Welcome to Tesla Motors Club
Discuss Tesla's Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model Y, Cybertruck, Roadster and More.
Register

2.0 / 2.5 Roadster / Roadster Sport Tire Thread

This site may earn commission on affiliate links.
Those wheels should work. Keep in mind you want to make sure the center bore is correct or you will need hubcentric rings. Also, 3mm spacer is nothing and not required unless you really want to. The nominal OEM diameters are F 23.5" and R 25.0". As long as you stay within 0.1 or 0.2, you should be fine. This would mean running 225/40-18 on the rear and 205/40-17 on the front.
 
Sorry? Just saw this, those wheels will NOT fit without the front spacers, they will hit the caliper, 3mm should clear just, 5mm would be safe, but I run the larger 15mm spacers on all 4 wheels because I’m too lazy to machine them down, if you follow the link it will show they are running hubcentric spacers with adaptor rings on the wheels. 225/40-18 and 195/45-17 keeps the ride from being to harsh. Plus the DWS 06 also come in those sizes.
 
As for the spacers, if you have interference with the calipers, then you definitely need something to make sure they clear. I have to disagree with the 195/45-17 fronts. Per Tirerack, only one tire in that size and it isn't a Continental. The advantage of a 205/40 is it is the exact same dia as OEM (a 195/45 is larger dia by about 0.4") , and the larger contact patch will reduce the dreaded understeer.
 
  • Informative
Reactions: Roadster
This is a pretty old thread but hey, these are getting to be old cars now. :)

I have a 2010 Roadster 2.5 Sport (actually 3.0 as I did upgrade) and need new tires. Tesla service says I need to order them myself, sigh.

I have black rims. From what I understand, the originals are these:

Front: P175/55R16
Rear: P225/45R17

But many seem pretty happy with these?

Continental Extreme Contact Sport
Front: 195/50 ZR 16 (84W)
Rear: 225/45 ZR 17 (91W)


The only thing I'm not sure about is if the rims will fit the 195/50 fine vs the 175/55? I can use the same rims on the Continental ECS?

Best,

-- Chris
 
Yes, buy them with confidence 👍 as many of us have them on our cars and are very pleased with the performance and wear characteristics.

Note: 195/50 is an approved "alternative" to the stock spec per Tesla's own recommendation (see attached from owner's manual).
Screen Shot 2022-04-04 at 1.53.01 PM.png
 
I have used AD07s front and rear ($330 and $409) at Tire Rack. I get 18,000 miles on the front and only 6000 miles on the rear tires. But, of course, I follow the rule that at each traffic light when red turns to green the accelerator is required to be pushed to the floor!
 
  • Funny
Reactions: eHorses
I am planning on running AD07's front and AD08's rear (AD07 rears at Tire Rack crazy expensive) - has anyone done this? or any thoughts?
I have run that combination through 2 or 3 sets of rears. Performance is excellent, I find the AD08 offers slightly better handling with slightly less noise compared to the AD07. The problem is that the AD08 is an old tire and hard to find new stock. If Tire Rack has AD08s that weren't manufactured 3+ years ago then you should grab them.
 
I just checked Tire Rack and it looks like they have new stock of AD08R for the rear size. The tire is considered old tech at this point but it performs well combined with AD07 on the front. It's a better combination than putting the newer Mich Pilot Sport 4s (summer) on the rear with AD07 fronts, although the Michelins are better in the rain.
 
  • Informative
Reactions: eHorses
I just checked Tire Rack and it looks like they have new stock of AD08R for the rear size. The tire is considered old tech at this point but it performs well combined with AD07 on the front. It's a better combination than putting the newer Mich Pilot Sport 4s (summer) on the rear with AD07 fronts, although the Michelins are better in the rain.
Thanks, I just got a rear set of OEM from Tire Rack to replace these “RunFlats”😬. It’s amazing how fast you go thru these tires if you enjoy driving these cars.😂
IMG_5387.jpeg

While the tires are off, I was going to clean this up. Cosmetic issue, but does anyone have suggestions before I google for a solution?
IMG_5384.jpeg
 
Thanks, I just got a rear set of OEM from Tire Rack to replace these “RunFlats”😬. It’s amazing how fast you go thru these tires if you enjoy driving these cars.😂View attachment 979142
While the tires are off, I was going to clean this up. Cosmetic issue, but does anyone have suggestions before I google for a solution?View attachment 979143
What cosmetic issue ? They are brake discs. They will always be rusty. You could wire brush the centers a little bit maybe.
 
  • Like
Reactions: eHorses
While the tires are off, I was going to clean this up. Cosmetic issue, but does anyone have suggestions before I google for a solution?
The best solution is to buy better quality rotors with plated or aluminum (or both) hats. For example, many of us participated in a custom group order from Titanium Dave to get rotors with plated aluminum hats. The steel parts were also treated with a coating that is slower to rust. They were significantly lighter and provided much better braking performance. And of course they look a lot nicer (addressing your cosmetic issue).

