I want to increase the rubber on the tires for comfort, noise, and grip (hopefully), but I don’t need to change the wheels, just the tires. Has anyone done this? Any sizing recommendations? Something like a 1-inch increase in diameter….. Thoughts?
Slightly larger tires for 2022 EUV
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Personally, I would just look for a tire that has those attributes without changing the size. Something perhaps in the Touring category. You could check reviews on Tire Rack for example. You'll probably lose a little range over the OE tires though. It's always about tradeoffs.
I would be reluctant to go as much as an increase of 1" in diameter. Maybe someone who has tried a larger diameter can speak to that.
There are some true tire experts on the forum who I am sure will chime in but agree with SpicyBolt that if you really don't like the tires (not sure why) then seek one out with the qualities you want.
Noise and grip have nothing to do with the overall diameter. Comfort may be enhanced with a taller sidewall but you would do that by dropping your rim size to 16" and then make up the difference with a larger tire so you end up with the exact outside diameter of what you have now. Too many clearance issues and speedometer issues if you mess with the outside diameter.
I've had cars in the past where I've gone with smaller rims due to cost for winter tires and a taller sidewall to make up the difference and the ride quality difference to me was about the same so not sure if you will find what you are looking for there.
From my RVing experience, ride quality is mostly about air pressure at the end of the day and we set those according to weight but not sure you have too much wiggle room on the EUV.
Do you drive the EV or an EUV? I've seen similar comments a few times and can't figure it out. The all season OEM Michelins on my EUV have been flawless.
What would you consider a real tire if Michelin isn't?
Yes I drive the EV.
I love Michelin tires. I have them on most of my cars.
Here are the issues with THIS particular tire: Its made for self sealing and low rolling resistance. NOTHING else. So if you are Grandma its gonna be perfect for you. However if you like to turn, stop, accelerate, etc this is not the tire for you.
I drove with them for 1000 miles and it was painful. Every day. I swapped them out for real tires and the difference is night and day!
My new EUV is coming in about a month. I will drive the car from the dealer to the tire shop and have them replaced. Actually with other Michelin tires. Best and safest mod you can do on these cars.
I love Michelin tires. I have them on most of my cars.
Here are the issues with THIS particular tire: Its made for self sealing and low rolling resistance. NOTHING else. So if you are Grandma its gonna be perfect for you. However if you like to turn, stop, accelerate, etc this is not the tire for you.
I drove with them for 1000 miles and it was painful. Every day. I swapped them out for real tires and the difference is night and day!
My new EUV is coming in about a month. I will drive the car from the dealer to the tire shop and have them replaced. Actually with other Michelin tires. Best and safest mod you can do on these cars.
I believe my Bolt manual says there is no clearance for tire chains. Don't big potholes push the tires way up in the wheel well when you hit them? Have you bought and installed a spare tire yet? To me, that's a much more important NJ accessory than tuning my performance in an electric econobox. (Not badmouthing my own car choice, just pointing out that this is not a Cadillac Escalade, or a Mustang that needs slicks to look cool.)
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Its possible EUV has different tires but don’t think so. My 2020 Bolt wasn‘t too bad for the first few hundred miles but since has become worse. On dry pavement it will spin the tires from a stop and on wet pavement it is capable of spinning the tires at up to 50 MPH. I really watch it when driving in the wet. They are marginally better than the OEM tires on my Volt.
I’m starting to look for replacement tires. Hope to get some performance without loosing much range. 9,000 miles on OEM - Bolt is a fun car to drive and quite sporty. Issue isn’t Michelin but low rolling resistance plus self sealing. I have Michelin tires on my motorcycle and it can pull a wheelie in the wet. Can does not mean I do it! They do make good tires, just not these.
Fair enough....I'm either a grandma or there is something different about the EUV. I'm just not experiencing any issues with turning, stopping or accelerating.
That being said I don't use them in the winter.
Any change to the overall diameter of the OEM tire will have affects on the accuracy of the speedometer as well as measuring for estimated range. I do not know if you can re-program the ECU for a different tire size.
That said the only way to increase the height of the tire while maintaining the correct diameter is to go to a smaller diameter wheel. That will help with ride comfort but will also make handling, acceleration and braking all worse.
There are 3 ways to improve grip. 1. Put a wider tire on the car. 2. Change the compound of the tire 3. Change the tread pattern of the tire.
1. A wider tire (of the same tire) in general will have increased grip assuming that the wheel is sized correctly for the tire. A 225 tire on a 6" wheel will not perform as well as a 225 tire on a 7" wheel.
2. In the summer, run summer tires. In the winter run winter tires. If you want to suck all year buy all season tires.
3. See #2
Use this tool to determine what changes you can make and stay within an acceptable change in diameter and revolutions per mile.
Tire Size Calculator
As a rule of thumb if you don't fully understand how the changes will affect the car and the cost of those changes are of significant cost then it is probably best to stick with what the factory specifies and only change the type of tire (Summer / Winter / All season etc)
That said the only way to increase the height of the tire while maintaining the correct diameter is to go to a smaller diameter wheel. That will help with ride comfort but will also make handling, acceleration and braking all worse.
