Chevy Bolt EV Tires: Michelin Energy Saver Vs Continental Pure Contact 

Great info, thanks, there is so little out there on this. I did a bunch of research into tires and decided I was done rolling around on low profile sports car tires. I found a set of used 15" Sonic alloy wheels and mounted 205/65-15 Hankook Kinergy PT 90k tires. My range increased about 3%, ride quality improved significantly and they will last nearly twice as long for half the money. They are a bit noisier though.

I get 4.5 mi/kWh average on my bolt. Driving a Prius for 8 years trained me on how to maximize energy use.

I’ve read that new tires can take up to 500 miles to be properly “broken in”. During this period a certain amount of care should be taken to “ease” the tires into their most efficient (normal) state. I never knew this. I don’t recall a single mechanic (tire technician?) telling me there is a break in period for tires. Fascinating. Thanks for sharing this video. Cheers.

Also know that spinning more mass reduces efficiency. When shopping, consider the weight of the tire and also wheels.

Thanks for the information. I replaced 2017 Bolt (Ruby) at 50,000 miles with Michelin Energy Savers, purchased at Les Schwab. Schwab now rotates all my car tires for free. When comes time for new tires on the 2018 Bolt (Sapphire), I am open for a different tire. Schwab had in-house recommendation, but I don't think it was designed for EVs.

I replaced some aging Michelin Energy Saver tires with West Lake SA07 tires. So much quieter and better wet traction. Still in the break in period and seeing around a 8% to 10% range decrease.

I don't love the stock tires when it comes to grip. Efficiency great, but panic stops and cornering are just not sticky enough. Knowing this makes me drive more cautiously!

The key to mileage is to make sure you get the self seal michelin energy savers A/S. There is 3 different part numbers for the tire. I got over 53k on the fronts. Just replaced the rears @ 93k. Got a new full set. I never rotated them.

I always Like before even playing your videos Eric as I know I will be satisfied 🙂. Amazing you got 60k on your 1st set. I had 20k and was below threshold on 2 tires requiring me to replace. Michelin did give me a discount which was nice even though there is no warranty on OEM tires. My second set is lasting pretty well but I'm only at 30,000 into that set. Look forward to your update when you're able to more fully inflate the tires. Hope you can find a similar temperature and wind day to rerun the test. Certainly love the lack of traffic on that road, that is a dream.

Hello Sir, what should be the tire pressure? Door frame says 38psi. But seems you prefer it higher?

Good morning Eric. I recently purchased Continental Pure Contact tires. Getting reduced miles per kilowatt. What tire pressure do you recommend. Thanks

I'd be interesting next time you need tires. To check out a set of cheap tires. I run the Sentury brand on my Prius. I get about 50,000 mi out of them. MPG on the Prius is what it should be 45 to 50 MPG in desert environment and 4500 FT elevation. The best part is they're really cheap. About $300 for a set including mounting balancing and tire disposal. They're nice and quiet traction seems decent. They probably should have enough grip to handle your bolt EV which obviously makes a lot more torque than my Prius. I know Kyle from out of spec motoring put a set on his performance model 3 last year before going on an extended road trip. He knew he was going to do some off-roading and beat the hell out of them so he wanted to try a set of cheap tires and they worked pretty well he was actually pleasantly surprised. my first time buying them I just picked them because they were the least expensive option at that time. But I've been happy with them so I've stayed with them. I checked the pricing for your tire size on the bolt and they're $73 each plus mounting balancing etc My Prius has 15 inch wheels I get the Sentury touring .. they cost ,$48.

I had both on my Volt, not good in snow or rain. Replaced with Michelin Crossclimate 2, great tires! My range was reduced minimally and my traction increased substantially!

I got 62K on my first set. Couldn't believe it! My 2nd set I totally got lazy and only rotated them once, so lazy! Now the back two are bald at 40K while the front two are healthy with half the tread remaining. Moved the fronts to the rear while I"m shopping and pondering what to purchase next. I'm considering purchasing a set of Bridgestone Turanza Quiet Track tires. 80K miles. It's scary to make the change since it's an 80K commitment. Installed at CostCo this week for $808 total. I'll see if Discount Tire can match it. I just got a quote from DT for $1176. No way they'll match that differential, but I guess I should at least see if they can match it.

