[chicagobolt]

I am having my tires replaced next week with a set of Nokian WRG4s. The tire place has good ratings and is a Nokian-preferred dealer, but they have never worked on a Bolt. They've done tire work on Teslas so have past EV experience. I'm going to make sure they know how to turn the car on/off and put it in park. Show them where to see the tire info on the driver info display.

I'm sure this forum has run across folks who've never worked on a Bolt. Any other advice you'd recommend?

 

[NY-Rob]

... make sure you get four tires?

Just kidding!




Just make sure they use the factory jacking points- not the battery pan to lift the car.
Try to keep the rims on the corner they came off of so you don't have to re-learn the TPMS sensor positions (special tool required).
100ft/lbs torque for the lug nuts.


Congrats on your choice of tires, every report I've read by actual owners say the WRG4's are excellent all-year round tires.

 

[redpoint5]

Let them do their job is my advice. Changing tires isn't rocket surgery.

 

[Goose]

... make sure you get four tires?

Just kidding!



Just make sure they use the factory jacking points- not the battery pan to lift the car.
Try to keep the rims on the corner they came off of so you don't have to re-learn the TPMS sensor positions (special tool required).
100ft/lbs torque for the lug nuts.


Congrats on your choice of tires, every report I've read by actual owners say the WRG4's are excellent all-year round tires.

Sorry off topic

I just finished driving around for a few hours while it was actively snowing here in Toronto (Yes, I drove during the night LOL). Accumulation is about 3-5 cm and visibility was very poor at times, the roads were covered with the white stuff. My Bolt has WRG4s equipped since new.
Long story short, the car drove well in terms of accelerating, braking (drove in L and hardly used the physical brakes), turning was fine, and starting off the line was fine. Perfect for mundane go here and there driving scenarios The only issue I had was going up a semi steep hill initially from a dead stop which imposed a bit of a challenge but I would suggest any car even with proper winter tires and native front wheel drive be any different. I did not get a chance to compare it to my other Bolt equipped with Michelin X-ice 3s because my wife is currently away so It's not available for me to compare; The comparison will be subjective anyway but the point is the WRG4s did not impose too many compromises during this mild snowy drive.
This is my first experience driving around with all weather tires and perhaps it's too early to tell at the moment if they really offer a one size fits all solution to those who want to use this type of tire all year long. My ongoing assessment continues and so far so good. If everything turns out well this winter, I'm going to look forward to try another brand like TOYO Celsius next time (just for curiosity) and disregard getting dedicated winter tires all together.

 

[NY-Rob]

^ thanks for the update Goose... I've been taking mental notes on all WRG4 reviews.


I would love to go with just one tire all year round vs. summer/winter tires.

 

[Packard V8]

As to the tire shop question - Yes, mention you'd like the wheels back on the same corner. Most all tire shops will have the TPMS programmer and should routinely program the wheels to the car, but there are some less than scrupulous who'll want to add ridiculously high charges for the programming. Take it off the table by just reminding them it's not necessary.

As to all season tires - your opinions and results may vary, but nearly fifty years of snow belt driving has proven to my satisfaction there's no such tire as "all season." We have a set of winter tires on wheels for each of our vehicles. Yes, it costs. For true, it's a PITA to store and change twice a year. We do the work and feel more comfortable on the road in winter. I asked a Nokian rep why with their winter reputation, they were pushing all-season tires. His answer, "Too many US owners just refuse to do the changeover and run winter tires. If we want to get any sort of foothold in the US, we've got to go with the flow for all season."

It's even more so for those range-obsessed BEV owners. LRR summer tires will have max range but won't have max winter traction.

The max winter traction, and Nokian makes some of the best, won't be as LRR and won't have the best warm weather handling and will wear out in fewer miles.

Another FWIW, while it's technically legal to run any tire down to the wear bars, doing so in winter may cause one to lose control and crash into me or my family, so please don't. For winter traction, tires begin to lose effectiveness when half the tread depth is gone and are useless as they get closer to the wear bars. Around here wintertime, it's not an uncommon occurrence to see SUV/CUVs upside down in the borrow pit, all four "all-seasons" nearly worn shiny; their stunned comment, "But it's got four-wheel-drive."

jack vines

 

[California]

Around here wintertime, it's not an uncommon occurrence to see SUV/CUVs upside down in the borrow pit, all four "all-seasons" nearly worn shiny; their stunned comment, "But it's got four-wheel-drive."

