires are just that much worse.

 

Blizzaks come in all season now?

 

The couple of sets of Blizzak (full winter) tires I’ve run in the past did stick like glue on ice and hard-pack, but were the loudest, squirmiest, least fuel-efficient tires I’ve ever owned. Luckily, they also wore out very quickly and were replaced with less frustrating tires.