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Hit a Pothole; Tesla Service Center does not have replacement tires

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So, recent 2021 Model 3 purchaser here. With the introduction of the 2021 model, Tesla has begun outfitting the Performance variant with custom versions of the Pirelli P Zero PZ4 with noise cancellation.

As such, these tires are extremely rare. So much so that apparently even Tesla doesn't have any! I ran over a pothole, maybe about half a square foot in size, traveling about 50 mph. The thud was loud and obvious. Upon inspection, I was glad to see no curb rash or obvious wheel damage, but unfortunately, both of my right tires are compromised with an air bubble.

I was lucky to have an existing appointment scheduled for some minor delivery-related repairs. I call to add this item to the appointment. "No problem."

They spend all day trying to source the tires without luck. The service center now has some on order, but won't arrive for over 10 days. Guy on the phone tries to tell me it's okay to drive on compromised tires (it's DEFINITELY not). I ask for a loaner car.

Pushback. He goes to the manager. Tells me to call roadside assistance and ask them to borrow some wheels.

I call roadside assistance. They can only lend one wheel at a time, so I'm out of luck there. The service center is now closed, so I'll have no choice but to try again tomorrow.

What a nightmare. Have barely had the car for 2 and a half weeks and this disaster strikes. It begs the question: why does Tesla have no parts for a tire that they are aware, with minimal sidewall, is bound to end up damaged?

If anyone has any alternative suggestions, I'd appreciate it!
 
Here's a close-up of one of the bubbles. They are admittedly quite small, but I'm not risking a total rupture:
upload_2021-1-7_17-36-7.jpeg
 
Any damage to the sidewall is not worth the risk. You're probably better off running the ps4s anyways, why not just get a set of those and keep the two good pirellis as emergency spares?
I agree. I would consider swapping all 4 for PS4's, but the cost is halfway to something like the tire-wheel combo from TSportline. It may be better to swap for 18's to mitigate this in the future.
 
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You could replace all four tires with tires that are easier to find (Costco has a $150 off four Michelin), and sell the good two tires. Are they staggered? If not, just buy two of the non-foam-lined tires from any tire shop, and make sure both new ones are placed on the rear (so you have the same tire on both sides up front and same tire on both sides in the rear).
 
...why does Tesla have no parts for a tire that they are aware, with minimal sidewall, is bound to end up damaged?

This is how service centers stock parts. - Not everything, and sometimes parts are unavailable. It's not limited to new models. I have a 2018 3 with performance upgrade, and I had the same thing occur.

I have two complete sets of wheels (20") both mounted. Winters and Summers. That's my fallback in a pinch.
 
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Just buy a set of 18' or 19's and put some michelin Pilot sport all season 4's on them, and use them during winter spring when potholes are worse.

I don't know which size will fit over the performance brakes, but this way you have readily available all season tires that won't get damaged as easily that you can run in california winters or road trips wtvr.

If you weren't in california it would be "buy winter tires on a set of smaller wheels"

I live in canada so i have to run winter tires, so i put them on the stock 18's and have a set of 20's just because I like the looks.

Get it in writing that they are telling you to drive it, and drive it. If something happens they are liable at that point.
 
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Just buy a set of 18' or 19's and put some michelin Pilot sport all season 4's on them, and use them during winter spring when potholes are worse.

I don't know which size will fit over the performance brakes, but this way you have readily available all season tires that won't get damaged as easily that you can run in california winters or road trips wtvr.

If you weren't in california it would be "buy winter tires on a set of smaller wheels"

I live in canada so i have to run winter tires, so i put them on the stock 18's and have a set of 20's just because I like the looks.

Get it in writing that they are telling you to drive it, and drive it. If something happens they are liable at that point.

If someone is driving an unsafe vehicle due to bad advice that does not protect them in the event of an accident. They are still on the hook. It certainly does nothing to repair or redress injuries that might take place if that accident is serious. The fact that some other idiot may be on the hook too does not change things nor does it make that bad advice something that they should follow.
 
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Sorry to hear about your incident. It's never fun driving over a pothole, especially with a brand new car and brand new tire.

Maybe consider getting Michelin Pilot Sport 4S (cheaper than Pirelli PZ4) or Falken Azenis FK510 (great value for the performance).

If you don't mind sharing, where was the pot hole located? I drive in your city a lot and would like to keep an eye out for it.
 
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Sorry to hear about your incident. It's never fun driving over a pothole, especially with a brand new car and brand new tire.

Maybe consider getting Michelin Pilot Sport 4S (cheaper than Pirelli PZ4) or Falken Azenis FK510 (great value for the performance).

If you don't mind sharing, where was the pot hole located? I drive in your city a lot and would like to keep an eye out for it.
Thanks for the tip; I ended up going with the Pilot Sport 4S on the back and placed the 2 good Pirelli’s in the front. It was better than waiting 2+ weeks for Tesla to take care of it, likely at a higher price.

It was on the Jeffrey exit on the 405 S. I passed by it today and it appeared to be covered with asphalt (I reported it to the city the other day), though it was night time and I’m not 100% sure.
 
Thanks for the tip; I ended up going with the Pilot Sport 4S on the back and placed the 2 good Pirelli’s in the front. It was better than waiting 2+ weeks for Tesla to take care of it, likely at a higher price.

It was on the Jeffrey exit on the 405 S. I passed by it today and it appeared to be covered with asphalt (I reported it to the city the other day), though it was night time and I’m not 100% sure.

Great choice on Michelin Pilot Sport 4S. I was a little bummed out when I found out Tesla switched over to Pirelli PZ4. 4S is still the best performing tire in its class.

I am surprised to hear the pothole is on the freeway. Glad to hear it's repair. Thanks for reporting it. You might be able to file a claim against CalTrans. The tire is not cheap. It might be worth looking into.

