I was shopping yesterday and was getting into my car when I noticed the newer Nissan Leaf next to me had really bald front tires. The owner was also putting his groceries into his car. I mentioned to him that his front tires are really bald and his reply was that he knew, and that he only has 12,000 miles on the car. He even said he has never rotated them since he bought the Leaf. Before I drove off I said EV cars have high torque and all that power is going to the front wheels and you might want to rotate the tires every 5K.
EV driver with bald front tires
- Thread starter Finklejag
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Heard this just recently, that most EVs if driven correctly will not need break pads for at least 80k due to regen braking, but may go through three sets of tires in that same length of mileage. Torque and weight are tire killers, and we all know that EVs have both of these physic charecteristics in spades.
Same is true for sports cars, no? or any car, if you “just have to” leave every light at full tilt.
Probably true for torque issues, but not for weight. That is one thing that I think most people may not be aware of.
This recent garage collapse has highlighted this fact. Here in STL an older multi-level garage was recently torn down due to age and delapidation, but you know there are going to be other collapses before this is taken more seriously.
Electric vehicles may be too heavy for old parking garages: report
A report from the British Parking Association raises concerns that some older parking structures may not be strong enough to accommodate heavy electric vehicles.
www.foxnews.com
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So if there significantly more weight, and it appears they are - it will cause significantly more wear on the roads also.
streets.mn
Chart of the Day: Vehicle Weight vs Road Damage Levels
Via Pedal Fort Collins, here’s a simple chart showing the basic relationship between vehicle weight and the amount of “damage” or wear that is caused to the roadway. The relations…
streets.mn
I would guess so. The other thing that could be a problem is hitting a pothole with an EV. Wheel damage could be magnified with the increased weight. Have any of you who own EVs that live in winter road pot hole zones damaged any wheels due to this issue?
A late model Nissan Leaf weighs about 3600 pounds empty. This car has a relatively small battery as the rated range is 149 miles per charge.
The tires that come with a new car are always lousy. There's a reason they have no tread mileage guarantee.
The tires that come with a new car are always lousy. There's a reason they have no tread mileage guarantee.
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The yokohama's on our 2019 Toyota have 35K on them and still cover much of abe's head. They are crappy tires however, will replace soon.
I got over 60K on both sets of BF Goodrich that came factory on both my Nissan's.
I keep hearing this, but its not my experience.
After 19,000 km (12,000 miles), the Michelin Primacy MXM4 2.35/45R18 tires on my Tesla (base power train, RWD only) are holding up quite well. I haven't rotated them yet in part because the tread wear seems so even.
The roads are pretty good around here but I went with the base 18" wheels in order to have a lot of rubber between the wheels and the road.
I don't drive like a nut but the car does accelerate pretty fast in normal driving. And of course I do zoom from time to time just for fun.
I hardly ever use the brakes. I've had maybe a dozen fast stops so far and might touch the brakes once or twice in a typical day's driving. This one pedal driving is really good.
The roads are pretty good around here but I went with the base 18" wheels in order to have a lot of rubber between the wheels and the road.
I don't drive like a nut but the car does accelerate pretty fast in normal driving. And of course I do zoom from time to time just for fun.
I hardly ever use the brakes. I've had maybe a dozen fast stops so far and might touch the brakes once or twice in a typical day's driving. This one pedal driving is really good.
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Small tire size when compared to weight.... that's how you get more MPG.... range
I don't see it as a torque issue. The vehicle is beyond the limit of 205-215 width tires and the short diameter.
If you think that is bad, there is a manufacturer that uses laughable 215mm tire width with FWD and a 3.5 V6, yielding wheel hopping nightmare just a tap away.
To compare the weight/power/tiresize... What is the weight of that Leaf, its tire size, diameter/width of tires, and compare to my long retired 2000 Altima SE!?
I don't see it as a torque issue. The vehicle is beyond the limit of 205-215 width tires and the short diameter.
If you think that is bad, there is a manufacturer that uses laughable 215mm tire width with FWD and a 3.5 V6, yielding wheel hopping nightmare just a tap away.
To compare the weight/power/tiresize... What is the weight of that Leaf, its tire size, diameter/width of tires, and compare to my long retired 2000 Altima SE!?
Same thing happened to me with my '78 Ford Fiesta (bought new). It had fairly narrow Michelin tires and front wheel drive. Not a heavy car either.
It went through front tires like mad. It seemed to do better when I got a 5 wheel tire rotation going but that may have been my imagination (or maybe just wishful thinking).
The first set of front brake pads lasted only about 2 years (maybe 20,000 miles). I'm not hard on the brakes either. I had the pads replaced and then the cost was refunded a couple of months later under a recall.
I think front wheel drive is just very hard on tires. After all they do the steering, acceleration, much of the braking and much of the weight carrying.
It probably negates all the fuel savings of driving a EV even if your electricity is free.
bald tires for more range 
One of the Contis on our Model 3 was done at 10K. Dang nail near the sidewall!
The Michelin Pilot Sports on my GS run $1600 for a new set and don't last for nuthin.
You play you pay.
The Michelin Pilot Sports on my GS run $1600 for a new set and don't last for nuthin.
You play you pay.
Hey, you get to try different brands of tires!!!
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Shhhh... you'll ruin the smugness factor of the EV. So, we all need to be quiet and not tell anyone about the tire wear, as EV tires pile up.
Taking this thread's info and all the rest I've read I'm sticking with my decision to.....
Wait until the imbeciles who make these rocket fast electric vehicles tailor the available torque and acceleration down to more common and usable levels before I even think of owning one.
Ease up on the "smugness factor" of EVs. You can also make fun of people addicted to the newness of them as well as the breakneck speed. I'm willing to bet lots of people who can afford EVs actually know how excessive they are in terms of needlessness and material cost.
They just choose to ignore it and have fun with a new toy. ....just as your dear old daddy did back in the '50's.
Me? I never needed or wanted to go 80 mph in 2 seconds. ...or pay for tires which can.
Wait until the imbeciles who make these rocket fast electric vehicles tailor the available torque and acceleration down to more common and usable levels before I even think of owning one.
Ease up on the "smugness factor" of EVs. You can also make fun of people addicted to the newness of them as well as the breakneck speed. I'm willing to bet lots of people who can afford EVs actually know how excessive they are in terms of needlessness and material cost.
They just choose to ignore it and have fun with a new toy. ....just as your dear old daddy did back in the '50's.
Me? I never needed or wanted to go 80 mph in 2 seconds. ...or pay for tires which can.
