Buying new tires...anyone done this already

[4EVEREV]

I put on Michelin Defenders, at 40,000 miles. It rides nicer, but the nicest part is the 90,000 mile warranty.

Which I have never seen honored by a tire maker at least not the OEM tire warranties. Like mattress warranties

 

[4EVEREV]

Any more recent thoughts about the Ecopias on your RAV4-EV after spending a couple of months with them?

Wow - I never knew tires could make such a difference. The Bridgestone Dueler H/L 422 Ecopia tires are fantastic on the Rav4 EV. They're much quieter than the OEM Yokohama Geolandar G91A tires, and the traction is better too. What amazes me is that those Yokohamas are apparently more expensive than the Bridgestones... that's bizarre, considering how bad the G91A tires are.

The Bridgestone tires don't prevent the Rav4 EV from peeling out from a full stop in Sport Mode when floored, but they do mitigate it somewhat. Just goes to show that the Rav4 EV's traction control is truly horrible and not just the tires' fault (and yes - I've made sure Traction Control has not been disabled by the button next to the Sport Mode button).

I stand by my original post above... I love the Ecopias. The range loss is minimal, the noise significantly reduced, and the traction significantly improved.

I would be surprised if it was not better. The range at first should be worse than the old worn tires then better.

 

[fromport]

I would be surprised if it was not better. The range at first should be worse than the old worn tires then better.

Why would that be the case ?

 

[4EVEREV]

I would be surprised if it was not better. The range at first should be worse than the old worn tires then better.

Why would that be the case ?

New tires break in and the range increases in most cases. There are a number of variables.

 

[jimbo69ny]

Can anyone tell me how the oem tires are in winter/snow?

I just leased a new Rav so it will have brand new tires on it. Unfortunately winter is a month or 2 away and we get a lot of snow. I'm wondering if I should swap the brand new tires for winter tires.

My favorite winter tires are Cooper weather master 2's or General Altimax. Both are excellent but of course put a hurting on fuel economy.

 

[mikegerard]

Can anyone tell me how the oem tires are in winter/snow?

I just leased a new Rav so it will have brand new tires on it. Unfortunately winter is a month or 2 away and we get a lot of snow. I'm wondering if I should swap the brand new tires for winter tires.

My favorite winter tires are Cooper weather master 2's or General Altimax. Both are excellent but of course put a hurting on fuel economy.

Old thread but I just saw this...

I'm guessing that I have the RAV4EV that's seen the most snow...we average 100" a season. I ran the OEM tires all winter. They performed about how I would expect. Very easy to lose traction accelerating but they were pretty good at keeping traction while braking and/or steering. Pretty much comparable to other Toyotas I've owned. If you really need to travel in bad conditions you can't beat snow tires. And those hills around Ithaca could be pretty tricky in snow. It's much flatter over here.

Mike

 

[4EVEREV]

Bought the Ecopia Duelers, much better traction, handling, ride, quieter and based on what I'm seeing may even improve range. Far better tire by a good margin. I think this is going to be the only no-compromise tire for the RAV in range/performance.

 

[Bassman]

Put Continental Control Contacts from Americas Tire on at 49,000 miles. Now have about 3800 miles on them and so far they're quieter than the OEMs, better for wet traction, and about as efficient as the original Yokohamas, but are Low Rolling Resistance tires and have a 90,000 mile warranty. Did have to make sure Americas Tire rotated the tires around the rims a little bit to allow for use of less perimeter weights to balance the tires. We'll see how they do in the long run. I have Michelin Defenders on my Nissan LEAF, which reduced efficiency on the LEAF versus the OEM Ecopias.

 

[4EVEREV]

I am now sold on the Ecopias. The handling and traction is vastly improved as well as side stability. With limited range testing I already suspect I may have even better range than the stocks. On sale at Costco now I'm keeping the stock junk for swap later.

 

[spkobay]

4EVREV - What kind of pressure are you running in the Dueler Ecopia's? I picked them up a few weeks ago when Costco had them on sale. On my original tires (which had 45k on them), I was able to do on average 3.4 MpK (easily). Now, I'm fighting to do 3.0 - 3.1. I'm running 40lbs of pressure, just like I did with the original tires. I agree with you on traction and handling - range (at least for me) definitely not.

 

[TonyWilliams]

4EVREV - What kind of pressure are you running in the Dueler Ecopia's? I picked them up a few weeks ago when Costco had them on sale. On my original tires (which had 45k on them), I was able to do on average 3.4 MpK (easily). Now, I'm fighting to do 3.0 - 3.1. I'm running 40lbs of pressure, just like I did with the original tires. I agree with you on traction and handling - range (at least for me) definitely not.

If you changed the tires with the change in weather here in SoCal, it is likely the battery and cabin heater that is making the difference.

 

[mikegerard]

I went with the Ecopias. I have had them for about 3 months. Much quieter and better traction than OEM. They handled much better in the snow than the OEM. I dont see any huge improvement in range (will be able to tell better in the spring running without the heater.

