Just noticed Pirelli makes a 18" Sottozero 3 tire now!

[acarney]

Just noticed on TireRack that Pirelli makes a 235/45R18 XL winter Sottozero 3 tire now! Before the Series II Sottozero was the only one offered in the official Tesla size. Anyone know if Tesla will, or has, updated their Tire & Wheel package to switch to Sottozero 3's and in the $2k price is the same?

I JUST requested the service center order me a set of aero wheels ($220 each), aero caps ($30 each), TPMS ($75 each) because I didn't want to buy the winter wheel package with the older tech tires. I'm at $1,300 right now and the tires are $261/each from TireRack. That puts me around $2350 and that's BEFORE mounting cost. If Tesla kept them $2k or it would actually be a better deal using Tesla, especially since they'll mount them.

 

[GregD60]

TireRack is showing 2 Sottozero 3 tires in the stock 18" size with an XL load rating. The one for $261 is the Tesla spec one with the sound suppressing foam inside. The one for $201 is without the foam. A couple of interesting things. The next size up 245-45/18 is cheaper at $196 and if the weights on TireRack's spec are correct, it's the lightest of the three tires at only 21 pounds per tire. The regular 235 shows a weight of 23 pounds and the one with the sound deadening shows up as a whopping 31 pounds. For that kind of a weight penalty, the sound deadening better work a lot better than the stock Michelin Primacy tires.

I bought the Sottozero 3 in the 245 size for winter last year and was very happy with them. I'm actually looking forward to putting them back on for this winter. They ride and handle better than the stock Michelins, and are about the same for noise. If the Pirelli sound deadening works well, the Tesla specific ones could be very quiet, but I'm still not so sure about the weight penalty.

 

[acarney]

I’m just curious if/when Tesla will update their tire package. I would much rather just have Tesla mount and balance the tires and wheels but right not I don’t want to buy Sottozero II’s

I feel like a colossal ass if I call Tesla a day or two after having them order wheels, aero caps, and TPMS just to cancel, especially since Tesla complains they can’t hold these at service centers very long due to lack of space...

 

[pdx_m3s]

I wouldn’t expect an update anytime soon on Tesla’s part. Why spend so much for new Aeros? You could have bought an entire used set for half of what you paid, putting you at less than $2k with the new Sottozero 3 tires.

 

[GregD60]

I’m just curious if/when Tesla will update their tire package. I would much rather just have Tesla mount and balance the tires and wheels but right not I don’t want to buy Sottozero II’s

I feel like a colossal ass if I call Tesla a day or two after having them order wheels, aero caps, and TPMS just to cancel, especially since Tesla complains they can’t hold these at service centers very long due to lack of space...

Other than a crystal ball, your best bet for finding this out is Tweeting Elon. Good luck!

P.S. Who knows how much Tesla would charge for a Sottozero 3 package. TireRack shows them as being $63 more a tire than the Sottozero II, so call it $252 which would put the Tesla 18" snow wheel/tire package at over $2250 if they added the same amount. The difference between that and putting the package together yourself is not a huge amount.

 

[acarney]

I wouldn’t expect an update anytime soon on Tesla’s part. Why spend so much for new Aeros? You could have bought an entire used set for half of what you paid, putting you at less than $2k with the new Sottozero 3 tires.

I looked around for about two weeks on here. Once shipping was factored in the Aeros were running me about $275 to $285 each. Brand spanking new from Tesla is $40 to $50 extra per wheel. I checked locally/regional and didn’t have much luck finding any other then a couple “I might be selling mine late fall”. eBay was the last option and for full sets they were going for $1000+. For individuals they all were refinished or painted and were $200/each. I don’t want painted ones and I have no idea how “rough” they were before being refinished. The refinished also didn’t include TPMS or aero caps, which means I’m really only saving like $25/wheel.

 

[tinkererguy]

TireRack is showing 2 Sottozero 3 tires in the stock 18" size with an XL load rating. The one for $261 is the Tesla spec one with the sound suppressing foam inside. The one for $201 is without the foam. A couple of interesting things. The next size up 245-45/18 is cheaper at $196 and if the weights on TireRack's spec are correct, it's the lightest of the three tires at only 21 pounds per tire. The regular 235 shows a weight of 23 pounds and the one with the sound deadening shows up as a whopping 31 pounds. For that kind of a weight penalty, the sound deadening better work a lot better than the stock Michelin Primacy tires.

I noticed it shows 23 pounds for the sound deadening model at Tire rack here, under Specs:

235/45R18
98V XL
T0 Tesla, Noise Cancelling Sys
None 1,653 lbs 50 psi /32" 23 lbs 0-0" 7.5" RO

Unfortunately, they seem to be sold out until Feb 2020, at least at Tire Rack. Anybody find another reputable place online in the US (or locally in New England) who has them in stock?

2019-12-04_14-35-18

• tinkererguy
• Dec 4, 2019

 

[GregD60]

I noticed it shows 23 pounds for the sound deadening model at Tire rack here, under Specs:

​

Unfortunately, they seem to be sold out until Feb 2020, at least at Tire Rack. Anybody find another reputable place online in the US (or locally in New England) who has them in stock?

