Buying new tires...anyone done this already

ehelmholtz said:

I switched out my tires at 500 miles and put on Michelin defenders. These tires are sticker and less noisy. I haven't noticed a change in range but then again I only had the originals for a short while. At 12K miles now and these tires look new (rated for 80K miles I think).

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90k miles warranty. They are on sale at Costco until July 6-10???

$688.48 for a set of four Michelin Defenders with the appropriate speed rating (101?).

Wow - I never knew tires could make such a difference. The Bridgestone Dueler H/L 422 Ecopia tires are fantastic on the Rav4 EV. They're much quieter than the OEM Yokohama Geolandar G91A tires, and the traction is better too. What amazes me is that those Yokohamas are apparently more expensive than the Bridgestones... that's bizarre, considering how bad the G91A tires are.

The Bridgestone tires don't prevent the Rav4 EV from peeling out from a full stop in Sport Mode when floored, but they do mitigate it somewhat. Just goes to show that the Rav4 EV's traction control is truly horrible and not just the tires' fault (and yes - I've made sure Traction Control has not been disabled by the button next to the Sport Mode button).

I haven't driven enough to comment on any loss in range, but so far it seems comparable to my range with the old Yokohamas on. My sense today was that I had just a little less battery left after 42 highway miles than I normally would have previously, but it could have been because I was driving in Sport Mode and putting the tires through their paces.

As what has probably been said before .Tires are the top and most important part of your vehicle. Choosing the cheapest tires that will fit or the wrong tire has maimed or killed many thousands of people .
All season Tires while some folk claim they are every bit as good as snow tires with the mountain and snowflake symbol. Sorry folks, it ain't so. Mud Muther treads on pavement have their drawbacks too.

Blastphemy said:

Wow - I never knew tires could make such a difference.

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I didn't know that either until I changed tires on my LEAF; now friends think I'm a bit crazy about tires. Interestingly, I changed from the stock Ecopia EP422 (which were not very good) to Michelin MXM4 tires and saw significant improvements in handling, cornering, pavement feedback, stop distance, and even the steering response seemed better. After this, when I got my Volt, I changed to Michelin MXM4 after a 1000 miles on stock Goodyear tires and saw improvements as well albeit not as much. The Michelin Defenders on the Rav4 now are also better and have noticeably less wheel spin on Sports Mode off the line. Most recently, I changed the stock run flats on my Z4 roadster to Michelin Pilot super sport tires and the ride was much smoother and less bumpy while maintaining the steering feel. So, I'm now a believer in the value of getting the right tires for the intended purpose!

Costco has a promotion on Bridgestone tires with $70 off on a set of 4 tires through August 3rd. I had them changed out my RAV4 EV's Yokohama Geolander tires with Bridgestone Dueler H/L 422 Ecopia tires. These Ecopia tires are quieter and have more traction than the Geolanders. I used to hear squealing noises almost every time I make a turn but not after I got the Ecopias. Cornering seems to be tighter and quieter without the squealing sounds. Definitely the right tires make a big difference. I haven't noticed any differences in range yet but after some more driving I'll see.

Anyone know if Costco Tires have the correct lift for our RAVs as to not damage the battery? Is the required lift anything unique or is it something most/all Costco Tire centers definitely have?

Khaihon said:

Anyone know if Costco Tires have the correct lift for our RAVs as to not damage the battery? Is the required lift anything unique or is it something most/all Costco Tire centers definitely have?

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You will be buying the same size tire, this is a non issue and if your tire made that much difference in clearance you would have much bigger issues.

tjka4231 said:

Costco has a promotion on Bridgestone tires with $70 off on a set of 4 tires through August 3rd. I had them changed out my RAV4 EV's Yokohama Geolander tires with Bridgestone Dueler H/L 422 Ecopia tires. These Ecopia tires are quieter and have more traction than the Geolanders. I used to hear squealing noises almost every time I make a turn but not after I got the Ecopias. Cornering seems to be tighter and quieter without the squealing sounds. Definitely the right tires make a big difference. I haven't noticed any differences in range yet but after some more driving I'll see.

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Same experience as you, except I get 5-10% less range overall with the Dueler H/L 422 Ecopias. The GOM used to always read between 103 and 109 miles every morning, but now it's between 96 and 103 after over a month of driving on them. I made sure to reset the GOM when the tires were changed, so it's an accurate representation of the available mileage. In real-world, I do see this slight drop in range, as some trips I used to make with 2-4 bars left at the end now only have 1-2 bars when I get home.

ehelmholtz said:

The Michelin Defenders on the Rav4 now are also better and have noticeably less wheel spin on Sports Mode off the line...

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Anyone have any idea what the impact is on efficiency/range with the Michelin Defenders?

Also, am I the only one who finds it odd to hear people raving about switching to Ecopias? On the LEAF, the Ecopias are certainly efficient, but I've never heard anyone rave about their handling or performance. I replaced the Ecopias with Michelin Energy Savers (on the LEAF) and they're simply amazing compared to the (OEM) Ecopias, though that performance comes at a minor hit to efficiency.

lemketron said:

ehelmholtz said:

The Michelin Defenders on the Rav4 now are also better and have noticeably less wheel spin on Sports Mode off the line...

