Piston Slap: The Best Way To Spot An EV Tire

Jay writes:

Have tire companies began manufacturing tires specifically for heavier electric vehicles?  If not, why not? 

Sajeev answers:

Tire companies are indeed making EV-specific tires, but they aren’t marketed terribly well. You will see “EV” on some tires, or Elect on Pirelli tires. Not bad I guess, but the ever-growing EV community should get treated to an iconic tire name with the staying power of names like Firestone Wide Ovals, BF Goodrich Radial T/As, Goodyear Gatorbacks, etc.

Long story short, off-the-rack designs for EVs stand out because of the load range and load index numbers (befitting their extra heft) that are stamped on their sidewalls. By definition, load range is the weight a tire can handle based on the number plies in its construction, while load index is a specific number of pounds the tire can handle. Discount Tire goes into load range and load index in detail on their site, but we’ve discussed enough here to get to the important part. Let’s use the Rivian R1T as our test vehicle.

And Tire Rack gives us a handy chart, helping us spot an EV tire when stacked up against its brothers from the same family. The fourth row, max load, lists the load index number. The Pirelli Scorpion that’s factory-fitted on the Rivian holds 2,760 lbs per tire, while the ones next to it will hold 2,094, 2,403, and 2,535 lbs, accordingly. Notice anything different about that last tire with the 2,535 weight rating?

That one is an LT (light truck) tire, and it is designed for vehicles carrying heavier than anticipated loads. I have recommended them to minivan owners in a Piston Slap from over a decade ago. The same advice is relevant for EV truck/SUV owners who are stranded somewhere with a blown tire, as getting an LT-spec tire will work if you’re in a bind.

Light truck tires have some merit in the discussion, but let’s look at the even bigger EV truck to see just how far you can extend the limits of an EV tire. Because the Hummer EV comes in at a robust 9,063 lbs, it’s gonna need even more capability from its tires than the Rivian.

Oh my goodness, the Hummer EV has a 122 load index? That’s 3305 lbs per tire, or a full 549 lbs more than the Rivian. These tires are no joke, as the “E” load range means the tires have ten plies in its construction. The Rivian’s factory tires have six fewer plies!

So yes, there are unique EV tires. But you need to look at the load index to see if they are actually designed for the electron-powered vehicle in question. Maybe one day there will be an iconic EV tire on par with that of the iconic Wide Oval? It’s only a matter of time!