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Hankook iON EVO All season tires with controlled efficiency testing

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I installed the 235/45/18 Hankook iON EVO All Season tires on my 2022 Tesla Model 3 Performance with T Sportline TS5 18x8.5 wheels last week.

I have done a very controlled efficiency test with the tires below. The test is a 25 mile loop around our beltway that starts and stops at the same place. I record GPS time, distance, and average speed so that the test is consistent no matter what wheels and tires I have on the car.

Wheels and tires tested:

1. 20x9.0 Uberturbine wheels with factory 235/35/20 Pirelli PZ4 Tesla specific tires.

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2. 18x8.5 T Sportline TS5 wheels with non Tesla specific 235/45/18 Michelin PS4S tires.

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3. 18x8.5 T Sportline TS5 wheels with non Tesla specific 245/40/18(undersized diameter) Pirelli PZ4 tires.

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4. 18x8.5 T Sportline TS5 wheels with brand new(<100 mile) 235/45/18 Hankook iON EVO All Season tires.

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The 245/40/18 Pirelli PZ4 tires were about 1/3” undersized on the tire outer diameter so the wh/mi reading is optimistic for that tire. The car thinks it went about 3-4% further than it actually did. 220 wh/mi is a more realistic number for that tire instead of the 212 wh/mi that the trip computer said.

As you can see the Hankook tires are about 18% more efficient than the original Uberturbine wheels and PZ4 tires.

The Hankook tires were about 8%-10% more efficient than either of the 18” summer tires even though they were all on the same wheels.

I am thoroughly convinced that the efficiency claims of these new Hankook iON EVO tires are accurate. They are incredibly efficient.

These Hankook tires have a 50k mile guarantee and they have a 600 Treadwear rating on the tires.

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I pumped the tires up to 42 psi as recommended and I noticed that the tire pressure didn’t change that much from that value even after extensive driving. In fact it even went down slightly in the rear tires after a drive. That is really good that it maintains a consistent pressure throughout the drive. All of the other tires would get up to as much as 46 psi after a similar drive.

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I did a 220+ mile drive each way this weekend with the new Hankook tires. Going out there was a torrential rain storm for about 165 miles. This wasn’t normal rain. It was more like flooding on the interstate. I could feel the standing water causing drag on the car.

I averaged 280 wh/mi going out until I stopped to charge. However, it stopped raining and cleared up while I was charging. I averaged 226 wh/mi for the next 55 miles but that was at a slower speed going up the mountain.

Standing water on the road absolutely destroys your efficiency no matter what wheels and tires you have on the car.

Coming back home I averaged 207 wh/mi in my 2022 Model 3 Performance for 220+ miles. I had the A/C on 66 degrees F the whole time and I averaged 61.2 mph according to the GPS app.

I also was able to do 142 wh/mi for my 12 mile highway commute into work. That is at a much slower speed(~51 mph average) because of construction.

I haven’t been able to measure a difference in noise with my SPL meter. The Hankooks and the 245/40/18 Pirelli tires were measuring the same DB value. They definitely aren’t any louder but I really couldn’t tell the difference in sound. They both sound quiet to me.

I paid $1077 for the tires installed at discount tire. They price matched some random online retailer for $224 per tire.
 

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The original Uberturbine wheels, tires, and TPMS sensors weighed 56 lbs.

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The T Sportline wheels, 245/40/18 Pirelli PZ4 tires, and TPMS sensors weighed 44.8 lbs.

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The T Sportline wheels, 235/45/18 Hankook iON EVO All Season tires, and TPMS sensors weighed 47.2 lbs.

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The 245/40/18 Pirelli PZ4 tires weighed 21 lbs.

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I think the Hankook tires weigh about 23.4 lbs each for just the tires.
 
The 'too long didn't read' TLDR is different tires make a big difference in how far the car goes before being plugged in.

Thank you for the good analysis.

I had the Michelin MXM4 and switched to the stickier Michelin Pilot All Season. I lost a full 20 percent of efficiency/"how far can I go juice" by moving up a few classes to Ultra High Performance tires. But, man, they did transform the feel of the car into more of a sports car.
 
