Tire recommendation

[Alcalira]

With so many of us leasing our cars, I thought I'd share my strategy on tires. Generally, you can do better than the tires that come on a new car. Certainly applies to the Spark EV. I think most people drive on the OEM tires until they are worn out, shortly before the lease ends, and then buy a new set because you have to return the car with good tires.

What I do is take off the OEM tires early on and save them. Then I put on some really good tires and enjoy my leased car with those tires. At the end of the lease I put the OEM tires back on. Problem with the Spark EV has been that there are few tires available in the two sizes our cars use.

Firestone recently released the Champion Fuel Fighter tire, and it comes in our sizes, with a speed rating of H, and it is designated as low rolling resistance. Today I had them installed on my 2016 Spark EV with 8000 miles on the odometer. Total out the door price was $452.00. I want to let you all know that this is a good tire for the Spark EV. Right away I noticed how much quieter it is. Since it is an H rated tire, it also has the expected solid cornering feel. It rides really nicely, absorbing bumps with a satisfying muted thump sound. But the most remarkable thing I noticed is that my miles per kwh has increased dramatically. I'm now doing over 6 miles per kwh! Before the tire sway I was typically around 5.

It also looks great on the car; the name makes it sound like a cheap tire but it really fills out the wheel wells and has a sporty appearance.

This tire has a UTQG rating of 600 AA and the tread life is warranted for 75,000 miles. So if you're looking for a tire to replace the OEM Bridgestones, I'm very comfortable recommending the Firestone Champion Fuel Fighter. I'll post updates as I accumulate mileage on the tires.

 

[nikwax]

Good reviews on Tire Rack:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Firestone&tireModel=Champion+Fuel+Fighter+%28H-+or+V-Speed+Rated%29

 

[Sross222]

Thanks for taking the time to write up this recommendation for the Champion Fuel Fighter tire!

How about handling and control when stomping on the "gas" pedal? With stock tires, the car wiggles around.

Do you still feel that range has improved significantly with these?

 

[Jedi2155]

Did you replace all 4 tires or just the fronts? I'm at 20k miles and my front's are bald but the rears look like new. Trying to determine if its worth it to replace all 4 or just the fronts.

 

[Alcalira]

Now have put 1000 miles on the Firestones. And I'm no longer recommending them. From the outset I noticed a vibration in the steering wheel that kicked in about 63 mph. Multiple rebalancing efforts, including rotating the tires on the rims, would not eliminate it. It's too bad, because they ride and handle very well, and efficiency is astonishing. I got 6.3 miles per kwh on a recent 200 mile trip. Fortunately Firestone gives a 30 day buy and try warranty, so I'm returning them. Tire shop is ordering Kumho Solus TA31 to replace them. Although not designated LRR, Consumer Reports ranked them as excellent on rolling resistance.

 

[Alcalira]

Replacing just the fronts could be a good strategy. But if you have a 36,000 mile lease allowance, that second set will be shot when you have to return the car, if you stick with OEM tires. If your lease is 30, 000 miles, you should be ok. I'm assuming you aren't interested in having mismatched front and rear tires. The leadsing company will probably ding you for that.

 

[NORTON]

Now have put 1000 miles on the Firestones. And I'm no longer recommending them. From the outset I noticed a vibration in the steering wheel that kicked in about 63 mph. Multiple rebalancing efforts, including rotating the tires on the rims, would not eliminate it. It's too bad, because they ride and handle very well, and efficiency is astonishing. I got 6.3 miles per kwh on a recent 200 mile trip. Fortunately Firestone gives a 30 day buy and try warranty, so I'm returning them. Tire shop is ordering Kumho Solus TA31 to replace them. Although not designated LRR, Consumer Reports ranked them as excellent on rolling resistance.

Good deal you got them returned in time.
A Firestone shop should have a modern 'Road Force' balancing machine. This would show that one of the tires has a defect.
I have all my tire work done at a Firestone shop to get this new tech balancing service. (sometimes the tech may skip that last step. I watch and ask for it 'Please !'.

http://www.motorweek.org/features/goss_garage/road_force_balancing

Let us know how the new Kumho's work out. I wore out a different set of Kumhos on the front. I now have the stock tires back on the front.