Oh man you should see I-80 coming down the western slope of the Sierras Sunday evening after a good ski weekend. (7,000 ft to zero in 40 miles). People drive like they were still on skis. City people from San Francisco with no experience driving on snow.

You see spun out SUV's in the bushes all the way down.
It starts down at 70 mph open freeway. Then it gets steeper, and curvy, and the bridges are icy ....
It's a toboggan run.

 

[chicagobolt]

I did consider snow tires, but the winter weather around Chicago is more lake effect snow, usually 1 - 3 inches on a regular basis that gradually piles up with an occasional snow storm dropping 10 inches. Gets cleared pretty fast and then you're more likely to lose your tire in the horrid potholes that crop up. Also, better traction in Spring/Summer will be great as lately we've been getting terrible rain storms that flood the county I live in on a regular basis.

I think those terrible SUV drivers are everywhere--morons who think you can still drive 70 on icy roads.

I grew up in Michigan so am used to driving in the snow--even went to college in Marquette, MI where it dumps 120+ inches of snow. Drove around Marquette in my parent's old 1977 Buick with rear wheel drive and no snow tires. Let's just say the hills around Lake Superior were pretty challenging to drive.

 

[jon8491]

(7,000 ft to zero in 40 miles).

Hmmmm. Better recalibrate your altimeter. Even at Auburn you are a few thousand ft above '0'

 

[California]

Even at Auburn you are a few thousand ft above '0'

Ok that was an over-simplification to illustrate my point.

Auburn elevation is 1,227 (Wikipedia) not 'a few thousand ft'. So its about a 6,000 ft elevation drop from the summit to Auburn.

If I had written more precisely I could have said 40 miles of downgrades steep enough to have truck escape ramps and with sometimes enough snow to make it a toboggan run.

 

[Mivo]

^ thanks for the update Goose... I've been taking mental notes on all WRG4 reviews.


I would love to go with just one tire all year round vs. summer/winter tires.

I put the WRG4s on about 6 weeks ago (or rather the shop put them on). The stock tires only had 2500 kms on them. In every way except possibly charge range, the WRG4s are better tires. Traction in wet or dry is better. Feel is better. Road noise is not any more noticeable than the stock ones were. I've had all year Nokians on my last five vehicles and have had zero issues.

 

[beeguz]

My Bolt did great on snow tires, the way it pulled in the wet snow was close to the way a 4wd pulls in those conditions.


If you are going to install snows, wait until you have to install them, the fresher the thread is the better they will pull.


I'm lucky I have 4 extra wheels from my Buick Encore, with snows with very few miles on them, I take them off the car when the roads are clean.


It only takes me about 20 minutes to do the change over, doing one side at a time, when I am finished I reset the TPMS.

 

[jon8491]

40 miles of downgrades steep enough to have truck escape ramps and with sometimes enough snow to make it a toboggan run.

It is that, indeed. If my memory is still good, 2 truck emergency ramps going westbound. I believe in the last storm the road was closed more than once due to spinouts.

I should have said Colfax instead of Auburn. It's just above Colfax, at Baxter exit where the controls are usually put in place for major storms but the road can still rather hairy below Baxter. I think it was only 10 or 15 yrs ago that they put concrete Jersey barriers along that stretch of I80. It was really hairy (rain or shine) before then.

 

[Edchris]

Oh man you should see I-80 coming down the western slope of the Sierras Sunday evening after a good ski weekend. (7,000 ft to zero in 40 miles). People drive like they were still on skis. City people from San Francisco with no experience driving on snow.

Gotta love the fool driving the SUV in your photo, the idiot with 2’ of snow on his roof!

 

[California]

Gotta love the fool driving the SUV in your photo, the idiot with 2’ of snow on his roof!

There are endless photos and videos of inexperienced drivers in the snow up on Donner Summit. Pretty much everyone on the road is a visitor from lower elevation where they have zero experience with snow.