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  1. 247 Wh/mi: 20" Tesla OEM wheels, 235/35/20, Pirelli PZ4 Tesla specific (presumably Elect) UHP summer
  2. 227 Wh/mi: 18" T-sportline, 235/45/18, generic Michelin PS4S UHP summer
  3. 212 Wh/mi: 18" T-sportline, 245/40/18 nonstandard size, generic Pirelli PZ4. Unclear if All season or summer. Unclear if Elect marked
  4. 202 Wh/mi: 18" T-sportline, 235/45/18, Hankook iON EVO Grand Touring All Season

The #3 datapoint has too many changes (tire & wheel diameter) and less clear data.

The most common comparator people would like to know is directly comparing the Hankook iON EVO to the Pirelli PZ4 All-season Elect in the standard 235/45/18 size, but that isn't here. But still a tremendous effort to gather such well controlled data.

Note that I think the T-sportline is not an aero wheel at all, if this is it, TS5 18" Tesla Model 3 Wheel (Set of 4).

A standard 18" aero wheel would improve efficiency even more. So conceivably 190 Wh/mi vs 247 would be a difference between stock 18" aero and stock 20" performance. Wheels & tires make a major difference in efficiency. The research I've seen shows that a simple scaling linear of solid wheel/tire vs open area governs efficiency, i.e. the smaller wheels and higher tires improve efficiency because there is less open area, and the aero covers close it even further. Only reason to have it open is for cooling brakes and looks.

The difference between #2 and #4 is tire compound/construction and rolling resistance.

I hope that Tesla moves to the Hankook ION AS for their US-produced models like in China. Presumably price & production quantity need to be negotiated.
 
  1. 247 Wh/mi: 20" Tesla OEM wheels, 235/35/20, Pirelli PZ4 Tesla specific (presumably Elect) UHP summer
  2. 227 Wh/mi: 18" T-sportline, 235/45/18, generic Michelin PS4S UHP summer
  3. 212 Wh/mi: 18" T-sportline, 245/40/18 nonstandard size, generic Pirelli PZ4. Unclear if All season or summer. Unclear if Elect marked
  4. 202 Wh/mi: 18" T-sportline, 235/45/18, Hankook iON EVO Grand Touring All Season

The #3 datapoint has too many changes (tire & wheel diameter) and less clear data.

The most common comparator people would like to know is directly comparing the Hankook iON EVO to the Pirelli PZ4 All-season Elect in the standard 235/45/18 size, but that isn't here. But still a tremendous effort to gather such well controlled data.

Note that I think the T-sportline is not an aero wheel at all, if this is it, TS5 18" Tesla Model 3 Wheel (Set of 4).

A standard 18" aero wheel would improve efficiency even more. So conceivably 190 Wh/mi vs 247 would be a difference between stock 18" aero and stock 20" performance. Wheels & tires make a major difference in efficiency. The research I've seen shows that a simple scaling linear of solid wheel/tire vs open area governs efficiency, i.e. the smaller wheels and higher tires improve efficiency because there is less open area, and the aero covers close it even further. Only reason to have it open is for cooling brakes and looks.

The difference between #2 and #4 is tire compound/construction and rolling resistance.

I hope that Tesla moves to the Hankook ION AS for their US-produced models like in China. Presumably price & production quantity need to be negotiated.
The 245/40/18 Pirelli PZ4 tires are just their generic summer tire. No foam and not EV specific. The 20” tires were the EV specific version that comes with the Model 3 Performance.

It is important to note that so far Tesla has only shown the Highland Model 3 with the 19” Hankook tires. I don’t believe the 18” wheels will get the new Hankook tires which is a shame.

With the Unplugged Performance front lip I have I should have the drag coefficient of the Highland Model 3 with perhaps even more efficient 18” wheels than that car will get. Mine is a Performance Model though so that might hurt efficiency slightly.
 
@mpgxsvcd , thanks for all that data! How's the grip of these Ion all seasons? Specifically under braking, and also cornering. Do they howl loudly easily? That's my experience with most All season tires with high treadwear ratings, they all seem to squeal like a pig long before they give up grip.
I am not the best person to ask about cornering. It just isn’t my thing. I don’t take fast corners on the street.

I tried some quick acceleration hits and they felt fine. No squealing or anything like that. Just got up and went. It probably is slower than the 18” Pirellis I had though. Those were exceptionally light and significantly undersized for some testing that I was doing.
 