 

[Alcalira]

I'm dealing with a local tire shop that is really anxious to please. When I reported the vibration, they offered to do road force balancing using their Hunter machine (same as Pat Goss') at no charge, and naturally I accepted. They then determined that they couldn't do the complete process because the outer lip of our rims is too narrow for the machine's wheel--which is supposed to ride on the lip and read its runout or high spots--to maintain contact. But they were able to run the pressure roller on the tire/wheel assemblies and determined that there were no problems. The left front, they said, was actually perfect, with runout measurement of .0008 and needing no weights.

I then took the car to America's Tire, where I have always gotten good balancing service. They confirmed that the rims would not allow the full process, but they did what they could. Their machine showed that two of the tires (both left ones--including the "perfect" one) had excessive road force and should be rotated on the rim. They did this, and got them to within spec using that method. All four were then rebalanced.

None of this made any difference. The same vibration kicks in at 64 mph. It is kind of rhythmic--reminds me of a RWD Buick I used to own that had a driveline imbalance. Same sort of feeling, but in the steering wheel. My guess is that it is a design flaw in the tire. A small road disturbance starts the tire vibrating and rather than dampen it, something in the tire amplifies it. I should add that this is not the first time I've experienced something like this. I recall a set of Goodyears that I put on a Chrysler LeBaron in the 90s that did the same thing. Replaced them with Michelins--problem solved.

This is the 2016 Spark EV. Our 2015, which still has the original tires and will eventually receive the take-offs from the 2016, has no such vibration. I've been tempted to try putting its front wheels on the 2016 to make sure it's not a problem with the car. But I'm certain that when the original tires were on the 2016 it did not have this vibration. So I'm inclined to blame the Firestones. Jacking up both cars to swap front wheels in my driveway is a lot of work and not very safe considering I have only one floor jack.

The tire dealer is telling me that there will be no charge for mounting the replacement tires, and since the Kumhos actually are less expensive than the Firestones, I'll probably get some money back. I've had great service with Kumhos in the past--on a Chevy van conversion and on our Prius. I've also liked the Kumhos on various rental cars. So I'm thinking I'll just go forward with that. If I still have the vibration I'll know something is wrong with the car and will have that looked into under warranty.

 

[NORTON]

.. they offered to do road force balancing using their Hunter machine ... They then determined that they couldn't do the complete process because the outer lip of our rims is too narrow for the machine's wheel--which is supposed to ride on the lip and read its runout or high spots--to maintain contact. But they were able to run the pressure roller on the tire/wheel assemblies and determined that there were no problems. The left front, they said, was actually perfect, with runout measurement of .0008 and needing no weights.....

Interesting, only the road force test that I get locally only does the roller test on the tire, and the results are displayed in 'Pounds' of force at the tread of the tire.
I put some FRS wheels and tires on a '10 Prius I had and one of them measured 23 lbs. The tire had a 'lump'. They said that one goes on the rear and 'maybe' I won't feel it. And yet it was balanced.
Road Force measures tire defects. Tires can be made out of round. I know they didn't try to directly measure 'runout' of the rim itself, although it's possible for rims to be bad, (rarely).

Anyway, you are in a perfect situation to swap tire/wheels between two Spark EV's.
Can that be done for a quick test without a TPMS 'relearn'? (I thought I read here that if the front tires are not reporting proper pressure the car will not GO. Is this right?)

 

[Alcalira]

The Kumho Solus TA31 is an excellent tire for the Spark EV. It comes in the two correct sizes and is reasonably priced. I've put about 700 miles on them. First of all, unlike the Firestones, there is no vibration. The balancing is perfect. The car continues to track straight and true.

Great combination of ride and handling characteristics. Plenty of grip, composed over bumps. Runs very quietly.

Rolling resistance is also excellent, confirming Consumer Reports tests. I'm getting 4 to 6 miles per kwh in normal driving. With a UTQG rating of 500 A A, these should hold up very well.

 

[bzublin]

On my 2015 Spark EV:
OEM front tires lasted about 10K miles. I drive moderately aggressive.
Replaced front tires with Yokohama Avid Ascend which lasted about 15K miles. Handling and traction was good. Mileage warranty is 65K miles so I will get some credit when I replace them.
I plan to replace the front tires today with Yokohama YK740 since that is what Discount Tire has in stock.

