The primary role of tires is simply running the car around, and they are often overlooked. Tires are pretty durable, go on for years, and don’t require much maintenance. However, when driving an electric vehicle, they can alter the performance and range of your car. There’s a possibility that choosing the wrong tire size could have significant efficiency effects later on. So, let’s find out how tires can actually harm your EV and what you should do about it!
Using Wrong Tires
The tire characteristics vary according to the vehicle. EV tires are made keeping in mind their noise profile, longevity, rolling resistance, and grip. Your car requires all these things to stay intact for the tire to stay optimized. The fitted ones come after exhaustive testing and development to offer good optimization. However, if you are looking for more attributes in your tires, like weighing performance or rating factors, in such a scenario, you can think of trading them. You can use other tires that are not made for your EV cars for more performance, but you might end up losing the grip or braking system. So, do proper research before you start replacing the original tires for increased range and performance.
Using Underinflated Tires
EV requires a specific air pressure in its tires, and it’s advised to maintain and check that pressure once a month. Dragging your car around with underinflated tires could make a massive difference in the rolling resistance, leading to efficiency damage. It’s also a fine idea to check the tire’s tread, too, when checking for air pressure. It helps determine whether you need new tires or not. Simply stick a penny in the track and see if the top head is visible after insertion. If you can see the entire presidential plate on the coin, replacing them would be a smart choice.
Using Tires Not Made for Your EV
People often try to go for cheap or lower-cost tires to save up some bucks. However, doing so would only make your vehicle worse. Many times, it happens that two similar-looking tires can be far different from each other. Even if they work just fine, your EV operates differently and can severely impact its rolling resistance. Any damage to a tire’s rolling resistance can directly influence the entire EV’s range. And, instead of saving some money, you might be spending more repairing it. So, choosing the right, well-fitted tires and maintaining them can make your electric car last longer.