Winter Tires

[Zyr]

My Bolt has 215/50R17 standard tires when I got it this summer. I will need winter tires living in Eastern Canada - it has been suggested by dealer that I get 16” rims and 215/55 R16 for winter. Thoughts/comments from the community? Thanks.

 

[SeanNelson]

I bought a second set of OEM wheels and put Michelin X-Ice XI3 tires on them. I had these tires (in a different size) on my previous car, a Prius C, as well. I'm in Vancouver, where we don't get a ton of snow - but I've been pretty happy with the Michelins on those occasions where I go up into the mountains.

 

[Zyr]

Thanks for the note , did you get the tire pressure sensors as well?

 

[SeanNelson]

Thanks for the note , did you get the tire pressure sensors as well?

Yes, I did, along with the tool that you use to allow the car to "learn" the new sensors when you switch tires:

https://www.amazon.ca/AUGOCOM-El-50448-Pressure-Activation-Re-learn/dp/B06Y69GGD5/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_107_bs_t_1/141-9286104-1413468?_encoding=UTF8

 

[marspilgrim]

I need tires by Thanksgiving also but I'm not thrilled about a winter set, swapping them and storing them. But I have the advantage that I am pretty much only local commuting and running errands in the suburbs of Chicago, about 20 miles a day typically. I can charge at home at L2 so I'm going to give up some range and get the Nokian WR G4. That will cover the winter extremes we seem to be moving towards and should do much better in the wet too.

 

[JeffN]

I need tires by Thanksgiving also but I'm not thrilled about a winter set, swapping them and storing them. But I have the advantage that I am pretty much only local commuting and running errands in the suburbs of Chicago, about 20 miles a day typically. I can charge at home at L2 so I'm going to give up some range and get the Nokian WR G4. That will cover the winter extremes we seem to be moving towards and should do much better in the wet too.

Please let us know how they work out.

I got Goodyear WeatherReady tires back in March at the tail end of winter. They are in a similar “winter-rated all-season” market niche. I only drove briefly in snow for a day while on a trip to Canada. They seemed to do well but I’ll have more experience this winter. I’m happy with them so far.

 

[marspilgrim]

Early update. I've had the Nokian WR G4's about 120 miles so far, enough to wear off the mold release. They look nice and actually appear to be a little wider than OEM but they're the same size so it could be an illusion. So far I'm satisfied with the purchase.

Dry Traction: Definitely more dry traction but can still be overpowered if I hammer it. Temp's here are hovering around 50 degrees so not yet into temp's that begin to harden an all season compound. Dry autumn roads these days.

Wet Traction: Not really any wet roads to speak of yet but I'm sure it will be better than OEM just from the design. I'll update in the future.

Ride Noise: If I try hard, with the radio off, I can imagine a hint of more tire noise but since my radio is always on there's no difference for me.

Ride Comfort: I haven't noticed any difference on my commute but I don't travel over enough variety of surfaces to give you good data.

Cornering/Steering: I feel a bit more confident on the mild corners around here and that may increase as time goes on and I push them more. I feel a little more tire squirm but these all weather treads are deeper than OEM so it's likely that.

Tread Life: Much too soon to tell but I drive on the more aggressive side of average. In the old days I wasn't much on using brakes and went in to corners pretty hot (long time Mazda driver) but now with the regen I'm slowing down anyway which I also love. Overall I'm fine with losing 30 miles of range for the better traction and safety. Also because I hate being cold I'm not shy about blasting the heat so until perfect spring EV weather I won't know how range is really affected. And I've never really attempted to get max life out of my tires. These are rated at 60K but if I get 45K of solid traction year around I'll be happy, that's still 5 years of driving for me.

[1/20] Snow Traction: Been through enough snow, bit of ice, and slush now to know these are much better than the all seasons I've had in the past. Plenty good for my area without needing a dedicated winter set. But then we only get about 3-4 good snow falls each winter and 90% of the time it's just cold, dry pavement. Confident on wet pavement also. There is a SUV version of this tire also so in the future I will definitely put these on our Forester.

 

[PackardV8]

Up here in the frozen ass-end-of-nowhere, there's no such thing as an all-season tire. In higher elevations where snow and ice can be expected we regularly see vehicles upside-down in straight, flat stretches of road. Pull over to help and invariably, all four-feet-to-the sky are more than half-worn all-season tires.

