Can't jack one corner (battery flex)?

[Nate T]

Just ordered a MY. The sales person is insisting that you can't jack up a single corner of a Tesla to change a wheel because it could cause the battery pack to flex and break. I'm pretty sure this is nonsense - obvious you'd want to use the designated jack point and not jack on the battery pack, but I've seen plenty of pictures of them being jacked up, including by rangers. And if the batteries were that fragile you'd crack them going up driveways and such.

This advisor is very insistent though, so wanted to check if there's anything to this. I'm guessing he's confusing the fact that you'd need two jacks (or a lift or jackpoint jackstands) to rotate tires, since there's no way to swap in a regular jack stand using only the four jacking points. But if you just want to change a single wheel (going from summer to winter for instance) surely it's fine?

 

[fiehlsport]

The Tesla Model Y Owner's Manual states that you should not use air tools or electric power tools such as an impact wrench to loosen or tighten the lug nuts. Use a half inch shaft 21mm deep socket, possibly a thin wall socket. You need a breaker bar and a torque wrench that is rated for at least 130 ft pounds (Tesla specifies 129 ft lbs when tightening the lug nuts.)

Seriously?? Another thing Mobile service does, every time. Electric impacts are industry standard now, everywhere. (And then torque by hand, obviously) There's nothing unique about Tesla lugs or studs that make them ineligible for loosening with power tools. I guarantee you 100% of techs at Tesla service centers are using these.

 

[jcanoe]

Seriously?? Another thing Mobile service does, every time. Electric impacts are industry standard now, everywhere. (And then torque by hand, obviously) There's nothing unique about Tesla lugs or studs that make them ineligible for loosening with power tools. I guarantee you 100% of techs at Tesla service centers are using these.

I can't find the reference. I know I read this recently.

 

[nate704]

Loosening lug nuts with impact is 100% safe. Tightening is different story, but 100% businesses or dealers or service center techs use impact because they'd rather have tight lug then loosing lug nuts/bolts. Also, they don't want to spend extra time to tighten it properly with torque wrenches since time is money for them.

 

[pt19713]

I use a Milwaukee Stubby with a 21mm impact wrench thin wall socket, along with ear protection.
There's nothing special about the Tesla lug nuts & wheel studs that should prevent you from using normal tools.
Husky 50-250 ft-lb torque wrench.

 

[Pianewman]

jcanoe: The usual good advice. I've never needed a breaker bar to loosen lug nuts, until now! 130lb torque is a lot to break loose, plus...ahem...I'm older! HAHA!

I would add: a 6 point socket. Greater strength.

 

[hungryev]

The Tesla Model Y Owner's Manual states that you should not use air tools or electric power tools such as an impact wrench to loosen or tighten the lug nuts. Use a half inch shaft 21mm deep socket, possibly a thin wall socket. You need a breaker bar and a torque wrench that is rated for at least 130 ft pounds (Tesla specifies 129 ft lbs when tightening the lug nuts.)

Curious why it's not recommended to use power tools to loosen the lug nuts. Is this unique to tesla's? I see tire centers use them regularly.

 

[nate704]

My 1295 ft-lbs air impact can break loose any passenger car nuts/bolts =)

 

[Wattsisname]

Throughout my long motoring life, I have always " broken" the torque before lifting the car and re torqued when the car is back on the ground. Any reason not to do this with: a) Any car b) with a Tesla Y.

Also, I am reading some scare stories about lifting the car with a single jack for
wheel rotation; broken welds and cracked glass roof to mention but a few. Is this because the single point lift induces too much torsion for the car to resist.

Why can't Tesla be unequivocal on the single jack approach. Do they bring four point lifts to puncture callouts? I think not. However, there maybe be subtleties in the methodology of the single jack.


I now feel daunted by the prospect of DIY or indeed shop, wheel rotation. Perhaps using my spare and thereby never having more than one wheel off the car at a time is the way to go. It would be a pain but.....

I have never suffered range anxiety but now wheel changing anxiety.....Please! I won't be mentioning this to my EV skeptical friends who advise that I should not be in collision with another EV as a conflagration is almost assured. Go figure!

 

[jcanoe]

Throughout my long motoring life, I have always " broken" the torque before lifting the car and re torqued when the car is back on the ground. Any reason not to do this with: a) Any car b) with a Tesla Y.

Also, I am reading some scare stories about lifting the car with a single jack for
wheel rotation; broken welds and cracked glass roof to mention but a few. Is this because the single point lift induces too much torsion for the car to resist.

Why can't Tesla be unequivocal on the single jack approach. Do they bring four point lifts to puncture callouts? I think not. However, there maybe be subtleties in the methodology of the single jack.


I now feel daunted by the prospect of DIY or indeed shop, wheel rotation. Perhaps using my spare and thereby never having more than one wheel off the car at a time is the way to go. It would be a pain but.....