How Do I Claim for Damage to My Car From a Pothole?.
 
So, recent 2021 Model 3 purchaser here. With the introduction of the 2021 model, Tesla has begun outfitting the Performance variant with custom versions of the Pirelli P Zero PZ4 with noise cancellation.

As such, these tires are extremely rare. So much so that apparently even Tesla doesn't have any! I ran over a pothole, maybe about half a square foot in size, traveling about 50 mph. The thud was loud and obvious. Upon inspection, I was glad to see no curb rash or obvious wheel damage, but unfortunately, both of my right tires are compromised with an air bubble.

I was lucky to have an existing appointment scheduled for some minor delivery-related repairs. I call to add this item to the appointment. "No problem."

They spend all day trying to source the tires without luck. The service center now has some on order, but won't arrive for over 10 days. Guy on the phone tries to tell me it's okay to drive on compromised tires (it's DEFINITELY not). I ask for a loaner car.

Pushback. He goes to the manager. Tells me to call roadside assistance and ask them to borrow some wheels.

I call roadside assistance. They can only lend one wheel at a time, so I'm out of luck there. The service center is now closed, so I'll have no choice but to try again tomorrow.

What a nightmare. Have barely had the car for 2 and a half weeks and this disaster strikes. It begs the question: why does Tesla have no parts for a tire that they are aware, with minimal sidewall, is bound to end up damaged?

If anyone has any alternative suggestions, I'd appreciate it!

I feel your pain. I've been there several times. And if you think it's bad in LA, try 20in wheels with super low profile tires in New England :mad:. Here's some suggestions on how you can avoid this. They're not mutually exclusive
1) pothole paranoia and hypervigilance. Not much fun but it does help.
2) get forged wheels. Better yet get 19 inch forged wheels and 40 series instead of 35 series tires. If you're still bending rims or blowing out tires with 19 inch wheels then get 18 inch wheels.
3) be prepared to be on close speaking terms with local Rim straightening and wheel repair shops

The stock OEM wheel is both heavy and rather brittle, and on the new performance models it's even heavier than on our year gaining a half inch of width and an extra kilogram or so of weight. It's just not a good wheel. I'd try to to replace that. We've had good luck with VS forged. So far no bent rims and that's with 30 series tires (265/30 front and 275/30 rear). You can get a good forged wheel from VS forged for 50 bucks less than what the OEM boat anchors cost. Will save you nine pounds a corner which actually means significantly better ride and that major reduction of Mass means it's harder for sudden impacts to deform the wheel and bust the tire. As a final benefit you'll cut about one-tenth or perhaps .15 seconds from your 0 to 60 time.

Most data suggests that the Pirelli P-Zero is an inferior Tire to the previous Tire they had on a car the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S. If you can get a buyer for your remaining intact tires sell them and get the Pilot Sport 4S
 
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A light sport tire with a 35% aspect ratio doesn't belong on a 4,100+ lb (and that's empty) sedan IMO. That's why I stuck with the stock 18" aeros, which also come with more stout A/S 45 series tires. I have PS4Ss myself on my sports car, but they're 40 series. I wouldn't go any lower profile than that, even when it's significantly lighter than the Tesla. In addition, those tires are crap in cold weather, so if the car is used in cold weather, you run the risk of an accident. Unless the car is getting tracked, a much better choice would be an ultra-high performance A/S tire, like the also excellent Michelin A/S4, which just came out to market.

Finally, mixing tires is not good at all, especially in the rain. I'd replace the 'odd' tires with PS4Ss ASAP. And maybe next time consider the A/S4s. They're almost as good as the PS4Ss except in a track, and much better in every other regard. Hope this helps.
 
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A light sport tire with a 35% aspect ratio doesn't belong on a 4,100+ lb (and that's empty) sedan IMO. That's why I stuck with the stock 18" aeros, which also come with more stout A/S 45 series tires. I have PS4Ss myself on my sports car, but they're 40 series. I wouldn't go any lower profile than that, even when it's significantly lighter than the Tesla. In addition, those tires are crap in cold weather, so if the car is used in cold weather, you run the risk of an accident. Unless the car is getting tracked, a much better choice would be an ultra-high performance A/S tire, like the also excellent Michelin A/S4, which just came out to market.

Finally, mixing tires is not good at all, especially in the rain. I'd replace the 'odd' tires with PS4Ss ASAP. And maybe next time consider the A/S4s. They're almost as good as the PS4Ss except in a track, and much better in every other regard. Hope this helps.

With all due respect I think you're confused. What exactly is a "light Sport tire"? It's actually load rating and not profile that determines the carrying capacity of a tire. If 4400 lb Bugatti can run 30 series tires why can't a Tesla (which weighs 4000 pounds by the way not 4100 lbs) run 35 series tires? Again I think you're confused about the distinction between sidewall and load carrying.

Hopefully the poster already understands the difference between an all-season tire and a summer Performance tire, and the Pilot Sport 4S all season is a great choice. At least on that we agree.
 
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I had a loner S performance once and hit a small pothole and blew the 20" tire. No one local nor any service center within 400 miles had a replacement. So I had to order from Tire Rack and ride my bicycle for 4 days. Not fun but no other options either. So I got the 18" on my 3.
 
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With all due respect I think you're confused.
No, I'm not. All I'm saying is a sport tire is meant to be less beefy than an A/S tire, and that's a fact. And the lower its profile, the easier it's to damage it (as well as the wheel), and that's also a fact. So an A/S tire is going to be less prone to damage than a summer tire, and the higher the profile, also the less prone to damage. No need to even mention load rating, since I assume the OP and you are using the correct one :).