Wheels, Rims, and Tires

[GdB]

Question for all those wearing out the front tires quickly. Do they wear evenly? Or is the outside shoulder worn first?

I looked up the alignment spec in the service manual and the camber is zero! That's bad for front end grip. According to a number of articles I read, a small amount of camber should not hurt rolling resistance, and improves wear if you corner hard. JoeS how do your front tires wear?

I'm wondering how much the poor front grip is limited by the OEM front tires and how much by the zero camber (camber kit?). The i-mIev does roll a lot so that does not help.

BTW Due to a flat, I'm driving on one rear wheel switched to a Gen1 Insight with a Goodyear Fuelmax 185/65R14. Diameter is almost a perfect match so no issues.

 

[PV1]

My original front tires wore out on the inside half of the tires due to excessive toe-out. The back tires wore evenly. So far, all four tires seem to be wearing evenly. I had the dealer re-align the front for zero toe in when I got my new tires put on. I have the alignment sheet somewhere that lists all the parameters.

Yokohama tires seem to ride and corner the best, but they have more rolling resistance.
Dunlop tires are stock, ride and corner well, but (at least mine) wear fast.
Continental tires don't corner as well as the Dunlops, but wear well and have equal or better rolling resistance.

 

[JoeS]

JoeS how do your front tires wear?

I now have over 15K miles on my Yokohamas and the wear pattern is pretty even... I just checked, and my left front outer edge is a bit more worn, which I attribute to my penchant for not slowing down much on Interstate circular on/off ramps.

PV1, I must have missed it - does Continental also make front tires for the i-MiEV? I'm personally quite willing to sacrifice 'handling' for lower rolling resistance.

 

[Don]

PV1, I must have missed it - does Continental also make front tires for the i-MiEV? I'm personally quite willing to sacrifice 'handling' for lower rolling resistance.

http://myimiev.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=1656&p=16610&hilit=continental+tires#p16610

Joe,

I've had a pair of Continental Eco Contact EP's on the front of car #1 now for about 18 months and 10,000 miles - They were the only thing my local guy could get me 'same day' when I had a blow out after hitting a big chunk of asphalt that had fallen out of the back of a dump truck

They seem to ride, wear and handle about on par with the factory Dunlops

Don

 

[PV1]

Continental makes tires that only fit on the front. Their rear 175/55R15 are too small for regen to function on US models.

 

[tigger19687]

I wonder if it is possible to move some of this thread into separate threads on each subject ?

Things like
Spare tire thoughts
Yokohama tires ( works, no works, wears, etc)
Goodyear tires ( works, no works, wears, etc)
OEM tires ( works, no works, wears, etc)
Different Rims that work
Issues with putting on new tires

There is SO much info on these pages that it gets lost and hard to find.

???

 

[JoeS]

I wonder if it is possible to move some of this thread into separate threads on each subject ?

Agree! Don, you want to give this a shot, as it'll take me a few days to get around to it? We can delete this post after we're done.
Edit: After thinking about it, I'll start doing this, as I can see us both trying to move something and then maybe losing the posts we're moving...

 

[tigger19687]

Maybe we can still keep this posting but just take out bits and pieces?


Not a huge hurry.

You guys are the best

 

[JoeS]

Maybe we can still keep this posting but just take out bits and pieces?..

Exactly what I plan on doing ... stay tuned.

 

[JoeS]

I wonder if it is possible to move some of this thread into separate threads on each subject ?

Agree! Don, you want to give this a shot, as it'll take me a few days to get around to it? We can delete this post after we're done.
Edit: After thinking about it, I'll start doing this, as I can see us both trying to move something and then maybe losing the posts we're moving...

As I started going through this thread (the longest on this forum) I've realized that it is going to take some time to parse. The problem with single-brand tire topics (threads) is that many posts encompass multiple brands. We already have a thread on wheels, and thus all the posts on rims and wheels should perhaps be merged into it, ..., or perhaps not. I'll consult with Don (this forum's 'wheel' expert) on what to do next. Meanwhile, did create the Spare Wheels topic, and I'm still looking for other posts which relate to that topic. BTW, I'll erase all these extraneous comments when things get cleaned up.

 

[GdB]

I wonder if it is possible to move some of this thread into separate threads on each subject ?

Agree! Don, you want to give this a shot, as it'll take me a few days to get around to it? We can delete this post after we're done.
Edit: After thinking about it, I'll start doing this, as I can see us both trying to move something and then maybe losing the posts we're moving...

As I started going through this thread (the longest on this forum) I've realized that it is going to take some time to parse. The problem with single-brand tire topics (threads) is that many posts encompass multiple brands. We already have a thread on wheels, and thus all the posts on rims and wheels should perhaps be merged into it, ..., or perhaps not. I'll consult with Don (this forum's 'wheel' expert) on what to do next. Meanwhile, did create the Spare Wheels topic, and I'm still looking for other posts which relate to that topic. BTW, I'll erase all these extraneous comments when things get cleaned up.

The best spare would be an extra front OEM wheel that can also be used for the rear. But too hard to find. Not enough wrecks.

I suggest a thread just to share info about available compatible tires sizes. Post the link here. Also note at the top the information about diameter and regen compatibility. For me it is clear what will trigger regen fail within 1/2% diameter.

Maybe later a thread just for custom wheel sizes.

 

[JoeS]

OK, I went through this entire topic (thread) and extracted what I think is all the information dealing with Spare Tires and Wheels and moved those discussions over to the Spare Wheels thread.

In doing so, and after consulation with Don, I've realized what a massive and unworkable effort it would be to extract other specific information from this generic thread. About the only thing I'm eyeing to move is the discussion about oversteer/understeer which should perhaps belong in the Suspension-Handling subforum.

For those interested in this Wheels/Rims/Tires topic, please peruse this thread as there is a wealth of information in here. It is also a good reminder to all of us to stay on topic and not let postings become an interactive drifting conversation in technically-specific threads.

When searching this forum, remember that we can use Google to help supplement the limited built-in search function. Over in Off-Topic, see Admin: Searching This Forum on how to effectively do that.

 

[melloyello]

Perhaps we should close this thread to prevent it from growing further and encourage users to start new threads?

 

[JoeS]

Perhaps we should close this thread to prevent it from growing further and encourage users to start new threads?

Advice taken. Lesson learned: be very specific in the title when creating new threads and stay on topic. For all owners interested in this general subject, this thread will remain a very good resource.