Poor Tire tread life on 2 year old 17K miles Leaf

[LeftieBiker]

For $100 per tire you should be able to find several well known tires. We had good luck with General Altimax tires, both the A/S and Arctic snow tire. I've never had a Kelly tire...

 

[GerryAZ]

Kelly Springfield is part of Goodyear and has been manufacturing tires for well over 100 years.

 

[LeftieBiker]

I didn't say I'd never heard of them, Gerry, just that we've never owned any of their tires.

 

[countryleaf]

The Ecopias seem to be the efficiency champion but there is an inevitable trade off as efficiency means harder, less flexible tread which means less traction. I have to say I didn't notice it as much with my Gen One LEAFs but spinning tires in wet weather has become nearly unavoidable and I know it can't be me so it must be the tires.

I noticed the same thing between our '11 and '19 Leaf. I will frequently spin the tires on the '19 when accelerating to get into traffic, never noticed it on the '11.

 

[LeftieBiker]

While they use very similar motors, the '19 has quite a bit more power.

 

[rogersleaf]

As Dave said, ask for low rolling resistance (LRR) tires if range is an issue. I have used Michelin and Continental sport performance tires and am now using Bridgestone DriveGuard run flat capable tires. All of these reduced range compared to the OEM tires. I like Ecopias for LRR needs and put a set on the 2015 that were still on it when traded. They seem to offer a little better range than the OEM Michelins and offer significantly better handling and traction.

Just curious how much true range/efficiency loss you experienced with BS DriveGuards or the other choices? My factory Michelins are at 38K & soon to need replaced. I also liked the Ecopias on my previous '14 LEAF and purchased the "plus" model for their replacement. This time, I'm considering Bridgestone QuiteTrack (at the pricier end) or Cooper CS5 Ultra (at the cheaper end). I've had very good service out of Cooper products on several vehicles over the years. Given the frost-cratered & non-maintained ghetto roads I travel, dropping close to a $ grand on Michelins doesn't give me a warm fuzzy feeling.

 

[GerryAZ]

As Dave said, ask for low rolling resistance (LRR) tires if range is an issue. I have used Michelin and Continental sport performance tires and am now using Bridgestone DriveGuard run flat capable tires. All of these reduced range compared to the OEM tires. I like Ecopias for LRR needs and put a set on the 2015 that were still on it when traded. They seem to offer a little better range than the OEM Michelins and offer significantly better handling and traction.

Just curious how much true range/efficiency loss you experienced with BS DriveGuards or the other choices? My factory Michelins are at 38K & soon to need replaced. I also liked the Ecopias on my previous '14 LEAF and purchased the "plus" model for their replacement. This time, I'm considering Bridgestone QuiteTrack (at the pricier end) or Cooper CS5 Ultra (at the cheaper end). I've had very good service out of Cooper products on several vehicles over the years. Given the frost-cratered & non-maintained ghetto roads I travel, dropping close to a $ grand on Michelins doesn't give me a warm fuzzy feeling.

I think there was about 10% loss of range with the Michelin MXM4 tires compared to the OEM Bridgestone Ecopias on the 2011; probably 10% to 15% loss of range with the Continentals compared to the OEM Michelins on the 2015; and at least 15% loss of range with the Bridgestone DriveGuards compared to the OEM Michelins on the 2019. For my needs, the improved performance of the replacement tires compared to the OEM Michelins is well worth the range reduction. I recently had the TPMS give a low pressure warning while driving toward a meeting and immediately thought about being late if I had to stop to attempt to repair a tire before remembering I have run flat tires and just slowed down a little. The TPMS alarm cleared after a minute or so--it was apparently caused by the receiver for the right rear tire picking up a spurious signal from a car that passed me on the right.

 

[rogersleaf]

As Dave said, ask for low rolling resistance (LRR) tires if range is an issue. I have used Michelin and Continental sport performance tires and am now using Bridgestone DriveGuard run flat capable tires. All of these reduced range compared to the OEM tires. I like Ecopias for LRR needs and put a set on the 2015 that were still on it when traded. They seem to offer a little better range than the OEM Michelins and offer significantly better handling and traction.

Just curious how much true range/efficiency loss you experienced with BS DriveGuards or the other choices? My factory Michelins are at 38K & soon to need replaced. I also liked the Ecopias on my previous '14 LEAF and purchased the "plus" model for their replacement. This time, I'm considering Bridgestone QuiteTrack (at the pricier end) or Cooper CS5 Ultra (at the cheaper end). I've had very good service out of Cooper products on several vehicles over the years. Given the frost-cratered & non-maintained ghetto roads I travel, dropping close to a $ grand on Michelins doesn't give me a warm fuzzy feeling.

