Tires and the Honda Clarity

L

Lowell_Greenberg

Active Member
Tires and EVs are a relatively interesting topic. With respect to the Clarity:

1. Has anyone seen the need to replace the OEM tires based on wear, wet/snow grip and/or noise level?

2. If so, what has been the impact on fuel economy/efficiency, noise and- if there has been sufficient time to observe, tire wear.

3. I know some have employed winter tires. What effect did this have on fuel economy, factoring out the impact of cold weather on battery efficiency/fuel economy.

The Michelin Fuel Saver A/S seems to offer excellent fuel economy, good dry, average wet and poor ice/snow traction and average wear. They are noisy on rough roads and are fairly comfortable. As the demand for EVs picks up, tire technology should further improve. But in the meantime, are there tires that offer, say slightly worse fuel economy, but significantly better wet/snow/ice grip?

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I bought a set of Blizzak tires for winter. I am pretty sure efficiency went down but I can't really tell you by how much since cold affected range. 2 things I am sure of is that the car song like it has a jet engine with the snow tires on and the Blizzak tires handle way better (corning, grip,etc) then the OEM tires.
 
There was a post from Clarity Forum site that had a member change out the stock tires to winter tires being in Canada (required).
He went from the stock OEM 235/45-18 to 245/40-18 (Michelin Pilot Alpin PA4).
By changing the tire size but still maintaining overall OD size, he said you get a better choice of tire manufacturers and specific use.

I am actually going to get a second set of wheels with winter tires on them - probably going to go DOWN 1 rim size (17") and put some Blizzaks on them.

I have had such great experiences with my past 2 cars (BMW & Land Rover) with Blizzak DM/V2 on them - they run so well even all year round.
 
I'm pretty cheap as anyone who knows me at all will point out. My son just bought a BMW 330e that had 20k miles on it. The dealer had changed the run-flats for some really cheap Chinese tires. They look good though and have pretty good overall characteristics (maybe a little less treadwear than I would like, but they are cheap) and seem to do really well on the car (quiet with good traction), pretty good low rolling resistance. They are Otani KC2000 and generally get pretty good reviews from what I can tell online. I was impressed enough with what I've seen out of them that I bought a pair to put on the front of the Volt ($58 each delivered), replacing a pair of low rolling resistance Hankooks (also pretty cheap tires). I'm curious to see if they perform well on the Volt and/or cause any decrease in range. I haven't worried yet about replacing the Clarity tires (too many cars at my house to wear out the Clarity tires much yet) and winter tires are not necessary (generally) in Alabama. I have considered going wider on the next set of tires on the Clarity to help with curb rash, but I haven't checked clearances and would expect the wider tires would cut mpg. Going to 7.5" rims would also help with the curb rash (with the standard size of the OEM tires), but that would be somewhat expensive and I'm kind of invested in the stock rims already.
 
It seems like tire manufacturers know that 235/45R18 is a weird size dedicated mostly to fuel-efficient cars. Ecopias, MXM4, Fuel Fighter etc, and a lack of sport tires like the Pilot AS3+. When you change to the 3% different 245/40R18 tire size, you many more tire choices, some at a cheaper price than their 235 analogues, probably at a cost of around 1-2MPG but with an increase in grip/stopping ability and some squish protection against curb rash. I know that when it's time to replace my Clarity's tires, I'm going to size up to the 245.
 
Lowell_Greenberg said:
3. I know some have employed winter tires. What effect did this have on fuel economy, factoring out the impact of cold weather on battery efficiency/fuel economy.
Click to expand...

It's not possible to factor out those cold weather effects. They have a MUCH greater effect on EV range than winter tires, at least in cold weather.
 
Since I got winter tires about two weeks after I got my new car and only took them off about a week ago, I have not had much experience with the OEMs.

The winter tires were very quiet- Michiline x-Ice. I got them in the same size as the OEMs and had them put on the original wheels at the dealer. The dealer must have adjusted the Maintenance Minder because I have the car is at 6,200 and I have yet to receive a notice to get a service. When i asked the car it said that my first service would not be for another 6 weeks. I can wait.
 
Sandroad said:
It's not possible to factor out those cold weather effects. They have a MUCH greater effect on EV range than winter tires, at least in cold weather.
Click to expand...

Sure it’s possible...simply drive in X weather with your winter tires, document range/mpg, then IN THE SAME x weather your do the exact same drive with your summer tires, documenting the same...

Voila. Tire comparison test complete with cold weather factored out.