I had the 2017 Bolt and I have the 2020 Bolt currently. The tire pressure is supposed to be 38 psi for all four tires. I don't trust the tire pressure sensors on the Bolts. They are often off by one psi. Thanks for posting the video.

after 1 year of using your new tires. how are they doing? because bolt doesn't have backup tire, i am looking for the information in case i got flat tire someday. michelon energy saver has selfseal feature. do you thin that's important?

I'm going to find 15 or 16" Chevy Cruze wheels and fit 205/60x16 or 205/65x15" tires respectively; smaller wheels with higher-profile tires are lighter, and that coupled with narrow tires have already been proven to give better range by a buy on the chevy bolt forum. The best LRR tire I used on my Prius was the bridgestone ecopia ep422+, but it's a a terrible winter tire; I had michelin xi3 winters on separate wheels for that car.

Thanks for this! My 2017 has over 50k now and needs tires soon. Is there a good reason not to go with the stock tire? Off topic, is there any way to force the battery heat before hitting a DCFC?

Driven 25K on MichelinEnergySavers HAccordH, average 50mpg. Switched to ContiPurecontact averaging 47mpg better ride and my range is now 700miles/tank instead of 750miles/tank. 50 miles difference per fillup 5-6 bucks more.

I switched to the Nokian WRG4 All Weather. I don't need the maximum range so I am fine with the bit of mileage hit for the better traction in Chicago's wet and winter. But Eric provides the best data of anyone! I would like lighter wheels but have the potholes to deal with.

Thank you for this video. Since January, have you tried another test to see if the mi/kwh move closer to the worn Michelin?

I own both a 2020 Bolt EV, and a 2012 Toyota Camry hybrid. I have been running Continental Pure Contacts on the Toyota, for over 6 years, and I think that they are a great value for money - I paid about $110 each for them. I get a little over 40mpg, with the Continentals. But, they are not self sealing. Don't you think that it is risky running Continentals on your Bolt, as you have no spare ?

As you changed from worn tires to new tires the roll-distance per revolution changed. As a tire wears down that is changing all the time. Tire pressure also changes the distance per revolution. Your speedometer and/or odometer will be off most of the time. Especially the speedometer, since manufacturers design them to show * "at least"* 2% more than actual speed. Great Video! BTW Just Subscribed.

Thanks for the comparo! Your explanations are thorough, but to the point. Have you considered trying narrower tires on minus one size rims or do you know of anyone that has tried narrower tires on the Bolt EV? I ask that because I'm the guy in the mountains who sometimes needs to use snow chains to get to work in the Mojave desert. Dedicated snow tires wouldn't last so well beyond the mountain snow on a long commute with temps above 45 degrees Fahrenheit. And the standard Bolt EV tire width won't permit chains because of the sidewall/strut tower clearance. 'Liked the second loop music and would like to know who that is...j

When the stock Bolt tires wear out I'm going to find 16 or 15" Chevy Cruze wheels and fit 205/60x16 or 205/65x15" tires respectively; smaller wheels with higher-profile tires are lighter, and that coupled with narrow tires have already been proven to give better range by a buy on the chevy bolt forum. The best LRR tire I used on my Prius was the bridgestone ecopia ep422+, but it's a a terrible winter tire; I had michelin xi3 winters on separate wheels for that car.

3.5 mi/ kWh is what I am getting with Hankook Ventus V12 EVO. And my speeds varied between 55 and 70 mph on a 120 mile trip. I have a 2020 Bolt. Interested to see if it improves with higher pressures and break in.

Wish you would have done this test again after breakin before trading for a different vehicle

I just purchased new tires and the efficiency is terrible now. I drive 200 miles round trip 4 to 5 days a week and I could tell right away that I was using more energy compared to the stock tires on the Bolt.

I bought a 2017 Bolt with 27k miles a couple of weeks back. It has Riken Raptor ZR tires on it. I can't imagine the stock tires were worn out so the owner must have wanted something a little more sporty. Guess I am stuck with them for a good while - can't see me throwing a good set of tires away. They seem fine but my driving demands are minimal. My own priority would be road noise. Given that the car is so quiet, tire noise becomes something I would want to minimize. That said, I am not sure how much money I would be prepared to pay for it. I guess, that with a set of tires likely to last 50k miles at least and that being five years of driving for me, dropping $750 on a set of installed tires isn't really that big an outlay.

Hey! Curious if you've heard about the Bolt EV buybacks that are occurring.

