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What winter tires for Kona EV?

14K views 22 replies 17 participants last post by  odaigle 
#1 ·
What winter tires will all of you be putting on your new Kona EV? We live in Vancouver, BC and have mainly a rainy winter with a couple of blasts of snow yearly for a week a time--usual winter temperatures about 4 C with 0-3 C at night (we can dip to -3 and lower for a few days at a time). My husband has a Lincoln and uses the Nokian All Weather tires. I have the C-Max Energi Phev and I don't take it out in the snow as it hasn't been worth it to me to buy winter tires for the 2 weeks or so of snow. But when my Kona EV comes, I am considering Nokian All Weather and I wonder if that is feasible? I know with my C-Max even in the rain I have not been happy with the Michelin tires that came with the car as I really do get a lot of squeal and spin if I am not consciously gentle with starting off at the traffic lights due to high torque. Any advice from long term EV drivers on appropriate tires?
 
#3 ·
I will look them up. Thanks Magpiehg. I know I will have to do something other than using the ones that come with the car. We have climate much like London area I think. We have very strict laws here that come Oct. 1 we have to have winter tires on our cars. All Season not legal, but we can have All Weather. I hope to get away with some sort that is legal year round like the All Weather. Even with the mild climate here, those icy days can be hell with my PHEV. I should see if Bjorn Nyland has anything reviewed for EV tires.
 
#7 ·
As long as the bolt pattern and centre bore match up (or if you have an adapter), it shouldn't be an issue, right? I don't think the regen has any components that would be directly affected by the tire size. The real trouble with winter tires and electric vehicles is that there really aren't any "low rolling resistance" tires, as that kind of defeats the purpose of having that extra traction in the cooler months.

I have a Kona on order and am planning on purchasing 16" Michelin - X-Ice Xi3 from Costco (215/60R16), along with 16" steelies or aluminium rims. Not only do they fit, but they are also cheaper this way, while being less than 1% difference in total size (so 1km difference at 100km/h)! I wonder if the steelies offer less drag vs rims... Has anyone ever heard of that test?
 
#8 ·
The most aerodynamic wheels are the flat, smooth surfaced ones like you get with the car; the more different it is to a dinner plate (!) the less aerodynamic they are. Also, steel rims are heavier than alloy wheel rims so that won't help either.
 
#9 ·
Richard, can you remind me please what size Continental All Season you got for your Kona. I can only see 215/50 17’s listed and not the original Nexen size of 215/55 17’s.

The fronts after 15,000 miles are almost down to 50%. 2,500 miles to the south of France and back hardly took any rubber off. As for the rears unless I switch them round soon they will time expire from UV damage before they wear out!

So I propose to replace the two half worn ones come September with a pair of Continentals on the back, giving me a chance to scrub some more rubbe off the other two and replace before winter arrives.

If you think the Nexens are noisy- which they are in the UK I can tell you that on most of the French Autoroute network the tarmac was so good that the tyres were remarkably quiet. However a new set of tyres is cheaper than paying Autoroute tolls on a regular basis.

Will your car be at Gaydon on Sunday so I can admire your tyres?

?⚡
 
#10 ·
Richard, can you remind me please what size Continental All Season you got for your Kona. I can only see 215/50 17’s listed and not the original Nexen size of 215/55 17’s.

The fronts after 15,000 miles are almost down to 50%. 2,500 miles to the south of France and back hardly took any rubber off. As for the rears unless I switch them round soon they will time expire from UV damage before they wear out!

So I propose to replace the two half worn ones come September with a pair of Continentals on the back, giving me a chance to scrub some more rubbe off the other two and replace before winter arrives.

If you think the Nexens are noisy- which they are in the UK I can tell you that on most of the French Autoroute network the tarmac was so good that the tyres were remarkably quiet. However a new set of tyres is cheaper than paying Autoroute tolls on a regular basis.

Will your car be at Gaydon on Sunday so I can admire your tyres?

?⚡
I spoke to a Hyundai guy in Ireland even if you change two of the tyres (front or back) you risk the issue arising form this thread Frequent ESC blinking and sensation impacting Steering and Speed. so i think having the tyres rotated and replacing all four would be a good thing, the front to back thing may still be an issue, check out this post Kona electric Tyres, looks at the eu labbelling of tyres which is of use.

thanks

Ian
 
#11 ·
Yep, swapping two tyres at a time is a bad idea I'm afraid - if you really want to see them out, rotate front and rear until they're all worn enough. However they will be spectacularly rubbish in winter!

The correct size isn't generally available in the UK, but you can buy them from EU-wide supplier mytyres.co.uk:


They ship to the UK in a couple of days, I've been using them for years on my and family cars. You can get them delivered directly to a fitting centre if you call the fitting centre to let them know to expect them.

Yes, I'll be at Gaydon on Sunday :) and I'd be very happy to take you for a spin round the block with them. I'll send you a private message with my mobile number. If anyone else would like to take a look and have a drive too, send me a message :).
 
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#12 ·
Sorry we missed you today. It was a much dryer day at Gaydon than we expected, much dryer than back home in Leicestershire. Perhaps we should return.

I have bought a set of winter tyres on steel rime from MyTyres in the past.

The Continentals are currently £123 each, not bad ar all, so I just need to check with my regular guy as to fitting costs.

Thanks
 
#13 ·
I just need to check with my regular guy as to fitting costs.
The local tyre fitters I normally use have started charging £20 per tyre to fit tyres bought on-line and not through their business. Used to be £12 per tyre. Perhaps they are losing too much money if the tyres are not bought by them, themselves. That is fair enough, if that is the case, but I will still be be looking around at other fitters, next time I need tyres, to see if £20 is now a "normal" price.
 
#17 ·
New Kona EV owner here in Canada (Toronto). Hoping to revive this thread and see what people ended up using last winter. Like rbilodeau I am eyeing the Michelin X-Ice Xi3 (currently on sale at Can. Tire). What about rims? We've always bought a separate set of steel rims for our winter tires, but I'm wondering what the extra weight will do to our mileage. Thoughts?
 
#18 ·
We've always bought a separate set of steel rims for our winter tires, but I'm wondering what the extra weight will do to our mileage. Thoughts?
If you weigh them, there’s a reasonable chance you’ll find the steel rims are lighter. I was surprised, but many rims are heavier than steel! That said, I suspect a non-aero design will still reduce range through increased drag.
 
#21 ·
Just got my 2023 Kona EV, and using the information provided here I was confident enough to go for 16 inch rims for my winter tires. I picked the Fast Wheels EV01+, size 16x6.5. I also checked with the manufacturer, and the answer was the 16x6.5 were the "recommended fitment for your vehicle".

I received the wheels (with 205/60R16 Yokohama IG53 tires) Yesterday and checked that they fitted properly. They have obviously less clearance around the brake callipers than the stock wheels, around 1 cm, but they fit nevertheless. I check both front and rear wheels. I won't be using the winter tires just yet, so I put back the summer tires. Will be ready for snow and ice!
 
#22 · (Edited)
This is really surprising!!

I have just looked up the 2023 Kona EV specs. Wheel size front and rear is 17 inch. Every website I've found says the same for the 2023. People on Kona EV forums have all reported that 16s won't fit on the rear because of the extra clearance required for the electric park brake mechanism. 16s don't fit on the rear of my 2021 model.

Perhaps Hyundai has changed the rear caliper so it would be great if you could confirm that. Did you actually fit a 16 to the rear and test it? Was it on straight and secure, the lug nuts done up tight and did it rotate with no scraping sound?
 
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