Buying new tires...anyone done this already

[4EVEREV]

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.

The Ecopia is not a "Prius" tire and the non-OEM version is better than the OEM version. Selecting a tire for an EV is not the same as a gas car and reviews are deceptive, if you do not care about possible significant range loss get what you like. I can tell you that I have been down this road before and even top rated LRR michelins took and easy 10% off my range VS the Ecopia on my LEAF. The RAV is a poor handling car but the Ecopias give a marked improvement. I have a recent version of the Conti tires you mention on my Tacoma and I would not put them on my RAV. Again, if you are not concerned about range and performance is your objective then for a significant leap expect significant compromise.

 

[Weekdayskier]

I'm following this thread b/c I will eventually need new tires. The yokohamas that are OEM are the same as the ICE Rav4, they're not even LRR. I would think just about any LRR tire would improve the range, not worsen. Personally, I will go with the bridgestones or the michelin defenders as the frontrunners.

 

[n3ckf]

well the Conti Cross-contact LX20s finally came in at America's Tire (this tire is apparently a special order, it took 2.5 weeks for them to get them in stock, although the occasional store seems to have them). I ordered them online and then i went to the store a week later and got them to run inventory to see where they were. turns out a couple of stores had < 4 of them and i think they ended up getting them shipped to the store here in Fremont.

Anyway i'm getting them put on this afternoon so i'll letyou know how i like them. I'm doing my "measured trip" to the mountains immediately after getting the tires, so i should have some idea of how the range thing works out soon (although goign from worn-in to brand new tires, i'm expecting an initial reduction in range).

 

[4EVEREV]

well the Conti Cross-contact LX20s finally came in at America's Tire (this tire is apparently a special order, it took 2.5 weeks for them to get them in stock, although the occasional store seems to have them). I ordered them online and then i went to the store a week later and got them to run inventory to see where they were. turns out a couple of stores had < 4 of them and i think they ended up getting them shipped to the store here in Fremont.

Anyway i'm getting them put on this afternoon so i'll letyou know how i like them. I'm doing my "measured trip" to the mountains immediately after getting the tires, so i should have some idea of how the range thing works out soon (although goign from worn-in to brand new tires, i'm expecting an initial reduction in range).

I have that tire on my truck and I'm really surprised you are putting it on the RAV, the sidewalls are also very wide. My guess is you take a decent hit on efficiency and it remains there. It's not alway evident on the RAV, because it is less granular than say a LEAF.

 

[n3ckf]

So i have ONE data point from last night's drive. On the Conti Cross-contact LX20s

The new tires may have decreased range by about 4% compared to the worn original tires. (I expect some of this due to the tires being new).
I will average over the next several trips though to be sure (the difference is just large enough that it's noticable) This was over the "uphill" portion of my trip to the mountains which uses about 24KWH of charge (I charge right before this segment, so i know the starting & ending charge stats accurately). The "normal" variability on this run is about 2-3% though, so the range change due to tires is in the -2% to -6% range with just one test.

The tires are *WAY* quieter than the originals though. It felt like a different car when i drove away, I think i'm ok with losing 4% of the range if that turns out to be true. (Basically this trip is the only time i charge normally away from home or work, and if the range loss is stable it will cause me to charge an additional 15minutes (until i get the QCplug installed in which case it'll be an additional 3 minutes or something like that).

The tires felt much better than the originals in terms of handling (although i haven't had much of a chance to evaluate that yet).

Anyone else have these tires and notice a difference?

 

[4EVEREV]

So i have ONE data point from last night's drive. On the Conti Cross-contact LX20s

The new tires may have decreased range by about 4% compared to the worn original tires. (I expect some of this due to the tires being new).
I will average over the next several trips though to be sure (the difference is just large enough that it's noticable) This was over the "uphill" portion of my trip to the mountains which uses about 24KWH of charge (I charge right before this segment, so i know the starting & ending charge stats accurately). The "normal" variability on this run is about 2-3% though, so the range change due to tires is in the -2% to -6% range with just one test.

The tires are *WAY* quieter than the originals though. It felt like a different car when i drove away, I think i'm ok with losing 4% of the range if that turns out to be true. (Basically this trip is the only time i charge normally away from home or work, and if the range loss is stable it will cause me to charge an additional 15minutes (until i get the QCplug installed in which case it'll be an additional 3 minutes or something like that).

The tires felt much better than the originals in terms of handling (although i haven't had much of a chance to evaluate that yet).

Anyone else have these tires and notice a difference?

Doing comparisons on hill climbs is not very accurate. The only way to really get accurate numbers in a RAV is controlled testing in the same conditions at a constant speed on flat ground over repeated tests on both tires. If you did many runs like this with consistent numbers before and after my guess is you are taking a hit with those tires of at least 6-7% net. I considered this for my RAV briefly trying to convince myself they may be an option and decided it would be too much of a hit. Many people who changed tires on LEAFS were convinced the range change was minimal but in fact even high-rated LRR tires took a 9% hit off my Ecopia tires. If the usable range of your EV works for you then it's moot as long as any pack degradation is not going to be an issue down the road. The Continentals are also a 2 lbs more than others at 27 lbs but do have decent traction.

 

[n3ckf]

yeah, i really like the tires. i just did my favorite bit of twisty road (down from my house to the town of Volcano on Rams Horn Grade) and i can do it at least 5 mph faster with these tires (with no squeel). The factory tires squeeled all the time, it was really easy to make it happen. These, no squeel. I did get a touch once when i was going probably 10mph faster than i ever went with the old tires.

one of the reasons i have the Rav4 instead of a leaf was that i figured a leaf would be "just ok" for me, so the added range of the Rav4 was a bonus (and has proven to be incredibly convenient). (Everyone else in Fremont seems to have bought a Leaf though, you can practically get into an electric traffic jam of them on the Dumbarton at 5PM going back to Fremont. I've started losing track of how many i can count on a single crossing. When i bought my Rav4 (2+ years ago), it was rarely more than 1 other EV on the bridge).

