How are the wheel bearings on long range or performance holding up for you with lot of miles?

[gottagofast]

Esp with the performance and its acceleration and big wheels, is there anyone with 150k to 200k miles still on the original bearings? I remember on our old family SUV gas cars we would have almost 300k miles and the wheel bearings were still fine

I’m curious since this car is heavier with a lot more power going to the wheels will I have to replace the wheel bearings every 100k miles or something? I’ve never owned a car with this much power, or does Tesla have some heavy duty bearings that can take a beating and last the life of the vehicle

 

[Stanwood Steve]

Esp with the performance and its acceleration and big wheels, is there anyone with 150k to 200k miles still on the original bearings? I remember on our old family SUV gas cars we would have almost 300k miles and the wheel bearings were still fine

I’m curious since this car is heavier with a lot more power going to the wheels will I have to replace the wheel bearings every 100k miles or something? I’ve never owned a car with this much power, or does Tesla have some heavy duty bearings that can take a beating and last the life of the vehicle

I have just over 110,000 miles on my M3P (2018) and no issues with the wheel bearings as far as I can tell. I'm not terribly hard on the car though.

 

[derekmw]

uh oh, will people with wheel spacers come in and say it failed so much earlier?

 

[gottagofast]

uh oh, will people with wheel spacers come in and say it failed so much earlier?

Wheel spacers?

 

[derekmw]

Wheel spacers?

Oh there are always these threads on people asking about wheel spacers and then inevitably a long argument ensues about why it's a bad idea and how your wheel bearings will wear out sooner, its dangerous, etc.

 

[rpiotro]

Oh there are always these threads on people asking about wheel spacers and then inevitably a long argument ensues about why it's a bad idea and how your wheel bearings will wear out sooner, its dangerous, etc.

It's not just a bad idea. It is a terrible idea. Changes the suspension and steering geometry also. Just my 2¢. But your money.

 

[zoomer0056]

You're really worrying too much. You can also use the TMC search function to see if anyone has already posted about your concern.

 

[gottagofast]

You're really worrying too much. You can also use the TMC search function to see if anyone has already posted about your concern.

Not worrying, just preparing for future maintenance asking questions, I didn’t see anything come up about wheel bearings while I made the thread

 

[BitJam]

Esp with the performance and its acceleration and big wheels, is there anyone with 150k to 200k miles still on the original bearings? I remember on our old family SUV gas cars we would have almost 300k miles and the wheel bearings were still fine

I’m curious since this car is heavier with a lot more power going to the wheels will I have to replace the wheel bearings every 100k miles or something? I’ve never owned a car with this much power, or does Tesla have some heavy duty bearings that can take a beating and last the life of the vehicle

You might want to check the Out of Spec YT channels with Kyle Conner. He beat the crap out of his performance Model 3. It now has over 140K miles on it and he says it has been nearly flawless. Kyle usually takes meticulous notes. Here is a quick review of the car after 142K miles:

This Tesla Model 3 Has 142,000 Miles And It's Still Doing Great!​

 

[jannicknoah]

You're right that factors like performance and heavier weight can affect wheel bearing lifespan. Here's what we know about Tesla wheel bearings:

• General lifespan: While there's no official mileage for Tesla wheel bearing replacement, estimates suggest they can last between 80,000 to 100,000 miles, similar to many other cars.
• Tesla specifics: There's limited data on Teslas reaching 150,000-200,000 miles on original bearings. However, Tesla might use heavy-duty bearings to handle the car's weight and power.
• Individual factors: Many factors influence bearing life, including driving habits, road conditions, and the quality of replacement parts (if not original).

 

[DomDeWild]

It would be interesting to know if they're tapered roller bearings, double-row ball bearings, or needle bearings. I would almost assume tapered roller bearings,
then the pre-load of the bearing comes into play. BMW and Audi use bearing assemblies where the hub and bearing are already assembled as a set.
Does anyone know?

 

[gottagofast]

It would be interesting to know if they're tapered roller bearings, double-row ball bearings, or needle bearings. I would almost assume tapered roller bearings,
then the pre-load of the bearing comes into play. BMW and Audi use bearing assemblies where the hub and bearing are already assembled as a set.
Does anyone know?

I don’t know what the difference is or which is better

 

[DomDeWild]

I don’t know what the difference is or which is better

Tapered roller bearings are the preferred bearing for any application that has radial and axial load. A car wheel fits this application.

 

[gottagofast]

Tapered roller bearings are the preferred bearing for any application that has radial and axial load. A car wheel fits this application.

do you know anyone with a model 3 that’s still on the same bearings with 200k+ miles?

 

[Sweed269]

Tesla uses the highest quality bearings that you can get. They reduce drag and increase range without needing extra battery capacity. they should last for a very very long time.

 

[MountainPass]

With lots of track days we have been replacing wheel bearings around every 75,000 km.

 

[ODWms]

I’m at over 100,000 so far (5.5 years) with no detectable issues with the bearings.

 

[gottagofast]

I’m at over 100,000 so far (5.5 years) with no detectable issues with the bearings.

Performance model? and you have fun with the acceleration every now and then?

 

[DomDeWild]

With lots of track days we have been replacing wheel bearings around every 75,000 km.

When you replace the bearings, what kind do you use? In other words, what brand are they and what type? Thanks.

 

[ODWms]

Performance model? and you have fun with the acceleration every now and then?

Exactly. At 268 wh/mi, I’m not dogging it every chance I get. But, yeah, I get on it occasionally.