 

[RamAirDave]

I did the Firestone Fuel Fighters recently...couldnt be happier!

 

[sphinx]

Does anyone know the difference between the Ecopia EP150 and EP422? I've got about 12K miles on my OEM ep150's and they are almost done! Yes, they are too much fun to not squeal them. Anyway, was going to buy a pair of EP 150's from Tirerack but I also see the EP422.

And I need to return the car with a matching "set" in two years. So that puts me only to the EP150, but if they are all the same, might pick up 4 EP422's for the next two changes (personal guess is that the rears will last for the entire lease) because TR is running a rebate on them (but no promo on the EP150).

(my car has the offset tires).

 

[CCIE]

The EP150 is a total POS and the EP422 Plus is a good tire. I have them on my Volt and couldn't be happier. Wish they made them in the correct size for both front and back.

 

[SparkieVee]

sphinx wrote
Does anyone know the difference between the Ecopia EP150 and EP422? I've got about 12K miles on my OEM ep150's and they are almost done! Yes, they are too much fun to not squeal them.

I've had the EP422s on the front for almost 2 years now. I'd say they have no noticeable effect on range and are marginally better than the EP150s in all other aspects. Traction is slightly better, both wet and dry, but it's still pretty easy to break them loose. I may be imagining it, but I think they're slightly quieter as well. As a bonus, you actually get a treadwear warranty.

 

[Porsche]

I just got my 2015 Spark EV LT2 but I need tires. So let me ask, now that it's been a while, do you still recommend the Kumho Solus TA31's?

Compared with the stock tires, have they been better worse or the same regarding:

range/mi/kWh?
performance/acceleration/handling?
wear/longevity?
noise?

I'm also considering:

General Altamax 43
Michelin Premier A/S
uniroyal tiger paw touring a/s
goodyear assurance maxlife (not sure if they have my size though)

If anyone has any experience with any of these or any comments, I'd love to hear. Thanks for any help.

 

[Kermit]

On a previous car I owned I had Kumho's and they were noticeably louder than any other tire I had. The Michelin's are what we have on our volt and are quiet.

 

[ZNuts]

I can't find Fuel Fighter on Tire Rack or Discount Tire in 185/55/R15.

Looking to replace them before the Fall.

 

[sachan0101]

I'm also considering:

General Altamax 43
Michelin Premier A/S
uniroyal tiger paw touring a/s
goodyear assurance maxlife (not sure if they have my size though)

If anyone has any experience with any of these or any comments, I'd love to hear. Thanks for any help.

My 2015 Spark EV is currently using General Altamax 43 as summer tires. I think they are way better than the Ecopia EP422. With Altamax, my spark has much better grip and control, and is also quiter too. I also think the thread life of these General tires is good.

For winter tires, I use Michellin X-ice. These winter tires make my winter driving in Northern Ohio's snow and ice safe and fun.

 

[Porsche]

On a previous car I owned I had Kumho's and they were noticeably louder than any other tire I had. The Michelin's are what we have on our volt and are quiet.

Which Michelins do you have? Has your economy been affected? Now that I look again, the Premier A/S's only come in 195's not 185's. I use Michelins on most my other cars, but most don't come in the right size, especially any LRR ones. I think the X-ice are the only ones that come in the right size, but I don't think it's a good choice for all-year. Also, were the Kumhos, the Solus TA31 series or a different one? Thanks for the reply.

My 2015 Spark EV is currently using General Altamax 43 as summer tires. I think they are way better than the Ecopia EP422. With Altamax, my spark has much better grip and control, and is also quiter too. I also think the thread life of these General tires is good.

For winter tires, I use Michellin X-ice. These winter tires make my winter driving in Northern Ohio's snow and ice safe and fun.

Thanks. The Altimax sounds like a good improvement and nice compromise. I've been leaning towards the Altimax or the Kumhos, probably the Altimax. They're listed as all-season. I'm on Long Island, New York. The winters are usually pretty mild, at least by comparison, so I won't bother with snow tires. How has your economy been affected, better, worse, same? How long have you had them? Wearing OK too? Thanks very much for the info.

I am also still curious about the uniroyal tiger paw touring a/s's. On paper they look good, and the right size, but I haven't seen them mentioned anywhere for Sparks or other EVs.