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Spend any time in an EV9 homeowners group, whether or not within the ready lounge at a Kia service division or scrolling via social media on a Tuesday evening, and you’ll ultimately hear the identical query rise above the hum of kilowatts and cost charges. What precisely are you paying for while you purchase EV-specific tires? The advertising and marketing is obvious. Additional vary, further quiet, purpose-built for heavy, high-torque electrical machines. The tales from homeowners tending actual autos in actual locations are much less tidy. A type of tales belongs to Jeff Bader, and it begins with a easy A/B check between the Kia EV9 in his driveway and the Ford Mustang Mach-E parked subsequent to it.
“So I did a bit of experiment with tires. When the tires wanted to get replaced on the EV9, I purchased the very same Kumho EV tires that have been on it, and my Mach-E additionally wanted new tires. I purchased commonplace higher-load tires (non-EV) to see if I might discover a distinction. I checked out three components: tread life, noise, and vary.
EV tires are touted to have an additional noise-reducing layer inside them as a result of there isn’t any engine noise to drown out the highway noise on commonplace tires, and the EV tires are additionally marketed to enhance vary between costs over a regular tire.
I put in the Kumho tires on the EV9 round July 4, 2025, and I had the usual tires put in on my Mach-E the identical week. After virtually 4 months and 5,000 miles of use on the EV9 and 4,000 miles on the Mach-E, listed below are my conclusions.
I name BS on the EV tire racket. I used to put in tires (mounting and balancing) many moons in the past, and I seen zero variations between the EV tires and common tires when doing a visible inspection. The additional sound absorber that ought to have been on the within of the tire (primarily based on movies I watched and illustrations within the movies)? I noticed zero proof that there’s something totally different within the EV tire expertise.
They cost a crapton extra money for a similar tires and simply put an EV label on them.
Noise: I seen zero distinction in noise ranges in my Mach-E after switching to a regular tire. The truth is, the usual tires have been quieter than the EV tires I eliminated (most likely as a result of they have been worn out and I wanted an alignment).
Journey: The non-EV tires are clean and deal with higher than the tires I eliminated. I anticipated this to occur as a result of, once more, the previous ones have been worn out; nonetheless, the brand new tires trip higher than my previous ones did at any time in the course of the 16k miles I drove them earlier than making the change.
Vary: If there’s a distinction right here, I’ve not seen it. That is affected by the seasons and out of doors temperature anyway, so it’s not possible to inform for certain, however I by no means actually noticed any drop-off in vary that I used to be anticipating. Not scientific in any respect, simply my remark.
Tread life: The Kumho tires on the EV9 are considerably worn after simply 5,000 miles. The rear tires are worn far more than the entrance tires (I’ve an AWD Land mannequin, however I do know the RWD engages far more typically than the entrance drive). I’ll seemingly get about 15k miles or much less from these tires (we received 16k+ from the primary set).
The tires on the Mach-E look model new. I used to be anticipating them to have proven extra put on up so far, however they haven’t. I’ve not taken any measurements, however they nonetheless look new.
I simply had the EV9 tires rotated, and the dealership tried telling me the tires should be changed. They’re smoking some low-cost crack, they usually declare the rear tires have been all the way down to 4/32 of tread. I discover this difficult to consider at this level, however they’re undoubtedly worn greater than anticipated.
My conclusion is that if you’re going to spend money on tires, don’t let the gross sales pitch of shopping for an EV tire at $500–700 extra per set, as a result of they’re “particular tires for EVs”, idiot you. Purchase a very good set of high-load tires as a substitute, and don’t fear about increased noise ranges and shorter vary, as a result of you’ll seemingly by no means discover the distinction anyway.”
Strip away the Fb formatting noise, and what stays is a tidy little driveway experiment. Similar family, two trendy EVs, one on EV-branded Kumho rubber and one on non-EV high-load tires. Jeff seems at three issues any proprietor cares about greater than brochure copy. Street noise, vary, and tread life.
Kia EV9: Electrical Tires & Grip vs. Effectivity
- The EV9’s EV-specific tires are constructed to deal with its substantial weight and torque, utilizing bolstered buildings and specialised rubber compounds to take care of stability with out losing power.
- These tires scale back rolling resistance by utilizing lower-grip compounds and streamlined tread patterns, extending the EV9’s driving vary in contrast with conventional higher-grip tires.
- EV9-optimized tires are engineered to remain cooler underneath heavy hundreds, bettering effectivity throughout acceleration and freeway cruising.
- In contrast with efficiency tires, EV-specific designs commerce some cornering chunk and supreme grip for quietness, sturdiness, and most vary effectivity.
In his expertise, the EV9 eats its EV tires rapidly and doesn’t appear quieter or extra environment friendly due to them, whereas the Mach-E on standard high-load tires feels smoother, quieter, and appears virtually untouched after just a few thousand miles. His language is colourful, his conclusion blunt, however the core grievance is simple. He doesn’t really feel he’s getting a transparent, measurable profit that justifies a premium of 5 to seven hundred {dollars} per set.
