GTPE Winter Tires and Range

[Rotmeat]

Howdy, sorry for yet another winter tire thread.

Most of what I've read focuses on winter performance and safety, but I road trip to South Dakota to visit family every winter, and I really need to squeeze out as much range as I can.

EA has been filling out the fast charging desert, but there's still one jump where I have to go about 215 miles in between fast chargers with 4 passengers + luggage. I can use a L2 charger, so it's not like I'd get stranded, but I'd like to avoid any 3-hour charging sessions.

I've been looking around, and it sounds like the stock 19" Premium wheels will fit on a GTPE. I was considering swapping the stock wheels for the EV01(+) aero wheels ( https://www.tdotperformance.ca/fast-wheels-fe01-1975-31tn-42c634-ev01-plus-19-gloss-graphite.html ).

For tires, I'm currently leaning toward Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 EV tires, which are available in both 225/55R19 and 245/45R20, so they'd be an option regardless if I decide to swap out the wheels.

Does anyone see any issue with my plan, or do they have better wheel/tire recommendations for winter road tripping in areas with minimal EV infrastructure?

Sponsored

 

[michaelmmegt]

I drove between Salt lake City and Boise last winter on I84 in my gtpe in about the worst conditions. Cold, snow and a strong wind. Two gaps between chargers on that route are about 130 miles and I had to be very careful to make it. Even going slow at about 50-60 mph I used about 80% to make it. That was on Continental Viking Contact tires on the stock wheels.

So not exactly a comparison to your trip, but I personally would never expect a gt to go anywhere close to 215 miles in the winter.

 

[DevSecOps]

I have CrossClimate2's on my GTPE ...

Before anyone comments - yes we get snow in California and I drive in it often to visit my dad or go snowboarding/skiing.

If you're in Salt Lake, get them from Les Schwab. For $99 they store the summer tires and change out to the winter. In spring, go back $99 they swap them and store the winter for you. That's a lot cheaper than going with a new set of wheels.

Also the CrossClimate2s ride a lot smoother than the factory summer tires.

 

[franzn]

I have CrossClimate2's on my GTPE ...

Before anyone comments - yes we get snow in California and I drive in it often to visit my dad or go snowboarding/skiing.

If you're in Salt Lake, get them from Les Schwab. For $99 they store the summer tires and change out to the winter. In spring, go back $99 they swap them and store the winter for you. That's a lot cheaper than going with a new set of wheels.

Also the CrossClimate2s ride a lot smoother than the factory summer tires.

How are the crossclimates for non-winter? I have them on my wifes car but she has a prius so not really pushing it by any means. Most likely picking up dedicated winters but the crossclimate 2's are great in snow around Denver.

 

[UsernameChecksOut]

I have CrossClimate2's on my GTPE ...

Before anyone comments - yes we get snow in California and I drive in it often to visit my dad or go snowboarding/skiing.

If you're in Salt Lake, get them from Les Schwab. For $99 they store the summer tires and change out to the winter. In spring, go back $99 they swap them and store the winter for you. That's a lot cheaper than going with a new set of wheels.

Also the CrossClimate2s ride a lot smoother than the factory summer tires.

Thanks for the recommendation… I’m thinking of swapping out for winters as well so I can head to local mountains/ski hills.

If you don’t mind my asking, given that you’re temporarily switching out tires, why did you choose to go with an all season versus a more dedicated snow tire?

I’m considering swapping out my stock GTPE tires for a winter tire to go on the stock rim, and going with a wider tire and rim for summer. Just a thought right now although I wouldn’t appreciate the range degradation…

 

[Nemy]

R5 or X-ice snow were at the top of my list for LRR winter tires this year. I went with x-ice because they were great on my Bolt and on sale. Either way, though, you'll be hard pressed to make that trip without a quick charge somewhere along the way. Last winter I did a 206 mile trip in my Select SR with blizzaks and thankfully I DC'd for 20 minutes or I wouldn't have made it (I put exactly 206 miles not 200 because at that range every mile counts). The blizzaks aren't great for range but the GTPE isn't built for it either.

