What tire would you recommend?

[jlhiowa]

Tire availability has always been a crapshoot on this car, and as I look now there are a very few tires available. The Continental EcoContact EP was reported here to be discontinued back in 2013(?), but TireRack has them in stock. And they are now rated as "Electric Vehicle Tuned." which is a relatively recent classification. And there are very few reviews. Did Continental re-release it to keep the Smart ForTwo shod?

My specific question is this - TireRack and Conti both describe this as a Summer tire, saying it "is not intended to be driven in near-freezing temperatures, through snow or on ice." But others list it as All-Season. Has anyone actually used these recently in snow? Are they horrible?

Anyway, any feedback on the Conti EcoContact EPs in winter?

Thanks for sharing your findings and questions about the Conti EcoContact. I asked Tire Rack about the "Electric Vehicle Tuned" specification and they said, "EV tuned tires offer longer range and are quieter overall than non EV rated tires.".

Just ordered 2 of the 145/65R-15 Continental EcoContact EP SL front tires from Tire Rack for $226 ($113 each).

In May 2021, we paid $150 ($75 each) for 2 of the Vredestein Quatrac 5.

Now 2.5 years and 3,000 miles later, the front passenger tire developed a bubble on the sidewall. Vredestein Quatrac 5 are no longer available, so we went with 2 Conti, and the good Vredestein front driver tire will be our front spare tire. Paying $75 more than we did previously 2.5 years ago.


Did you order the Continental EcoContact, what did you think?

 

[bradleydavidgood777]

I have Yoko ICEGUARD IG20 on all 4, bought them all last year in April for around $240 for all 4.

They probably only have 3000 miles on them since this is a second car.

Seems like one of the front tires is leaking slowly. And I have a plug in that tire that is too close to the sidewall for comfort. I put the tire in a tub of water and don't see anything including at the valve, so it must be leaking only while driving.

Anyway, I only drive this car around town. The Iceguards are no longer available. I know it is recommended to replace sets but will I run into any computer issues if I just replace one on the front?

Amazon has the continental for $101 including shipping.

I'm really just looking for the cheapest tire and don't care what it is. And just 1 tire if possible

Thanks!

 

[bradleydavidgood777]

Amazon Continentals $101