The N’blue EV is Nexen’s eco-friendly Grand Touring All-Season tire initially developed for the 2015 Kia Soul EV. Different by design than the tires fitted to gasoline-powered Kia Soul vehicles, N’blue EV tires offer Nexen’s Super Low Rolling Resistance (SLRR) to maximize vehicle range while delivering all-season dry, wet and wintertime traction, even in light snow.
N’blue EV tires feature an ultra-low rolling resistance all-season compound molded into a symmetric tread design. Shoulder blocks backed by continuous ribs to stabilize cornering and reduce noise.
Two continuous center ribs promote stability. Three circumferential grooves permit water to flow through the tread design to resist hydroplaning while multi-angle sipes increase the number of biting edges to enhance traction in light snow.
The tire’s internal structure features twin steel belts reinforced by a layer of spirally wrapped nylon to blend strength with durability. A polyester casing ply promotes ride quality.
NOTE: Conventional tires may be installed on Kia Soul EV vehicles, but vehicle driving range may be reduced.
Founder at Tiresout. Used to be working as an engineer at Bridgestone Tires Akron Technical Center. The responsibilities included but were not limited to technical computing, indoor & outdoor testing of new tires.
There tires have used around half of their tread. I drive the car hard as it handles pretty well since the battery is down load. Not the greatest tires for acceleration out of corners as they lose grip if I floor it as the car is a Soul EV as it has quite a bit of torque. Handling in the wet is neither good or bad. I have used them on snow and ice, and you can drive on it just need to take it really easy.
These tires were the original equipment on my Soul EV. They initially performed reasonably well, except in the rain and snow. It was way to easy to get tire spin with only slight acceleration on wet pavement. These tires are particularly worthless in snow and ice; I would not drive another winter season with them, even here in the Seattle area, where we don’t get much snow. After only 28,000 miles, the tires are now even more slippery and have worn quickly, even though they have been regularly rotated. Finally, they are quite fragile; one has blown out, and another has a soft sidewall. There are better choices for low-rolling-resistance tires for EVs.