 

[DevSecOps]

How are the crossclimates for non-winter? I have them on my wifes car but she has a prius so not really pushing it by any means. Most likely picking up dedicated winters but the crossclimate 2's are great in snow around Denver.

First of all, I'm not a rubberologist and although I have gone through racing schools and spent time on the track, I'm not going to act like I'm some expert on road gripping tires. For that I resort to people who do tires in their sleep.

So if we head over to TireRack the CC2's are actually rated better than the stock tires on the GTPE in almost every category including dry conditions. I was down to the wear bars on the stock tires and I am at 29k. Based on others reports on wear the stock P-Zero's are not the best wearing tires.

CC2s:

Stock P-Zero Electric:

Thanks for the recommendation… I’m thinking of swapping out for winters as well so I can head to local mountains/ski hills.

If you don’t mind my asking, given that you’re temporarily switching out tires, why did you choose to go with an all season versus a more dedicated snow tire?

I’m considering swapping out my stock GTPE tires for a winter tire to go on the stock rim, and going with a wider tire and rim for summer. Just a thought right now although I wouldn’t appreciate the range degradation…

As I mentioned above I would suggest looking at TireRack and compare the tires. Although the CC2's are "All Season" almost every review I've seen on them gives them really good ratings in normal snow conditions.

In our area we don't have icy roads, it's normally always plowed, sanded and I don't intend to off-road the GTPE in a snowy mountainside. Also in California studded tires aren't allowed. Based on the reviews and the way our winter road conditions are I felt they would be best.

If you search the forum for CrossClimate you will see many users from last year who have them who also speak highly of them.

 

[Psychout]

Hi all, first post on this forum but have been watching/reading very closely since I got my 2022 Mach E eAWD extended range in August. I have just purchased a set of winter wheels and tires:

Fast Wheels Vybz (19 inch) Black
https://fastco.ca/fast-wheels/alloy...tions=S&wheelDiameter=19&stylefinish=Vybz|BLK

Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 EV 225/55/19
https://www.nokiantyres.com/winter-tires/nokian-tyres-hakkapeliitta-r5-ev/

Firstly, the wheels look amazing on this vehicle with zero "poke" and the gloss finish on them matches the gloss black plastic of the MME. Secondly, I've had for the last few vehicles owned Nokian Hak's (studded and non-studded) and they are excellent in the winter. Where they have let me down is typically road noise (reality is Nokian's are not Tier 1 tires/casings like Bridgestone, Michelin, etc). However, I was very keen to see how the new EV foam core dampened road noise and decided to give them a shot.

We haven't had snow/ice just yet here in the interior of BC, Canada, however I'll surely update once we get a few storms to test them out on. So far, I've only noticed a very slight decline in range due to the softer rubber of a winter tire, however I have been running them at 37psi vs 39psi. The good news is the road noise is almost the same as the Michelin Primacy's the car came with and that says a lot given it's still above 0c (32F) here still.

For your GTPE I would recommend sticking with a 19 inch wheel for winter and it will also be a narrower tire in that size 225 vs 245 in the 20's. This will be much better for winter driving and save you some money over the larger sized tires/wheels.

 

[UsernameChecksOut]

First of all, I'm not a rubberologist and although I have gone through racing schools and spent time on the track, I'm not going to act like I'm some expert on road gripping tires. For that I resort to people who do tires in their sleep.

So if we head over to TireRack the CC2's are actually rated better than the stock tires on the GTPE in almost every category including dry conditions. I was down to the wear bars on the stock tires and I am at 29k. Based on others reports on wear the stock P-Zero's are not the best wearing tires.

CC2s:

Stock P-Zero Electric:

As I mentioned above I would suggest looking at TireRack and compare the tires. Although the CC2's are "All Season" almost every review I've seen on them gives them really good ratings in normal snow conditions.

In our area we don't have icy roads, it's normally always plowed, sanded and I don't intend to off-road the GTPE in a snowy mountainside. Also in California studded tires aren't allowed. Based on the reviews and the way our winter road conditions are I felt they would be best.

If you search the forum for CrossClimate you will see many users from last year who have them who also speak highly of them.

Thanks for the great level of detail. I didn't realize that these wheels were rated so highly for winter/snow driving. The fact that it has the 3 peaks/Snowflake marking is great as I'd prefer something that works well for city roads but also lets me go up the local hill passes for occasional weekend skiing.

