17" tyres for Leaf

n97 mini

I rotated tyres yesterday on our Leaf and it turns out we'll need new ones sooner than I thought. I've been googling a bit and the Dunlop EC300 oem tyres are pretty impossible to get.

So I've been looking for alternatives, based on (1) noise and (2) efficiency. The Dunlops are (1) 70db and (2) B rated (and (3) C rated for wet grip).

The best I've found are Lassa Impetus Revo 2 Plus Impetus Revo2+ which are rated at (1) 66db [win!] (2) C rated (and (3) B rated for wet grip). Better again they're coming in at around €52 [double win!] delivered, which is half the price I paid for similar sized 17" Sava tyres for the Prius.

A bit of research shows Lassa Tyres are manufactured in Europe (Turkey) by Brisa Bridgestone Corporation, and roll off the same production lines as their more famous counterparts, sharing many of the same patterns and compounds with Bridgestone. Link

http://www.oponeo.co.uk/tyre-details/lassa-impetus-revo-2--215-50-r17-91-w

corglass

Cool story. Any question?

highdef

Very interesting indeed! May I ask how many km had passed when you needed to get the tyres? Please let us know how you get on with them as I need to get tyres soon too.

I replaced my rubbish EC300's at about 45,000 Kms.

The EC300's were decent in the dry but crap in wet and they were very noisy, though all tyres get noisier as they wear.

I replaced them with Goodyear efficient grip performance B fuel A wet, the EC300's have B fuel and C wet. The Goodyears sacrifice some dry grip which I can certainly live with they are still good but the wet grip is excellent compared to the EC300's.

They are much quieter too but no car or tyre was designed with an ultra high friction, very poor quality tar and chipping road surface they have to endure in Ireland and this will increase fuel consumption, noise and wear.

I don't notice a difference in efficiency though which is good.

KCross

Deleted User wrote: »

I replaced my rubbish EC300's at about 45,000 Kms.

The EC300's were decent in the dry but crap in wet and they were very noisy, though all tyres get noisier as they wear.

I replaced them with Goodyear efficient grip performance B fuel A wet, the EC300's have B fuel and C wet. The Goodyears sacrifice some dry grip which I can certainly live with they are still good but the wet grip is excellent compared to the EC300's.

They are much quieter too but no car or tyre was designed with an ultra high friction, very poor quality tar and chipping road surface they have to endure in Ireland and this will increase fuel consumption, noise and wear.

I don't notice a difference in efficiency though which is good.

Rubbish tyres that lasted 45k km's!!

Tyres are like most things.. a personal preference. One person will buy based on price, another on efficiency another on wet grip etc. I think calling them rubbish is a bit much though, considering the mileage you got out of them without finding a ditch.

As a matter of interest, how much were the GY Efficient grips?

I prefer safety, grip is important to me, when I put the foot down I want to be able to move without spinning wheels. So while they lasted well their wet grip was , simply, rubbish !

KCross

Deleted User wrote: »

I prefer safety, grip is important to me, when I put the foot down I want to be able to move without spinning wheels. So while they lasted well their wet grip was , simply, rubbish !

ok, i still think rubbish is a strong word to use there but whatever.

How much did you pay for the GY Efficient grips?

I think 109 each, down from 150 the day before, amazing. Got them on eiretyres. This time of the year is the time to buy Summer tyres as People start buying Winter tyres, their cost will go up also in Winter.

KCross

I used them a long time ago but the issue is getting someone to fit them. Nearly all tyre fitters dont want to talk to you when you bring your own tyres in and if they do fit them they charge you a ridiculous price to do it... obviously their way of saying buy the tyres off me.

n97 mini

highdef wrote: »

Very interesting indeed! May I ask how many km had passed when you needed to get the tyres? Please let us know how you get on with them as I need to get tyres soon too.

They're not gone yet, but at an estimate I'd say they'll go at 60,000 km. They have very evidently been rotated regularly as wear is similar on them all.

n97 mini

Deleted User wrote: »

I think 109 each, down from 150 the day before, amazing. Got them on eiretyres. This time of the year is the time to buy Summer tyres as People start buying Winter tyres, their cost will go up also in Winter.

I had EG's several times, in fact the Civic IMA still has two. They're good tyres, but I'm always on the look-out for something better (grass is always greener). I have Kumho Ecowing KH27's at the moment on the front and wet grip is not great, though it seems to be getting better with time! They are very very quiet though and are A rated for efficiency.

Can I ask where you got your tyres fitted and for how much? I used to get a local guy to do it until is scratched two alloys out of carelessness. I moved to another place who were great until they lost a locking wheel nut, promised to make good, and then wouldn't answer my phonecalls. The promise turned out to be empty too, costing me €42 on replacement wheel nuts.

