Part of the reason Motor Trend named the Chevrolet Bolt its 2017 Car of the Year was that it was a great small car—electrified or otherwise. We were impressed with its stability, dynamic response, and performance characteristics, despite riding on low-rolling resistance tires. Most B-segment hatchbacks don't drive this well. That it came with a 238-mile electric range was a bonus.

With the Tesla Model 3 rapidly approaching launch, we knew a comparison between it and the Bolt was a story. But with the Model 3 likely riding on performance tires, we discussed the repercussions of equipping the Bolt with stickier rubber underfoot, as well. Lunchroom banter became a reality, and after a call to Tire Rack, we shod our long-term Bolt with a set of BFGoodrich G-Force Sport Comp-2 ultra-high-performance (UHP) tires.

For those of you wanting to turn your Bolt into a hot hatch, we asked the questions: Does putting sport tires on a Bolt really improve performance, and how much EV range does it sacrifice as a result?

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Driving Experience

First, let's look at how the Bolt handles with its hard, stock Michelin Energy Saver A/S Selfseal Green X tires. The heavy weight of the battery pack mounted low into the Bolt's floor gives the hatchback a low center of gravity, resulting in fairly nimble handling dynamics. While fun to drive at typical around-town speeds, pushing the limit results in the unholiest of tire squeal and also a frightening amount of understeer. Don't push the Bolt, because it wants to plow.

Even before hitting the road with the newly installed BFGoodrich summer tires, I immediately appreciated one thing: the new look of the Bolt EV. The more aggressive-looking tread of the summer tires results in quite a cool look for the tall hatchback.

Once on the move, I noticed something new: tire noise, and lots of it. Compared to the factory tires, the summer tires are much louder. Once you get going, an obvious whirling sound enters the cabin, only getting louder with speed (I recommend turning up that Bose sound system). Features editor Scott Evans, who chaperones our long-term Bolt EV, also noticed that "it seems especially noticeable because of how quiet EVs inherently are. I found it bothersome at first because the car was so quiet for the first six months (on stock tires), but I'm getting used to it. The quietness of the interior was a high point of the car for me, and it's hard to give it up."

Ride quality also takes a hit, but that's to be expected because UHP tires have much firmer sidewalls when compared to the factory units. With the Michelin low-resistance tires on, the Bolt is comfortable and rides well, thanks to the cushy sidewalls. Evans also noticed the decreased ride quality. "It's not brittle or harsh, but it's much more like a serious sport sedan ride-wise than the everyday commuter it was," he said. "With the quality of L.A. 's roads, this is a trade-off big enough to give me a bit of pause. Perhaps there's a summer tire option with a taller sidewall?" A firmer ride might not bother some, but it's something to consider depending on the quality of your local streets and highways.

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With sound and ride quality out of the way, let's get to the fun stuff. Handling and the overall fun-to-drive factor have increased tenfold. When wanting to drive spiritedly, the Bolt's factory tires were very limiting in two ways: lack of grip and fear of that dreadful tire squeal that low-resistance tires are known for. When UHP tires lose traction, it is a much quieter and less annoying squeal.

The UHP tires shine in the corners. A good example is on the many highway ramps and cloverleafs in L.A., as Evans explains: "The stock tires gave up fairly quickly and made a lot of noise, especially when you tried to go to power as you unwind the steering wheel. Now, it turns in sharper, grips much better midcorner, and puts the power down while exiting." The summer tires also allow the Bolt to enter a corner faster, brake later, and maintain a higher rate of speed through the corner, and it gives you a lot more confidence than you would normally have on the factory set of tires. Additionally, if you want to pass up that slow Prius, flooring the Bolt while switching lanes is much safer because there is much less or no tire slippage when performing this quick maneuver. Honestly, this thing is a blast to drive with UHP summer tires, and it's much more capable.

That fun does have its limits. Please keep in mind that this is still a tall EV hatchback and not a sports car. You can only push the Bolt so hard before things start getting hairy. The soft suspension and lack of any steering feel will make you hold back before you get into any trouble. You can't feel much of what's happening on the road. Additionally, the ESC rears its ugly head when trying to have fun. They might be UHP tires, but that instant torque will still easily break traction when the wheel is cranked to either side. Driving fast through a corner requires careful modulation of the throttle through the turn in order to prevent the system from momentarily sucking power away even when it's turned off.

Instrumented Testing

Street driving is fun and all, but instrumented testing on the track tells the real story. On factory tires, the Bolt EV does not break traction when flooring it from a stop, so we didn't expect much improvement in acceleration, and we were correct. With the Michelin factory tires on, the Bolt hit 60 mph in 6.3 seconds and the quarter mile in 15.0 seconds at 92.1 mph. There was basically no improvement with BFGoodrich performance tires. At 6.3 seconds, the 0-60-mph time stayed the same, and the Bolt hit the quarter mile 0.1 second faster at 92.9 mph.

However, lateral acceleration increased from 0.78 g to 0.82 g. When testing director Kim Reynolds flogged the Bolt around Motor Trend's figure-eight course, the Bolt's time improved by a half-second, from 27.4 seconds with factory tires to 26.9 seconds. The average g-force around the course increased from 0.63 g to 0.66 g, showing an improvement in overall grip through the corners.