I recall a Youtube video - a CHP cruiser (SUV) with studded tires pushing the back of a big semi that couldn't find any traction to get it moving and out of the traffic lane. He was successful.

But then another officer watching found a broken tire chain in the road and tossed it aside ... right where the next snow blower pass would pick it up and likely jam the machine. That officer must have been a recent transfer from a warmer part of the state. Anybody from snow country would have known better, and would have tossed the chain beyond the guardrail.

I greatly admire the CalTrans maintenance crews who keep the mountain passes open in winter. The ski resorts nearby can get 20~30 feet of snow and these guys keep the passes open nearly year round. They don't just 'maintain' the highway, it's more like they 'operate' it like a ferryboat captain or something, continually dealing with changing circumstances so their road stays open.

Added: here's a photo of one of the places that becomes a toboggan-run later in the year after the ski resorts open. It goes down steep like this - 6% (?) grade - for a couple of miles as I recall.

Nobody in California (down in the populated areas) buys winter tires.

 

[stanwagon]

As I write this my Bolt is in the shop getting four Blizzaks (I am at 9500 feet in Colorado; LOTS of snow, and the stock tires seemed fine last winter, but so far this winter they are skidding a bit too much on the hilly terrain around here for my liking). I had Blizzaks on my Prius and liked them (the shop is a Nokian shop, but gets several brands; I think he said the Blizzaks were a little more efficient -- harder rubber -- than the Nokians).

My plan is to leave them on all summer. It is not hot here at all, and I think that will help with the wear issue. I imagine the efficiency will go down, but I can't really predict how much. When summer comes I might try some fixed 1-mile stretches where I recorded some good data. I kept the Blizzaks on my Prius in the summer and noticed no efficiency loss (meaning there was surely a small loss, but only small).

Shops these days push nitrogen instead of air: the main point seems to be that the nitrogen causes less pressure change due to temperature change. It was $20 for all four, so in the interests of science I am trying it. The fact that we can see the numbers on the screen means that I will have some idea if the difference is noticeable. The screen numbers do change about 3 psi due to temperature change on a typical day.

I don't know if all Bolts are identical, but the recommendation for mine is 38 psi. I think this applies to all of them.

 

[Edchris]

My plan is to leave them on all summer.

One thing to be aware of, if you are a spirited driver.
They are not as good on wet roads as a “summer” tire, nor are they as good on dry summer roads. The aggressive tread pattern means less rubber on the road, & the blocky pattern results in more tread squirm when cornering. I believe braking is also affected to a small degree.
Traditionally winter tires were noisy, I’ve had some that literally howled, though I think great strides have been made in that department.
My winters had a substantial effect of range. Even during warmer spells, I see a 20% decrease even if using no cabin heat.
I don’t know if they salt your roads, but chlorides are detrimental to aluminum rims, they develop patches of corrosion, & bead leaks. I have an LT model, painted AL rims. I decided not to risk them in salt, & picked up a set of Steele’s for dedicated winter tires.
With regards to N2, I use it in about half the fleet tires, because I get it free. At your elevations you probably see some quite cold temps. N drives put any moisture, & you will never have problems with ice crystals between rim/bead, resulting in slow leakers. It also results in less “leak down” over time. I see winters that have sat unused for 8 months, & still be within 1PSI of when they were removed. They will show variance in pressures, with driving, & even being exposed to sunshine. During an hour at hiway speed, I see the pressures rise 3 psi. I’m not sure how accurate the TPMS sensors are.

 

[stanwagon]

Thanks for comments. I am not a very aggressive driver at all...but certainly the Bolt is easier to drive a little bit faster, especially uphill, than my former Prius. The noise is a good point, since the Bolt is already somewhat noisier than it really should be (wind noise). Then again, my top speeds in around-County driving is about 55.

You mention 20% drop in winter. After one year and 13000 miles, I can of course confirm that. In mid-summer my range was about 310 miles (over 5 mi/kWh). In December/January I am getting just maybe the EPA 238 (4 mi/kWh) discounting the heating). So that is a 25% drop in the battery performance, and heat takes about another 5% off that, so realistic drop is 30%.