I think there was about 10% loss of range with the Michelin MXM4 tires compared to the OEM Bridgestone Ecopias on the 2011; probably 10% to 15% loss of range with the Continentals compared to the OEM Michelins on the 2015; and at least 15% loss of range with the Bridgestone DriveGuards compared to the OEM Michelins on the 2019. For my needs, the improved performance of the replacement tires compared to the OEM Michelins is well worth the range reduction. I recently had the TPMS give a low pressure warning while driving toward a meeting and immediately thought about being late if I had to stop to attempt to repair a tire before remembering I have run flat tires and just slowed down a little. The TPMS alarm cleared after a minute or so--it was apparently caused by the receiver for the right rear tire picking up a spurious signal from a car that passed me on the right.

You raise another important attribute for a car without a spare tire, or jack, or tire wrench, etc... Another possibility on my list is the Michelin Energy A/S variant that come on the Chevy Bolt in the same tire size. It's almost identical to the OEM's on the LEAF but are "H" speed rated and is a self-seal design. Think it's likely safe to sacrifice the "V" speed rating in trade for self-seal as usually don't see 150 mph commutes out of the LEAF.

 

[rogersleaf]

As Dave said, ask for low rolling resistance (LRR) tires if range is an issue. I have used Michelin and Continental sport performance tires and am now using Bridgestone DriveGuard run flat capable tires. All of these reduced range compared to the OEM tires. I like Ecopias for LRR needs and put a set on the 2015 that were still on it when traded. They seem to offer a little better range than the OEM Michelins and offer significantly better handling and traction.

Just curious how much true range/efficiency loss you experienced with BS DriveGuards or the other choices? My factory Michelins are at 38K & soon to need replaced. I also liked the Ecopias on my previous '14 LEAF and purchased the "plus" model for their replacement. This time, I'm considering Bridgestone QuiteTrack (at the pricier end) or Cooper CS5 Ultra (at the cheaper end). I've had very good service out of Cooper products on several vehicles over the years. Given the frost-cratered & non-maintained ghetto roads I travel, dropping close to a $ grand on Michelins doesn't give me a warm fuzzy feeling.

I think there was about 10% loss of range with the Michelin MXM4 tires compared to the OEM Bridgestone Ecopias on the 2011; probably 10% to 15% loss of range with the Continentals compared to the OEM Michelins on the 2015; and at least 15% loss of range with the Bridgestone DriveGuards compared to the OEM Michelins on the 2019. For my needs, the improved performance of the replacement tires compared to the OEM Michelins is well worth the range reduction. I recently had the TPMS give a low pressure warning while driving toward a meeting and immediately thought about being late if I had to stop to attempt to repair a tire before remembering I have run flat tires and just slowed down a little. The TPMS alarm cleared after a minute or so--it was apparently caused by the receiver for the right rear tire picking up a spurious signal from a car that passed me on the right.

You raise another important attribute for a car without a spare tire, or jack, or tire wrench, etc... Another possibility on my list is the Michelin Energy A/S variant that come on the Chevy Bolt in the same tire size. It's almost identical to the OEM's on the LEAF but are "H" speed rated and is a self-seal design. Think it's likely safe to sacrifice the "V" speed rating in trade for self-seal as usually don't see 150 mph commutes out of the LEAF.

 

[GerryAZ]

I don't think that self sealing is the same as run flat. I think self sealing will just minimize loss of air pressure by sealing around the object that punctures the tire or sealing the hole after the object is removed. Run flat tires can be driven on with no air pressure.

 

[downeykp]

The ecopias on my 2011 with 38000 miles are still performing well.

 

[jjeff]

The ecopias on my 2011 with 38000 miles are still performing well.

The OEM Ecopias on my '13 showed lots of wear at 10k and were very bad and needed to be replaced around 20k, my aftermarket Ecopia+'s from Costco have already went double that and are now starting to show some wear, OEM Ecopia's are crap!

 

[WetEV]

The ecopias on my 2011 with 38000 miles are still performing well.

The OEM Ecopias on my '13 showed lots of wear at 10k and were very bad and needed to be replaced around 20k, my aftermarket Ecopia+'s from Costco have already went double that and are now starting to show some wear, OEM Ecopia's are crap!