Mike

 

[Khaihon]

Just got some Ecopias myself after running over both a nail AND a flat razor on the same tire at 28k miles. Costco did not have any Michelins in stock. So far, the Ecopias are much better (quieter and smoother, better grip) than the OEM tires.

 

[DevinL]

Has anyone tried using the car/minivan non-Dueler Ecopias on the RAV?

Doesn't seem like there's really any difference for most use, especially since the RAV doesn't go off-roading and isn't 4WD. They have a new version of the regular Ecopia (EP422 Plus) that I'm considering which is a bit cheaper than the Dueler and hopefully be slightly better in terms of range and noise.

 

[4EVEREV]

Has anyone tried using the car/minivan non-Dueler Ecopias on the RAV?

Doesn't seem like there's really any difference for most use, especially since the RAV doesn't go off-roading and isn't 4WD. They have a new version of the regular Ecopia (EP422 Plus) that I'm considering which is a bit cheaper than the Dueler and hopefully be slightly better in terms of range and noise.

I believe the side wall is stiffer for the weight of an SUV and increases lateral stability.

 

[4EVEREV]

4EVREV - What kind of pressure are you running in the Dueler Ecopia's? I picked them up a few weeks ago when Costco had them on sale. On my original tires (which had 45k on them), I was able to do on average 3.4 MpK (easily). Now, I'm fighting to do 3.0 - 3.1. I'm running 40lbs of pressure, just like I did with the original tires. I agree with you on traction and handling - range (at least for me) definitely not.

If you changed the tires with the change in weather here in SoCal, it is likely the battery and cabin heater that is making the difference.

New tires also need break in and if your old tires were worn they were spinning faster reporting higher range per mile than new tires. I run mine at 45 PSI I think. Tires with less tread also get higher efficiency.

 

[dipper]

Thinking of the new Continental ExtremeContact DWS06 that just came out today on Tirerack.

The closest they have to our Rav size is 235/55/17.

Any option of these new tires or size option?

 

[miimura]

Thinking of the new Continental ExtremeContact DWS06 that just came out today on Tirerack.

The closest they have to our Rav size is 235/55/17.

Any option of these new tires or size option?

I would not recommend that tire for the RAV4 EV.

1. It's 1.3" less rolling diameter (764-728)/728 rev/mile = 5% speedo/odo error
2. It's Ultra High Performance All Season
3. It's not Low Rolling Resistance
4. The load rating is only 99W, the factory tires are 102H. Therefore, the load carrying capacity is 8.8% less than factory. However, 6836 lb is probably sufficient for the car since it has a GVWR of 5,005lb.
5. There is no treadwear, traction, temperature ratings yet at Tire Rack.

What made you want that tire in the first place?
If you really want a Ultra High Performance All Season tire, you should go up to 18" wheels and 235-55/18 size, which is available in the DWS06. That is only 1.5% speedo error and 100W load rating.

 

[dipper]

Thinking of the new Continental ExtremeContact DWS06 that just came out today on Tirerack.

The closest they have to our Rav size is 235/55/17.

Any option of these new tires or size option?

I would not recommend that tire for the RAV4 EV.

1. It's 1.3" less rolling diameter (764-728)/728 rev/mile = 5% speedo/odo error
2. It's Ultra High Performance All Season
3. It's not Low Rolling Resistance
4. The load rating is only 99W, the factory tires are 102H. Therefore, the load carrying capacity is 8.8% less than factory. However, 6836 lb is probably sufficient for the car since it has a GVWR of 5,005lb.
5. There is no treadwear, traction, temperature ratings yet at Tire Rack.

What made you want that tire in the first place?
If you really want a Ultra High Performance All Season tire, you should go up to 18" wheels and 235-55/18 size, which is available in the DWS06. That is only 1.5% speedo error and 100W load rating.

I am not going to plan to put a Prius tire into this good handing car with some fun factor potential. The new Conti DWS06 tires are tested by Magazine folks to have one of the better do anything All-Season. Just too bad it does not have the right size. And did not want to go to 18".

Guess I might have to go to Conti's other touring tires, which I love on my minivan so far. The Conti TrueContact is decent (Tirerack loved them), but hoping to get better grip with the DWS06 considering the Rav4EV can spin the tire so easy in sport mode. Oh well.

 

[miimura]

Guess I might have to go to Conti's other touring tires, which I love on my minivan so far. The Conti TrueContact is decent (Tirerack loved them), but hoping to get better grip with the DWS06 considering the Rav4EV can spin the tire so easy in sport mode. Oh well.

Absolutely, if you like them, go for the TrueContact in the original size. It is LRR and has 800AB rating so it should have good tread life too.

You're just not going to get a properly sized UHP All Season for this car on 17" wheels because the aspect (65 series) is too high for that kind of tire.