A list of available Low Rolling Resistance (LRR) tires for our EVs
Okay, I think I'm done. I guess I have to be, since I've already hit the 'Place your order' button. It's about time, after countless hours online looking for the best deal on Low Rolling Resistance tires for our RAV4 EV.
One thing I knew for sure right off is that I won't be getting the original equipment Yokohama Geolander G91 POS tires that the car came with. Stay away from these. They were down near the wear bars last June, in less than 25K miles, which really ticked me off. What car company in their right mind sticks tires with a tread wear rating of 200 on a vehicle that's not even remotely targeted for weekend racers? And with such a presumably sticky compound, why did they still squeal like a pig (two pigs, actually, the front ones) when asked to take a corner with the slightest bit of throttle? And as crappy as they are, why did the dealer quote over $200/tire last summer?
Surprisingly, I managed to eke another 8K miles out of them (less driving in Sport mode), but they're well past the wear bars and it's been a wet winter by So Cal standards. Thus, I figured it's high time to chuck the Yokohamas and install fuel-efficient tires that might go twice as far, or at least have double the tread wear rating (400+).
Why LRR tires? Well, based on various reports/articles by Tire Rack, Alternative Fuels Data Center, Consumer Reports, and others, it seems to me that settling on non-LRR tires could reduce an EV's range by 3% or perhaps more. On a 100-mile EV, a few miles of range degradation is hard to ignore, particularly when home is a few miles away while unexpectedly running near empty. Besides, after quickly looking at all the 225/65R17 tires out there, it seems that tires marketed as LRR/fuel-efficient/green/energy-saving/etc don't cost more than ones that are not.
So what's out there? Unfortunately, you can't just Google 'LRR tires' or something like that and immediately get a comprehensive, up-to-date list that you can work with. What you do get are links to a lot of great info on fuel-efficient tires in general from sources such as Edmunds, HybridCars.com, and of course Tire Rack. There are a number of lists on various forum posts and on Tire Rack's write-up, mostly circa 2012-2014, but the data is old, not to mention incomplete or if recent, piecemeal.After doing some digging and sifting, I found that the best list of available LRR tires is from TireRack.com... just shop for your tire size or vehicle, then click on the 'Low Rolling Resistance' filter. For the RAV4 EV, there are 17 choices. For the Gen 1 Volt (215/55R17), there are also 17 choices, some of which are not the RAV4 EV list. For a LEAF S and Prius Plug-in base model, there are over 20 all-season choices and a handful of summer tires. I also checked Discount Tire Direct, which included LRR tires from Goodyear and Road Hugger.
A union of these choices gives us a pretty comprehensive list of what's out there. Note that most tire manufacturers have a cute designation for boasting products with low rolling resistance, which makes it easier for us to spot fuel-efficient options a crowded replacement tire market.