Make sure your tires are inflated to slightly more than the pressure as shown on the door. 40psi to 42 psi will improve handling and prevent the center of the tread from wearing out first.

Be a little gentle with the go pedal. That helps as well.

 

[jjeff]

The ecopias on my 2011 with 38000 miles are still performing well.

The OEM Ecopias on my '13 showed lots of wear at 10k and were very bad and needed to be replaced around 20k, my aftermarket Ecopia+'s from Costco have already went double that and are now starting to show some wear, OEM Ecopia's are crap!

Make sure your tires are inflated to slightly more than the pressure as shown on the door. 40psi to 42 psi will improve handling and prevent the center of the tread from wearing out first.

Be a little gentle with the go pedal. That helps as well.

My first set, the OEMs I generally ran 40psi and it was the edges that wore badly, the center was somewhat OK, my Ecopia+'s I've always ran 44psi(max) and while the edges are still worn more than the center, overall the wear is so much better than the OEMs.
Personally I've never had the center of a tire wear more than the edges and am now a firm believer in max psi on all my vehicles.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

The OEM Ecopias on my '13 showed lots of wear at 10k and were very bad and needed to be replaced around 20k, my aftermarket Ecopia+'s from Costco have already went double that and are now starting to show some wear, OEM Ecopia's are crap!

Make sure your tires are inflated to slightly more than the pressure as shown on the door. 40psi to 42 psi will improve handling and prevent the center of the tread from wearing out first.

Be a little gentle with the go pedal. That helps as well.

My first set, the OEMs I generally ran 40psi and it was the edges that wore badly, the center was somewhat OK, my Ecopia+'s I've always ran 44psi(max) and while the edges are still worn more than the center, overall the wear is so much better than the OEMs.
Personally I've never had the center of a tire wear more than the edges and am now a firm believer in max psi on all my vehicles.

LEAF is very low center of gravity which means more pressure on sidewalls. When the pressures are lower, the sidewalls flex too much on turns which where the excessive edge wear comes in. Yeah, you lose traction because the sidewall is not rolling over but you really dont want the sidewall flexing on a turn

 

[Baltneu]

I have about 22K on my 2018 and the tires still look good.
Inflate them to 38, rotate every 7500 miles.

 

[goldbrick]

I'd say a lot depends on driving style and where the car is driven. Any tire will wear a lot quicker when lots of tight turns are taken at high speeds than one that is just driven down a long straight highway. Other factors are road conditions and type (think chip seal), UV and ozone levels, tire inflation, the aggressiveness of the driver, how much weight is in the car, etc.

 

[jjeff]

I'd say a lot depends on driving style and where the car is driven. Any tire will wear a lot quicker when lots of tight turns are taken at high speeds than one that is just driven down a long straight highway. Other factors are road conditions and type (think chip seal), UV and ozone levels, tire inflation, the aggressiveness of the driver, how much weight is in the car, etc.

I do understand that but other than very poorly made(cheap material) OEM Ecopia's it doesn't explain how I've already got twice the miles on my Costco Ecopia +'s and they still aren't worn out as much as my OEMs were.....same driver, basically same conditions, same weight.
I agree though that with basically any driver the Leaf is going to wear out tires faster than say a Geo Metro or Mitsubishi Mirage, both light low powered cars.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

I'd say a lot depends on driving style and where the car is driven. Any tire will wear a lot quicker when lots of tight turns are taken at high speeds than one that is just driven down a long straight highway. Other factors are road conditions and type (think chip seal), UV and ozone levels, tire inflation, the aggressiveness of the driver, how much weight is in the car, etc.

I do understand that but other than very poorly made(cheap material) OEM Ecopia's it doesn't explain how I've already got twice the miles on my Costco Ecopia +'s and they still aren't worn out as much as my OEMs were.....same driver, basically same conditions, same weight.
I agree though that with basically any driver the Leaf is going to wear out tires faster than say a Geo Metro or Mitsubishi Mirage, both light low powered cars.

OEM tires are cheaper versions of the real thing. I had thought this was well known but apparently not. They don't even have the same mileage rating.

 

[LeftieBiker]

OEM tires are cheaper versions of the real thing.

Not in every case, but auto manufacturers often make deals with tire companies to provide lower spec versions of their tires for new cars. Toyota apparently did it with Continental, and Nissan with Michelin.