This review is intended to be a comparison of the same tire on different cars, having experienced a full set of PS4 SUV with my previous Q5 from start to end. In this case, I progressively installed a front pair (due to a front puncture of the OE tires), then a rear pair (due to wear of the OE tires) on my Q4 e-tron which I have had for about 2 years. So this is for anyone cross-referencing the same tire but who would like to find out the difference between a regular car and an EV.
Usually, SUVs come with regular tires, some sporty but most of them are SUV-fitted tires. My previous full set of PS4 SUV on the Q5 was preceded by the OE, then Latitude Sport. I found the improvement from one to the other very good, and never once was fuel consumption questioned because the figures were similar.
However, this time, I have progressively installed summer performance SUV tires on my EV over the original EV-specific tires (Turanza Eco). As Jon has highlighted before, the half-half setup of front performance and rear EV-specific tires gave rise to a fun (but technically less safe) oversteering car which did not impact the energy consumption too much. I was getting about 6.4km/kWh for the first 10000km with full EV tires, then about 5.9-6.1km/kWh for about 20000km on the mixed setup, which has gone down to 5.5-5.7km/kWh on the full PS4 SUV setup.
Apart from the figures, I feel that my Q4 e-tron is not rolling as efficiently as before as the tires just feel a bit heavier. I'm jabbing at the accelerator fractionally longer, and not getting the same about of regeneration. Numerically, going from 6.4 down to 5.7 is not a great deal (just 10%), it does bother me as a numbers person. Over time, my decision to prioritize a higher performing tire is going to cost me a bit more in the wallet. However, it also took a little bit of fun away from getting good consumption numbers to which I will have to get used to during the life of this tire, which I expect to last at least 35000km. So far the fronts have eked out 20000km and the tread is still looking good, while the new rears have done less than 1000km.
At the speeds I'm allowed to drive, which is less than 100km/h, with frequent tropical rain, I don't think that my car really needs the full PS4 performance, and I'm thinking of switching to the PS5 Energy when the time is up for this set. I mean, it still feels great on the road, the grip is fantastic, and the braking is really stable and straight, but I'm not sure they are a good match for an EV.
Overall, these are great tires. If consumption or rolling resistance is not your priority, they are still suitable for EVs. However, if you are an EV driver and want to save on costs and can give up a bit of grip for an EV-specific tire which will perform almost similarly, you will be rewarded with exactly that.
Usually, SUVs come with regular tires, some sporty but most of them are SUV-fitted tires. My previous full set of PS4 SUV on the Q5 was preceded by the OE, then Latitude Sport. I found the improvement from one to the other very good, and never once was fuel consumption questioned because the figures were similar.
However, this time, I have progressively installed summer performance SUV tires on my EV over the original EV-specific tires (Turanza Eco). As Jon has highlighted before, the half-half setup of front performance and rear EV-specific tires gave rise to a fun (but technically less safe) oversteering car which did not impact the energy consumption too much. I was getting about 6.4km/kWh for the first 10000km with full EV tires, then about 5.9-6.1km/kWh for about 20000km on the mixed setup, which has gone down to 5.5-5.7km/kWh on the full PS4 SUV setup.
Apart from the figures, I feel that my Q4 e-tron is not rolling as efficiently as before as the tires just feel a bit heavier. I'm jabbing at the accelerator fractionally longer, and not getting the same about of regeneration. Numerically, going from 6.4 down to 5.7 is not a great deal (just 10%), it does bother me as a numbers person. Over time, my decision to prioritize a higher performing tire is going to cost me a bit more in the wallet. However, it also took a little bit of fun away from getting good consumption numbers to which I will have to get used to during the life of this tire, which I expect to last at least 35000km. So far the fronts have eked out 20000km and the tread is still looking good, while the new rears have done less than 1000km.
At the speeds I'm allowed to drive, which is less than 100km/h, with frequent tropical rain, I don't think that my car really needs the full PS4 performance, and I'm thinking of switching to the PS5 Energy when the time is up for this set. I mean, it still feels great on the road, the grip is fantastic, and the braking is really stable and straight, but I'm not sure they are a good match for an EV.
Overall, these are great tires. If consumption or rolling resistance is not your priority, they are still suitable for EVs. However, if you are an EV driver and want to save on costs and can give up a bit of grip for an EV-specific tire which will perform almost similarly, you will be rewarded with exactly that.