2019-12-04_14-35-18

• tinkererguy
• Dec 4, 2019

It seems that Tirerack changed their technical data. Actually, 23 pounds makes more sense than the 31 pounds it showed earlier this year. I don't think the foam on the inside should add more than 1 to 2 pounds of weight to the tire.

This late in the season it can be tough to get winter tires. The manufacturers usually only make a limited supply each year, and when they're out, they're out until the next year's production run. Discount Tire doesn't have them either, so it's going to take some serious luck to find a set before the next production run.

 

[ravejads.tmc]

I noticed it shows 23 pounds for the sound deadening model at Tire rack here, under Specs:

​

Unfortunately, they seem to be sold out until Feb 2020, at least at Tire Rack. Anybody find another reputable place online in the US (or locally in New England) who has them in stock?

2019-12-04_14-35-18

• tinkererguy
• Dec 4, 2019

Glad to see there is a version without the $50/tire foam insert. Only the ones with the foam were available when I bought my tires about a month ago so I went with the VIKINGCONTACT 7 - SIZE: 235/45R18 instead https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tire...tireModel=VikingContact+7&partnum=345TR8VC7XL .

I've been very happy with them so far. IMHO they provide a FAR smoother and quieter ride than the OEM MXM Primacys w/sound foam and travelling from Central Mass to Central NH this past Sunday in the middle of that big storm they were amazing on the Pike, Rt 495, Rt 93, & Rt 89.

If you can't find a set of the SOTTOZERO 3 then I'd definitely recommend the VikingContact. This is my first season running them however so I have no idea about wear.

 

[dgo3]

I got the 18" Sottozero 3 with the foam and wheel/TPMS package from Tire Rack. Installed last week. It's considerably quieter than the oem Michelins. We have a stretch of highway between work and home that was recently chip sealed, and the noise level is easily half. The handling seems to be better as well, though I have about 14K miles on the Michelins. I've driven them a couple times on snow/ice, and the car feels *much* more planted than with the stock tires last winter (didn't get snow's last winter, which was a mistake). So far, I'm happy with the tradeoff of going with a performance winter tire vs a snow tire. But I'm in SW CO where roads are dry 90% of winter. It's the other 10% that causes problems.

 

[ry-ballz]

I haven't been impressed with the winter traction of the Sottozero 3s. Especially compared to my last set of Xice3s.
These are great in the dry, they're quiet, and don't feel like a winter tire, and seem to perform very well in straight acceleration and braking.
But, in snow and ice, I find their lateral traction to be bad, like all season tire bad. The car wants to kick it's tail out, and that is a very bad characteristic to have on a winter tire.

 

[tinkererguy]

I really appreciate the varied and quick feedback from so many helpful folks in this forum, thank you!

 

[acarney]

I haven't been impressed with the winter traction of the Sottozero 3s. Especially compared to my last set of Xice3s.
These are great in the dry, they're quiet, and don't feel like a winter tire, and seem to perform very well in straight acceleration and braking.
But, in snow and ice, I find their lateral traction to be bad, like all season tire bad. The car wants to kick it's tail out, and that is a very bad characteristic to have on a winter tire.

This pretty much falls in line with what the tire tests show... granted it might not be AS bad as an all season.

The Sotto 3 really seems to shine with wet and dry roads below 40F, in fact having better traction and braking performance then full winter tires like the xIce 3. However, when snow or ice is a factor, they don't seem to do near as well as WS80/90 or xIce 3 tires. Still, I assume if you were doing a controlled test they would handle better then an all season...

If you're worried about safety on ice or snow, or worried about being stuck somewhere because of ice and snow, then I would recommend a full "winter" tires such as the xIce 3. I think Bridgestone makes the WS90s in a size larger then the stock size which should be ok with the standard 18 inch wheels, but since it's a new tire this year there isn't a lot of hard test data on it yet. I opted for the xIce tires on my SR+ instead of the Sotto 3s. My main worry was being rear wheel drive getting stuck somewhere because of a lot of snow or stopping distance on glare ice (think trying to stop at an intersection). The xIce are enough of an improvement compared to Sotto 3 that i felt they were worth giving up a little dry traction for. Just tone down you pedal to the floor acceleration during the winter months (you will engage traction control with these xIce tires) and be aware the panic stop braking distance on dry roads might be a little longer (tens of feet) compared to your all seasons.

 

[GregD60]

I haven't been impressed with the winter traction of the Sottozero 3s. Especially compared to my last set of Xice3s.
These are great in the dry, they're quiet, and don't feel like a winter tire, and seem to perform very well in straight acceleration and braking.
But, in snow and ice, I find their lateral traction to be bad, like all season tire bad. The car wants to kick it's tail out, and that is a very bad characteristic to have on a winter tire.