Before I got new rotors I used POR 15 on the old steel parts, avoiding the area where the pads came in contact. It worked for a while but high heat eventually causes the POR 15 coating to wear off near the pads. It's easy to re-apply and that's what I would recommend if you're not going to replace the rotors
 
  • Like
Reactions: eHorses
Yes, buy them with confidence 👍 as many of us have them on our cars and are very pleased with the performance and wear characteristics.

Note: 195/50 is an approved "alternative" to the stock spec per Tesla's own recommendation (see attached from owner's manual).
Yes, buy them with confidence 👍 as many of us have them on our cars and are very pleased with the performance and wear characteristics.

Note: 195/50 is an approved "alternative" to the stock spec per Tesla's own recommendation (see attached from owner's manual).
View attachment 790053
Hi does anyone have experience with the Continental 2011 Sport, stock
Yes, buy them with confidence 👍 as many of us have them on our cars and are very pleased with the performance and wear characteristics.

Note: 195/50 is an approved "alternative" to the stock spec per Tesla's own recommendation (see attached from owner's manual).
View attachment 790053
Hi, I'm needing to replace my tires and have thankfully found this tread. Does anyone have any experience with

"Continental Extreme Contact DWS 06 Plus" tires vs the "Contential Extreme Contact Sport"?

They look to be similar to the ones you are recommending above, but the DWS 06 Plus are "Ultra High Performance All-Season" vs the ExtremeContact Sport being listed as "Max Performance Summer" (on TireRack as of this posting). I'm likely to want to drive in the rain this winter so have a preference for the All Season vs Summer, but I'm not sure what the tradeoffs would be. Noise? Ride? None?

Sizes I'm looking at are per stock spec:
195/50ZR16 front (approved "alternative" spec)
225/45ZR17 rear (approved spec)

Background: I have a 2011 Roadster Sport, stock wheels, casual "fun" driving on streets and freeways (no track).

Also - any recomendations on who to install the tires in the San Francisco Bay Area? Tesla Service Center in Marin advised a "long indeterminant" lead time and suggested I look elsewhere to install - but said they would do it if I could wait. I'm a bit concerned taking a "vintage sports car" into a Tire Rack recommended Wheel Works / Big O chain for replacement..... thoughts?

Thanks in advance
 
Hi, I'm needing to replace my tires and have thankfully found this tread. Does anyone have any experience with

"Continental Extreme Contact DWS 06 Plus" tires vs the "Contential Extreme Contact Sport" mentioned above?

They look to be similar, but the DWS 06 Plus are "Ultra High Performance All-Season" vs the ExtremeContact Sport being listed as "Max Performance Summer" (on TireRack as of this posting). I'm likely to want to drive in the rain a bit this winter so have a preference for the All Season vs Summer, but I'm not sure what the tradeoffs would be. Noise? Ride? None?

Sizes I'm looking at are per stock spec:
195/50ZR16 front (approved "alternative" spec)
225/45ZR17 rear (approved spec)

Background: I have a 2011 Roadster Sport, stock wheels, casual "fun" driving on streets and freeways (no track).

Also - any recomendations on who to install the tires in the San Francisco Bay Area? Tesla Service Center in Marin advised a "long indeterminant" lead time and suggested I look elsewhere to install - but said they would do it if I could wait. I'm a bit concerned taking a "vintage sports car" into a Tire Rack recommended Wheel Works / Big O chain for replacement..... thoughts?

Thanks in advance
 
Hi, I'm needing to replace my tires and have thankfully found this tread. Does anyone have any experience with

"Continental Extreme Contact DWS 06 Plus" tires vs the "Contential Extreme Contact Sport" mentioned above?

They look to be similar, but the DWS 06 Plus are "Ultra High Performance All-Season" vs the ExtremeContact Sport being listed as "Max Performance Summer" (on TireRack as of this posting). I'm likely to want to drive in the rain a bit this winter so have a preference for the All Season vs Summer, but I'm not sure what the tradeoffs would be. Noise? Ride? None?

Sizes I'm looking at are per stock spec:
195/50ZR16 front (approved "alternative" spec)
225/45ZR17 rear (approved spec)

Background: I have a 2011 Roadster Sport, stock wheels, casual "fun" driving on streets and freeways (no track).

Also - any recomendations on who to install the tires in the San Francisco Bay Area? Tesla Service Center in Marin advised a "long indeterminant" lead time and suggested I look elsewhere to install - but said they would do it if I could wait. I'm a bit concerned taking a "vintage sports car" into a Tire Rack recommended Wheel Works / Big O chain for replacement..... thoughts?