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This is a nice improvement, but it could have been much better if it wasn't for the Bolt's overly aggressive electronic stability control. Even when supposedly fully defeated, the system is very intrusive when wheel slippage is detected. Around the skidpad part of the course (the corners), Reynolds had the Bolt at wide open throttle the entire time, but as soon as the tires slipped, ESC would cut what seemed like most power. This resulted in power being cut then allowed back on about every second or two the entire way around the corner. Killing time, speed, and possibly the maximum grip potential of the tires (g-forces could have possibly been higher). Witnessing this from the outside, it seemed as though Reynolds was hitting the brake pedal (the lights were flashing) every couple of seconds, but he wasn't. His right foot was pegged against the throttle. The ESC is, of course, aggressively tuned to keep the average driver out of harm's way and not for the track. If there was a way to detune the ESC, the results would have probably been better. Instant torque is not ESC's friend.

Driving Range and Charging

Skip this section if you love your Bolt's long EPA-rated 238-mile driving range, because your max driving distance takes a big hit due to the much higher grip and friction of the BFGoodrich Sport Comp-2 tires. That also effects charging time and the amount of electricity used.

According to the math that Evans provided, during the 58 days with the high-performance summer tires, the following happened to the Bolt EV's driving range, charging, and energy usage: The average trip between charges dropped 23.3 miles while using an average of 4.1 kWh more per charging session. In other words, the Bolt's driving range decreased, and it's using more energy than before. The predicted charging time has gone up by about an average of half an hour even though we are plugging it in at a higher rate of charge than before (52.7 percent on average compared to 49.4 percent before), and Ideal Range and Predicted Range have of course decreased. Due to our range anxiety, we were plugging in the Bolt sooner, but charging was still taking longer, correlating to the increased energy usage. Based on the EPA-rated 238-mile driving range, our driving range decreased by 10.2 percent. The average ideal range after charging dropped from 248 miles to 224 miles, and the average predicted range dropped from 206 miles to 186 miles.

To confirm this anecdotal data in an empirical setting, Motor Trend had our EQUA Real MPG experts strap on high-dollar testing equipment to calculate real-world fuel economy. The EPA rates the Bolt EV at 119 mpg-e combined city/highway driving with the stock Michelins—but our Real MPG team calculated an even-higher 122.2 mpg-e combined driving when tested.

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Then we tested the Bolt with the BFGoodrich summer tires. The results were staggeringly lower. We thought there might have been an error in our numbers, so we rechecked and recalculated the data. The numbers were correct: The mpg-e figure dropped by staggering 27 percent, down to 89.2 mpg-e combined driving. That puts it along the lines of one of the most inefficient and recently discontinued EVs on the market: the Mercedes-Benz B250e (84 mpg-e combined and an 87-mile driving range).

How does that affect range? When Real MPG tested the Bolt EV with the factory low-resistance tires on, they calculated a total driving range of 244 miles (higher than the EPA's calculated 238-miles range). But the reduced efficiency of the performance tires meant the range drops to about 178 miles with the same charging and driving habits.

Cynics might surmise that our driving style became a bit more aggressive once the performance tires were installed, therefore using more energy. I know for a fact mine did, and Evans says he found himself driving quicker at times, as well. Reynolds, however, says his driving style did not change.

Why would anyone do this?

Hypermilers might call this sort of experiment blasphemous while some young drivers out there with short commutes might think this is a great idea. In my opinion, UHP summer tires are a bit too extreme for most EVs, especially with the resulting range loss and increased energy use. Considering my short commute to work, I would find a good middle ground with a set of performance all-season tires. Evans shares similar feelings. Regardless, most people who purchase a Bolt EV will be perfectly happy with the factory low-resistance tires and the excellent range they provide. If you want to drive your tall EV hatchback like a sports car, or simply want improved braking distance and grip at the expense of some range loss, it's worth considering a more aggressive tire.

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2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV Premier 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV Premier (with UHP tires) BASE PRICE $41,780* $41,780 PRICE AS TESTED $43,905* $43,905 VEHICLE LAYOUT Front-engine, FWD, 5-pass, 4-door hatchback Front-engine, FWD, 5-pass, 4-door hatchback MOTOR 200-hp/266-lb-ft AC permanent magnet 200-hp/266-lb-ft AC permanent magnet TRANSMISSION 1-speed automatic 1-speed automatic CURB WEIGHT (F/R DIST) 3,555 lb (56/44%) 3,555 lb (56/44%) WHEELBASE 102.4 in 102.4 in LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT 164.0 x 69.5 x 62.8 in 164.0 x 69.5 x 62.8 in 0-60 MPH 6.3 sec 6.3 sec QUARTER MILE 14.9 sec @ 92.9 mph 15.0 sec @ 92.1 mph BRAKING, 60-0 MPH 128 ft 112 ft LATERAL ACCELERATION 0.78 g (avg) 0.82 g (avg) MT FIGURE EIGHT 27.4 sec @ 0.63 g (avg) 26.9 sec @ 0.66 g (avg) EQUA REAL MPG, COMBINED 122.2 mpg-e 89.2 mpg-e EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON 128/110/119 mpg-e 128/110/119 mpg-e ENERGY CONS, CITY/HWY 26/31 kW-hrs/100 miles 26/31 kW-hrs/100 miles CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB 0.00 lb/mile (at vehicle) 0.00 lb/mile (at vehicle) *Before applicable tax rebates