DIY tire rotation

[MeltingICEage]

Its disappointing to see there are no instructions on how to jack up a Tesla except in a "repair facility" with a 4-point lift. Some folks carry spares into areas where there might be a need to put it on pronto! Even if Tesla Service could get there when needed, I doubt they will bring a crane, proper 4-way spreader bars, 4 hooks to safely reach the lift points and the expertise to rig it and gently lift all 4 corners at once. Of course they can do it however they like.
As to stresses, if static lifting of one side, or even one corner, is too much for the car, how on earth does it survive the dynamic twisting and bending stress loads from high speed driving over undulating surfaces, hard braking in a turn, or God forbid, hitting a pot hole.
They really do need to publish "jacking" instructions, not just those for "lifting".

 

[jcanoe]

I've been rotating the tires on our 2 Teslas with one jack as well -- I think you should re-think the "2-ton" jack you're using though... The Model Y weighs more than 2 tons (4500lbs I believe).

A floor jack rated for 2 tons or 2.5 tons is fine. When you lift one side of the Tesla Model Y you are only lifting half of the ~4400 lbs of the vehicle, just over 1 ton.

A floor jack can fail at any time so you should never work underneath a vehicle using only a jack to support the vehicle. For rotating tires front to back you should break each of the lug nuts free (fraction of a turn) on one side before raising the vehicle. Swap the wheel locations and install the lug nuts but do not fully tighten. Lower the jack and fully tighten and properly torque the lugs nuts. Repeat for the other side. Working efficiently the vehicle is only supported by the jack for a few minutes. Re-torque the lug nuts after a day or two of driving.

 

[rjpjnk]

Its disappointing to see there are no instructions on how to jack up a Tesla except in a "repair facility" with a 4-point lift. Some folks carry spares into areas where there might be a need to put it on pronto! Even if Tesla Service could get there when needed, I doubt they will bring a crane, proper 4-way spreader bars, 4 hooks to safely reach the lift points and the expertise to rig it and gently lift all 4 corners at once. Of course they can do it however they like.
As to stresses, if static lifting of one side, or even one corner, is too much for the car, how on earth does it survive the dynamic twisting and bending stress loads from high speed driving over undulating surfaces, hard braking in a turn, or God forbid, hitting a pot hole.
They really do need to publish "jacking" instructions, not just those for "lifting".

I agree. There should be a section added to the owner’s manual describing the jack process. It is very strange that there is not. Also I’d like to see them add some sort of decal under the car indicating the importance of lifting only on the lift points. It is so important to get this right, and someone not familiar with Tesla might just see the whole flat bottom as suitable. Ouch!

 

[db93]

Just did my first tire rotation on MYLR and took about an hour (front-to-back rotation). I used a Torin 3T low profile jack from Costco and lifted the front tire about 6 inches which will also lifted the rear tire about 1 inch. I used a homemade jack pad which is basically a hockey puck with a plastic centering nipple screwed into the puck. The Torin jack was solid and I wouldn't recommend trying this will a cheap or under-weighted jack as the car is heavy and the entire side of the car is being lifted.


View attachment 789328

A little confused by [front-to-back rotation} ?
As obviously the wheels are not the same size

 

[jcanoe]

A little confused by [front-to-back rotation} ?
As obviously the wheels are not the same size

You cannot perform a front to back tire rotation with the Performance Model Y with the OE staggered wheels.

 

[Msicario]

Just did my first tire rotation on MYLR and took about an hour (front-to-back rotation). I used a Torin 3T low profile jack from Costco and lifted the front tire about 6 inches which will also lifted the rear tire about 1 inch. I used a homemade jack pad which is basically a hockey puck with a plastic centering nipple screwed into the puck. The Torin jack was solid and I wouldn't recommend trying this will a cheap or under-weighted jack as the car is heavy and the entire side of the car is being lifted.


View attachment 789328The bad part about a MYP 21’ tires you can’t do a tire rotation

 

[nate704]

I am the opposite. I am glad I am not be able to rotate the tires on my MYP since I have so many other things to do, and that's one less thing to do. lol

 

[iamnid]

A little confused by [front-to-back rotation} ?
As obviously the wheels are not the same size

They are the same on a Long Range -- you are correct that the tire size is different front to back on a performance model. You can't rotate the tires on a performance.

 

[msanborn08]

Tesla service says to use a 2 post LIFT to remove any wheel / do a tire rotation.

Of course, the 2 post lift section then mentions to use pucks under the lift points.

Just a FYI for the 2% who want the "official" way this should be done. I think a trustworthy jack and a puck is fine for me.... But ya know, I have a P, so not like I can even rotate my wheels anyway.

 

[jcanoe]

Of course, the 2 post lift section then mentions to use pucks under the lift points.