There are 3 ways to improve grip. 1. Put a wider tire on the car. 2. Change the compound of the tire 3. Change the tread pattern of the tire.
1. A wider tire (of the same tire) in general will have increased grip assuming that the wheel is sized correctly for the tire. A 225 tire on a 6" wheel will not perform as well as a 225 tire on a 7" wheel.
2. In the summer, run summer tires. In the winter run winter tires. If you want to suck all year buy all season tires.
3. See #2
Use this tool to determine what changes you can make and stay within an acceptable change in diameter and revolutions per mile.
Tire Size Calculator
As a rule of thumb if you don't fully understand how the changes will affect the car and the cost of those changes are of significant cost then it is probably best to stick with what the factory specifies and only change the type of tire (Summer / Winter / All season etc)
This is simply not true. In fact it may actually IMPROVE these things.
Well this I can understand because I haven't spun tires on dry pavement since I was a young lad and I have never spun them moving at 50 MPH unless maybe I hit a patch of ice so you and I clearly have different driving styles...not saying one is bad over the other just that to me you would be pushing the limits of the tire.
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I wouldn't disagree. A couple of places I pull out have limited sight distance andante slippery pavement in the wet. One can be a real challenge walking the tight line between accelerating and spinning even with TC. Uphill stop signs are another place where it will spin. I try and drive well away from the limit of the tires so have a safety margin but amazing how close these tires can be when going with the flow of traffic. LOL only reason I know they will spin at 50 is checking to see how much traction I had in a straight line. Really kind of scary that it will do that. Have to be quite careful in the wet and avoid sudden maneuvers. I can see how an unsuspecting driver could easily overdrive the tires in the rain without realizing it. In this area it is hilly and my neighborhood has lots of hills and stops on hills and curves plus people drive quickly. I always like to know where the limits are so will not be surprised in an accident avoidance situation.
Nope.
LOL, talking to a guy that has been tracking cars since the 90's and has gone through numerous sets of street and track tires. LOL, unsprung weight.
Well you must be pretty slow on the track then! 
What size wheels do you have on your race cars? Remind me - why is it race cars have small wheels again?
Why don't street cars have 25" wheels (or bigger) if that helps with all the things you mention?
Physics!
What size wheels do you have on your race cars? Remind me - why is it race cars have small wheels again?
Why don't street cars have 25" wheels (or bigger) if that helps with all the things you mention?
Physics!
Yeah, pretty slow. Tend to be top 5 fastest in local events and depending on what car I was in would set FTD. Keep in mind my region when I was active usually had several past national champions. Won several divisionals in my class as well as 2nd overall for the season. Normally finish mid pack at the Nationals. You know, the place where people trailer their street cars to the track to race. Where the top guy has a $25,000 car with $20,000 of parts. I have not been active for a few years as other things in life became more important.Well you must be pretty slow on the track then!
What size wheels do you have on your race cars? Remind me - why is it race cars have small wheels again?
Why don't street cars have 25" wheels (or bigger) if that helps with all the things you mention?
Physics!
What size wheels on my race cars? The lightest ones that fit the size regulations for the class (that I can afford). In most cases it would be a factory wheel as factory alloy wheels are generally very good and unless you want to spend $250 - $500 per wheel you will not see much if any improvement. Most people buy aftermarket wheels for the street and put "race tires" on the factory wheels. Although now the street classes run street tires so most buy a dedicated set of whatever tire is best that year for racing. Have you ever read an actual SCCA rulebook? I imagine not or you would realize exactly how ignorant your question is.
Do you just play Forza and read car mags or have do you have any actual experience with wheel tire setup / suspension setup etc. You spout terms like somebody with 0 practical experience but a lot of internet experience. Racing is not the Fast and Furious with Race Wars made up Hollywood BS.
Unsprung weight. LMFAO. You act like that becomes the sole variable in how a cars performance changes. You make a statement of that is just wrong with your only comeback is look up unsprung weight. OMFG, LMFAO.
OP was asking about changing tires and using the factory wheels. In how he drives the car unsprung weight will have 0 impact in his decision. What will having an impact is going from a 50 to a 60 series tire. Keeping the width the same at 215 you will have a decent increase in sidewall height. The increase in sidewall height will probably come with an increase of weight. It probably will have improved ride feel as there is more air cushion in the tire. I don't entirely know how it will change a timed 0-60 run (but I doubt he cares) but I doubt it will make it faster. The Bolt is traction limited in its performance. I have tested and know for a fact that a grippier tire on the Bolt will definitely improve the acceleration. The 60 series tire will definitely change the steering feedback and responsiveness of the car and make it worse (IMO, others may like the vague feeling). The factory tires are bad enough for steering response and traction. Also, just about any tire you buy will negatively impact range. This has everything to do with the tire compound used. The one thing that the factory tires are good for is delivering the maximum mile / kWh possible.
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