I'll definitely be looking into these... hopefully they'll be available for a reasonable price around my parts.

 

[gryphon]

We have the CC2s on our Subaru Outback and I can provide another vote of confidence for these tires. Although they haven't seen the Tahoe snow quite yet, they did handle the rain very well and their dry performance seemed solid to the extent I could evaluate that in a 3.6L Outback. Also, I have to say that the aesthetic of the tread pattern on these tires is pretty striking and unique.

 

[Murse-In-Airy]

@Rotmeat , your plan for tires sounds very reasonable for maximizing range. However, you plan to road trip South Dakota in a winter in a GTPE does not sound reasonable.

I’m not a naysayer. I love my car. I am an EV proponent. But I also live in similar latitudes and winter weather. If I precondition, charge to 100%, and drive exactly 65 MPH, I’m confident I can get 180 miles in winter. And that’s without the winds across the plains of South Dakota. Changing wheels and tires may get me an extra 5-10%. It’s never going to get me an extra 20%. You’d have to drive across South Dakota at 55 MPH to squeeze out that kind of range in 20° temperatures and ain’t nobody doing that.

This is one of the few cases where I would agree with someone who says, rent a different car for the weekend.

Further thoughts… this above even assumes that the 215 mile gap is at the beginning of your trip… where you can start from a 100% charge. Otherwise you’re still spending a long time at a level 3 charger getting level 2 speeds trying to start that gap at 100%. And when I say I feel confident in getting 180 miles at 20°F, that’s with only me in the car and with the heat only set to 60°. Add my family and a little heat and I’m not going further than 150 miles (which for me is Syracuse and back). Add a couple stops elsewhere in town while I’m down there and I’ll hit a quick charge before I come back home. So bridging a 215 miles… it’s a bridge too far for me. And this isn’t my first winter with a Mach-E.

 

[Rotmeat]

Thanks for the replies, everyone.

I've spoken with my passengers, and they say they don't mind charging at a L2 for 2-3 hours. We'll have to stop for lunch and dinner sometime, anyway, so it might not be much of an inconvenience.

I'm going to be watching my efficiency as it gets colder. We just had a cold snap here where it got below freezing, and with passengers + aggressive driving + tires a little underinflated + heat set to high, I was still getting about 2.7kW/hr. With less aggressive driving and the heat off, I suspect I MAY be able to get enough miles out of it, but I'll watch it. I'll do a trial run the weekend before.

If my efficiency looks like it's going to be too low, or if the weather forecast looks bad, I'll probably swallow my pride and rent a Tesla. There are about twice as many Superchargers on our trip as CCS chargers, and you never have to go more than about 110 miles between stations. I figure a Model Y LR should be able to handle that just fine.

Another alternative is that I just take I-70 instead of I-80. It's a big detour, but I managed that drive last year, even through blizzard conditions most of the way.

 

[jdsimard2012]

Howdy, sorry for yet another winter tire thread.

Most of what I've read focuses on winter performance and safety, but I road trip to South Dakota to visit family every winter, and I really need to squeeze out as much range as I can.

EA has been filling out the fast charging desert, but there's still one jump where I have to go about 215 miles in between fast chargers with 4 passengers + luggage. I can use a L2 charger, so it's not like I'd get stranded, but I'd like to avoid any 3-hour charging sessions.

I've been looking around, and it sounds like the stock 19" Premium wheels will fit on a GTPE. I was considering swapping the stock wheels for the EV01(+) aero wheels ( https://www.tdotperformance.ca/fast-wheels-fe01-1975-31tn-42c634-ev01-plus-19-gloss-graphite.html ).

For tires, I'm currently leaning toward Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 EV tires, which are available in both 225/55R19 and 245/45R20, so they'd be an option regardless if I decide to swap out the wheels.

Does anyone see any issue with my plan, or do they have better wheel/tire recommendations for winter road tripping in areas with minimal EV infrastructure?

Take a look at Continental VikingContact 7 which is what I ended up on my GTPE. Good price point and very satisfied with the tires and traction in cold / snowy weather.

Sponsored