2020 Model X Long Range Tires

[Napps]

Hi Everyone. Thank you in advance for your thoughts.

I have a 2020 Model X Long Range, Standard 20" Wheels with 10,000 Miles. The vehicle had service done on both the right and left halfshafts in April at about 8,500 miles as there was a grinding sound when accelerating or slowing. Apparently, there is a known issue with these parts. At that time, the service center stated that all tires were at 8MM. I measured today and the rear tires are 9MM and the front tires are 4MM. I set an appointment for a rotation (don't believe that's possible on Model X due to different size tires) to see what's wrong and the service center sent me an estimate for 2 new tires. There are a few things throwing me off.

1. Is it possible that in under 1,500 miles and 3 months that the tires could lose 1\2 of their tread under normal driving conditions? About 1k of the 1,500 miles were full highway.

2. Is it possible the halfshaft issue caused premature tread wear? If so, should this be a warranty claim? I've seen other posts that Tesla does not offer a tire warranty. Would the tire manufacturer offer a tread warranty?

3. My OEM Tires are Continental M+S. They want to replace with LX Sport. I believe M+S stands for "Mud & Snow." Were these the correct tires to have on the vehicle in SOCAL? Could that be an issue?

End of day, over 3\4 of the miles are from multiple highway trips to NOCAL. The rest is stop and go city driving. Minimal quick acceleration...for a Tesla. I just can't believe the tires would wear that quickly.

Side Note: I just learned a friend with the same exact vehicle and 16,000 miles has 2 new front tires on order.

Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thank you again.

 

[Les236]

My original set of tires would have lasted at least 40,000 miles. I had to change them because one front and one rear went out of round or had tread separation. I found out the same thing, that Tesla does not warranty the tires, and does not offer road hazard or any sort of tire warranty. I went through Continental and received a decent allowance on a new set and purchased mine at Discount Tire which was recommended by Continental for the area I was in. I am not sure if they are in California or not.

I do not think your tire wear is normal. I don't know if Continental will do a tread wear warranty or not. I don't think the M & S tires are correct. Mine are LX Sport. M & S may be softer and wear quicker.

If the tires wear is uniform all the way across, it could be normal. Usually if an alignment or other issue is causing tire wear, it is uneven.

For Continental you have to find their warranty phone number and call them. Make sure you get the name of the person you speak with, along with a case number. Good luck.

 

[ngng]

1. Is it possible that in under 1,500 miles and 3 months that the tires could lose 1\2 of their tread under normal driving conditions? About 1k of the 1,500 miles were full highway.

"normal" no.

2. Is it possible the halfshaft issue caused premature tread wear? If so, should this be a warranty claim? I've seen other posts that Tesla does not offer a tire warranty. Would the tire manufacturer offer a tread warranty?

the halfshaft is an issue, but doubtful it is the cause of your tire wear issues. this is very likely not a tire defect, so no.

3. My OEM Tires are Continental M+S. They want to replace with LX Sport. I believe M+S stands for "Mud & Snow." Were these the correct tires to have on the vehicle in SOCAL? Could that be an issue?

End of day, over 3\4 of the miles are from multiple highway trips to NOCAL. The rest is stop and go city driving. Minimal quick acceleration...for a Tesla. I just can't believe the tires would wear that quickly.

no, the tire selection is not an issue. it is still an "all season", albeit a terrible one. tires will wear faster on a heavy car, but this is excessive.

without seeing photos, I would wager out of spec toe, then possibly camber.

 

[Dnivrav]

Hi Everyone. Thank you in advance for your thoughts.

I have a 2020 Model X Long Range, Standard 20" Wheels with 10,000 Miles. The vehicle had service done on both the right and left halfshafts in April at about 8,500 miles as there was a grinding sound when accelerating or slowing. Apparently, there is a known issue with these parts. At that time, the service center stated that all tires were at 8MM. I measured today and the rear tires are 9MM and the front tires are 4MM. I set an appointment for a rotation (don't believe that's possible on Model X due to different size tires) to see what's wrong and the service center sent me an estimate for 2 new tires. There are a few things throwing me off.

