Driving issues: my tires or my Ludicrous upgrade?

[kirkbauer]

So about a week after I got my Ludricrous upgrade for my P85D one of my 21" rims was damaged and cracked. Since it was $1200 to replace and since I already had paid $1000 for two new tires from the one pothole I hit and I've only had my car for 6 months, I switched to aftermarket 20" wheels. Unfortunately I'm now noticing a couple of things that I didn't notice before and I don't know how much of it is the Ludicrous upgrade, the wheels (unlikely) or the tires. The tires are Continental ExtremeContact DWS06. They are inflated to 42psi.

My first problem is most likely the tires although they do have the same AA/A rating as the Continentals that came with my car. About 1 out of 10 launches traction control kicks in right away and dramatically slows down my acceleration (much more than I would expect). I don't hear anything but I see the traction control light flip on. Is there anything to be done about this other than possibly getting better tires next time? Any recommendations?

The next problem is harder to pin down but basically when doing a full launch my steering gets more squirrely than I remember. It feels like I don't have enough weight on my front tires. I don't know if this is the tires or just a consequence of greater acceleration thanks to the Ludicrous upgrade?

 

[benjiejr]

My guess is that it's the tires. I had the delivered, staggered 21s and switched out to 20" HREs with Pirelli P-Zeros and also went wider in the rear with 285s. The traction is very good. I don't have Luda yet so I can't say for sure, but I would think you might have noticed the squirreliness on the 21s before you switched them out if it was the Luda.

Best of luck resolving the issue!

 

[thegruf]

I would try an extra 3psi and take them to 45psi.
It is somewhat counter intuitive as higher pressure would imply smaller contact patch, but whenever I have have issues (in the days of high powered ICE) like you mention usually it was down to under-inflation not over-inflation.
If it doesnt work you can always bring it back down again.

 

[jerry33]

I would try an extra 3psi and take them to 45psi.
It is somewhat counter intuitive as higher pressure would imply smaller contact patch, but whenever I have have issues (in the days of high powered ICE) like you mention usually it was down to under-inflation not over-inflation..

^^^^This. Think of the vehicle placard pressure as the pressure you never ever want to go below in normal on-road circumstances. Air pressure is your defense against pothole and curb damage. This is true in spades for the 21" tires because there is little shock absorption from the short sidewall.

 

[Tennisballer]

Since you live where I do you can get that old wheel repairs at The Wheel Wizard for much less than 1200 and it will look brand new.

 

[sorka]

I bought these off eBay for $940 shipped not including the rubber, TPMS, or center caps.

 

[ifung90]

Oem 21" tires are continental 5P. Those are SUMMER tires.

Continental dws06 is an ALL SEASON tire. Not even in the same category of dry grip.

of course your TC will come on with 700Hp+ On a standstill.

Can't be fooled by the AA or A rating on the tire, can't expect a 500 tredwear tire to have equal grip to a 300 wear tire in dry grip.

 

[kirkbauer]

Since you live where I do you can get that old wheel repairs at The Wheel Wizard for much less than 1200 and it will look brand new.

It was physically cracked and severely bent. Nonetheless I switched to 20" wheels now so I'm not looking to repair it.

Now if you know anybody who wants three 21" silver turbine wheels (one in perfect condition, two with minor curb rash) or a full set of 21" tires let me know

- - - Updated - - -

Oem 21" tires are continental 5P. Those are SUMMER tires.

Continental dws06 is an ALL SEASON tire. Not even in the same category of dry grip.

of course your TC will come on with 700Hp+ On a standstill.

Can't be fooled by the AA or A rating on the tire, can't expect a 500 tredwear tire to have equal grip to a 300 wear tire in dry grip.

Hmm, I apparently had no idea my previous tires were summer ones. I'm thinking in Atlanta I could use summer tires pretty much year round? Any suggestions on the best 20" tires for the next time I need to buy some?

 

[ifung90]

21" wheel options come with summer tires.

Best tire money can buy would hands down be Michelin pilot super sport. Given you can run summer tires.

I am using my 19" original wheels on all season Michelin PS3 at the moment and I feel way less lateral grip as well as less effective straight line acceleration than my 265 summer pilot super sport.

There isn't any real better street tire than Michelin pilot super sport. 245/40/20, 275/35/20.

 

[FlatSix911]

It was physically cracked and severely bent. Nonetheless I switched to 20" wheels now so I'm not looking to repair it.
Now if you know anybody who wants three 21" silver turbine wheels (one in perfect condition, two with minor curb rash) or a full set of 21" tires let me know

What are you asking for the three 21" wheels and tires?

 

[kirkbauer]

What are you asking for the three 21" wheels and tires?

Funny enough I have four perfectly good tires -- whatever happened to my wheel didn't affect the tire (I drove on it for about a week afterwards too). Two tires have < 1000 miles on them, the other two have < 5000 miles. They are the Continentals. I was thinking about $1000 for all four tires (so basically you get the two older tires for free).

I was thinking about $1200 for the three wheels; so basically buy one get two free. But the two have some curb rash from my flat tires. Probably can be repaired easily as it isn't bad. If interested I can send photos.

Problem is that I'm in Atlanta. I'm thinking mailing these would take $30-$40 per item. The tires are not currently on the wheels but I could probably get somebody to do that quickly before mailing.

 

[FlatSix911]

I would recommend listing the set on the Tesla Marketplace (Panjo) ...
http://www.panjo.com/p/tesla-motors-club?utm_source=tesla-motors-club&utm_medium=iframe&utm_content=Check_It_Out&utm_name=vbulletin_plugin