Replacement All-Season tire idea for 2018 Clarity PHEV

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jpkik96

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All -

Anyone replace their Michelin Energy tires yet? I live in NJ and am considering the Michelin Cross-Climate+ and Michelin Primacy A+S as a potential replacement. I recently purchased the Cross Climate for my son 2010 Civic and I have been impressed with their overall performance, especially during an early December snowstorm.

Since we don't have a spare, I was also briefly considering a run-flat - the Bridgestone Driveguard - but every tire dealer I have spoken to says I will be disappointed with the ride quality.

I also reviewed the Tesla Model 3 forum since the base tire size is the same to get some ideas but would prefer hearing from Clarity owners.

As always, thank you for your review and reply!
 
Perhaps those "all-season" tires will be fine for some minor snow duty, but nothing can match a real winter tire. I'm stretching the life of my OEM tires by switching to Nokian Hakkapeliitta winter tires when the weather gets cold here in Michigan. I don't particularly like the appearance of the OEM rims, so I put the winter tires on those rims and bought the Clarity accessory rims for the OEM tires. I believe that if those Hakkapeliitta tires can bring our Clarity to a stop just 1 foot shorter than a regular tire, they may prevent many thousands of dollars of damage. The confidence their traction inspires makes winter driving more fun, too.

Our neighbor has a 4WD Honda CR-V with all-season tires, but they weren't up to the 12-inch snow inundation last November. Our Clarity, however, was fully mobile, despite it's much more limited ground clearance.

Regarding run-flat tires. I'm awaiting delivery of an all-electric MINI Cooper SE in a few months and the first thing I plan to do is ditch the run-flats to achieve a softer ride than the notoriously firm suspension of MINIs normally offer. I'll get a set of non-run-flat winter tires on rims for that car, too. Then if I or my wife experience a flat, I'll just bring one from the other set of tires to get the MINI to the tire store.

With the MINI's paltry 110-mile EV range, it will be used just as a city car, so the home-based "spare" will never be far away. The Clarity's 47-mile EV range has been sufficient for most of our needs, so 110 miles will seem extravagant--I won't even have to charge daily. The Clarity will remain our luxurious, long-distance car.
 
I wanted to let someone closer to you respond first. In Alabama, we seldom need winter tires. If I lived in the North, I'd opt for two sets just like most seem to do. That takes away a good bit from the idea of run-flats being helpful. I think if I was you, I'd buy a set of 17" rims and put the winter tires on them. You could then use one of them for a spare like @insightman mentioned, or you could also buy a compact spare to take on your longer trips.

This is the compact spare I like (0.8% smaller than the OEM tire):
https://www.ebay.com/itm/07-08-Infi...-bridgestone-T145-80D17-107M-OEM/254459254146

You can also buy a Maxima steel spare with the 145/80/17 tire and save a little money, but it is heavier.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/04-05-06-0...MAXIMA-SPARE-TIRE-WHEEL-DONUT-17/273940681708

Either of these wheels use Acorn type lugs (cone shape), whereas the Honda lugs are Ball type (semicircular), so you will want an extra set of lugs to carry with the spare.

This 18" compact spare will also work, but is 1.2% smaller than the OEM tires, and it is usually more expensive than the 17" compact spare:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/10-11-12-13-INFINITI-G35-G37-SPARE-TIRE-BRIDGESTONE-T145-70R18/163912921240
Note also that this wheel generally uses Mag type lugs from what I have seen.
 
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Either would probably be a good choice. Check out the reviews and tests on the Tire Rack. (They have great prices too.) After you get one or the other, post back with your review. We Clarity owners are always eager for tire info!
 
I really like the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+. I have them on two of my other cars and will be getting a set for the Clarity when the time comes.
 
I replaced my factory tires with General Altimax RT3. This tire is all season but competes well with all weather tires. Been putting them to the test in very snowy and icy weather in Eastern WA and am quite impressed with them. They also drive quiet on bare pavement.

My goal was to have an all weather tire to avoid switching to snows and seems I made a good choice.
 
There is a new category of all season tires identified with a 3 peak mountain symbol. Those tires can be run year around, yet are tested for superior snow traction. I chose Goodyear assurance weatheready tires with that rating for my clarity, and there is an unbelievable improvement over the original fuel saver tires. Here in Nebraska winter weather, my wife actually prefers to use the clarity over our 4 wheel drive superduty in tough weather.
 
Bugs66 said:
I replaced my factory tires with General Altimax RT3. This tire is all season but competes well with all weather tires. Been putting them to the test in very snowy and icy weather in Eastern WA and am quite impressed with them. They also drive quiet on bare pavement.

My goal was to have an all weather tire to avoid switching to snows and seems I made a good choice.
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I can vouch for the Altimax tires. While I haven’t put them on the Clarity (haven’t needed tires yet). I’ve put three sets of the RT43’s on my previous car and my wife’s suv. Great price, great balance of performance and comfort, works well in average snowfall in Pennsylvania. Oh and the treadwear has been really good too.
 
Jason P said:
I can vouch for the Altimax tires. While I haven’t put them on the Clarity (haven’t needed tires yet). I’ve put three sets of the RT43’s on my previous car and my wife’s suv. Great price, great balance of performance and comfort, works well in average snowfall in Pennsylvania. Oh and the treadwear has been really good too.
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Just realized I typod the tire, RT43 is what I meant. Had these in all conditions lately, snow, ice, standing water. Excellent in all. Also impressed how well the Clarity does in winter.
 