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Anyone have any idea what the impact is on efficiency/range with the Michelin Defenders?

Also, am I the only one who finds it odd to hear people raving about switching to Ecopias? On the LEAF, the Ecopias are certainly efficient, but I've never heard anyone rave about their handling or performance. I replaced the Ecopias with Michelin Energy Savers (on the LEAF) and they're simply amazing compared to the (OEM) Ecopias, though that performance comes at a minor hit to efficiency.

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The OEM Ecopias on the LEAF are not the same as the Ecopias the you buy at the tire store. It is typical for car manufacturers to have a ultra-cheap tire made for their OEM tire.

4EVEREV said:

Khaihon said:

Anyone know if Costco Tires have the correct lift for our RAVs as to not damage the battery? Is the required lift anything unique or is it something most/all Costco Tire centers definitely have?

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You will be buying the same size tire, this is a non issue and if your tire made that much difference in clearance you would have much bigger issues.

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I didn't mean the tires themselves. I meant Costco Tire Center the location. If the actual center is equipped properly to install RAV4EV tires without damage to the battery.

The special lift you're referring to is required to remove or install the RAV4 EV's battery pack. Tire installation does not require the battery to be removed.

Per the manual, the RAV4 EV can be lifted using conventional floor jacks and stands so long as they don't come into contact with the battery pack while in use. Toyota does warn against using portable tire jacks, but that's not an issue in a professional garage. I had my tires changed at an independent garage near me, no issues, and I can't imagine you'd have trouble at Costco.

One of our OEM tires sprung a slow leak a week ago at 18.7k, so I figured it was time and ordered the Ecopias. They're OK. Cornering is certainly better. Noise, however, is only slightly reduced, and I don't think it's as radical an improvement over the Geolandars as others have implied. That said, it is an improvement. I haven't had them long enough to determine impact on range, it hasn't been substantial so far.

I wonder if there is a big difference between the Ecopias and the Continental LX20. The Continentals have 2 lbs more and I have a new set on my truck and the traction is very good. Knowing the Ecopias on my LEAF were the most efficient tires available but may not translate to these, I would prefer the extra traction of the LX20s if the efficiency is about the same.

eschatfische said:

One of our OEM tires sprung a slow leak a week ago at 18.7k, so I figured it was time and ordered the Ecopias. They're OK. Cornering is certainly better. Noise, however, is only slightly reduced, and I don't think it's as radical an improvement over the Geolandars as others have implied. That said, it is an improvement. I haven't had them long enough to determine impact on range, it hasn't been substantial so far.

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Any more recent thoughts about the Ecopias on your RAV4-EV after spending a couple of months with them?

I need to buy tires soon (22K on the clock now, the factory tires are getting close to needing to be changed, i'm guessing by 25K i'd have to change them).

Anyway, I need to drive occasionally on snow (or might need to, if i take my Rav4EV up to my house in the mountains in the winter). Anyone driven the Rav4EV on snow and have an opinion on tires? The stock tires look like they'd be terrible on snow or ice...

The Ecopias are doing fine. My overall impressions haven't changed - better with cornering, only a mild impact on noise, decent replacement. We haven't seen appreciable range loss with our driving styles.

eschatfische said:

The Ecopias are doing fine. My overall impressions haven't changed - better with cornering, only a mild impact on noise, decent replacement. We haven't seen appreciable range loss with our driving styles.

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Did you drive a LEAF previously? Is it possible that RAV-sized Ecopias are very different from Ecopias on the LEAF? About the only thing LEAF Ecopias have going for them is range...

lemketron said:

Any more recent thoughts about the Ecopias on your RAV4-EV after spending a couple of months with them?

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Blastphemy said:

Wow - I never knew tires could make such a difference. The Bridgestone Dueler H/L 422 Ecopia tires are fantastic on the Rav4 EV. They're much quieter than the OEM Yokohama Geolandar G91A tires, and the traction is better too. What amazes me is that those Yokohamas are apparently more expensive than the Bridgestones... that's bizarre, considering how bad the G91A tires are.

The Bridgestone tires don't prevent the Rav4 EV from peeling out from a full stop in Sport Mode when floored, but they do mitigate it somewhat. Just goes to show that the Rav4 EV's traction control is truly horrible and not just the tires' fault (and yes - I've made sure Traction Control has not been disabled by the button next to the Sport Mode button).

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I stand by my original post above... I love the Ecopias. The range loss is minimal, the noise significantly reduced, and the traction significantly improved.

I put on Michelin Defenders, at 40,000 miles. It rides nicer, but the nicest part is the 90,000 mile warranty.

lemketron said:

eschatfische said:

The Ecopias are doing fine. My overall impressions haven't changed - better with cornering, only a mild impact on noise, decent replacement. We haven't seen appreciable range loss with our driving styles.

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Did you drive a LEAF previously? Is it possible that RAV-sized Ecopias are very different from Ecopias on the LEAF? About the only thing LEAF Ecopias have going for them is range...

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Factory Ecopias could be bad and the varied quite a bit but they were the best range tire for a LEAF period.