Tire wear / rotation on Mach-E and other EVs

[Sweetwater]

Wheels and Tires........ A lot of talk about the wheel covers. I will not change
what is there. Some people want to change rims. Do you think you really can
as these were designed for the Mach ? Tires......Well my Tesla wore out the rear
tires sooner than usual because of regeneration. And tires are specific to the car.
You will not find OEM tires at local tire store.

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[macchiaz-o]

Tires......Well my Tesla wore out the rear
tires sooner than usual because of regeneration.

Why does regenerative braking wear out tires faster? I would have thought it would be the opposite (if any difference at all).

 

[Sweetwater]

Why does regenerative braking wear out tires faster? I would have thought it would be the opposite (if any difference at all).

The regeneration will slow down the car. As it does it is "dragging" the rear tires
with the resistance of generating power. This is not really dragging but do you
see how this happens ? It really does affect tire wear. I welcome other input
to help explain this.

 

[ChasingCoral]

It increases the rate at which you need to rotate the tires.

 

[Trede]

So, let's say that your tire is spinning 1000 revolutions per minute as you're cruising down the road (speed being irrelevant at this point, just using a nice easy number). At that rate, it is being worn down at a rate also based on the weight of the vehicle and the condition of the road. If you decelerate by 500 rpm in 2 seconds, it doesn't matter if your brakes or the motors did it, you incur (arbitrary number) 2x your previous wear rate for that amount of time. I think EVs wear tires "more" because of their heavier weight moreso than any significant difference in how their tires are slowed.

All of that said, if there's something I'm missing, please feel free to help me understand it. I just don't think the method of deceleration matters, as neither the motor nor the brakes are directly contacting rubber; they're just changing the rate of acceleration. It bears mentioning that that DOES mean you'll have uneven wear front/rear if you don't have the GT, and possibly even then depending on F/R balance of power during accel/decel. (because all other configurations are asymmetrical with either no front motor or a smaller one)

edit: spelling/grammar errors

 

[macchiaz-o]

This article provides what seems to be a really good explanation on why tires may wear faster for an EV: http://www.takechargeandgo.com/2015/08/02/tires-the-achilles-heel-of-the-electric-vehicle/

It's long. To summarize:

• Greater vehicle weight due to battery
• Hard-cornering
• Jack-rabbit starts
• Smaller tires (e.g. narrower), and low-rolling resistance designs, both of which leads to a smaller contact patch area, which means more likelihood of tire slip

I don't think regenerative braking plays any role in worsening wear. At least, I still am not understanding how that could be?

Maybe the regenerative deceleration is greater than the gentler deceleration that I already employ as a driver while coasting to a stop. But this is no different than drivers who wait longer than I do to begin decelerating. As an owner, I would adjust MME's deceleration curve (assuming it's adjustable) so that it isn't harsher than what I'm used to.

 

[highland58]

Wheels and Tires........ A lot of talk about the wheel covers. I will not change
what is there. Some people want to change rims. Do you think you really can
as these were designed for the Mach ? Tires......Well my Tesla wore out the rear
tires sooner than usual because of regeneration. And tires are specific to the car.
You will not find OEM tires at local tire store.

Have you had your tires rotated on a regular basis? The point of doing that is so your tires wear evenly. If your rear tires wore out sooner, it sounds like you have not been doing that, or not doing it often enough.

Tirerack shows choices for tires that fit Teslas, so you should be able to buy them locally. They may not be OEM but they should work fine, maybe better.

 

[Sweetwater]

This article provides what seems to be a really good explanation on why tires may wear faster for an EV: http://www.takechargeandgo.com/2015/08/02/tires-the-achilles-heel-of-the-electric-vehicle/

Thanks very good article. Also some of you may think I "Burned" the tires
off my Tesla. You will be surprised to find out that EVs do not break the tires
loose. You can not "Burn Rubber".

 

[Sweetwater]

Have you had your tires rotated on a regular basis? The point of doing that is so your tires wear evenly. If your rear tires wore out sooner, it sounds like you have not been doing that, or not doing it often enough.

Tirerack shows choices for tires that fit Teslas, so you should be able to buy them locally. They may not be OEM but they should work fine, maybe better.

I had the Roadster. You could not rotate tires front to back as different sizes. Also
they were directional. They needed replaced at 11K miles rears only. Tire Rack did
ship them to me as non available local. Special compound, ply, and speed rating.

 

[Trede]

Thanks very good article. Also some of you may think I "Burned" the tires
off my Tesla. You will be surprised to find out that EVs do not break the tires
loose. You can not "Burn Rubber".

I am more than usually certain that EVs most certainly can and do break the tires loose. Like...a lot.

 

[Sweetwater]

That is unreal !! I never tried that with the Roadster. I guess my point is
at normal driving and quick start will not break tires loose. Any input
from other EV owners ?
Again from dead stop to flooring it no spin.

 

[Trede]

Turn off traction control. EVs are notorious for instantaneous torque. Every EV I've been in can also break its drive wheels loose while going 55 down the highway...just floor the accelerator and the torque jumps up. The only reason I can think why yours didn't is traction control. I can't get my Kia Stinger to spin out or get sideways without turning it off.

 

[JamieGeek]

Just about all EVs have traction control. So you can, if you want, turn it off and burn up your tires.

It was super easy to spin the tires with traction control off on the Focus Electric (and Bolt since they are both FWD). With it on nothing, nada, no tire spin--the FFE had one of the best traction control systems I've ever driven.

Also keep in mind that the low rolling resistance tires are made of a much harder compound than most tires. This means that they will slip easier as they don't have as much of a grip but also that they won't lose much rubber to the pavement either.

For the Bolt GM specifies that tires should be rotated every 7500 miles. I'm not sure if this is to increase the life of the tires reducing wear or throwing a bone to the dealers allowing them to get some service out of the car.

Of course, if the Mach-E includes that "burnout mode" that Ford put in the Mustangs; well then you'll go through a set of tires a week!

 

[Sweetwater]

AHHH yes you are correct. I forgot all about the traction control But I
am not interested in burning tires anymore. Those years are long gone
for me. I just can't wait to enjoy the Mach.

 

[timbop]

Nuts, I didn't even think about that fact that I get my tires rotated at oil changes. I guess I will have to do some maintenance or get a couple of really sturdy hydraulic jacks..

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