Is there any noticeable noise difference? ( I understand it can be subjective)
I did back to back measurements with an SPL meter comparing the Hankooks to my old 245/40/18 Pirelli PZ4 tires. I couldn’t measure a difference. Both showed the same value while cruising down the same road.

I couldn’t tell a difference with my ears but honestly road noise has never bothered me with any of the tires. It definitely isn’t worse is about all I can say.
 
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The 245/40/18 Pirelli PZ4 tires are just their generic summer tire. No foam and not EV specific. The 20” tires were the EV specific version that comes with the Model 3 Performance.

It is important to note that so far Tesla has only shown the Highland Model 3 with the 19” Hankook tires. I don’t believe the 18” wheels will get the new Hankook tires which is a shame.
True, may be production capacity issues. The iONs are made in Korea and part of the magic is a special curing process which to me implies a specialized factory process. That may be slow to replicate or scale up. Michelin MXM4 are made in USA and are an old tire design so probably the incremental cost is very low and Tesla must get a great deal.


With the Unplugged Performance front lip I have I should have the drag coefficient of the Highland Model 3 with perhaps even more efficient 18” wheels than that car will get. Mine is a Performance Model though so that might hurt efficiency slightly.
Cool! Do you have some kind of aero covers, because the T-sportline wheels I saw were pretty open and likely less efficient. Or am I missing something.

I think the efficiency loss of the Perf motors would be pretty negligible compared to aero, whether from car, or tire or wheel.
 
True, may be production capacity issues. The iONs are made in Korea and part of the magic is a special curing process which to me implies a specialized factory process. That may be slow to replicate or scale up. Michelin MXM4 are made in USA and are an old tire design so probably the incremental cost is very low and Tesla must get a great deal.



Cool! Do you have some kind of aero covers, because the T-sportline wheels I saw were pretty open and likely less efficient. Or am I missing something.

I think the efficiency loss of the Perf motors would be pretty negligible compared to aero, whether from car, or tire or wheel.
I have nice big open wheels. Easy to clean but I bet some Aero wheels would be significantly more efficient than these.
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After having these new Hankook tires for a week one of the most interesting things is how consistent the tire pressure stays.

Temperatures here in North Carolina are varying wildly right now. It gets warm during the day and then much colder at night. However, my tires are staying within 1-2 PSI the entire time.

Before my tires would vary by 4-5 psi just by driving them. For some reason these tires just seem to remain consistent for tire pressure.

I pumped them up to 44 psi thinking the upcoming cold snap would take them back down. That hasn’t seemed to happen at all like it did before. Not sure what is different about these tires in that respect.
 
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After having these new Hankook tires for a week one of the most interesting things is how consistent the tire pressure stays.

Temperatures here in North Carolina are varying wildly right now. It gets warm during the day and then much colder at night. However, my tires are staying within 1-2 PSI the entire time.

Before my tires would vary by 4-5 psi just by driving them. For some reason these tires just seem to remain consistent for tire pressure.

I pumped them up to 44 psi thinking the upcoming cold snap would take them back down. That hasn’t seemed to happen at all like it did before. Not sure what is different about these tires in that respect.
Pressures not increasing while driving is a sign that the tire has very low rolling resistance and thus not warming up.
 
Pressures not increasing while driving is a sign that the tire has very low rolling resistance and thus not warming up.
Yes, that certainly appears to be the case. I am literally shocked at how efficient these tires are. It was noticeable right away. Even my lifetime average is steadily decreasing. That has never happened when I changed tires before.
 
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Looks like Walmart has an incredible sale on these tires right now. I would still try to use Discount Tire and price match this though. I just prefer Discount Tire to Walmart.

Hankook iON evo AS IH01 235/45R18XL 98W - 4 Tires for $981.25.



Hankook iON evo AS SUV 235/55R19XL 105V BSW - 1 Tire for $196.00​



Search Walmart for deals on other sizes then get a price match with Discount Tire.
 
Looks like Walmart has an incredible sale on these tires right now. I would still try to use Discount Tire and price match this though. I just prefer Discount Tire to Walmart.

Hankook iON evo AS IH01 235/45R18XL 98W - 4 Tires for $981.25.



Hankook iON evo AS SUV 235/55R19XL 105V BSW - 1 Tire for $196.00​



Search Walmart for deals on other sizes then get a price match with Discount Tire.
I’ve seen this before
Love price matching
 
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