Severe performance hit when replacing 1/4 OEM tires

[sorintri]

Hello, happy owner of a 23 SV Plus with 20K trouble free miles on originals Michelin Energy Saver tires. I figured they'll be due for replacement this fall (around 30K) when I plan to switch to winter tires anyhow. Got dedicated rims for that.
But, last week I took a nasty hole in the front passenger tire, so bad it could not be fixed, needed replaced. So I got the only tire that local Walmart had in stock - Goodyear Reliant, same size 215/50/17. The other 3 Michelins remain in place.
Car performance took a severe hit as a result, probably more than 20%. Went from upper 3's mi/kwh (don't have the exact number) to 3.1. Same trip that used to take me from 100% to 78% battery now takes me to low 60%. Driving conditions are about the same: same routes, same temps, same driver. Central CO area.
SMH here, what gives, on this severe performance hit, from only 1/4 tires? Are the Reliants so bad by comparison? At least I know not to consider them when it's time to swap all 4's. Or the fact that tires are mixed 1/3/4 contribute to this? TIA

 

[gozer]

Walmart. Crap Tires, crap everything. Air pressure correct? They are the only large tire dealer that still sells 25k mile tires.

 

[sorintri]

Walmart. Crap Tires, crap everything. Air pressure correct? They are the only large tire dealer that still sells 25k mile tires.

First off, thank you for your reply. Yes, I know WM sells crap tires, that is why I bought the Goodyear, instead of other no name. For what it's worth, these tires supposed to carry a 65K mi warranty. Not that I expect them to last that long but still.

In spite of that, my question remains: is the severe performance loss due to the fact that I have a mismatched tire (and I should purchase another one to match for the front driver side) or Goodyear Reliant is just simply horrible and should call it a loss ($116) and get an entire new set?
Obviously, for financial reasons I lean towards #1 but I'd hate to see I'm dropping another $116 with no significant performance improvement?

 

[gozer]

Only one thing changed on your car. I cant believe the performance hit is that big, but proof/pudding. I think its because that is a cheap tire and has high rolling resistance. One pretty much does get what one pays for. Sorry to say that.

 

[sorintri]

Only one thing changed on your car. I cant believe the performance hit is that big, but proof/pudding. I think its because that is a cheap tire and has high rolling resistance. One pretty much does get what one pays for. Sorry to say that.

thanks

 

[Drew21]

Did you hit something (curb, pothole?) to damage the old tire? If so, maybe your alignment is out.

 

[sorintri]

Did you hit something (curb, pothole?) to damage the old tire? If so, maybe your alignment is out.

No, my wife drove into a piece of pipe sticking out of the concrete. But the theory of alignment being out sounds plausible, thanks.

 

[BillAinCT]

Is this new tire on the front? If so, perhaps rotate it with the same side rear. I've seen one tire larger than another throw off the traction control. Just a thought...

 

[sorintri]

Is this new tire on the front? If so, perhaps rotate it with the same side rear. I've seen one tire larger than another throw off the traction control. Just a thought...

Well, I just bought another Goodyear Reliant and installed it in the front to match the pair.
Much to my surprise, mileage has degraded further, from 3.1 to 2.8. UGH
I will take your suggestion and swap front (Goodyear) to rear (Michelin) and see if that makes a difference.
Thanks

 

[knightmb]

Well, I just bought another Goodyear Reliant and installed it in the front to match the pair.
Much to my surprise, mileage has degraded further, from 3.1 to 2.8. UGH
I will take your suggestion and swap front (Goodyear) to rear (Michelin) and see if that makes a difference.
Thanks

Swap them (both) to the rear, inflate them 44 PSI cold (if less than the rated max) to help minimize rolling resistance, see if that makes up for it. Since the Leaf is a front wheel drive EV, all the wear and resistance is concentrated towards the front (driving wheels, steering wheels, stopping wheels, etc.) That's why you can get away with getting some cheap tires for the rear at a high air pressure and some good Eco tires for the front (which cost more) but will help range a lot.

 

[BillAinCT]

Oh noooo. Well that sucks! So there's something to lower rolling resistance LOL. Then I doubt that moving them to back will change anything.

Edit: Sent while above was posted. I trust @knightmb over my guess so... But check the max PSI of the new tires. My cold weather 39 had my tires at 44 PSI when it warmed last week which is the max for the Michellin OEM tires.

 

[knightmb]

Oh noooo. Well that sucks! So there's something to lower rolling resistance LOL. Then I doubt that moving them to back will change anything.

Edit: Sent while above was posted. I trust @knightmb over my guess so... But check the max PSI of the new tires. My cold weather 39 had my tires at 44 PSI when it warmed last week which is the max for the Michellin OEM tires.

