any advice on tire replacement?

[Megunticook]

My 2019 Leaf is about due for new tires (only 17,000 miles but treads are getting pretty worn).

Any recommendations regarding new tires? Looking for an all season radial, ideally something that handles reasonably well in snow/ice (I'm in Maine). Biggest criteria is safety/handling, followed by tread life.

Do I want to get an "eco" tire or is anything fine?

 

[jjeff]

The aftermarket Ecopia + tires have much better wear than the crap OEM Ecopias that Nissan must get for a song from Bridgestone, that said traction and particularly winter traction is fair at best. The Ecopia +'s are also about as good as you can get in LRR(low rolling resistance). I ran with Ecopia +'s on my '13 after the crap OEM Ecopias wore out shy of 20k miles and am still running them but IMO winter traction again is fair at best. For my '12 I went with Michelin Crossclimates and while not as LRR as the Ecopias, not bad but just not the king of the hill, they are MUCH better in the snow, approaching but not equal to real winter only tires. The Crossclimates are 3-peak winter rated but usable for all-season use, meaning no $60+ each season to swap them with different tires or no need to purchase separate rims and tires. Living in a snowy climate, the Crossclimates or a similar 3-peak winter-rated tire that are also usable in the summer are all I'm going to purchase anymore.
Not sure of prices in your area but while a set of Ecopia +'s from Costco cost me ~$430(several years ago) and my Crossclimates were about a hundred dollars more about a year after that, still if you figure the cost of swapping the tires if you went the winter/summer tire route it would pay for itself in one year and if you purchased spare rims, well again that would cost more than the Crossclimate route. Just my 2c

 

[knightmb]

As was already said, if you are in a climate that isn't going to be snow and ice for months, then the Ecopia's will give you the best range with better than average winter traction (compared to other all weather tires). I just watched in another snow tire test video last month that showed the Ecopia were not the worst in snow at least, but no where as good as real winter tires of course.

[edit] I missed the part about Maine, so yeah, Ecopia is probably not the best choice for year round driving unless you never leave the house when it snows. :lol:

 

[Drew21]

When it comes to tires, I err on the side of safety.

Since you're in Maine, I would definitely recommend a set of dedicated winter tires on steel rims plus a set of eco-style low rolling resistance tires on the factory rims.

Is this approach more expensive than a single set of all-season tires? Definitely, but it's cheaper than a repair if your all-season tires aren't quite good enough in a winter storm. It also means that each set of tires lasts longer, and keeps your factory rims looking nice longer by keeping them out of winter conditions.

Here's a real-world example. My wife is from Australia and inexperienced with winter/snow driving. Last August we found a 2014 Leaf that she was excited to use as her commuter car. The car came with factory alloy rims and Ecopia+ tires in decent shape, but as soon as I looked at them I knew I would be getting winter tires.

I priced new winter tires (pretty expensive) and also started looking on Craigslist, Facebook, etc. In pretty short order I found a set of never-used steel rims for $100 + a set of almost new (4000 miles, one winter) Nokian Hakkapelitta R3 low-rolling resistance winter tires for $160. Then $15/tire for mounting and balancing at my local shop, so $320 in total.

The Leaf is now a tank and I'm less worried about my wife driving in bad weather. Both sets of tires will probably get old before they wear out, but if she never slides into the ditch while driving in the snow I'm okay with that.

 

[rogersleaf]

My 2019 Leaf is about due for new tires (only 17,000 miles but treads are getting pretty worn).

Any recommendations regarding new tires? Looking for an all season radial, ideally something that handles reasonably well in snow/ice (I'm in Maine). Biggest criteria is safety/handling, followed by tread life.

Do I want to get an "eco" tire or is anything fine?

A good question to ask is how much/often do you challenge the driving range of your battery? Can you afford to sacrifice a little range in exchange for better overall traction (and treadlife)? If the answer is your Leaf is charged at home daily and only use a small fraction of the range then a lot of options open. Everyone has has their personal tire preferences. I’m a little biased toward Cooper as a value oriented brand. However, I’m running up miles on my Leaf quickly and challenged some for range so stuck with true LRR’s (Michelin). Whatever you choose, take a good look at independent reviews for EV sensitive attributes like road noise.