 

[4EVEREV]

The factory tires have no traction, they are almost a joke compared to anything, except blocks of ice.

 

[dipper]

Update.

I got the Conti TrueContact 4 weeks and 1200 miles later.....

It is actually getting maybe 2 miles more on the GOM reading after my wife's commute at the end of the day, compared to run down OEM tires. My wife claimed that the new tires make the car turn a lot easier, which I felt also. Much quieter and smoother too. Played around with sport mode and full acceleration on stop light, no slipping what so ever.

Conti is running a $70 promotion rebate right now. Too bad I missed it by 10 days.

 

[Todd]

After almost 36k miles on our 2014, I switched out all four tires. Purchased the Bridgestone Dueller H/L 422 225/65/R17 for $539.96 total after the current $70.00 instant rebate at Costco. (this may expire 8/5 unfortunately) I ordered via costco.com and once they arrived at our local Costco made an appointment to have them installed. Took a little over an hour. I've driven on them for about 200 miles and turning is noticeably smoother and easier. No noticeable difference in range that I can tell so far.

 

[oldtimer]

Hi all,

I'm finally looking for new tires too!

Costco has the $70 off on Michelins again thru February and it looks like I have two options:
Michelin Energy Saver A/S 225/65R17 100T for $621 for all 4 tires or
Michelin Defender XT 225/65R17 102T for $686 for all 4 tires.

The Defenders seem popular here - has anyone tried the Energy Savers?
Any and all thoughts and opinions are encouraged!

Thanks

 

[TonyWilliams]

I think either is fine. With a car that has both 100-140 mile range, plus DC quick charge capability, I chose the Defender for the 90,000 mile warranty.

 

[user 340]

I noticed that the Chevy Bolt will come with Michelin self-sealing tires, a new line they introduced in 2015. It seems that a self-sealing tire may also be attractive for cars like ours that do not have spares.However, I couldn't find them with some limited poking around on the Michelin website. Does anybody have comments or experience with these?

 

[4EVEREV]

I noticed that the Chevy Bolt will come with Michelin self-sealing tires, a new line they introduced in 2015. It seems that a self-sealing tire may also be attractive for cars like ours that do not have spares.However, I couldn't find them with some limited poking around on the Michelin website. Does anybody have comments or experience with these?

I would be surprised if they are LRR if they are self sealing.

 

[smkettner]

Has anyone installed Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max? Any comments.

For my own reasons I will be sticking with Goodyear.

$120 per tire before rebates, 65,000 mile warranty.

 

[srl99]

I have the Michelin Energy Savers on a smaller EV - they were OEM tires and wore well. Replaced at 51 or 52K, I can't quite remember.

Hi all,

I'm finally looking for new tires too!

Costco has the $70 off on Michelins again thru February and it looks like I have two options:
Michelin Energy Saver A/S 225/65R17 100T for $621 for all 4 tires or
Michelin Defender XT 225/65R17 102T for $686 for all 4 tires.

The Defenders seem popular here - has anyone tried the Energy Savers?
Any and all thoughts and opinions are encouraged!

Thanks

 

[TonyWilliams]

I have the Michelin Energy Savers on a smaller EV - they were OEM tires and wore well. Replaced at 51 or 52K, I can't quite remember.

Hi all,

I'm finally looking for new tires too!

Costco has the $70 off on Michelins again thru February and it looks like I have two options:
Michelin Energy Saver A/S 225/65R17 100T for $621 for all 4 tires or
Michelin Defender XT 225/65R17 102T for $686 for all 4 tires.

The Defenders seem popular here - has anyone tried the Energy Savers?
Any and all thoughts and opinions are encouraged!

Thanks

The original Yokohamas went 40,000 miles, and were completely bald.

The Michelin Defenders have 90,000 warranty (I already had one replaced with a sidewall puncture), and now have 26,000 miles, and still look "new". I'm very happy with them.

1) quieter
2) very long life
3) good traction (obviously, not a snow tire)
4) smoother
5) Michelin
6) likely the same or even better range than original Yokohamas

 

[miimura]

The factory Geolandar's on my RAV4 EV have a treadwear rating of 280. The Michelin Defenders sold at Tire Rack have a treadwear rating of 820. So, yeah, I expect them to last a lot longer given the same driver behavior.

My Geolandars are down to the first set of wear bars. There appear to be about three different depth wear bars on those tires. Now that we're heading out of the rainy season in Northern California I'm not in that much of a hurry to change them, but will definitely put the Defenders on by Fall.

 

[carid]

I noticed that the Chevy Bolt will come with Michelin self-sealing tires, a new line they introduced in 2015. It seems that a self-sealing tire may also be attractive for cars like ours that do not have spares.However, I couldn't find them with some limited poking around on the Michelin website. Does anybody have comments or experience with these?

I have experience with similar Bridgestone Drive guard tires. You can go up to 50 miles with a speed up to 50mph. Here you can read more about them and check this video on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgqzH6wEREo

 

[unHookt]

I just purchased some Pirelli Scorpions from Tirerack.com and the difference is night and day on both traction and road noise. The original tires would squeal pretty much any time the car wasn't stationary.

I've had them on for two weeks now and haven't noticed any appreciable difference in mileage. Price was around $500 after manufacturer's rebate. Toyota wanted $250 a pop for the lousy Yokohama OEMs. Ridiculous.