Jason P said:
I can vouch for the Altimax tires. While I haven’t put them on the Clarity (haven’t needed tires yet). I’ve put three sets of the RT43’s on my previous car and my wife’s suv. Great price, great balance of performance and comfort, works well in average snowfall in Pennsylvania. Oh and the treadwear has been really good too.
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Also has RT43s on my last car and loved them. I may still consider a 3 peak mountain symbol tire by the time I replace the factory tires (I suppose I'll have a few years, in which time tires will get better while the weather may get more unpredictable here in NYC)
 
All - quick update. Took advantage of Costco's Winter Michelin promo and went with their new Cross Climate + tires. Unfortunately, they don't stock in my local warehouse and were back-ordered so it took a few weeks to arrive. While the Clarity will never be considered a "sports car" on my ride home they definitely appear to have more grip than the Energy-Saver tires I replaced. They also appear to be slightly loader but not enough for me to care. I will update my post in a week after I have a chance to give them a more extensive test drive.
 
I like Michelin tires but I ended up getting the General Altimax RT3 at 4wheelonline because of the price. So far, I'm amazed at the handling and grip of these tires. They are very quiet on the road also.
 
larrenz said:
I like Michelin tires but I ended up getting the General Altimax RT3 at 4wheelonline because of the price. So far, I'm amazed at the handling and grip of these tires. They are very quiet on the road also.
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I had the RT43s on my previous car, and really loved them. I may consider them for my replacement, which will be in many years (although I don't see them in 235/45R18)
 
All - I have traveled 1,500 miles since purchasing the Cross-Climate+ and don't regret my decision! Although I have not had a chance to drive in snow, their dry and wet performance inspires a lot more confidence! Also, my concern about them being much louder and much less efficient than the Energy Savers is also not warranted; in fact, at 30M miles, I actually think it drives better now than when I first leased it in June 2018! If Honda could only give the car a Sunroof, hatchback practicality, and upgraded Infotainment center from the Accord, the car would be perfect for me!
 
I have an EV and I changed it to all season non energy savers, I lost about 10% of energy efficiency in the first 6 months (10,000 miles)... But as the tires start wearing down, it seemed to only lose about 5% now.

Sent from my SM-G973U using Inside EVs mobile app
 
larrenz said:
I like Michelin tires but I ended up getting the General Altimax RT3 at 4wheelonline because of the price. So far, I'm amazed at the handling and grip of these tires. They are very quiet on the road also.
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Sorry for resurrecting a dead thread.


Larrenz,

Now that you have some time with the RT43s, how are they holding up? Has it adversely effected your range?
 
Harold lowery said:
There is a new category of all season tires identified with a 3 peak mountain symbol. Those tires can be run year around, yet are tested for superior snow traction. I chose Goodyear assurance weatheready tires with that rating for my clarity, and there is an unbelievable improvement over the original fuel saver tires. Here in Nebraska winter weather, my wife actually prefers to use the clarity over our 4 wheel drive superduty in tough weather.
Click to expand...
We have the same experience with our Michelin Crossclimate+ tires (same 3 peak snow rating). Our other vehicle is a Subaru Outback AWD with Michelin Premier regular all season tires. Having driven both in the snow, it was no surprise that the Clarity stops a lot better because AWD does nothing to help you stop, it's all about the tires. The surprise was that the Clarity actually had better snow traction than the Outback. Thus, having winter rated tires on a FWD car will outperform an AWD vehicle with regular all season tires. Of course, if the Outback had the CC+ tires, it should outdo the Clarity but the point is that most people who buy SUVs do not bother switching their regular all season tires (some even have summer tires!) in the winter thinking that AWD is enough to give them superior traction. That kind of thinking is why most vehicles you see in the ditch in winter weather are SUVs and 4WD pickup trucks.
 
All - I think one of the reasons the CC+ and other 3 peak snow rated tires do so well on the Clarity is due in large part to the weight and location of the 17KW, which gives it a competitive advantage over traditional gas-powered sedans and SUV's. I certainly have the same positive experience with the CC+ on my Clarity - overall I feel much more confident in all weather conditions driving with these tires versus the stock OEM tires.
 
jpkik96 said:
I think one of the reasons the CC+ and other 3 peak snow rated tires do so well on the Clarity is due in large part to the weight and location of the 17KW, which gives it a competitive advantage over traditional gas-powered sedans and SUV's.
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The car is heavy for a mid-sized sedan at ~4000lbs. The batteries are located under the front and rear seats which would distribute that weight between both axles, with a greater portion on the rear. There is a great deal of weight in the engine compartment, which leaves the car with a front to rear weight distribution of 57/43.
 
All - Please see attached link below for a positive review of the Michelin CC2. Obviously, the CX5 is a completely different vehicle that the Clarity but I thought the MPG, handling, and ride quality observations were interesting. Note the CC2 is slightly different than my CC+ on my car but since they are based on the same design thought it was relevant to share.

Enjoy!

https://www.torquenews.com/1083/long-term-test-michelin-crossclimate2-initial-impressions
 
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