TomT
Well-known member
Yep, on stock suspension and with stock tires, the Leaf's handling and braking sucks... I'm not sure I'd compare it to a Prius as a reference though as they are pretty marginal also...
derkraut said:
Ecopia EP422 tires suck
- Thread starter kballs
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DaveinOlyWA
Well-known member
derkraut said:
+1. The LEAF corners MUCH better than the Prius
KillaWhat
Well-known member
I didn't realize that Ecopia's came in the "larger sizes"
rmay635703
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jan 19, 2011
- Messages
- 628
I recommend everyone read my post and then contact Capriracer (a tire engineer)
http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=12272&p=320385#p320385" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Based on the weight ratings of the ecopias in this size and the weight of the leaf and the typical weight of people I seem to encounter it appears Nissan has this tire overloaded.
At the stock PSI you are exceeding 80% on the front end of the car, from experience this will always cause premature blowouts, especially if you drive agressively or quickly.
My father liked to put car tires on the front of our 2wd Suburbans and even though they easily met the weight requirement for the suburban they blew left and right usually under 20k (and even when we ran higher pressures). Way back then I learned how the ratings worked and had my experiences reiterated by others and then verified by a tire engineer.
Now days most tires can handle closer to their weight rating than the ones on the 82 suburban back in the day but less has changed than most like to think.
So from what I can tell, if you run ecopias, run them at a higher PSI, if you won't do that you will need to run a tire with a better weight rating on the front, the rears it looks like they got it about right for a non-turning tire.
Its too bad our cars are so pudgy these days.
Cheers
Ryan
http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=12272&p=320385#p320385" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Based on the weight ratings of the ecopias in this size and the weight of the leaf and the typical weight of people I seem to encounter it appears Nissan has this tire overloaded.
At the stock PSI you are exceeding 80% on the front end of the car, from experience this will always cause premature blowouts, especially if you drive agressively or quickly.
My father liked to put car tires on the front of our 2wd Suburbans and even though they easily met the weight requirement for the suburban they blew left and right usually under 20k (and even when we ran higher pressures). Way back then I learned how the ratings worked and had my experiences reiterated by others and then verified by a tire engineer.
Now days most tires can handle closer to their weight rating than the ones on the 82 suburban back in the day but less has changed than most like to think.
So from what I can tell, if you run ecopias, run them at a higher PSI, if you won't do that you will need to run a tire with a better weight rating on the front, the rears it looks like they got it about right for a non-turning tire.
Its too bad our cars are so pudgy these days.
Cheers
Ryan
JPWhite
Well-known member
rmay635703 said:
So what is the optimal PSI for stock Ecopias on the LEAF? 'Higher' is a relative term.
Under-inflation will result in higher tire temps and a potential blowout situation.
Over-inflation will put the sidewalls under more stress and a potential blowout situation.
Where is the happy medium?
I'm running at 42 right now to hopefully defer the outer edge of the tread wearing prematurely as occurred on my original set. I had assumed I was risking more blowouts since I am exceeding the manufacturers recommended pressures.
rmay635703
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jan 19, 2011
- Messages
- 628
JPWhite said:
Outer edge wearing is a classic sign of under inflation and also can be caused by poor alignment.
The manufacturer is Bridgestone, not nissan, the tires recommended pressure is anything up to the sidewall max so long as you maintain enough of a load rating to handle your weight.
Generally across all tire brands; belted radial tires live the longest at higher pressures, where the curve ends depends on the age of the tire and how much road debree you hit.
Aged tires (that you likely shouldn't drive on 5yrs +) are safest at the typical 35psi because they fall apart but normal tires live longest at higher pressures and also wear more evenly.
The assumption that lower pressures prevent blowouts is from the days of bias tread, impact shocks capable of blowing out a tire can blow it out at any PSI, in some circumstances more pressure reduces tire damage (but increases the likelyhood of suspension damage) in other cases lower pressure may save the tire but break the rim.
So in my mind worrying about impact shock is more an issue of watching your surroundings and driving defensively, if you hit something undesirable no pressure eliminates the potential of damage.
