Is there a 20" Winter Tire

[greenrya]

We are new(used) Model 3 Performance owners. We live in cold weather/snow climate and will want to do what is best for the season. What are the pros/cons of putting a snow tire on our current 20" rims or buying new wheels and tires for the season?

This is what I am thinking for tires only --> https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tire...&autoYear=2018&autoModClar=Performance+Brakes

 

[CKwik240]

We are new(used) Model 3 Performance owners. We live in cold weather/snow climate and will want to do what is best for the season. What are the pros/cons of putting a snow tire on our current 20" rims or buying new wheels and tires for the season?

This is what I am thinking for tires only --> https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tire...&autoYear=2018&autoModClar=Performance+Brakes

I bought my MP3 used earlier this year. The old owner put Sottezero 3s on the IE 20 inch wheels. I'm in CA so I have zero need for them. I replaced them with 19" Martian Wheels so I'll be putting the winter tire/wheel set up for sale once I get a chance to pull them out to take some photos. I suspect they may be hard to sell in my area though. The wheels are dinged up pretty good. I'm guessing the previous owner had a different set of wheels for warm weather. CARFAX places the previous owner in the central coastal area of CA so I can't imagine they were driving around on these year round. Personally, 20s seem to be a bad idea for winter wheels. Tires are really expensive and less sidewall puts the wheels into the snow a lot. The Sottezeros are pretty comfortable (soft) though. It wasn't until I took them off that I realized how stiff the MP3 is. 235s on the 8.5" wheels pretty much negate the curb protection built into the type. It would be even worse on Uberturbines. I've lived in socal all my life though so I can't really comment from personal experience.

 

[heavyD]

I'm running the Pilot Alpin PA4's on my Uberturbines. They are a good performance winter tire. I'm going to get aftermarket wheels/tires for my summer setup.

 

[greenrya]

Thanks all, I did stop by our local Tesla service and talked to the service team and they recommend 18s with Snow Tires and the current 20 Performance for non-snow performance season. Does this sound like the best plan for you all?

 

[tm1v2]

Yes, 18" for winter makes far more sense. Though if your M3P has the "Performance Upgrade Package" (PUP), which it does if those 20" wheels were stock, then the Tesla 18" wheels won't clear your PUP brakes. (Per common forum wisdom. I haven't tested it myself.)

There are many aftermarket 18" wheels that do clear the PUP brakes though. I have 18x8.5" aftermarket wheels on my M3P with PUP right now, with 245/45R18 summer tires.

To be honest 18" or 19" is functionally much better than 20" on this car for summer too. The 20" wheels do look nice though.

 

[DD27]

Yes, 18" for winter makes far more sense. Though if your M3P has the "Performance Upgrade Package" (PUP), which it does if those 20" wheels were stock, then the Tesla 18" wheels won't clear your PUP brakes. (Per common forum wisdom. I haven't tested it myself.)

There are many aftermarket 18" wheels that do clear the PUP brakes though. I have 18x8.5" aftermarket wheels on my M3P with PUP right now, with 245/45R18 summer tires.

To be honest 18" or 19" is functionally much better than 20" on this car for summer too. The 20" wheels do look nice though.

Just ordered some 18x8.5s for my 22 M3P also. Is it true you can change your wheel style in the settings to that of an 18 inch wheel to recalibrate the speedometer? Does your tire size make a difference since it’s not the stock size? TYIA!

 

[tm1v2]

Model 3 Owner's Manual | Tesla

Learn about tire specifications, tire pressures and seasonal tires.

www.tesla.com

"Changing your vehicle's wheel configuration can impact range estimates, tire pressure warning levels, and vehicle visualization."

Nothing about speedometer calibration. It would make sense, but I don't know that it actually affects the speedometer.

Regardless, I suggest picking the wheel option where the OE tire size for that wheel best matches the outer diameter of your tires. For example, with my 245/45R18 tires that means the 20" Zero-G wheel, because that comes with 245/35R20 tires - even though I'm using 18" wheels!

A few folks here have reported that matching the tire outer diameter closely is important when doing autocross on very sticky, wide race tires to avoid having the computer systems get into a panic. No known issues at anything less than full bore racing pace though.

 

[Zcd1]

We are new(used) Model 3 Performance owners. We live in cold weather/snow climate and will want to do what is best for the season. What are the pros/cons of putting a snow tire on our current 20" rims or buying new wheels and tires for the season?

This is what I am thinking for tires only --> https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tire...&autoYear=2018&autoModClar=Performance+Brakes

Congrats on the new/used car!

I ran that same tire on the OEM 20” rims of my 2018 M3P - it’s an excellent performance winter tire and I was happy with that setup during Chicago area winters.

I then bought lighter/nicer wheels for summer and mounted the OEM Michelin PS4S tires on them. Liked that setup too.

One thing to consider is whether you could get a complete set of 18” or 19” wheels and winter tires for not much more $$$ than the cost of just a set of 20” Pilot Alpins, which are pricey tires. The extra tire sidewall and smaller wheels would provide more impact protection, though I never had any trouble with the 20s…

 

[Braumin]

18" wheels and the performance brakes are a very tight squeeze even if you find a set that do clear the calipers. The wheel weights may rub as I found out the hard way. I bought 18" for my M3P and wish I had gotten 19".

Smaller diameter wheels/tires are generally less expensive too. No real reason to get 20" snow tires. Go with 19" or 18" if you can get a set of wheels that fit.

 

[BR0CK]

Running the Pilot Alpine PA3 for 2 winter seasons now with great success, this will be their third and final winter. I might try Nokian studded Hakkapelitta 10 EV— F them streets.

 

[tm1v2]

Running the Pilot Alpine PA3 for 2 winter seasons now with great success, this will be their third and final winter. I might try Nokian studded Hakkapelitta 10 EV— F them streets.

@BR0CK Might be worth trying studless ice & snow tires. In my limited experience, they were a significant upgrade on ice and snow from "performance winter" tires which is the PA3 category.

That said, if you drive on a lot of ice don't let me dissuade you from studs.

 

[ad1910]

I’m selling a set of 20” pilot alpins I used for one winter if you are near the Midwest