The three criteria of electric scooter tire dimensions also affect safety, traction and driving comfort.
Whichever tire you choose, you need to consider the diameter, width and tread pattern.
The effect of tire diameter and width
- A large tire diameter: provides a safer and more comfortable ride. The larger the diameter, the easier you can take obstacles on the road. You feel fewer jolts when you encounter bumps. You’re also less likely to get stuck in a pothole, which could cause you to fall off your e-step.
- Wide tire: provides more stability and riding comfort. Wider tires are less likely to get stuck in cracks in the road.
You feel safer and enjoy a smoother road feel. On the other hand, as with mountain bike tires, using wide tires slows top speed because of higher rolling resistance.
Tire dimensions - the tire tread
There are different types of tires depending on where you will use your electric scooter.
- Road or onroad tires: have a tread suitable for asphalt roads.
The tread drains water from the ground for better grip. - Off-road tires: have a studded tread. The purpose of these studs is to provide grip by digging into the ground or sand. These are significant advantages for off-road driving, but they become a handicap for urban driving. In fact, the interfaces to asphalt are smaller to make them suitable for asphalt, especially in wet weather.
- Race” or “slick” tires: have the advantage that they warm up quickly, providing optimum grip and braking on asphalt. A strong point for speed and fast turns, which explains their use on some extreme electric scooters. However, they are designed only for dry weather and asphalt. As a result, they lack a lot of versatility, which can be very limiting for everyday use. They are quite expensive and wear out very quickly due to their very soft rubber construction.
Electric scooter tire dimensions
The 3 steps in choosing the right tire size
- Choose the right tire size
- Check if the tires are compatible with your electric scooter
- Choose the best possible tire configuration
In fact, the choice of e-step tires is different for everyone. It will depend greatly on your priorities (comfort/maintenance) and the type of road you use. Thus, the loss of comfort associated with solid tires will be less noticeable for a scooter on slippery roads than on rough roads. The loss of torque from solid tires will also be more of a problem for an e-step on a road with lots of hills.
What tire size can I use on my electric scooter ?
First of all, the tire size should be the same as your original tires. For example, if you have original 10-inch tires, it is easiest to buy new 10-inch tires.
However, you may decide to go for larger or wider tires, but this will require some modifications to your scooter.
What type of tire can I use on my electric scooter
Compatibility of tires on your electric scooter
Solid tires can be replaced with pneumatic tires, and vice versa. However, the procedure is quite difficult. Depending on the model of your e-step, professional help may be needed. For this, you can contact Mobile Future.
Changing from a pneumatic tire to a solid tire can also affect the durability of your electric scooter. In fact, some electric scooters have only the compressed air in the tires as the suspension system. A solid tire causes more vibration that can cause premature wear on your e-step.
City or on-road tires can usually be changed to off-road tires, and vice versa. However, if you decide to switch to off-road tires, keep in mind that they are less suitable for roads.
The different possible tire configurations
It is important to note that your electric scooter can use pneumatic tires, solid tires or a mix of both!
What exactly does this mean? Mount a pneumatic tire on the front of your scooter, and a solid tire on the rear. This is because the rear tires carry more of the driver’s weight and because the rear tires are more prone to punctures.
