-
Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
20" tire help
- Thread starter Fas4d
- Start date
beastmode13
Member
Hate to bring bad news but if limited road noise is a priority 20” is a bad idea. And per the comment above^^^. I would stay away from max performance tires like the pilot 4s. They are stickier/softer/louder in general and will get even louder with >10k miles on them. Look at more of a touring tire, that is if they are even available in a 20”.I just ordered Tsportline 20" wheels and need to match a tire with them. The number one factor for us is road noise. What would you guys recommend?
I just ordered Tsportline 20" wheels and need to match a tire with them. The number one factor for us is road noise. What would you guys recommend?
Make sure you get the Tesla specific Michelin Pilot Sport 4S 235/35-20 - not only does it have acoustic foam which other versions of that tire do not, but it is significantly wider in tread - but not in section width - than the other versions of the 235/35. We still don't know exactly what engineering Tesla got Michelin to do, other than the acoustic foam, but I have to believe that the extra .25 inches of tread was put there for good reason.
In any case, it is a remarkable tire. Quiet, phenomenal grip in both wet and dry. Best street tire you can buy. Nothing else is frankly even all that close.
Have you ever used, driven, or evaluated that tire (Michelin PS 4S) in any way? Like, maybe owned a pair? Have you even read the summary of user data available to the public on Tire Rack's website. If neither of these is true, then you are spreading misinformation. Just not true that they are noisy. We have used 6 pairs of those, in both the 235/35 and monster 275/30 sizes. They are really quiet, esp. for their size and esp. for their performance level, which is remarkably high. All tires get noisier as they lose tread, so this is nonspecific and not unique to the 4S.
If you value handling, braking and safety, and can afford them, they are the best street tire anyone has ever made. If you are skeptical, read up here. There is objective testing here also.
Last edited:
Would a 20" touring tire be quite than the Tesla specific Michelin Pilot Sport 4S ? Max performance is less important than road noise. I realize 20" tires are not the best choice for a quite ride but I'd like to make sure I don't get a tire that's is annoying. I drove a P3 for a couple weeks and actually felt like is it was just as quit as my 3D with the 18's on it.
Check out the noise testing results on Tire Rack's website - I don't know how many tires they've tested that way.
What you could also do is see if you can find someone with a DMP+ version, or just do a test drive with your local Tesla store, with a sound meter, at 70 mph on a local highway, and compare that reading to your current setup on the same stretch of highway.
You might also be interested in this thread here - I've reduced noise on the highway significantly - although what I did was somewhat labor intensive and not for the technically faint of heart. My final report is here, at the end of the thread.
beastmode13
Member
I was surprised by how quiet the Tesla spec 235/35/20 Michelin PS4 is compare to off the shelf 255/40/19 Michelin PS4 I have now on my 3. However, the off the shelf PS4 has stickier compound than the Tesla spec PS4, it picks up so much road debris.
wgood33
Member
Easy there. First off the original post stated “number one factor for us is road noise” so I was answering in that context. Any max performance summer tire is going to be on the louder end of passenger car tires. Soft compound and they aren’t engineered to be quiet they are engineered for performance. Second almost everything on tire rack is subjective user reviews. I have not owned a vehicle with the 4s however before we moved back to AK I ran Michelin Pilot sport and cup tires on all our high performance and track cars in the summer. And also you statement around the best street tire ever made. Again very subjective. Per Michelin the 4s shouldn’t be used it stored in temps under 40F. So us in Alaska for much of the northern US, western mountains, and Canada where we can see temps < 40F any month of the year they are not close to the best option. Also if acceleration and breaking distances are a concern 18” rims out perform 20” in those areas due to less rotational mass.
Pretty much everything on tire rack is opinion based. Here is an article on up sized rims:
Effects of Upsized Wheels and Tires Tested
Most track cars run 18”
As for cold weather:
From Michelin - “The Pilot Sport 4S excels in warm dry and wet conditions, so like all Max Performance Summer tires, is not intended to be serviced, stored nor driven in near- and below-freezing temperatures, through snow or on ice.”
From tire rack - “...When the tires are exposed to temperatures of 20 degrees F (-7 degrees C) or lower must be permitted to gradually return to temperatures of at least 40 degrees F (5 degrees C) for at least 24 hours before they are flexed in any manner, such as by adjusting inflation pressures, mounting them on wheels or using them to support, roll or drive a vehicle.