I have a friend who is a tyre fitter :-)

n97 mini

Is he looking expand his social circle!?

n97 mini

n97 mini wrote: »

Is he looking expand his social circle!?

For a fee i'm sure lol.

Special Circumstances

Not an EV driver, but I've had 4x Goodyear Efficient grips, and 4x Michelin Energy savers on the same car over the last while.
I expected more from the Goodyears tbh. I would agree that dry grip, while not bad, doesn't match the Energy Savers. Worth looking up for the leaf I think.

n97 mini

Special Circumstances wrote: »

Not an EV driver, but I've had 4x Goodyear Efficient grips, and 4x Michelin Energy savers on the same car over the last while.
I expected more from the Goodyears tbh. I would agree that dry grip, while not bad, doesn't match the Energy Savers. Worth looking up for the leaf I think.

Shows how these things are subjective. When I bought my car it had Michelin ES, but they were so noisy that I felt someone was boring a hole in my head and I couldn't wait to get rid of them. The replacements were GY ES which I found to be a world apart.

Dardania

SOemthing to also bear in mind I reckon with tyres, is how easy around the country is it to get a replacement.

Punctures happen - its a fact of life, so I would like a relatively common tyre that I can get 1 at a time of to fit to the car, to have the same thread pattern all round (even if not the same wear per tyre)

Special Circumstances

n97 mini wrote: »

Shows how these things are subjective. When I bought my car it had Michelin ES, but they were so noisy that I felt someone was boring a hole in my head and I couldn't wait to get rid of them. The replacements were GY ES which I found to be a world apart.

The Michelins were an order of magnitude quieter than Pirelli P3000s. Both the Michelins and the Goodyears are down in the noise floor for an older turbo'd japanese car, but the noise floor is a lot lower for an EV than my donkey of a thing haha

KCross

Anyone tried Z Tyres? They are a budget tyre so I presume they wont last as long but they have a good rating for grip and efficiency. Both B rated.
http://www.moderntyres.ie/2155017fo2yxl-21550yr17-value--brand-95y-xl

The noise rating is poor so that might be a deal breaker. The Dunlops and Goodyears are 69dB but these are 72dB so I think thats a doubling of noise?

I got quoted €75 for these Z Tyres and the Dunlops and Goodyears are €140-€160 fitted so I wouldnt mind if they wore out a bit quicker.

As always you get what you pay for but looking to get some real world feedback. Anyone?

I always go for premium brand tyres these days, it's what keeps you on the road. I've had some dodgy cheap brands before and wouldn't touch them again.

A quiet tyre is important on our ultra high friction road surfaces, (tar and chipping) And rough asphalt.

Wet grip is also important with the amount of instant low down torque on an EV.

Efficient tyres are important if you need max range most of the time , if not then then efficiency is less of a priority.

I run 38 PSI on my 17 " Leaf tyres.

cros13

I usually fork out for winter tires for the rainy season as they offer much better low-temperature and wet grip. That's especially important for the i3.

In both the Leaf and the i3 the best winter option is Nokian's WR D4. It's optimized for wet conditions (A-rated) more than snow, doesn't wear as quick as the A-rolling resistance (and EV optimized) Nokian Hakkapellitta R2 and doesn't cause motorway handling issues like the Bridgestone Blizzaks (which is the winter tire BMW sells). It's also cheaper than both.

For the i3 the best summer tire is the stock Bridgestone EP-series tire the car comes with from the factory. Pirelli offers an all-weather for the i3 for the usual ridiculous money but the scuttlebutt is that it's crap.

The Leaf has a much wider selection of all-weather and summer tires than the i3 due to using a standard tire size. I've used Goodyear EfficientGrips for summer tires. My dad is on Michelin CrossClimate all-seasons. Both great tires under €100/tire.

Indeed winter tyres are fantastic in wet and Mud, I used to have them on my Old Caddy vans. I used to use Goodyear Ultra grip I think they were called.

Summer tyres are not so good at all below about 7 deg C. Though this is especially noticeable with the sudden wallop of torque form an EV.

cros13

Deleted User wrote: »

Summer tyres are not so good at all below about 7 deg C. Though this is especially noticeable with the sudden wallop of torque form an EV.

Agreed. It's worth noting that the i3 is supplied with summer tires from the factory.

cros13

cros13 wrote: »

Agreed. It's worth noting that the i3 is supplied with summer tires from the factory.

I'd imagine the RWD helps somewhat with grip in the I3 ?

