any advice on tire replacement?

[Ital74]

Michelin CrossClimate2

The CrossClimate2 have very good reviews, that is probably what I would pick. Do you know how those affect range?
Does the ride and handling improve?
I am thinking of getting new wheels with a more aggressive wheel offset for an almost flush look with 225/50/17 tire.. so a bit wider and taller

Thanks

 

[goldbrick]

Do you know how those affect range?
Does the ride and handling improve?

Compared to ?

 

[Ital74]

Do you know how those affect range?
Does the ride and handling improve?

Compared to ?

I thought you were replacing EV tires with these non EV built tires.
I was wondering how these Cooper tires would compare to your stock EV tires in regards to range and handling.
I apologize if my understanding is not correct.

Thanks

 

[goldbrick]

I don't want to nit-pick but every tire is a compromise between various characteristics. AFAIK, Leafs came with either Bridgestone Ecopia or Michelin Energy Saver tires from the factory.

The Ecopia's seem to be a cheaper version of what is available off the self and don't last long for many people. I don't know much about the Michelin's.

You probably mean LRR (low rolling resistance) as a baseline for EV tires. I've never heard of any tires being marketed as EV tires although LRR can matter a lot for people who want to get the maximum range from their EV.

 

[Ital74]

I don't want to nit-pick but every tire is a compromise between various characteristics. AFAIK, Leafs came with either Bridgestone Ecopia or Michelin Energy Saver tires from the factory.

The Ecopia's seem to be a cheaper version of what is available off the self and don't last long for many people. I don't know much about the Michelin's.

You probably mean LRR (low rolling resistance) as a baseline for EV tires. I've never heard of any tires being marketed as EV tires although LRR can matter a lot for people who want to get the maximum range from their EV.

Yeah, I was referring to LRR, I mean I do not mind to compromise some range for better handling... I just hope is not more than 5% with something with a compound rating of 600+
I just got my 2022 leaf yesterday so I am in no rush but I like wheels and tires and I like to plan
Thanks!

 

[jdcbomb]

Owner of 2 2018 LEAF vehicles (SV / SL). SV worn down to 2/32 by 21,000 miles after 3.3 years of driving. SL at 3/32 after 22,500 miles. Both had the OEM Michelin tires. SV tires were replaced at Discount Tire, getting a price match from WM, with these tires: Hankook Ventus V2 Concept 2 H457 All-Season Tire - 215/50R17 91V

Low Rolling Resistance, All Season, Performance Tires. Road noise very low. Took about a 8 pct hit on range for the first 1,000 miles but now has come back to normal again.

$500 OTD. Although only at 45K miles warranty, it didn't make sense to pay $400 extra for the Michelin / Continental options out there.

 

[jkline]

I've never put new tires on my Leaf, and with the cost of tires now won't put new on the rest of my fleet-- $2k a set for my Cummins.

I always find great, cheap tires on CL or FB.

Of all the different tires I have driven on the Leaf, I have never noticed a change in range or road noise, even if I have a patchwork of different brands on each wheel.

My car usually drives 25 miles/day, 45mph or less, so ymmv.

 

[gtleaf]

The Cooper tires I got are the Adventurer Tour ones from Pep Boys that I got for $600 OTD including road hazard. They have a 70K mile warranty or maybe it was 75K. So far they are just as quiet as the factory Michelins. I'm not 100% certain yet, haven't been able to do any kind of apples to apples test, but I'm pretty sure these are getting less range, around 5-10% less. However, I'm fine with that, I can't justify an extra $300 for the ecopias.

 

[TimLee]

...
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.

I agree with your recommendation Gerry.

My 2011 LEAF recently required new tires.

Factory OEM was Ecopia, and all replacements had been Ecopia for first replacement and Ecopia 422 Plus for other replacements.

I was sick and tired of their poor tread life and poor wet performance. I wanted better safety and value. They were having to be replaced at 18,000 miles.

After extensive review, I concluded I wanted an All Weather tire.

Tyre Review provides very thorough reviews and Michelin CrossClimate 2 was clear winner for their 2021 comparison. Although it wasn't up yet when I bought, their 2022 comparison again gave CrossClimate 2 high praise.

See
https://youtu.be/QQQjamHdqZk

Although I don't get much snow, the review noted that the CrossClimate 2 ranks well when evaluated against dedicated snow tire designs; being at least middle of the pack compared to dedicated snow tires.

I also have put them on my 2009 Altima.

With Nokian's brand new tire plant in Dayton, TN I took a lot of time considering them. But their main production has been the Nokian One all season tire, and I was looking for All Weather.

The CrossClimate 2 is a bit higher rolling resistance than Ecopia 422 Plus, but in my opinion not enough to offset the poor service life and wet handling of Ecopia 422 Plus.
My guess is they are about 4 percent higher rolling resistance. While coasting on a slope that would hold 35 mph steady with the Ecopia 422 Plus, the Cross Climate 2 coasting steady spead is about 31 mph.
The 2022 Tyre Review rated their rolling resistance as third from the best of the All Weather tyres they tested, and they were not much worse than first and second place.

A well designed tire.

 

[LeftieBiker]

My housemate wanted to put one set of tires on her car and leave them there. We were considering CrossClimate 2, Celsius Sport, etc, but we're having a trying year financially, and had shelved the idea for now. Then I just happened to spot that Tire Rack had Bridgestone Blizzack WS90 snow tires on clearance for $99 each, in her size. The reviews showed several people who were using them year round, so given that she only puts about 1K miles a year on her Plus, we're giving them a try - it's an inexpensive experiment. I'm considering doing the same next year, but with All weather tires. Then we'll have one car to use in snow storms, and one to use on broiling hot pavement.