Flexing of the specialized rubber compounds used in Max Performance Summer tires during cold-weather use can result in irreversible compound cracking. Compound cracking is not a warrantable condition because it occurs as the result of improper use or storage, tires exhibiting compound cracking must be replaced.”
Wow. Do you work for their competition? First, thanks for re-posting that cold weather warning here - we've seen that about 10 times. I'm sure somebody somewhere hasn't seen that so perhaps for the uninformed it's useful - but Tesla on this point hasn't done themselves any favors in terms of their sales staff failing to flag this.
However, it is dismissive to suggest that Tire Rack's extensive user summaries and most particularly their road test results are some version of fashionable subjective fluff, (just 'opinion-based' - but what isn't 'opinion based' - it 's just the evidence base behind it that matters!) On this key point, you seem in the dark.
On two accounts: 1) their track testing results are both objective and very consistent with user reports and other data; 2) while a few user reports are simply anecdotal, many hundreds when averaged out look really quite accurate and reflective of the tire's actual performance across the spectrum of relevant issues. There are literally hundreds of user reports on the 4S. And its composite scores are the highest Tire Rack has ever posted for a street tire, even slightly higher than for the Super Sport which has dominated both the rankings and the objective testing for YEARS.
So the claim that the 4S is the best street tire anyone has ever seen up to now has in fact a very substantial evidence base behind it, which no doubt is why Tesla - hardly a technically unsophisticated group - picked it for the Model 3 DMP.
So get your facts straight please.
Last edited:
Not on a 20 inch wheel. If you want the appearance of big wheels, which have become de rigour in a lot of quarters from a style standpoint, you will give up something in other areas :1) ride (although the 4S is a great riding tire, esp. for something as radical as the 235/35 or even more so with the 275/30); 2) impact protection for both the wheel and the tire; 3) unsprung weight, as the smaller sidewall of the larger diameter tires doesn't make up for the extra weight of the larger wheel; 4) cost (both for the larger wheel and the increasingly radical low aspect ratio tire).
Those downsides have to be considered against the style issues one might desire, and as the only other benefit, perhaps a slight increase in tread patch stability as you go lower in aspect ratio (although there are diminishing returns on this as you go from 40>35>30 series).
Lots to consider. But if you do buy 20s, get the lightest wheel you can possibly afford, and don't think about anything other than the 4S as a tire. 19 inch wheels still can look great, cost less, are lighter, allow for both stock 235/40 and wider 265/35 tire options, and offer less vulnerability to impact damage. But they may not look as cool
You are pretty delusional. So I work for the competition? Who is the competition? Republicans? If you are asking if I own Bridgestone, Conti, Goodyear, cooper, BFG,... unfortunately I don’t. Ughhhhhh I don’t even know how to respond to that garbage. Yes Michelin make some of the best ultra high performance summer tires out there. As I mentioned above I ran them almost exclusively on my sport and track cars in the past. Heck if I lived somewhere else and bought another GT3 or something where I was going to race SCCA or run track days the 4s is most likely what I would most likely be running. However as per the original question if road noise is the #1 priority they are possibly not the best option.
Anyway dfwatt, thank you for letting me know you are a mindless fan boy so I can ignore you.
I disagree, The Telsa spec 20" PS4S is fairly quiet even when compared to the Tesla spec MXM4 18" tire.
Congrats on the wheel purchase. Which 20" Tsportline wheel did you get? As mentioned above multiple times, buy the Michelins specifically designed for the Tesla. Although I've never experienced the Michelins mentioned above, I'm sure Tesla and Michelin worked hard to ensure the best balance of performance and quietness.I just ordered Tsportline 20" wheels and need to match a tire with them. The number one factor for us is road noise. What would you guys recommend?
Being told to buy smaller diameter wheels after you've made your purchase is likely not all too helpful.
Morning Cole. Can you recommend a quiet all season tire for my 3 with 19 inch sport wheels. It’s early for me as the car is only a month old.
Just thinking down the road. I’m in MA.
Wow! The comment about working for the competition was a JOKE!
What I took more serious issue with was your dismissal of the factual basis behind the claim that the 4 S is the best current (and best yet) street tire ('just opinion-based' as you condescended). But getting called on your dismissal of the evidence (which I won't repeat as you ignored it the first time) really gets you bent out of shape!
Have a beer and chill out Cole! You're way too revved up to have a meaningful discussion with about tires, let alone challenge on your opinions, which may not be the last factual word on the subject.
Similar threads