The stated instructions refer to raising the pads of the lift arms of the floor lift (these pads are integral parts of the lift arms.) The lift arms need to be properly positioned, pads raised so only the lift pad on each lift arm contacts the vehicle frame at the lift point. Lift pucks would make it easier to locate the proper lift points but there is also a chance of the vehicle sliding off of the lift pucks. When using a manual floor jack with a metal cup at the end of the single lift arm the cup will capture the lift puck to minimize any chance of the lift arm slipping out of position.

 

[patnshan]

Not sure why there is so much discussion on this. when the mobile service came to install my winter tire set, they set their jack at the rear side jack point and lifted up both tires on one side, do the swap and they went to the other side. Their jack did have a solid rubber pad where the jack comes in contact with the car jack points. I did ask questions and he said this is how they are trained. I used the same method when I swapped back to summer tires / rims.

I do this exact thing. No issues. If mobile service does it, I am sure it's fine.

 

[Mingw]

I DIY a lot of things on my cars, but tire rotation/balance is not one of them. Walmart is $56 lifetime nationwide (used to be much cheaper), I don't see a reason do it myself and can't balance the tires.

what are the reasons you guys rotate yourselves?

 

[804son]

Companies have standards and procedures by which their processes are performed. It's plainly evident that the Tesla standard is to lift the vehicle by a single jack to access both the front and rear tires for the purposes of a tire rotation.

 

[MacO512]

Probably good to use two jacks and secure it with jack stands just in case. Safety is always a must when I do anything around cars. Better be safe than sorry, it only takes a second to be sorry. I would put a long 2x4 between lifting points and slightly rest the jack stands close to the lifting points... Just my $.02 hate to see anyone get hurt.

If doing breaks or working under the car yes I always do Jack plus stands.

If just rotating tires I think your ok with just a lift. If car falls while it would be freaky its not gonna crush you as when your under it.

 

[digitaldad]

I DIY a lot of things on my cars, but tire rotation/balance is not one of them. Walmart is $56 lifetime nationwide (used to be much cheaper), I don't see a reason do it myself and can't balance the tires.

what are the reasons you guys rotate yourselves?

Same answer but different person I guess...I've (almost) always done my own oil changes as I typically get full synthetic for what a basic oil change costs at a business and I trust myself on the drain plugs/crush filter, oil filter change confirmation, etc. On the tires side, I enjoy making sure I have rotated them, torqued the lug nuts to spec and checked the PSI.

Of course all of these things are covered by anyone reputable but I guess its my thing. I think theres an element tied to safety that I know my family is driving on something that I have verifed on my end.

I think we all have our do's and don't: I do a lot of electrical myself but I assure you, I dont touch tile (dont trust myself with it, maybe one day).

 

[gr8tdane24]

I DIY a lot of things on my cars, but tire rotation/balance is not one of them. Walmart is $56 lifetime nationwide (used to be much cheaper), I don't see a reason do it myself and can't balance the tires.

what are the reasons you guys rotate yourselves?

Most tire shop guys tend to be pretty ham-fisted in my experience and lack attention to detail. When I rotate them myself I can take my time and avoid all power tools to avoid damage to the wheels - also, an impact wrench can deform threads and lugnuts so I only use a breaker bar. I also hand tighten and then torque the lugnuts methodically to make sure everything is seated properly. I generally don't rebalance unless I notice unacceptable vibration, and even when tires do need rebalancing, I remove the wheels from the car and bring them in the back of my truck to the tire shop.

 

[rjpjnk]

I DIY a lot of things on my cars, but tire rotation/balance is not one of them. Walmart is $56 lifetime nationwide (used to be much cheaper), I don't see a reason do it myself and can't balance the tires.

what are the reasons you guys rotate yourselves?

I just enjoy working on my cars. And I have all the tools.

 

[MacO512]

I DIY a lot of things on my cars, but tire rotation/balance is not one of them. Walmart is $56 lifetime nationwide (used to be much cheaper), I don't see a reason do it myself and can't balance the tires.

what are the reasons you guys rotate yourselves?

Takes a couple minutes to rotate tires. Driving to Walmart, waiting in line, waiting for them to do it, and driving home would turn this into an hour project. Plus I trust myself to do this more than a minimum wage walmart employee.

I'll check break pads, clean wheels, and clean wheels wells too.

 

[Mingw]

Takes a couple minutes to rotate tires. Driving to Walmart, waiting in line, waiting for them to do it, and driving home would turn this into an hour project. Plus I trust myself to do this more than a minimum wage walmart employee.

I'll check break pads, clean wheels, and clean wheels wells too.

Can't balance without their machine though. And believe it more important than just rotating the wheels.

 

[Mingw]

Can't balance without their machine though. And believe it more important than just rotating the wheels.

Or, maybe that's almost the only thing left we can still DIY? LoL No oil change, no brake pads for a long time, no timing belt, no starter.

Although I just did one thing today on my Y.