Thanks in advance
I’ve only ridden on oem AD08R/ADO7 but a lot of owners have highly recommended the Contential Extreme Contact Sport. I know @DeedWest has extensive experience with the Contential sport.

I would be very cautious about bringing it to any tire shop. Our roadsters is Very back heavy so it’s easy to “flip” the car while lifting it if the shop does not have a lift adapter for their two post lift. Also, the lug nuts are soft and easy to break so best to loosen and to torque close by hand. I’ve removed the tires in pairs and bring them into the shop to have them install and balance the new tires for me to reinstall.
 
I have the Extremes, and like them. They perform very well, and seem to be lasting reasonably well. I don't worry about driving in a little rain, but if it's really nasty out I take a different car, just because. The DWS's should last longer, if that's a concern, but when I was looking I didn't think they had both sizes available. Perhaps that's changed. In any event, don't mix the two tire types, as it can make the ABS not work in dangerous ways.

The only concern I have with the Extremes is when it gets cold. Up here in the Foothills it can get down into the 20's to low 30's in the winter, but dry. Summer tires don't like (are arguably unsafe) below about 35F or so, which is probably less a problem in the Bay Area.

What eHorses said... When you get the tires switched, tell them (not ask them) to use only a floor jack at the specific jack points to swap the tires. Tell them in no uncertain terms that if they fail to do so, they could total the car. Talk to the store manager if possible. Also, if you have the old wheel locks, take the opportunity to swap them out for the regular lugs. They WILL fail at some point, and trust me, it's not fun. They must use a hand wrench, not the air gun, when dealing with the lugs.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: eHorses and hcsharp
I have the Extremes, and like them. They perform very well, and seem to be lasting reasonably well. I don't worry about driving in a little rain, but if it's really nasty out I take a different car, just because. The DWS's should last longer, if that's a concern, but when I was looking I didn't think they had both sizes available. Perhaps that's changed. In any event, don't mix the two tire types, as it can make the ABS not work in dangerous ways.

The only concern I have with the Extremes is when it gets cold. Up here in the Foothills it can get down into the 20's to low 30's in the winter, but dry. Summer tires don't like (are arguably unsafe) below about 35F or so, which is probably less a problem in the Bay Area.

What eHorses said... When you get the tires switched, tell them (not ask them) to use only a floor jack at the specific jack points to swap the tires. Tell them in no uncertain terms that if they fail to do so, they could total the car. Talk to the store manager if possible. Also, if you have the old wheel locks, take the opportunity to swap them out for the regular lugs. They WILL fail at some point, and trust me, it's not fun. They must use a hand wrench, not the air gun, when dealing with the lugs.
Thanks for the info - I'll stick with the recommended summer tires. You are right - I don't plan on driving in storms and likely the all season might be a bit less grippy (or so I'm told). Also it doesn't get that cold in SF so I'm not worried about that issue.

Newb question on replacing the OEM wheel locks - what is the replacement part? Lug nut or bolt? Size & thread measurements? Recommended source? Thanks again in advance!
 
There are many different locking lug nuts, a high resolution picture of the face would be able to decipher which one you want. I use DWS 06 for spring and autumn. Because while the extreme sport works well in the rain, the cold mornings and evenings do not help them grip. The 06 is a better performer in the colder months. That’s my go to tire on pretty much all my vehicles. If you are going to be running on a track get the summers, or only drive short distances, the softer compound will be better. Realistically if you are on stock brake discs or pads, then tires are least of your problems. Even a pad swap to EBC DP4885/2R and DP4197/2R or carbotech 1521 ct109l front ct419l rear. G-loc GS-1 are the same as bobcat with the glue backing.

Wheel bolts are
Stock m12 1.5 28mm length
60 degree cone
Wheel bolts P/N TMISRV001
Pack of 1 = 4 bolts
 
  • Like
Reactions: eHorses
Newb question on replacing the OEM wheel locks - what is the replacement part? Lug nut or bolt? Size & thread measurements? Recommended source? Thanks again in advance!
They're just more of the same bolts used on the rest of the wheel. I got a set of 4 directly from the local Tesla SC. This was several years ago (back when Tesla still acknowledged that the Roadster even exists). They were something like $36, and they replaced the set for free in a quick visit. No, you won't have locks on them after the swap, but you're more likely to have the lock shatter than the wheels get stolen.

Part of the challenge was that my key had been shattered by the tire center's air gun-wielding technician. The local SC had gotten rid of their keys, so there was no way to get the rest of the wheels off. Fortunately, it shattered on the first tire, so the other three were still fine. We (I, actually) had to negotiate with the SC up in Santa Rosa or thereabouts to send their key set to my local SC, promising my first born that they'd get them back. Tesla's answer was for me to drive the car (minus one lug bolt) the 137 miles to get it done, probably staying over night for a return charge. Sheesh...