Hey Scotty,
As you know one of the drawbacks of an EV are the tires tend to wear out faster than on an ICE car. What is the reason for that? I have heard reasons such as heavier weight being the culprit, but what is really going on?
Heavier weight is the only thing I can think of. It depends on the model but it looks like most of them weigh in somewhere between 4000 and 5000 pounds.
https://www.way.com/blog/how-much-does-a-tesla-weigh/
In comparison, curb weight of a 2023 Toyota Camry is about 3500 pounds, a Highlander 4200 pounds.
So with a quick look it appears they are typically heavier but it depends on what models you're comparing.
For instance, I have read Tesla Model 3s going through tires quicker. One set may last 10,000-15,000 miles. A Tesla Model 3 can weigh 3,800 to 4,100 lbs (curb weight).
It makes all the difference. Heavier cars wear their tires out faster unless you adjust had have either increased tread height or a harder compound that resists the added wear better. The vast majority, if not all tires are intended for ICE cars, not EVs. It's similar to riding with a lot of excess weight in your car. If you put an extra 1500 pounds in an ICE car, the tire wear will probably be similar.
What you really have to compare is the curb weight of an EV to that of a gasoline-powered vehicle of comparable size, interior space, and load carrying capacity. You can find examples going either way (A Tesla 3 is lighter than a GMC Yukon but they're wildly different vehicle types). To get an accurate assessment you really need to compare vehicles with similar size and functionality.
I've never really looked into the tire wear issue since there are so many other drawbacks to consider and I have no interest in EVs regardless.
{pear}:wink:
The Tesla Model 3 is usually compared to a Honda Civic in terms of total cost of ownership. The 2023 Honda Civic weighs between 2,800 and 3,100 lbs (curb weight) so about 1,000 lbs less than a Model 3.
Electric motors are very torquey things. They can accelerate much harder than your average combustion engine.
Maybe electric cars come with softer tires to maintain traction.
EV tires usually have lower rolling resistance for better efficiency, at the cost of wearing out faster.
"This is why you’ll typically see narrower tires fitted to hybrid and electric vehicles as original equipment."
however,
" Modern tire compound advancements have allowed for harder, more energy efficient tread."
https://www.tirebuyer.com/education/rolling-resistance-and-fuel-economy
Uhhhh, EVs usually have wide tires to handle the bit of extra weight and lots of extra performance.
It might have been true like a decade ago when the hight of EV technology was the BMW i3 and other misery boxes.
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Tesla model 3s come with 235/45R18, 235/40R19, 235/35R20 all of these have a width of 235.
Same for Geely selling only 225 tires on EVs, VW group with 225 and 235, Hyundai is 225, 235, 245.
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(A corolla for reference has 195 tire width, so 1 - 2 inches less in width)
Nissan leaf 205
Hyundai Ioniq 205
Toyota Prius 195
So the Nissan Leaf and iONIQ have tires 10mm wider than the low end Corolla, the same size as the average Corolla.
It's worth mentioning that both have significantly less performance than a US market base 2023 Corolla has.
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And the Prius uses the same platform and powertrains (globally) as a Corolla in recent generations.
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To be clear, as i said "narrower tires" were a thing "like a decade ago when the hight of EV technology was the BMW i3 and other misery boxes"
I mean the BMW i3 with 155, and the early 2000s Prius with 175.
^ Photo from the internet.
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BUT modern EVs (and with how fast that's moving I'd define that as the model 3 and cars launched after it) do have usually wide tires.
EV tires have been developed and they're properly thick, last long, here, I took a pic of the tire from a friend's Skoda Enyaq just as an example
(Sold in the US as the VW I.D 4), it's quite wide.
https://imgur.com/a/7CZI6VM
The rears (the driven wheels) are even wider - the same width a Mercedes Pullman Guard armored limousine.
And no, there is not a significant price disparity on markets where these tires are common place, like in the US, EU and here.
Yep, you have to wonder at what point serial incompetence becomes total corruption. Take Sadiq Khan (London mayor) over her in the UK. Introducing a £12.50 charge a day to drive your ICE car in London. No charge for Evs. But they estimate now that the tyre dust is far more damaging to the human respiratory system than diesel. So you've got that 100% torque, heavier car, then all the brake dust stopping them, plus the higher council tax to maintain the roads, and as Scotty Kilmer recently said - all the rubber/plastic from the tyres going into the storm drains and into the sea. And I'm sure tyre companies will start getting China to make crappy tyres like everything else at some point
Add all of that to the stop/go rev fast & hit brakes at lights style of city driving morons and...yeah, EVs are gonna raise our quality of life for the future all right. A bright future for all with EVs and maggott burgers and fries.
Khan should be charging EV drivers more, since ICE drivers already sucked dry by fuel tariffs. That means ICE drivers are paying the way for EV drivers. (theft) Where are they going to get money to repair roads when everybody is driving EVs?
they estimate now that the tyre dust is far more damaging to the human respiratory system than diesel
I have a friend who lives next to a busy arterial route up on the 11th floor (approx 100 ft/36m). He has a big wrap around deck, and the whole thing gets coated in a visible layer of fine grey dust. It's tire dust. The air is full of it. I don't smell any exhaust.
I'm a tradesman, and my knowledge is out of date (just going off topic here but I think it's worth it because it's health related) so from what I remember, Asbestos gets you because the fine asbestos particles get into your lungs. Then the blood cells attack it and try to break it down. As it can't be broken down, they clump up more to overwhelm it, and then that progresses into lung cancer.
The counter argument is "Why arn't we all dying of lung cancer?". But it's down to the type of particles, and the dosage. So you might get a dosage of particles your body can't break down, but it will take 80 years before it becomes lethal...
I can't help but wonder if years from now they'll have a lightbulb moment and say tyre dust is as dangerous as asbestos. But tbh they already know, and they put tools like Sadiq Khan out there to say they're improving air quality by doing the very thing that's making it worse. Then they call you a conspiracy theorist for pointing this stuff out.
@alex-g Tires have been around for a lot longer than a human lifetime. But breathing large amounts of ANY kind of particulates is hard on the body.
what is really going on?
People buy a heavier car with much higher torque and performance than a regular car -
And expect cheap tires to last the same.
Any good tire, especially with a tread-life warranty lasts well.