I have a rear wheel drive BMW 3 series that I've gone from Blizzaks to Xice to Sottozero 3s over the years. New, the Blizzaks had the best snow and ice traction, but when they get to half tread depth, they lose a fair portion of that grip. The Xice aren't quite as good as the Blizzaks, but they're very close, they don't fall off so much at half tread depth, and are a lot quieter. The Sottozero 3s aren't as grippy in ice and snow as the Blizzaks or Xice, but they're not that far down. Put it this way. If a good all season like a Continental DWS06 is a 1 on a scale of 1 to 10 in snow and ice and the Blizzaks and Xice are 10s, then the Sottozeros are an 8. I'd actually rate half tread depth Blizzaks slightly lower than Sottozero 3s, call them a 7.

I drove all last winter with Sottozero 3s on my LR AWD Model 3, and was able to get anywhere I needed to go, even a couple of days when literally dozens of other cars were sliding off the road left and right. The only real difference compared to Blizzaks or Xice is that I had to go a little slower at times, maybe 5 miles an hour instead of 7 on black ice on a slightly sloped road for instance. On days like that, I wouldn't have taken my RWD BMW out, even on fresh Blizzaks.

As for kicking its tail out, that's a characteristic of Tesla's traction control programming not the tire. The only difference is the speed or level of acceleration that will cause the tail to kick out.

 

[BrakeDome]

I’m just curious if/when Tesla will update their tire package. I would much rather just have Tesla mount and balance the tires and wheels but right not I don’t want to buy Sottozero II’s

I feel like a colossal ass if I call Tesla a day or two after having them order wheels, aero caps, and TPMS just to cancel, especially since Tesla complains they can’t hold these at service centers very long due to lack of space...

I had the Tesla 18in winter tire package installed about a month ago, it came with the sottozero 3s

 

[GregD60]

This pretty much falls in line with what the tire tests show... granted it might not be AS bad as an all season.

The Sotto 3 really seems to shine with wet and dry roads below 40F, in fact having better traction and braking performance then full winter tires like the xIce 3. However, when snow or ice is a factor, they don't seem to do near as well as WS80/90 or xIce 3 tires. Still, I assume if you were doing a controlled test they would handle better then an all season...

If you're worried about safety on ice or snow, or worried about being stuck somewhere because of ice and snow, then I would recommend a full "winter" tires such as the xIce 3. I think Bridgestone makes the WS90s in a size larger then the stock size which should be ok with the standard 18 inch wheels, but since it's a new tire this year there isn't a lot of hard test data on it yet. I opted for the xIce tires on my SR+ instead of the Sotto 3s. My main worry was being rear wheel drive getting stuck somewhere because of a lot of snow or stopping distance on glare ice (think trying to stop at an intersection). The xIce are enough of an improvement compared to Sotto 3 that i felt they were worth giving up a little dry traction for. Just tone down you pedal to the floor acceleration during the winter months (you will engage traction control with these xIce tires) and be aware the panic stop braking distance on dry roads might be a little longer (tens of feet) compared to your all seasons.

With a rear wheel drive vehicle, if you plan to drive on the bad days of snow and ice, you need all the help you can get, and something like the Xice3 or Blizzaks are the only way to go. You always have 4 tires turning and stopping you, but with a rear wheel drive car, you only have 2 tires to get you moving. Sometimes you can stop and turn, but not go.

With AWD or 4WD, you can afford to give up a little ultimate grip, and still have a better overall winter driving capability. I can guarantee that an AWD Model 3 on Sottozero 3s will be able to make it up steeper and more slippery hills and driveways than a RWD Model 3 on Xice 3s. The RWD on Xice 3s will stop a bit shorter, but handling will end up being a rough wash between the two vehicles due to the front driven wheels helping to stabilize the vehicle through, and pull it out of, the turns.

 

[tinkererguy]

I had the Tesla 18in winter tire package installed about a month ago, it came with the sottozero 3s

Hmm, it does seem this is the only way to get the Sottozero anytime soon is mounted on wheels:
Model 3 18" Aero Wheel and Winter Tire Package
@BrakeDome, when you ordered, did it estimate the wait accurately, and how long did they take?

 

[sa012]

I had the Tesla 18in winter tire package installed about a month ago, it came with the sottozero 3s

how did you luck out there???? All indication is the package comes with sottozero series 2

 

[GregD60]

how did you luck out there???? All indication is the package comes with sottozero series 2

Yes, on the website the picture it shows is definitely a Sottozero II. Maybe they finally ran out of Sottozero II, and are now using Sottozero 3s, and just haven't updated the website.

 

[BrakeDome]

Hmm, it does seem this is the only way to get the Sottozero anytime soon is mounted on wheels:
Model 3 18" Aero Wheel and Winter Tire Package
@BrakeDome, when you ordered, did it estimate the wait accurately, and how long did they take?

when I ordered, it didn’t give me an estimated delivery date, it just said I will be contacted by the service center to schedule my installation. Of course 2 weeks went by and no call, so I contacted Tesla support and they said the wheels were still in transit. I waited another week with no call, so contacted Tesla support again and was told that it finally arrived at the service center (of course it did only after I contacted them!) It took another week to actual book an appt, so all told, it was about 4 weeks from when I ordered until I got them installed.