Two things I've learned:

1. Brand-name winter tires (Nokian and Glslaved are my current choices) mounted and balanced on their own wheels are worth the cost and the hassle. Example, a trip is planned and there's an early snow. The tire stores are slammed and can't get you in before you have to leave, Yes, it's a minor hassle to switch over yourself, but you can leave on schedule and travel safely.

2. When winter tires are worn below half the original tread depth, begin the search for new ones. If one should run them down to the legal 3/32" wear bars, that's an accident looking for a place to happen.

jack vines

 

[bobo]

Does anybody run studs? Don't you think you get better traction with studs, vs the non studded winter tires?

 

[marspilgrim]

You'll have to research it but I'm pretty sure that studded tires are only for roads that are always snow and ice covered and in that case yes, studs are the best bet (driving within reason and the laws of physics). On cold, dry pavement that a lot of regions have most winter days I think studs might have worse traction than non-studded winter tires, and possibly not even as good as a quality all season that still has good tread depth. But I've never lived anywhere that required studs or chains in winter months.

 

[PackardV8]

Does anybody run studs? Don't you think you get better traction with studs, vs the non studded winter tires?

Does anybody run studs? Don't you think you get better traction with studs, vs the non studded winter tires?

Having been in the tire business in the frozen ass-end of nowhere and driven in ice and snow for forty-five years, the answer is:

Yes, No, Maybe,

No, studs are not necessary. In 99.9% of winter driving conditions, they offer less traction than a good winter tire. FWIW, most states with any guts in government banned studs years ago. Studs destroy the road surface and cause billions of dollars in damage. (A pox on those who demand to run studded tires; I live in Washington, a state without enough guts to ban those carbide-tipped highway destroyers. At present, there is a $5 wink-and-a-nod fee. — We can only hope to pass a bill with a stiff penalty — New studded tires would carry a $100 fee if purchased after July 1 of this year and be banned after mid-2025 if House Bill 1309, sponsored by state Reps. Cindy Ryu and Steve Tharinger passes, the $100 fee would replace the current $5 fee and eventually phase out studded tires.)

Yes, if driving on glare ice, studs have better traction. How often should one be on glare ice?

Maybe, buy the best winter tires, mounted on wheels with TPMS sensors. Scandahoovians know winter, so Nokian and Gislaved are among the best, Don't run them much past half tread depth if you want them to really work for you.

jack vines

 

[bobo]

"How often should one be on glare ice"
Very often for me.
May not be "glare ice", but close to it. Packed snow, thaw in sunny spots in day light and freeze at night= very icy conditions. I have seen...So slick, hard for me to stand upright on road.

No talk of banning Studs in OR or CA, I have heard of. But I know the damage you are talking about.
Thanks.

 

[NeilBlanchard]

We just got Nokian Hakka R3 winter tires on new 16" steel wheels - they are a taller aspect ratio to make up for the smaller diameter wheel. This saved us about $150. The 17" steel wheels were hard to find, and they were 7" wide (vs 6.5" for the stock wheels and the 16" we got). We included cloned TMPS units, so I can swap these out myself, and we will break even in about 2 years.

The price was $1,331.58 including the 6.25% MA sales tax.

They roll as well as the stock Michelin tires - and that is saying a lot. They are the quietest winter tires I have driven on, but they do make a little bit of noise.

 

[mathygreen]

I need tires by Thanksgiving also but I'm not thrilled about a winter set, swapping them and storing them. But I have the advantage that I am pretty much only local commuting and running errands in the suburbs of Chicago, about 20 miles a day typically.

I can charge at home at L2 so I'm going to give up some range and get the Nokian WR G4. That will cover the winter extremes we seem to be moving towards and should do much better in the wet too.

Reliable Permit Solutions, LLC

 

[blownb310]

Does anybody run studs? Don't you think you get better traction with studs, vs the non studded winter tires?

Only on a frozen lake while having fun. Not on the street, as there is too much range loss.

 

[dcrudolph9]

Hmm, I'm confused. The Bolt has no spare - it came with run-flat tires. So if you get winter tires, do you have to buy winter run-flat tires? Do they even make those? Or do you just get regular tires and hope you don't get a flat?

 

[BoltEV]

The Bolt comes with Self-Seal tires; not Run-Flats.

 

[dcrudolph9]

OK, the question remains - do you have to get winter self-seal tires?

 

[PV1]

No.