I wonder how the Bolt with 200 HP would handle FWD ?

cros13

Deleted User wrote: »

I'd imagine the RWD helps somewhat with grip in the I3 ?

It helps a lot even with just over 170hp. Even under immediate hard acceleration you won't get a whisp of wheelspin on the i3. Once the summer tires go below 7-8ºC they start to break and switching to the winters fixes that.

Kennypants

What about these Michelin Cross Climates I hear some hype about?

cros13

cros13 wrote: »

My dad is on Michelin CrossClimate all-seasons.

Pretty much the best all-seasons for the Leaf/Ioniq.

Of course for efficiency/range they won't beat a lot of the summers, and for wet/snow grip they can't touch basically any winter tire.
They are good all-rounders with lowish rolling resistance, okay wet performance and definitely better than summers on a frosty morning. They also won't wear excessively in winter warm spells like a winter/winter-based all-season tire does.

Another advantage of the CrossClimate with EVs is it's one of the quieter all-seasons... so a little less road noise.

Al seasons are a jack of all trades and a master of none.

n97 mini

Deleted User wrote: »

Al seasons are a jack of all trades and a master of none.

Yeah, but by and large we get one season. As I explained to some US friends the only difference between summer and winter here is the amount of rain.

But we do get lots of temps unsuitable for summer tyres.

colm_mcm

KCross wrote: »

Anyone tried Z Tyres? They are a budget tyre so I presume they wont last as long but they have a good rating for grip and efficiency. Both B rated.
http://www.moderntyres.ie/2155017fo2yxl-21550yr17-value--brand-95y-xl

The noise rating is poor so that might be a deal breaker. The Dunlops and Goodyears are 69dB but these are 72dB so I think thats a doubling of noise?

I got quoted €75 for these Z Tyres and the Dunlops and Goodyears are €140-€160 fitted so I wouldnt mind if they wore out a bit quicker.

As always you get what you pay for but looking to get some real world feedback. Anyone?

Note that the manufacturers themselves give these ratings, they're not independently rated.

Crap tyres tend to last longer because the compound is so hard. They will not stay as well balanced and will not give you the grip of even a mid range tyre.

KCross

colm_mcm wrote: »

Note that the manufacturers themselves give these ratings, they're not independently rated

Really?!!
Jeez, there must be some oversight at EU level since it's an EU mark?

There is no hope for the consumer otherwise other than try it out and realise it's crap

I'm leaning towards the Goodyear efficient grip performance now anyway as I can get them for €113 and €15 to fit.

KCross

I put new tyres all round on mine yesterday.
Bought these ones from this company and got them delivered direct to a nearby fitter:

https://www.tyreleader.ie/car-tyres/goodyear/efficientgrip-performance/215-50-r17-95w-499281

They list the fitters and their prices at checkout time. It was a seamless process. Ordered online, they delivered direct to my fitter and I just arrived in and paid to have them fitted.

All in it cost €128 per tyre. I was being quoted €160 in most places. Even Eiretyres are asking €140 just for the tyres.

So, I'd recommend looking at tyreleader.ie for your next purchase. The tyres took about a week to be delivered and they gave tracking numbers etc. They seemed to originate in Holland.

I was thinking of getting these ones too. Just went for Goodyear because they were cheaper:

https://www.tyreleader.ie/car-tyres/dunlop/sport-bluresponse/215-50-r17-95w-60916

The price varies , I got the same tyres for around 110 from Eiretyres.

n97 mini

I've just forked out for the tyres in the OP. openeo.ie don't stock them (the uk site does, and the company is Polish, so I don't understand that), so I got them from Camskill. £115 for a pair, or around €135. They clock up 66db on the noise scale which is half that of the 69db Dunlop Blue Response. I'll report back once they're fitted.

gillianmcd

All these sites you've bought from are outside Ireland, including EIRE tyre funnily enough. None of which are supporting local IRISH trade. Can you get these tyre fitted cheap? Most Irish tyre fitting outlets will not fit these, or will charge you triple. Average price for fitting is usually 10e per tyre if you buy the tyre off that fitter (this will include balancing and disposal). If you get charged extra for fitting, will the price not work out similar to just buying them off the local guy?

n97 mini

gillianmcd wrote: »

All these sites you've bought from are outside Ireland, including EIRE tyre funnily enough. None of which are supporting local IRISH trade. Can you get these tyre fitted cheap? Most Irish tyre fitting outlets will not fit these, or will charge you triple. Average price for fitting is usually 10e per tyre if you buy the tyre off that fitter (this will include balancing and disposal). If you get charged extra for fitting, will the price not work out similar to just buying them off the local guy?