1. Is it possible that in under 1,500 miles and 3 months that the tires could lose 1\2 of their tread under normal driving conditions? About 1k of the 1,500 miles were full highway.

2. Is it possible the halfshaft issue caused premature tread wear? If so, should this be a warranty claim? I've seen other posts that Tesla does not offer a tire warranty. Would the tire manufacturer offer a tread warranty?

3. My OEM Tires are Continental M+S. They want to replace with LX Sport. I believe M+S stands for "Mud & Snow." Were these the correct tires to have on the vehicle in SOCAL? Could that be an issue?

End of day, over 3\4 of the miles are from multiple highway trips to NOCAL. The rest is stop and go city driving. Minimal quick acceleration...for a Tesla. I just can't believe the tires would wear that quickly.

Side Note: I just learned a friend with the same exact vehicle and 16,000 miles has 2 new front tires on order.

Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thank you again.

hello Napps,

I am not a qualified expert to speak to the specific questions but joined the forum recently to research my issue with the rear tires on my 2020 AWD LR Model-X. The tires do wear out fairly quickly and with some poor road conditions / debris, I have already replaced 3 tires (2 on the same wheel which is rear driver side). Only driven 15k miles at this time.
I’m looking for replacement tires that will come with some kind of warranty like Costco sells. Will let you know if I find that.

 

[Dispersion]

Hey Napps - I have a 2020 Ravel Model X LR with OEM Conti Cross-Contact LX Sports. Tires had to be replaced at 13K miles. I've also had both half shafts replaced. TLR is that this is a known and common issue with the Model X (lots of threads on this issue across the forums).

A bit more detail: The half shaft and the tire wear (primarily due to the camber at low and v.low ride height setting) seem to be two separate but related issues. The half shaft (clunking / clicking noise issue) is due to a design fault related to the car's suspension. At standard or higher heights, the drive shaft is at such an extreme angle that over time it creates the clunking noise when accelerating. A fix for that is to drive the car in a lower suspension setting(default low or very low) but when you do that it changes the camber of the wheels and resulting in accelerated inner tire wear. This video explains it pretty well - (

), but as a separate matter, after speaking with Tesla service folks I wouldn't recommend getting the after market mods until your warranty is out.

On my car: I had the half shafts replaced and then had the service center adjust the front wheel camber (apparently rear wheel camber can't be adjusted - I have no idea why), so that it was more even when the car was in low ride height setting (note: it required the service center to adjust it slightly "out of spec" and while it shouldn't have any impact on the ride, I do notice that the car has trouble adjusting ride height while moving at higher speeds. I now usually lower it when stopped or set the right height before I take off to ensure the car stays where I want it to be - at low). So far so good but the test will come when I complete the next 9K miles (that's when the clunking might return, if at all).

Here's my take on your questions with some more information based on my experience, conversation with Tesla service folks, and other people in this forum (who get most of the credit).

1. This seems to be on the extreme end of the possibility spectrum. My guess is that the initial measurement was wrong or that they measured the tire tread on the outside (vs. the inside which sees much faster wear). As a tip, make sure you check the inner tires on your rear wheels as well. Same issue here and usually the wear happens without you noticing. Could be a real problem on a road trip so have a look or get someone to check it. I had to replace my rear wheels at 11K.

2. See above. If the wear is on the inner tire due to camber, then not much you can do about that from what I understand.

3. I have conti cross contact LX-Sport M+S. These are the OEM tires for the X (and your definition of M+S is current, meant for all season use). Not sure if M+S tires wear quicker but if you don't plan to drive around in the snow or inclement weather, then you could always switch to a different tire. From my conversations with other owners and Tesla techs I spoke with, most have recommended Michelins which apparently last longer b/c of they use a harder tire compound (I have no idea whether this is true but I'm planning to try the Michelins when I next replace my tires).

I'm not an engineer, just sharing what I've learned so feel free to validate and/or correct if you find evidence to the contrary on any I've said above. Hope this helps.

 

[Grazant]

I have only 15,000 miles on my 2nd set of tires and the metal is showing on the fronts inside. I am 50% city 50% highway. I did have alignment at 7,000 miles from delivery due to extreme outside wear on the fronts, so this will be my 3rd set of tires with only 27,000 miles on the car.