Thanks Eric. I haven't looked but do you know if Michelin and/or Continental somehow rate their tires for rolling resistance? In other words, is there an ASTM type test for rolling resistance? Edit: I looked and there is a measurement called RRC. I wasn't easily able to find the rating for the Bolt tires, though.

What PSI do y'all run the originals at? I just set mine at 41 after running then at 34 for the first few months.

I like your videos. Very helpful But this comparison was too short to rate efficiency. The main thing is that you got new rubber and are now safer and you will still be driving an uber-efficient car regardless of actual mile/kwhr

How much did the new tires cost?

I've noticed in most of your videos that the sport icon is lit, do you tend to drive in sport mode, and do you feel you are losing efficiency by doing so? By the way thanks for the great videos I've watched a lot of them leading up to my purchase of a new Bolt.

the silent tire is better in the long run, i dont think there is so much differens just add more tirepressure if its thirsty ? mine has run 130 000 km now sons 2017 soon i have too change myself

What PSI would you typically run your stock Michelin's at?

I want to try oversized 185/60 15 instead of 185/55 15 on my Fiat 500e, it has great 0-40 acceleration but poor traction, so maybe it will adjust the power curve, sacrifice some initial acceleration and get a little more where I can use it. Should be a little softer ride (good). Hope it wouldn't hurt range and efficiency. I can't find any information on this.

had those tires as replacements when i bought 17 bolt used from dealer they suck swapped back to michlins you will too

My LRR with the silica compound added which lessens grip rolls easier and picks up more range but when I had a panic stop at at yellow light they screeched and moaned on my heavier ICE car. Seemed like stopping distance was way to long scary. Lost 10mpg on the Prius buying non LRR, but wow what nice grip and handling. LRR tires provide more range, but you will loss some handling for more MPG or range for sure. Silica Compound.

60k? I'm at 22,500 miles on my 2021 Premier and I'm putting on my 3rd set of the Michelins. That's only 11,250 per front set. You must drive like a Granny. Maybe I need a better tire?

I loved you in 'Breaking Bad'.

I did not think that the Continental Pure Contact was considered a LOW ROLLING RESISTANCE TIRE like the Michelin Energy saver is. Also running your new tires 12 pounds low on max cold pressure is not the way to check for efficiency. Also as you mentioned new tires will always be less efficient than worn tires and that is due to the added contact friction of the new tires. Lastly I was wondering if you have considered the new 2020 bolt since I saw them on sale in Ca. in the 23k to 30k depending on options?

The Michelin's have too little grip for me.

I like the rim, thanks for sharing information

Thank you for doing this. I don't like the stock tires on my BOLT EUV, however, for me, driving over 170+ miles per day, I need every mile of efficiency. If anyone knows a better tire for BOLT EUV that will provide netter grip than stock tires, but offer the same or better efficiency, please share..... I know I'm asking for too much :-)

Love the revenge of the nerds music lol 😂

Glad you like your new tires but the test is pretty meaningless. Can't believe you got that many miles out of your OEM tires.

Switching all the variables makes this video pointless Also you should have got the Pure Contact LS, they have less rolling resistance than the Pure Contact I did a direct comparison, with my Lexus 300h and the Pure Contact LS gave better gas mileage than the Michelin Energy Saver A/S tires it came with, not to mention stellar wet braking vs no wet braking Better ride, handling, I cant hear any noise in the Lexus, so no change their I get 56 mpg with Pure Contact LS vs 53 mpg Michelin Energy Saver A/S Also everybody on RU-vid is using the new Pure Contact LS version on Tesla's According to tire Rack your car would take a 215/50r17 and both tire brands are identical in height 25.5" as I knew they would be Who makes different height, same size tires? If someone comments because they are warn out vs new The opposite would be true, the Michelin's would have more rotations being smaller in diameter

You will get .5kw better with the mitchelins and their silent compare those continental's you will regret it ,you can by the non puncture proof matches same tread

interesting

55mph on CC? Unacceptable. My Hyundai Kona would get in the low 5s key to high fives

When the stock Bolt tires wear out I'm going to find 15 or 16" Chevy Cruze wheels and fit 205/60x16 or 205/65x15" tires respectively; smaller wheels with higher-profile tires are lighter, and that coupled with narrow tires have already been proven to give better range by a buy on the chevy bolt forum. The best LRR tire I used on my Prius was the bridgestone ecopia ep422+, but it's a a terrible winter tire; I had michelin xi3 winters on separate wheels for that car.