 

[OsirisOfThisSh]

A good question to ask is how much/often do you challenge the driving range of your battery? Can you afford to sacrifice a little range in exchange for better overall traction (and treadlife)?

I've seen people throw around 10% loss in range when moving away from LRR tires. I'm thinking about getting Bridgestone Turanza QuietTrack, or similarly soft tires. Do you think those would be more than 10%?

 

[rogersleaf]

A good question to ask is how much/often do you challenge the driving range of your battery? Can you afford to sacrifice a little range in exchange for better overall traction (and treadlife)?

I've seen people throw around 10% loss in range when moving away from LRR tires. I'm thinking about getting Bridgestone Turanza QuietTrack, or similarly soft tires. Do you think those would be more than 10%?

QuietTrack was on my short-list when shopping, but couldn't get a decent deal on any Bridgestone products at the time. The factory Michelins were @ $200 less for the set so that's what I got. Then, decided to get a 2nd set of wheels and set up dedicated Winter tires (205/60R16 Michelin x-Ice) which are grippy and I really like the ride comfort on frost damaged roads. I'm noticing very little range difference, and that loss seems to be more sensitive to cold weather vs. rolling resistance. So, maybe 10% max loss on the QuietTrack is realistic.

 

[LHN]

What is "true LRR"?

Thanks!

 

[LeftieBiker]

What is "true LRR"?

Thanks!

LRR stands for "Low Rolling Resistance."

 

[Ital74]

I know from experience pirelli make quite tires which is what I like. I am a noob and I would like to get better tires for handling but when I read articles like below it makes me scared to try... good luck!

https://www.motortrend.com/features/ev-tire-shopping/

 

[GerryAZ]

I know from experience pirelli make quite tires which is what I like. I am a noob and I would like to get better tires for handling but when I read articles like below it makes me scared to try... good luck!

https://www.motortrend.com/features/ev-tire-shopping/

I quickly scanned that article and believe it is rather pessimistic and sensationalist. I have over 180,000 miles of LEAF driving and have tried several different tire types.

My experience is that Ecopia's are a good compromise if range is an issue. I found that both 16-inch OEM Ecopias on the 2011 and 17-inch Ecopia + replacement tires for the 2015 were far superior to the 17-inch OEM Michelins that came on the 2015 and 2019 in wet/dry braking traction and tire wear (as long as they were inflated to 44 psi cold). The Ecopias are the lowest rolling resistance tires I have used (slightly better than the OEM Michelins and much better handling/traction). Several different sport/performance tires I tried reduced range from 10% to 15% compared to Ecopias. I tried a set of Bridgestone DriveGuard run flat tires and found that the ride was harsher, but handling and traction were similar to Ecopias. The rolling resistance (range reduction) of the DriveGuards was similar to the sport/performance tires.

I now have Michelin CrossClimate 2 tires and am very happy with them. They are great in the rain and I have no doubt they would work well for snow/ice. The range reduction is less than the sport/performance tires I used. I plan to keep using them on the LEAF and will consider them for other vehicles when I need tires again.

 

[Ital74]

I know from experience pirelli make quite tires which is what I like. I am a noob and I would like to get better tires for handling but when I read articles like below it makes me scared to try... good luck!

https://www.motortrend.com/features/ev-tire-shopping/

I quickly scanned that article and believe it is rather pessimistic and sensationalist. I have over 180,000 miles of LEAF driving and have tried several different tire types.

My experience is that Ecopia's are a good compromise if range is an issue. I found that both 16-inch OEM Ecopias on the 2011 and 17-inch Ecopia + replacement tires for the 2015 were far superior to the 17-inch OEM Michelins that came on the 2015 and 2019 in wet/dry braking traction and tire wear (as long as they were inflated to 44 psi cold). The Ecopias are the lowest rolling resistance tires I have used (slightly better than the OEM Michelins and much better handling/traction). Several different sport/performance tires I tried reduced range from 10% to 15% compared to Ecopias. I tried a set of Bridgestone DriveGuard run flat tires and found that the ride was harsher, but handling and traction were similar to Ecopias. The rolling resistance (range reduction) of the DriveGuards was similar to the sport/performance tires.

