Why do you need EV tyres and what happens when you put them on an ICE car? 

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Text: Deyna Chia

Electric Vehicles (EVs) are more accessible than ever with more brands and model choices now available in Singapore. This was evident at the recent Singapore Motorshow 2024 with most new car launches here being EVs.

Save (fuel) and save (electricity) 

EVs promise a quiet ride, with good pulling power at the prod of the right foot. However, unbeknownst to most, electric vehicles are heavy. The Tesla Model 3 weighs over 1,800kg, compared with a Volkswagen Passat at just over 1,400kg.

Being so heavy comes at cost. The driving range of an EV is sensitive to the way the throttle is applied, with another factor being the Rolling Resistance Coefficient (RRC) of the tyres. The lower the rolling resistance, the further the range of the EV, since less energy is required to move the EV forwards. In internal combustion engine terms, this means better ‘fuel’ efficiency, which leads to lower CO2 emissions as well.

Enter Bridgestone’s Enliten lightweight tyre technology. By reducing the material mass (i.e. weight) by 10 percent, Bridgestone claims that the new Turanza T005 EV boasts 20 percent less rolling resistance at no detriment to wear life, compared to the outgoing Turanza T005.

The brand also claims that the tyre returns 18 percent better fuel/energy efficiency when compared to the competing Michelin Pilot Sport 4. 

The Bridgestone T005 EV is rated A, which is the highest fuel efficiency EU tyre label rating. To put things in perspective, the driving range of an A-rated tyre is typically around 50km more than a C-rated tyre per battery charge or full tank of fuel.

Having driven the T005 EV for 700km, we would concur that we’ve gotten about 15 percent more range than the 35,000km-old OEM Pirelli P7 tyres that the subject car came with. The T005 EV is made in Bridgestone’s plants in China, which produces about 50 percent of the world’s EV cars. 

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Quiet whisperer

Where the T005 EV impresses in particular, is how astonishingly quiet the car fitted with them now is. Bridgestone has cleverly achieved this by leveraging on its Enliten technology to optimise tyre siping, which are the cuts/lines you see on the tyre thread, as well as enlarging the contact profile which increases the available tyre surface area to absorb vibrations, and reduce transmission of vibrations into the vehicle cabin.

Embedding B-Silent Noise Absorbing Foam in the tyre carcass absorbs vibrations generated by air resonance within the wheels when the car is moving, and reduces “cavity noises” transmitted to the cabin. 

Bridgestone’s tests claim that in a Tesla Model 3 driven at 60km/h, the in-cabin noise levels were reduced by as much as 7.5dB(A)@222.5Hz. In simple terms, it means that it’s only ¼ as noisy as other competing tyres. 

We found ride comfort to be examplarary over bumpy roads too. Overall, we were able to turn down the volume on the audio system as it no longer needed to fight with the tyre roar.

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Does it handle? 

Tyre performance is an attribute typically inversely proportional to the attributes of comfort and low noise. The Turanza T005 EV however has debunked this “rule of thumb”. 

Driving through the usual test route spiritedly, the T005 EV required less steering input to get the car steered, a likely result of stiffer tyre walls (EVs which this tyre was designed for are quite a bit heavier than the Volkswagen Passat that we put the tyres on for this review) and contact patch footprint. Our only grouse would be that the muted feedback from the tyres requires adjustment to the driving style. 

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To buy or not to buy

The Bridgestone Turanza T005 EV is the first to really stand out from many other tyres in terms of what it brings to the table. Few tyres have been more comfortable and quiet, and yet provide good dry and wet grip performance. An all-in-one package. With tyres, the compromises are apparent, and it’s easy to point out one area the tyre is lacking. Not the case with the Turanza T005 EV. 

What’s also interesting is that despite being an EV tyre, it is also doing fine on the petrol-powered Volkswagen Passat here. There appear to be no practical disadvantages except for a slightly less communicative feel through the steering wheel.

Perhaps one could argue that EV tyres are meant for the demands of heavier and torquier EV cars. But being the petrolheads that we are, and the spirited driving we sometimes do, we can find little fault with the Bridgestone T005 EVs. We’ve already started recommending these tyres to friends who are in the market for new car tyres. 

Cars that already have the Bridgestone Turanza T005 EV fitted as standard include EVs from Mercedes-EQ and Audi. We did our installation at South East Tyre Co., where the whole process of fitting and balancing each tyre was done in double quick time with excellent service. 

Prices start from $239 per tyre, which makes it a premium product, but they do promise extra longevity and some crazy levels of quiet. Check for an authorised dealer near you at https://www.bridgestone.com.sg/en/dealer. 

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