I'm guessing you (or a family member?) are somehow involved in the trade?

Two things.

Choice. I buy specific tyres based on my own research. Then when I go look for them no-one locally has them, and mostly seem unwilling to get them in.

Cost. The couple of times I have been able to source locally (years ago) they were significantly more expensive than buying online and getting fitted locally. €10 fitting if you buy locally you say, but with a much greater margin on the tyres.

KCross

gillianmcd wrote: »

All these sites you've bought from are outside Ireland, including EIRE tyre funnily enough. None of which are supporting local IRISH trade. Can you get these tyre fitted cheap? Most Irish tyre fitting outlets will not fit these, or will charge you triple. Average price for fitting is usually 10e per tyre if you buy the tyre off that fitter (this will include balancing and disposal). If you get charged extra for fitting, will the price not work out similar to just buying them off the local guy?

No tyres are made in Ireland AFAIK so we are still supporting Irish trade as we have to get them fitted here. I dont get your point?

The all-in price I quoted above which included buying online and paying to have them fitted locally was cheaper than buying+fitting locally by as much as €30 per tyre.

And, as n97_mini said, most of the companies I rang didnt have the tyre I wanted and said it would take 2-3 weeks to get it. So, I just bought online and had it within a week.

The problem is that when you're looking for something specific like A or B rolling resistance tyres the tyre dealer will need to do a special order. The chances are that what he orders will not be what you want anyway (if you look at the tyre listings at camskills for example you notice that there are lots of variants of the same tyre with different fuel efficiency ratings) and it would have been the best to just get the tyres yourself.
My 2c.

zilog_jones

KCross wrote: »

And, as n97_mini said, most of the companies I rang didnt have the tyre I wanted and said it would take 2-3 weeks to get it. So, I just bought online and had it within a week.

I've gone to AJ's Tyres the last few years (location is right but picture is wrong): https://goo.gl/maps/tMPPG3h3UTU2

They'll order tyres next day and can get most decent brands with competitive pricing. I got Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance for €85 each, albeit 15" (for Prius).

It seems a lot of the shops around these days seem only interested in selling whatever Mickey Mouse Chinese brands they have in stock and don't care about selling anything half-decent.

shanemkelly

n97 mini wrote: »

Cost. The couple of times I have been able to source locally (years ago) they were significantly more expensive than buying online and getting fitted locally. €10 fitting if you buy locally you say, but with a much greater margin on the tyres.

Does anyone know of anywhere that'll fit pre-bought tyres for a reasonable price?

DrPhilG

Depends where you are.

Local guy down the road from me in Donegal fitted all 4 for €20 I think.

shanemkelly

DrPhilG wrote: »

Depends where you are.

Local guy down the road from me in Donegal fitted all 4 for €20 I think.

True - half thinking of generating an ad hoc list of fitters (hence the anywhere), buy should've stuck in Dublin/Kildare/Carlow area...

Look like my Goodyear efficient grip performance will last half the mileage of the original EC300's. Yikes !

I got 45 K out of the EC 300 and looks like I might get 25,000 max on the goodyears , now there could be a reason for this, I drive a lot harder than I did before I got the work charge point, that's a possible reason they are wearing out faster.

The wet grip of the EC 300's is pretty poor though.

EV's could do with some rear wheel drive !

zilog_jones

My Goodyears are down to about 5 mm on the fronts (7 mm rear) after about 12,500 km with my Prius. I got them rotated at this point. I'd rather have tyres that have good grip and predictable characteristics than ones that last forever.

cros13

Anyone had any issues with uneven wear?

My dad's leaf just came back from it's first inspection with the drivers side tire worn down to 2.0mm on the outside, 3.0 middle and 4.0 inside. Rest of the tires had even wear of 5.0mm.

Front tyres are fine but rear passenger does suffer uneven wear, the rear axle can't be adjusted because Nissan went the Cheaper route...... it's 2mm off.

shanemkelly

Mine is currently in for a service. The following are stills from the video Windsor Belgard sent me;


Uneven wear on the front but not the back
Front tyres have only about 20,000km; back ones have around 35,000km.

shanemkelly

I'll be changing the rear tyres this week or next so will get the front tracking done then too...

Edit: And of course, putting those new tyres on the front...

zilog_jones

Deleted User wrote: »

The rear axle can't be adjusted because Nissan went the Cheaper route...... it's 2mm off.

A torsion beam isn't just the cheaper route - it takes up a lot less space than independent rear suspension. Quite common on small hatchbacks.

unkel

The very reason the Ioniq BEV has the rear torsion beam and the other 2 Ioniqs have multilink. Needed space for battery in the back.