Inflation pressure for non-stock tires

[Piwacet]

Hi. First time with non-stock tires on my model 3 (I've always gone with stock but got a nail in the tire wall and only tire shop open did not have stock model 3 tires. Luckily I was due for new tires anyway).

Wheel Works put these tires on (all 4 tires):

Potenza Sport AS BL 235/45R18 XL98W

Googling around it's very difficult to find the recommended pressure, although I did find a site indicating the max inflation pressure was 50.

Calling Wheel Works, who did not give it any thought/investigation, said simply go with car manufacturer recs, in other words, 45 PSI on my 2019 RWD LR.

Does that sound correct?

Thanks in advance.

 

[afadeev]

Hi. First time with non-stock tires on my model 3 (I've always gone with stock but got a nail in the tire wall and only tire shop open did not have stock model 3 tires. Luckily I was due for new tires anyway).

Changing tires is a VERY normal process of car ownership.
The more you research, the more "better" than stock/original tires you will find!

Googling around it's very difficult to find the recommended pressure, although I did find a site indicating the max inflation pressure was 50.

That's a "not to exceed" pressure for the tire. It should also be stamped on the sidewall.
Basically, it's a useless number.

Calling Wheel Works, who did not give it any thought/investigation, said simply go with car manufacturer recs, in other words, 45 PSI on my 2019 RWD LR.
Does that sound correct?

Yes - stick with the auto-manufacturer recommended tire pressures, unless you know what you are doing.
More Model 3 it is 42 (not 45) psi. That number is printed on the driver-side door jamb of (every) car, including yours.

Also, here:

Model 3 Owner's Manual | Tesla

Learn about tire specifications, tire pressures and seasonal tires.

www.tesla.com

HTH,
a

 

[Piwacet]

Thanks, appreciate it!

 

[TomT]

I find the stock Tesla tire pressures to be a little low for my liking and I run 45 (cold).

 

[skygraff]

Yup, it’s not tire specific.

Car manufacturers determine optimal tire pressure* for their vehicles and those apply to any and all tires which meet necessary specs to be installed on said vehicles. Buy the tires you like and can afford. There’s plenty of threads with recommendations.



* Optimal tire pressure is that perfect balance between load capacity, rolling resistance, wet/dry traction (go, stop, maneuver), temperature ranges, and other stuff smart people and regulators figure out in order to produce the best/safest driving experience for that vehicle’s target buyer (do they want fast and responsive with reduced range or a comfy road tripper or something in between?). The auto manufacturers test different tires and different configurations until they find the ones that do the trick.

The tire manufacturers do the same thing, to a certain extent. However, what they print on their sidewalls as a max pressure is the highest cold pressure that still allows the tire to reach its max rated speed under its max rated load without experiencing RUD.

If you equip your vehicle with tires not matching those specs, you’d have to follow other guidance or establish your own (through rigorous testing) but any “correct” tire will follow the same pressure requirements as the stock tires.

Even on stock or correct tires, you may choose to use a different cold pressure than recommended by the manufacturer based on your own driving needs. For example, you may never reach highway speeds during your daily routine so the temperatures and pressures will never get to that sweet spot thus, for better efficiency with, perhaps, a harsher ride, you may set your cold pressure slightly higher. Conversely, you may choose lower pressure to soften the ride while foregoing efficiency. In either case, you would be reducing safety margins and impacting tire wear patterns but, in the prime example of this phrase, your mileage may vary.