It's true for "straight line" rolling resistance when you look at all 4 tires, but the fronts are the ones that will produce the most rolling resistance if you drive on anything other than a straight line. It's not wrong to say it won't change in the rear, technically speaking, but the rear tires don't steer the vehicle. They just roll along and other than breaking, not much else. That's why the wear on the front tires is so exponential higher than the rear when tracking tire life.

 

[BillAinCT]

What do you make of this post about never rotating and all tires wearing evenly?

 

[Drew21]

I find it unlikely, both from a theoretical perspective (i.e., all the "jobs" the front tires on a FWD vehicle have to do as described above) as well as from real world experience.

I rotate the tires on our FWD vehicles annually, which comes out to roughly 5000 miles on the Honda Fit and 3500-ish miles on the Leaf all-season tires with an additional 2500-ish miles on winter rims/tires. I measure the tread depth on each tire at rotation (nerd alert!). On both vehicles, the fronts wear a bit more than the rears, and I can see that difference even over the 2500 miles we put on the Leaf winter tires each year.

I'll note that both the wife and I are pretty sedate drivers and on the low end of tire abuse from jackrabbit starts, hard braking, or high-speed cornering.

 

[Jeffrey Stumpf]

Hello, happy owner of a 23 SV Plus with 20K trouble free miles on originals Michelin Energy Saver tires. I figured they'll be due for replacement this fall (around 30K) when I plan to switch to winter tires anyhow. Got dedicated rims for that.
But, last week I took a nasty hole in the front passenger tire, so bad it could not be fixed, needed replaced. So I got the only tire that local Walmart had in stock - Goodyear Reliant, same size 215/50/17. The other 3 Michelins remain in place.
Car performance took a severe hit as a result, probably more than 20%. Went from upper 3's mi/kwh (don't have the exact number) to 3.1. Same trip that used to take me from 100% to 78% battery now takes me to low 60%. Driving conditions are about the same: same routes, same temps, same driver. Central CO area.
SMH here, what gives, on this severe performance hit, from only 1/4 tires? Are the Reliants so bad by comparison? At least I know not to consider them when it's time to swap all 4's. Or the fact that tires are mixed 1/3/4 contribute to this? TIA

Did you get the tire balanced and the alignment checked?

 

[css28]

The rolling resistance will improve somewhat after the tires have accumulated some miles.
That being said, LRR tires are significantly more efficient than the mainstream.

 

[Flyct]

Walmart. Crap Tires, crap everything. Air pressure correct? They are the only large tire dealer that still sells 25k mile tires.

Shopping at Walmart isn’t my favorite pastime but they do some things well. I’ve purchased tires from Walmart on several occasions. They will order most any tire for you and they get them from the same wholesaler so they are exactly the same tires. But they normally don’t stock the expensive brand and models.

You can order the OEM Michelin Energy Saver A/S for your Leaf from Walmart for $299 each. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Michelin...0R17-90V-Passenger-Tire/43085803?from=/search

Walmart gained my respect during Covid. I would shop for groceries online. A few hours later I would pull up to their loading area at my appointment time any they would load up my purchases in my truck. No need to be around people to get infected. Great service. I also purchase Rotella T6 oil and def fluid from them for my 2024 Ford F-450 Platinum Diesel. So they do have value for some things.

 

[Doanster1]

No, my wife drove into a piece of pipe sticking out of the concrete. But the theory of alignment being out sounds plausible, thanks.

Most likely alignment as others have said, but have you checked for other damage under the car? Running into/over a piece of stationary pipe can wreak havoc. Does the car drive/feel any different? Any sudden through the steering wheel?

 

[benjwhite9]

A most informative thread, thank you. I recently needed new tires, and almost bought the Goodyear tires (might be Reliant, not sure at this point), because the Goodyear shop is within walking distance of home. But I'm now glad I drove further and bought the Bridgestone Ecopia tires. Any opinion on how these compare with the above-mentioned Michelin tires for real-world efficiency?

 

[Bombastinator2]

First off, thank you for your reply. Yes, I know WM sells crap tires, that is why I bought the Goodyear, instead of other no name. For what it's worth, these tires supposed to carry a 65K mi warranty. Not that I expect them to last that long but still.

In spite of that, my question remains: is the severe performance loss due to the fact that I have a mismatched tire (and I should purchase another one to match for the front driver side) or Goodyear Reliant is just simply horrible and should call it a loss ($116) and get an entire new set?
Obviously, for financial reasons I lean towards #1 but I'd hate to see I'm dropping another $116 with no significant performance improvement?

Yes. That and the tire isn’t really meant for that car. I put on blizzacks for winter (needed the traction) and they weren’t real good for mileage either. There’s a reason they’re called “energy saver”