It’s pretty much a pointless exercise as nobody sane would choose winter tires as year round tires anyway. But such a test would be super easy to do for anyone who has a spare set of tires...particularly if mounted on a spare set of wheels....
 
Well I am lucky I don't live in a cold winter state and the EV charge miles are unaffected here in So Cal.

I am going down one size for my winter set - now the search begins for wheels and tires that maintain the same OD, aspect and width.....

Anyone got 17" on their Clarity ?
 
4sallypat said:
Well I am lucky I don't live in a cold winter state and the EV charge miles are unaffected here in So Cal.

I am going down one size for my winter set - now the search begins for wheels and tires that maintain the same OD, aspect and width.....

Anyone got 17" on their Clarity ?
Click to expand...
Sure many of us did that. Just go to the websites of any of the mail order companies like Tire Rack or Discount tire and they show 17" wheel tire combos for the Clarity. They may not have winter tires listed till August though.
 
We had a rear tire that triggered the TPMS twice over a couple of months. It was losing air slowly. We knew we were getting to the point that the tires would need replacing anyway. We have an 1,100 mile round trip planned for June. Based on all of this we replaced the tires at 27K miles.

I was pleased with the performance of the OEM Michelin Energy Saver tires in terms of cornering, quiet ride, and smooth ride. But not very impressed with the wear rate. My wife had complained once about hydroplaning but only once and that is also speed dependent.

After much research I decided on Michelin Primacy MXM4. These are not Low Rolling Resistance tires so will likely trim a couple of miles off but that is a very difficult thing to measure with the Clarity.

The new tires surprised me by being even better to corner, ride even quieter, and have a 55K mile policy.
 
2009 NHTSA Study Conclusions

Below are the conclusions of a 2009 NHTSA study on low rolling resistant tires. Now since the study is dated, one might expect improvements in wet traction and treadwear- except that if you review current Tirerack scores ofit seems every tire deemed having lower rolling resistance/fuel saving, you see low scores for snow and ice, and mid-pack scores for wet traction. While the last statement is based on subjective evidence, I believe it is still useful and relevant.

What I have concluded is that for consumers who must drive their cars in snow and ice, so-called green tires maybe too much of a compromise. For very wet conditions- I think a combination of tire and vehicle characteristics such as dimensions, tread, design, brand quality, ABS, temperatures, etc should be looked at.

Many on this forum wisely use winter tires. All weather tires may also be suitable in certain climates and situations. Alternatively, simply not driving a car with "green" tires in moderate to severe winter situations may be prudent.

What bothers me about all of this is neither tire or car manufacturers point out the clear tradeoffs in traction and wear when using low rolling resistance tires. And while it may not require a statistical study to reveal what some would consider obvious- it is probably not obvious to most- and tire design improvements make it even less clearcut.

‐-----------
"For the tires studied, there appeared to be no significant relationship between dry peak or slide numbers and rolling resistance. However, these tire models exhibited a strong and significant relationship between better rolling resistance and poorer wet slide numbers. The peak wet slide number displayed the same tendency, but the relationship was much weaker. This may be sig nificant to consumers without anti-lock braking systems (ABS) on their vehicles since the wet slide value relates most closely to locked-wheel emergency stops. For newer vehicles with ABS or electronic stability control systems, which operate in the lower slip and higher range of wet peak friction, the tradeoff is expected to be less significant. For the subset of five tire models subjected to on-vehicle treadwear testing (UTQGS), no clear relationship was exhibited between tread wear rate and rolling resistance levels. For the subset of six tire models subjected to significant amounts of wear in the indoor treadwear tests, there was a trend toward faster wear for tires with lower rolling resistance. "

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Robert_Alabama said:
Yep...
https://www.ebay.com/itm/4-New-235-45-18-Bridgestone-Drive-Guard-Run-Flat-Tires/382906949608
Click to expand...
Love these tires!
I currently have them on my BMW and they are amazing - not harsh, not stiff, and rides like a conventional set.
RFT is so much better than a compressor/seal kit that Honda provides - you can drive on them until you reach a tire shop.

After driving on 3 generations of RFT (20 years of BMWs), I have to say that the Drive Guards are the best RFT I have ever driven on.

Definitely a must get for when it comes time to replace the OEM tires.....
 
@4sallypat, thank you. Your feedback is now my plan for when I need to replace tires. Do you know if it is it OK to mix and match these with the OEM tires? For instance if I should need to just replace one tire due to a puncture or something similar?
 
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