I have never suffered range anxiety but now wheel changing anxiety.....Please! I won't be mentioning this to my EV skeptical friends who advise that I should not be in collision with another EV as a conflagration is almost assured. Go figure!

Have Tesla Mobile Service rotate your Tesla vehicle's tires (for the first rotation.) Watch what the tech does and then you will know the correct steps. There are also videos on Youtube.

 

[Wattsisname]

Have Tesla Mobile Service rotate your Tesla vehicle's tires (for the first rotation.) Watch what the tech does and then you will know the correct steps. There are also videos on Youtube.

Thank you.

Have Tesla Mobile Service rotate your Tesla vehicle's tires (for the first rotation.) Watch what the tech does and then you will know the correct steps. There are also videos on Youtube.

I have watched YouTube videos of Ranger rotating tyres. He used one jack pat the rear without even an axel stand at the front.
Also, he used a power tool for nut removal.
So.......

 

[Wattsisname]

Just watched another tyre rotation video where the Ranger jacked the front of the car which suggests that jacking end is not important or, God forbid, he failed to follow recommended procedure.

 

[jcanoe]

You are overthinking it. You can lift the Tesla Model Y using either the front or rear lift point. Break the lug nuts free (just barely) before raising the vehicle. Use a low profile floor jack rated for at least 2 tons. Carefully place the lift arm of the floor jack at the proper lift point. Use a lift puck if you want to. Use wheel chock blocks on both wheels on the opposite side of the vehicle from the side you are raising as the Tesla Model Y is only kept from rolling by the e-brake clamping the brakes on the rear wheels.

When rotating the tires front to back you only need to raise the car enough so that the front and rear wheels clear the ground After swapping the wheel locations start the lug nuts by hand so you don't cross thread the lug nuts. You can use a power tool to tighten the lug nuts if you have one. You will need a 21mm deep socket (possibly a thin-wall socket) and a power tool or a lug wrench. Tighten the lug nuts cross wise on each wheel. Lower the vehicle slowly and then finish tightening the lug nuts using a torque wrench set to the Tesla spec (129 ft-lbs.) Repeat on the opposite side of the vehicle.

 

[Wattsisname]

You are overthinking it. You can lift the Tesla Model Y using either the front or rear lift point. Break the lug nuts free (just barely) before raising the vehicle. Use a low profile floor jack rated for at least 2 tons. Carefully place the lift arm of the floor jack at the proper lift point. Use a lift puck if you want to. Use wheel chock blocks on both wheels on the opposite side of the vehicle from the side you are raising as the Tesla Model Y is only kept from rolling by the e-brake clamping the brakes on the rear wheels.

When rotating the tires front to back you only need to raise the car enough so that the front and rear wheels clear the ground After swapping the wheel locations start the lug nuts by hand so you don't cross thread the lug nuts. You can use a power tool to tighten the lug nuts if you have one. You will need a 21mm deep socket (possibly a thin-wall socket) and a power tool or a lug wrench. Tighten the lug nuts cross wise on each wheel. Lower the vehicle slowly and then finish tightening the lug nuts using a torque wrench set to the Tesla spec (129 ft-lbs.) Repeat on the opposite side of the vehicle.

Thank you @jcanoe.
I have all the kit you list and would have followed precisely the procedure you describe. However, the scare scenarios awaiting he who uses one jack, as expressed above, gave me pause. So, thank you for your reassuring words which together with the videos has restored confidence.
Now then..... the Hankooks on my Geminis have completed 6,750 (puncture free) miles and hence my interest in tyre rotation. However, I have just now checked the treads depths ( 4 readings across each tyre) and find the maximum front to rear difference to be 0.2 mm whilst on all tyres, the centres are 0.6mm deeper than the outside. The pressures are checked at 42 psi at the start of each drive.
The average depth across each x 4 tyres is 5.53mm. I suspect that is reasonable wear, all things considered; speed, acceleration and the odd launch.
Conclusion: I can safely DIY the rotation but won't have to for a while.

 

[zoomer0056]

I am reading some scare stories about lifting the car with a single jack

Where are you reading these stories?

 

[DanDi58]

I have a photo of a Roadside Assistance tech jacking my car to change the rear tire. He used one jack on the rear jacking point. My roof didn't crack.

 

[Wattsisname]

I have a photo of a Roadside Assistance tech jacking my car to change the rear tire. He used one jack on the rear jacking point. My roof didn't crack.

At least two YouTube videos showing the Ranger using one jack. So....

 

[zoomer0056]

Classic FUD.

 

[DanDi58]

Classic FUD.

Not really, just unknowledgeable Tesla employees. Not the first time this has happened, and won't be the last.

 

[zoomer0056]

Not really, just unknowledgeable Tesla employees. Not the first time this has happened, and won't be the last.

The FUD were the "scary stories" read by OP and passed on to this thread. This thread has successfully debunked the FUD. Classic, and it will come around again to be debunked again.