I now have Michelin CrossClimate 2 tires and am very happy with them. They are great in the rain and I have no doubt they would work well for snow/ice. The range reduction is less than the sport/performance tires I used. I plan to keep using them on the LEAF and will consider them for other vehicles when I need tires again.

Thanks for sharing your experience. I also saw a video on tire rack where they showed the difference in range was about 3% between eco tires and some other ones.
When I do get new tires I am not going to get something with a low tread wear anyway so they should not be too sticky
I will probably get something like the PIRELLI CINTURATO P7 ALL SEASON PLUS II 225/50R17 with a 700AA tread wear
a little bit wider, will probably get wheels as well which would be lighter than stock but more flush with the fenders.

 

[GerryAZ]

I switched to slightly taller tires first with the last set on the 2015 and then with both replacement sets so far on the 2019. Original size was 215/50R17, so I switched to 215/55R17. The 55% aspect ratio tires are a little more readily available and slightly less cost. They fill the fenders nicely, but would not be suitable if tire chains would be needed.

 

[gtleaf]

I'm in need of some tires too, I need to replace the factory Michelins on my 2019 SL+ (215/50R17). It sounds like the ecopias are the best choice but these tires are really expensive, best I can seem to do is nearly $900. Anyone have experience with the Cooper Adventurer? I can get those for about $300 less, I'm wondering if they have any material difference in range?

 

[Ital74]

I'm in need of some tires too, I need to replace the factory Michelins on my 2019 SL+ (215/50R17). It sounds like the ecopias are the best choice but these tires are really expensive, best I can seem to do is nearly $900. Anyone have experience with the Cooper Adventurer? I can get those for about $300 less, I'm wondering if they have any material difference in range?

check the reviews, if they have better reviews i think you should go for it. I think on an electric car I would make sure its a quiet tire as road noise would drive me nuts... Even if you lose a little bit of range, what's going to cost you? $1 extra of electricity a week for a better handling car? Seems worth it to me and you are saving $300...

 

[gtleaf]

Yeah, I'm not concerned about the electricity cost as much as the range of the car. Sometimes I take it on road trips but I'm not concerned if the difference is negligible, just want to make sure it's not going be a drastic decrease like 5% or more. There seem to be a lot of people saying the tire is very quiet so that shouldn't be an issue.

 

[SageBrush]

My 2019 Leaf is about due for new tires (only 17,000 miles but treads are getting pretty worn).

Any recommendations regarding new tires? Looking for an all season radial, ideally something that handles reasonably well in snow/ice (I'm in Maine). Biggest criteria is safety/handling, followed by tread life.

You have a few choices, but not many, and they come with trade-offs.
AS + 3MP has **some** snow creds, but some wear faster, some are noisier, and they all have more rolling resistance than garden variety AS.

Tyres marked AS and M+S (mud snow) are not suitable for your driving. If you are feeling lazy and want a tire, buy the Michelin CrossClimate2

 

[rogersleaf]

I'm in need of some tires too, I need to replace the factory Michelins on my 2019 SL+ (215/50R17). It sounds like the ecopias are the best choice but these tires are really expensive, best I can seem to do is nearly $900. Anyone have experience with the Cooper Adventurer? I can get those for about $300 less, I'm wondering if they have any material difference in range?

I purchased Cooper CS5 for my Honda CRV. Really liked them, great all-season traction and very smooth & quiet. Can't speak for range/mileage. I've owned Coopers several times over the years and have always been satisfied.

 

[gtleaf]

I put the Cooper Adventurers on my Leaf on Friday and so far they seam to run fine, I spent some time on the highway this weekend with the radio off and they sound about the same as the OEM Michelins, they don't sound any louder to me.

 

[Ital74]

I put the Cooper Adventurers on my Leaf on Friday and so far they seam to run fine, I spent some time on the highway this weekend with the radio off and they sound about the same as the OEM Michelins, they don't sound any louder to me.

awesome! thanks for the update. Please let us know how it affects range.
Also please provide tires details. Did you buy exact size? Thanks!