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Review: Hankook iON evo AS vs Pirelli AS+ Elect vs Michelin PS 4S vs Michelin PS AS 4

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I tested all these tires back to back on either a Tesla Model 3 or Y. I have both a Model 3 and a Model Y (wife’s).

My goal was to have a great handling tire (makes me happy) that can handle the occasional snow, is quiet, and has good range.

For context, I have the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires on both the 3 and Y. This is by far the best handling tire, really amazing, our benchmark for handling, and is just a joy to drive. I’m in Colorado though and for nov/dec/apr, we can see temps below 40, which is a no-no for driving the PS4S, so I wanted something more cold tolerant during the shoulder seasons. We have winter wheels (Pirelli Sottozero 3, which we love) for ski season.

Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4:
I drove this on a Performance Model Y (Tesla test drive). Handling is very good, and I hear it’s also very good in the snow. Negatives is that it’s loud and it’s not great for range, the former being more important to me.

Pirelli All Season Plus Elect:
We bought these for our Model Y. Handling is good if not great. And it’s quiet and comfortable, and of course it’s tuned for EVs and has good range. We really really like these tires. I would give the edge to the PS AS 4 for handling, but it is slight and totally not enough to justify the range hit or how loud they are.

Hankook iON evo AS ih01:
I just bought these for my 3. It was a gamble because I couldn’t find any reviews on them. They are brand new to the market. Overall, I definitively do not like them. The handling is terrible for a car like the model 3 w/ AB. It feels super floaty and squirrelly when cornering. The noise level is not great either surprisingly. Strangely enough, it’s relatively louder at slower speeds, but does seem to be quiet on the highway. The Pirelli’s have way better handling and seem quieter all around. Aside from noise and handling, there is one thing the evos does really well. It feels like a bat out if hell when accelerating in a straight line. You can tell the engineering is optimized for that trait. I do like that a lot, and I’m sure it has great range, and I would accept the noise level too, but the handling is just too awful, I can’t accept it. That said, if you’re not a spirited driver, I think the evos are a great value. They’re just not for me.

Overall, I think the Pirelli AS PE hit all the cords I’m looking for. The Michelin PS AS 4’s are a close second and might also be better in snow, but we’re not optimizing for snow since we have winter tires. And the quiet ride and good range is also very much appreciated.

I hope this review helps others out there!

All these new EV tires are very exciting. I’m a huge Michelin fan, but they need to up their game on EV tires. For now, Pirelli is winning my business.

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I am seeing about 9% better as my Michelins were the summer performance. That is for trips longer than 60 miles.
Thank you for that information. I know the Pilot Sports are summer only and performance-based. Someone else said that he saw a 20% hit on efficiency when he went from MXM4 to the PS. If I were to use both your data, that means the Hankook would be less efficient than the MXM4. But of course, I have no idea how he drove his car. Guess I need Discount Tire or Tire Rack or Consumer Reports to do a side-by-side test...

Cheers.
 
The 19” tires on the Highland Model 3 will be the new 235/40/19 Hankook iON EVO summer tire.

View attachment 984177View attachment 984176

I believe these are summer tires because I have the all season tires and they say “AS” on the tire.

Those iON EVO summer tires look nice and sticky - hopefully they share the comfort and efficiency qualities of the AS version of the tire!
 
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I’m
EVs aren't all heavy. Tesla vehicles are light weight for their power. They don't require any more load capabilities than other sedans like the Kia Stinger and Acura TLX Type-S. He gets that wrong right off the bat.
yeah, not loving his delivery
It should be, “most EVs have the same weight as ICE vehicles, but some are heavier requiring advanced tire tech, as specialized EV tires….”
 
I’m

yeah, not loving his delivery
It should be, “most EVs have the same weight as ICE vehicles, but some are heavier requiring advanced tire tech, as specialized EV tires….”
The crazy thing is that even your statement isn't true.

Let's take the BMW I4 M50 as an example. It weighs over 5,000 lbs and comes with 255/35R20(Front) and 285/30R20(Rear) Pirelli PZ4 tires stock. That is a ridiculously heavy car for its size and power. Those tires are XL rated and can handle 1,609 Lbs and 1,709 Lbs per tire respectively.

All of the tires in that size on Tire Rack that are rated "XL" will handle the same weights per wheel. Even with that ridiculously heavy vehicle all you need is a normal "XL" tire in that size. It doesn't have to be EV specific at all.

The Model 3 Performance weighs about 1,000 lbs less and it still requires "XL" rated tires just like pretty much all sedans in this class.

EVs may need specific "EV" tires for things like efficiency and noise but honestly there really aren't many of them that require a specific load rating that is only available in an "EV" specific tire because of vehicle weight.
 
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Entering "2021 Tesla Model 3 Performance" on the Tire Rack site, neither a 20" nor any other Hankook Ion EVO AS shows as being available: https://www.tirerack.com/tires/brands/hankook
Any idea where I can search the site?


P.S.: What about curb rash? Does the new Hankook address the nutty offset between tire and Uberturbine width?
they seem to be unavailable at TireRack, but are available at Discount Tire. Which bought Tire Rack company recently but clearly they are still operating independently, and will for a long time probably.
 
Also did some deeper dive into the Hankook summer tire equivalent to the Ion EVO AS, the Ventus iON S, but at this point it does not look like it's been tested against other brands in Europe or Asia, let alone being available for purchase in the U.S..
That may be yet another Hankook EV tire. Or a renaming of the IK01 summer tire, to distinguish a summer performance line vs the all season better. Or an update of the IK01 summer tire.

The summer Hankook iON appears to be sparsely available in USA now, look for code IK01 (summer) vs IH01 (all season).


 
That may be yet another Hankook EV tire. Or a renaming of the IK01 summer tire, to distinguish a summer performance line vs the all season better. Or an update of the IK01 summer tire.

The summer Hankook iON appears to be sparsely available in USA now, look for code IK01 (summer) vs IH01 (all season).


Exciting news! Have you seen any tests of the iON Summers yet? If they're within 5% of the IH01 All seasons in terms of efficiency and noise with added grip for dry pavement, that'd be the perfect tire for So Cal.
 
Exciting news! Have you seen any tests of the iON Summers yet? If they're within 5% of the IH01 All seasons in terms of efficiency and noise with added grip for dry pavement, that'd be the perfect tire for So Cal.
There was a German test where they equalled or exceeded the Michelin Pilot Sport 5 perf, and greatly exceeded in rolling resistance. This is a fantastic result.



I was thinking of these but probably still will be louder and harder than the AS. And in USA there is no mileage warranty and the tread starts at 8.5 vs 10 for the all season. For performance in So Cal it will be really good if longevity is not your goal.
 
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Is there anyone who tested the Continental DWS06 plus and these new Hankook ION evo tires for their Tesla? I'm interested in seeing how bad the efficiency hit is with the cheaper (but very highly rated) Continentals vs the IONs. Currently running the OEM MXM4s but there's no way I'm paying $300+ per tire for tires that come with only 8/32" tread depth from the factory...
 
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Exciting news! Have you seen any tests of the iON Summers yet? If they're within 5% of the IH01 All seasons in terms of efficiency and noise with added grip for dry pavement, that'd be the perfect tire for So Cal.
Yes, I just odered the summer version from Discount Tires: 20/235/35 (stock M3P) = $1500 including mounting, balancing and hazard warranty: https://www.hankooktire.com/us/en/tire/ion/evo.html