 

[SageBrush]

My guess is they are about 4 percent higher rolling resistance. While coasting on a slope that would hold 35 mph steady with the Ecopia 422 Plus, the Cross Climate 2 coasting steady spead is about 31 mph.

If your speed estimate is correct, the RR difference is a lot higher than 4%. If the entire difference in speed is due to the RR differences, it is close to 13%. Even 3/4 of the speed difference attributed to RR would be close to 10%

 

[Toby]

Tire pressure can affect rolling resistance. Nissan recommends 36 psi. Many of us run 40psi. There is quite a bit about this elsewhere on this forum.

 

[GerryAZ]

I calculated actual wall-to-wheels efficiency for my 2019 SL Plus so far taking odometer error into account for the tires I have used to date:

OEM Michelin Energy Saver A/S size 215/50 R17: 15367.2 miles at 3.173 miles/kWh overall average.
Bridgestone DriveGuard (run flat capable) size 215/55 R17: 21988.6 miles at 2.852 miles/kWh overall average.
Michelin Cross Climate 2 size 215/55 R17: 19895.9 miles so far at 2.878 miles/kWh overall average.

My experience with Bridgestone Ecopia 422 Plus tires on the 2015 was that they provided much better wet/dry traction than the OEM Michelin Energy Saver A/S tires and yielded slightly better efficiency along with longer tread life. If I were more concerned about efficiency and range, then I would use Ecopia 422 Plus tires as a good compromise between wet/dry traction (inflated to 44 psi is best for wet braking traction on the heavy car) and efficiency for normal use.

 

[MikeinPA]

I am having very good results with a recent install of BRIDGESTONE ECOPIA EP422 PLUS (Size: 205/55R16 Style: Blackwall Eco Focus: Eco-Product Serv. Desc: 91H Service Description UTQG: 640 A A).

On my round trip to work mile/kwh went from 4.8 - 5.0 to 5.8 - 6.1 . This is for air temps around 75 deg F, average speed 35 mph, too many hills, and no precip. I have driven this route almost daily for ten years and have been striving to get the mile/kwh as high as possible--so I have a consistent routine and I reset the meter often to see how I am doing. Relieves the boredom.

I also did a work-related 100 mile drive on Friday stopping at 14 places and saw 5.1 miles/km. This is some highway driving, but also a lot of back roads. I have never seen 5.1 on these kinds of drives--more like 4.3 or 4.4.

So I am seeing a ridiculous 15 to 20% increase and this is with the tires still new and soft. 43 psi all the way around. These are the 640 AA version--there are two other versions of this tire. Previous tires were the OEM Ecopias with 21k miles on them (off the blue leaf), also at 43 psi--they hit 10 years so I has to change them even though they looked fine (no cracks or anything).

Yeah, I know, not really possible.

10 year limit: https://www.bridgestoneamericas.com/en/company/safety/choosing-tires/replacement-guidance

 

[DougWantsALeaf]

I also found the ecopias to be very efficient; much better than the Michelins.

My Sailun eRange tires are close efficiency wise, though subjectively I believe they have better (summer) grip.

 

[MikeinPA]

I also found the ecopias to be very efficient; much better than the Michelins.

Good. I wonder what they are doing with this tire to reduce energy loss so much. I also had the car aligned after some front end work and frankly the car is still driving like new ten years later. Love these cars.

 

[knightmb]

I am having very good results with a recent install of BRIDGESTONE ECOPIA EP422 PLUS (Size: 205/55R16 Style: Blackwall Eco Focus: Eco-Product Serv. Desc: 91H Service Description UTQG: 640 A A).

On my round trip to work mile/kwh went from 4.8 - 5.0 to 5.8 - 6.1 . This is for air temps around 75 deg F, average speed 35 mph, too many hills, and no precip. I have driven this route almost daily for ten years and have been striving to get the mile/kwh as high as possible--so I have a consistent routine and I reset the meter often to see how I am doing. Relieves the boredom.

Yeah, I believe the Ecopia hold the title for most efficient Leaf tires. I would have continued to use them on my Leaf, but they have been discontinued, so I've had to hunt for replacements. The only issue I've had using them over the years is the wear on them never reaches the warranty, but they are king for mileage though.

 

[DougWantsALeaf]

For the 2700 miles I have on my Sailun eRange tires, experience has been good in terms of wet/dry grip as well as near ecopia level of efficiency.

I plan do to a bit longer write up once the tires have seen some serious snow in a few months. The ecopias were not good in snow, so hoping for modestly better traction. Not expecting anything like our crossclimate2 mounted Leaf though.

 

[GerryAZ]

My experience with the 2015 was that Ecopias offered much better braking traction and handling (wet and dry when inflated to 44 psi) than the OEM Michelins (with inflation anywhere between 36 and 44 psi) and also better efficiency. The OEM Michelins that came on the 2015 and 2019 were the worst radial tires I have owned regarding traction, handling, and wear. Since range is not an issue with the 2019, I really like the Michelin Cross Climate 2 tires and am now on my second set in size 215/55 R17.

 

[frontrangeleaf]

FWIW, we just purchased new Vredstein Wintrac Pro snow tires in 205/55R17 XL size. They ride very nice and are very quiet, especially for a snow tire. Not as responsive as our Continent Winter Contacts that we just retired, which were a touch smaller at 205/50R17. The Conti's felt sportier.

I haven't had a chance to run them in snow, as we chose not to brave the roads after our recent snow storm until they cleared, however, range under very cold conditions with adequate tire pressure appears to be unchanged or even a little better. Early days still.

This tire was also recently recommended by Consumer Reports, for what that's worth. Quite a nice tire and considerably more affordable than some of the other options in a snow tire for the Leaf. I've run a different model Vredstein on a different car in the past with good results, so I'm a little familiar with this brand.