PS: Though higher pressure can "Reduce" the damage if you hit something blunt like a curb or a huge pothole but then obviously the shock goes to the suspension or wheel. Something sharp at lower PSI may not rupture but then also is more likely to contact something "hard" especially in these days of low profile tires.
Ah well, likely not what you wanted to hear.
Valdemar
Well-known member
So, at 42k miles my Ecopias' edges are fairly worn but not to the point where I'd be concerned about safety. The middle section is probably good for another 8k at least. Hoping to reach 50k before they need replacement. Do they suck? Not sure, true they are nothing special but performed adequately in my case and I plan to get the same tires, as need them as low resistance as possible with my battery capacity/range loss 
kubel
Well-known member
Ecrapias on ice:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqhoY8_MxLw[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awP75h0xLbg[/youtube]
That was a fun drive home tonight.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqhoY8_MxLw[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awP75h0xLbg[/youtube]
That was a fun drive home tonight.
derkraut
Well-known member
Hey Kubel---do you always drive this fast on ice? If so, I'm amazed that you're still alive. :shock:
I had good results running 40psi on mine, before switching to snow tires. The handling was more crisp and the ride was still acceptable. Likewise on my housemate's Prius PHEV with Ecopias.
kubel
Well-known member
derkraut said:
It's a Michigan thing. I was actually driving conservatively compared to everyone else.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHIMKxtWDy4[/youtube]
TomT
Well-known member
The same could be said of California drivers in the rain... The big difference though is that Michigan drivers know how to drive on ice and California drivers DON'T know how to drive in rain!
derkraut said:
derkraut
Well-known member
When it rains in Cali, the drivers are no longer drivers----they're killers.
TomT said:
Many don't know how to drive in the sun either! :lol:
TomT
Well-known member
A VERY good point!!!
(I'm originally from the North East so became well indoctrinated in ice, snow and rain driving...)
(I'm originally from the North East so became well indoctrinated in ice, snow and rain driving...)
mwalsh said:
Nubo
Well-known member
TomT said:
It's not that they don't know, they just go so long without rain that they forget. And on top of that, the first rain after a dry season, combines with oily road deposits and so conditions are at their worst when driver wet-weather skills are at their worst.
But truthfully, I grew up in the Snow Belt and it was the same problem, just a different form of precipitation. Roads after the first big snow or ice storm were always a madhouse.
DaveinOlyWA
Well-known member
TomT said:
Graduated from High School in Port Huron, MI and you learn to drive on ice or park your car for 4 months.
Rat
Well-known member
It seems I'm a California driver who doesn't know how to drive in sunny weather. I pulled into a parking lot two days ago and only at the last second saw a plastic bag - the kind groceries used to bag your purchases before they got banned - and ran over it. It turned out to be full of empty glass bottles. I heard the sickening crunch of glass breaking both as the front right wheel then the rear left wheel passed over it. So getting this thread back to its original topic, I was pleasantly surprised to find no detectable damage to either tire. I still have on the original Ecopias from June 2011. I've driven them up a lot of country roads from semipaved to unpaved, and parking areas off-road full of rocks, sticks and pine cones, etc. over that period and they've held up great.
TomT
Well-known member
Because of the way that glass cylinders break under compression, it is actually hard to get a flat that way (fortunately)...
Rat said:
DaveinOlyWA
Well-known member
TomT said:
+1 have run over excessive broken glass several times in several different vehicles and have never had an issue (except on my bike...) my issues comes from nails, screws, etc.... hard metal and not necessarily sharp objects. had a 3/4" machine bolt penetrate my LEAF tires... its about as dull a point as you can get but did not stop it from burying itself 2 inches deep!
luckily it did not leak but made a god awful racket driving down the street not mention i could feel the head every time it came in contact with the street.
so i "clumpity clunked it to Firestone a few miles away and had the tire patched after a bit of a discussion with the tire manager who felt it was unpatchable. well that patch is still holding today over a year later
