90 cans of soup will distribute the weight a lot differently and over a bigger area of the seat backs than ONE 60lbs tire... I'm pretty sure the seatbacks aren't designed to withstand a 60lbs unsecured tire flying in from the back. At least the spare tires from modern spare only come in at 47 lbs...
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Full sized spare tire for Model 3?
- Thread starter OldPro
- Start date
Shelburne
Member
Here in MA I pay $199 a year for AAA for me, my wife and my daughter (who lives in L.A.) We have the package that includes 200 miles of towing. The 200 miles of towing is essential if you own a Tesla and want to get it to a Tesla SC or Tesla approved bodyshop. For me, the nearest SC is 107 miles away.
So I guess the question is, is there any different in the latching/retention capabilities of the Euro-spec cars vs. everywhere else?
stopcrazypp
Well-Known Member
Someone with the service manual subscription might be able to search and see if there are any part number differences.
TBrownTX
Active Member
And 60lbs of rocks weighs the same as 60lbs of feathers. Which would you rather be hit with?
blackT3$!@
2021 LR Model 3
Cars can get in crashes at greater than 30 mph though. I usually have kids in my back seat so I'd rather not take any risks with a heavy unsecured spare tire (or two 40 lb blocks, or 60 lbs of soup/rocks/whatever) in the trunk.
Every factory spare tire has some type of screw on anchor bolting it to the trunk floor for a reason.
TBrownTX
Active Member
Oh for sure, just trying to get an idea of what the current capabilities are. I plan on getting a full-size spare since I do quarterly ~1,300 mile round trips, and will definitely be securing it in some fashion. Thinking some good ratcheting straps to anchor points.
I don't carry a spare tire. I carry a complete tire plugging kit with an air compressor that fits in the bottom compartment of the trunk. It's very nice to have it out of site with full use of the trunk. If the tire is bad enough to need a tow there's Tesla roadside and AAA.
depends on if a busted tire in the middle of nowhere is worth several hours of wait for you vs. swapping out a spare tire within 20min and be on your way to the next city with a tire shop...
RayK
Active Member
I think that you may need to re-check those costs. I have AAA Premier membership (highest level they offer) and live in CA. Cost is $119.99 / year for myself and I have two associate members (wife and daughter). My total this past April was $273, or a monthly cost for the three of us of $22.75.
Premier level allows for 200 mile tow (my understanding is, once per year), plus three 100 mile tows in the same year. So yes, it's not "unlimited" but it's hardly $1200 for a year.
(I have posted this on this site before-and may get to do it again in the future!). I have bad luck and tend to get flats on the treads and on the sidewalls. I gues the roads in the Northeast have more hazards than elsewhere. (I had one flat due to a piece of an old animal bone, picked up on a thruway or a country road). So I carry a Modernspare (with the jack and accesories) which is not as wide as a regular tire so I can get carryon size bags on top of it. I also carry a garden-type kneeling pad, jacking pucks, a pressure gauge, a compressor, a plug kit, slime and some other tools. I just got a collapsable cross-type lug wrench for more leverage. I recently used the spare when I got a flat from a sharp stone that made the hole too big to plug and had to drive 170 miles to get home. I know of no EV that comes with a spare, but I think they all should, or at least have the option of a stowable one. BTW, about 30% of all new cars sold in the US come without a spare. Saving money and weight for the manufacturers and causing headaches for us buyers.
TBrownTX
Active Member
This is what I do, plus, I keep a full sized spare in my garage just incase a wheel and/or tire is not available timely from Service or the local Discount Tire. In that scenario, I'd tow to my home or have a family member bring me the spare (I use the car for local commuting).
I haven't had a car with a spare tire in 10 years. Maybe I have good luck, but I've only had to stop and plug a tire once.
Plus, with these cars I'd gladly throw on Netflix or Disney+ for hours.
I used Tesla roadside once for a warranty issue and they showed up at my work within the hour. I'm near Boston so there's plenty of quick towing options around. The trunk is not big enough to handle a tire and $200 of groceries.
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