On one facet, you could have Rick Isenberg, who reminds everybody that subjective impressions usually are not the identical as managed testing. He notes that some EV tires actually are constructed with totally different compounds and constructions aimed toward decrease rolling resistance and, in sure fashions, further sound deadening contained in the carcass. A few % enchancment in effectivity shouldn’t be one thing most drivers can see with out instrumentation, but it’s the form of incremental achieve that reveals up in formal assessments from organizations like Client Stories and the U.S. Division of Vitality over massive knowledge units (Supply: Client Stories, “EV Tires Defined,” 2023; U.S. Division of Vitality, Automobile Applied sciences Workplace, 2022). From that vantage level, the EV label represents actual engineering selections, not only a sticker.
On the opposite facet, Jeff stays unconvinced. He has his fingers on the tires, his bank card on the counter, and Western Pennsylvania underneath the tread. He sees fast put on on the rear axle of an All Wheel Drive EV9 that weighs north of 6,000 kilos, and he sees a Mach-E on commonplace high-load tires that seems barely damaged in. To him, precise possession expertise issues greater than any chart. Then there’s Brian Sherwood, who calmly reviews roughly 35,000 miles out of his unique Kumhos on a 2024 Mild Lengthy Vary EV9 earlier than switching to Michelin Defender 2 tires, with no apparent change in noise or vary. Brian’s consequence stands in stark distinction to Jeff’s 15,000-mile expectation and is a reminder that geography, highway floor, alignment settings, and driving fashion can multiply or divide tread life all by themselves.
Heather Liberadzki provides one more voice, planning forward to suit non-EV all-season tires on her GT-Line when the originals are spent and estimating she will coax maybe one other 5,000 miles from the manufacturing facility set if she behaves with the accelerator. Her place shouldn’t be anti-EV and definitely not anti-Kia. It’s sensible. If high-quality, high-load tires ship acceptable noise, grip, and vary at a decrease price and with longer life, they’re price severe consideration. Taken collectively, the thread feels much less like a revolt and extra like a maturing proprietor group beginning to query whether or not the EV label on a sidewall is an absolute requirement or just one possibility amongst a number of for a heavy electrical SUV.
Behind the opinions sits actual physics. EVs just like the EV9 and Mach-E are heavy, torque-rich machines. They want tires with excessive load scores to hold the load and sturdy development to handle prompt torque with out deforming excessively. Many EV-marketed tires chase low rolling resistance via stiffer tread blocks, specialised rubber blends, and narrower tread patterns, which might certainly assist prolong vary by decreasing the power wasted because the tire flexes. The flip facet is that a few of these designs could be extra delicate in heavy rain. A tougher compound and fewer, shallower grooves can, in sure patterns, evacuate water much less successfully at freeway velocity, which makes hydroplaning extra seemingly than on an aggressively siped, softer compound tire. That doesn’t imply EV tires are inherently unsafe. It means they’re a compromise amongst effectivity, grip, noise, and life, simply as each tire has at all times been.
The EV9 provides one other complication. Its curb weight and three-row mission imply the tire is working arduous even earlier than you pile in children, gear, and winter climate. It completely requires correct high-load or HL-rated tires, whether or not they carry an EV marking or not. That’s the place Jeff’s expertise turns into genuinely helpful. He isn’t suggesting folks ignore load scores or run underspec passenger automobile tires to avoid wasting just a few {dollars}. His conclusion is narrower. In case you match the load ranking appropriately, a well-engineered non-EV high-load tire can, in his expertise, meet or beat the consolation and sturdiness of the Kumho EV tires that got here on his Kia, and not using a noticeable penalty in vary or noise.
So what ought to an EV9 proprietor do when the manufacturing facility rubber wears away? The Fb thread suggests a rational guidelines. First, respect the fundamentals. Load ranking, velocity ranking, and measurement should match the automobile’s necessities. Second, be sincere about how and the place you drive. Jeff’s hilly, stop-and-go Western Pennsylvania routes will at all times be tougher on tires than Brian’s presumably flatter, extra constant miles. Third, weigh the tradeoffs. EV-specific tires could supply slight features in effectivity and generally quieter development. Excessive-quality non-EV high-load all-seasons could last more and value much less, on the attainable expense of a really small hit to vary that could be tough to understand in day-to-day driving.
The EV tire label represents a set of design priorities that may be helpful, particularly for engineers making an attempt to eke out each mile in official vary testing. What Jeff Bader and the opposite homeowners spotlight is that, as soon as the automobile leaves the showroom and rolls into the numerous mess of actual life, these paper benefits don’t at all times present up as clearly on the driver’s seat or within the checkbook. EVs just like the Kia EV9 and Ford Mustang Mach-E are spectacular machines on any tires constructed to deal with their weight and torque. The sensible transfer is to deal with EV tires as one software within the field, not a sacred requirement, and to let tread put on, consolation, security, and value by yourself roads determine whether or not that further seven hundred {dollars} is cash nicely spent or just a premium you possibly can skip.
Picture Sources: Kia Media Heart
Noah Washington is an automotive journalist primarily based in Atlanta, Georgia. He enjoys overlaying the newest information within the automotive trade and conducting opinions on the newest automobiles. He has been within the automotive trade since 15 years previous and has been featured in outstanding automotive information websites. You possibly can attain him on X and LinkedIn for suggestions and to comply with his automotive protection.
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