Keep getting flat tires

[baw]

Got my MS in April. Since then have had 4 flat tires. 2 on the right side from last night. The first flat was a nail. The second was a razor blade. The 2 from last night not sure about yet. I’m sitting at “Just Tires” right now waiting for the diagnosis.

Just a silly question. Anything about Tesla’s or the stock tires they come with that make them more susceptible to flats?

 

[beatle]

I've heard of people bending 21" turbine wheels and damaging tires in the process, but I'd wager most car tires would suffer from nail or razor blade damage in the same way. Those aren't Tesla-specific faults.

 

[rhumbliner]

Been spending much time at Home Depot? Last Fall I was doing some remodeling on my home and rented some equipment at HD. Ended up with 2 flats in 3 days — both times due to long screws. I finally parked away from the rental lot and took a walk thru and found all sorts of screws, nails, angle irons and other junk scattered thru the equipment rental lot. A word to the wise.

 

[serendipitous]

Nails and blades do what they do - nothing special there. But Teslas are notoriously vulnerable to curbs and potholes simply because of the significant weight of the car - just a lot of pressure on a relatively small contact patch. I've popped two on potholes. One was pretty significant and understandable. The other seemed mild but it blew out the sidewall.

 

[baw]

Update:
The tire shop said both tires had non repairable gashes. Not malicious. Most likely I drove over something protruding out/up. There was a mini thunder storm the other night with heavy winds. That was the last time I drove. Maybe I went over some fallen branches/debris. Although I don’t remember anything.

Thanks for the feedback!

 

[AlexP]

Tesla pressure recommendations for the tires on the MS are very high. In my 2016 MS they recommend 45psi. This high pressure combined with the 6000lbs curb weight, is what I believe makes the tire more susceptible to blow outs.

I bought my last set of tires for the MS from Tire Rack. They offer 2 year road hazard guarantee at no additional cost. Not 3 months after I put the tires, I had a blow out. Tire was not repairable. Tire Rack sent me a check for the full value of the original tire. I only had to send a few pics of the tire to show that it was unrepairable.

 

[TYmike]

Got my MS in April. Since then have had 4 flat tires. 2 on the right side from last night. The first flat was a nail. The second was a razor blade. The 2 from last night not sure about yet. I’m sitting at “Just Tires” right now waiting for the diagnosis.

Just a silly question. Anything about Tesla’s or the stock tires they come with that make them more susceptible to flats?

I've had 3 flats on my Tesla Y in less than 8,000 miles and I live and park in sub-urban settings. This is more flats I've had on all of my other cars combined in 40 years of driving!!

 

[AlexP]

I've had 3 flats on my Tesla Y in less than 8,000 miles and I live and park in sub-urban settings. This is more flats I've had on all of my other cars combined in 40 years of driving!!

The X is even heavier than the S.

I just put 2 Pirelli Scorpion Zero All Season Run Flat in the rear of my X. I know you are not supposed to have different tires, but I could not pass on the deal Tire Rack had for the run flats. Problem is that they don't make the same exact tire for the front.

This is how the rear tire looked when I replace it.



I had It aligned since then.

 

[ThomasGari]

Got my MS in April. Since then have had 4 flat tires. 2 on the right side from last night. The first flat was a nail. The second was a razor blade. The 2 from last night not sure about yet. I’m sitting at “Just Tires” right now waiting for the diagnosis.

Just a silly question. Anything about Tesla’s or the stock tires they come with that make them more susceptible to flats?

I have a 2020 model 3 performance with 21" wheels driven only 15,000 miles. So far I have had 5 flat tires and 2 bent rims from small potholes. The problem is that the car is too heavy for the 21" low profile tires. The $ I have paid for new tires and rims is way way more what I save in gas.
Tom G

 

[ChadS]

272,000 Tesla miles so far. One flat tire after running over debris from a neighborhood construction site. And one cracked rim after hitting an enormous pothole at freeway speeds. It wasn't a big Performance wheel, it was a small 3rd party 18" wheel I bought to reduce the chance of cracked rims.

 

[EmOne]

I have a 2020 model 3 performance with 21" wheels driven only 15,000 miles. So far I have had 5 flat tires and 2 bent rims from small potholes. The problem is that the car is too heavy for the 21" low profile tires. The $ I have paid for new tires and rims is way way more what I save in gas.
Tom G

I live in Chicago, home to pot holes bigger than some lakes. Immediately sold off 20", heavy, weak rims and replaced with 18" Apex (made for Mustang but fit with centering rings--I hate those too, but compromises!) that are stronger, lighter and make great platform for my 265/40 sticky, absorbent Michelin PS4S. I also bought from Tire Rack Polish-made Alutec Monster 18" to mount 235/45 Vredestein performance winters--fantastic!

 

[Katoe]

i’ve had more car for 4 months and have now had 4 tires replaced on my brand new 2022 s. this is beyond absurd, costly and inconvenient. has anyone used other tires successfully? i’m regretting ordering the vehicle

 

[vcor]

i’ve had more car for 4 months and have now had 4 tires replaced on my brand new 2022 s. this is beyond absurd, costly and inconvenient. has anyone used other tires successfully? i’m regretting ordering the vehicle

Yikes, that sucks. Are these 21" low profiles or 19"? Low-profile tires on any car are far more susceptible to damage. You have a lot less "tire" to absorb impacts and potholes. Using 19" tires on 3 Teslas over 9+ years, I've only had one slow leak - caused by a bolt. Patched by a local tire place in 15 minutes. It may be debris you're encountering in your area. Are any major construction projects that are dropping nails and bolts on the road? If so, it may have nothing to do with your car and everything to do with where you drive.

 

[MatrixClaw]

i’ve had more car for 4 months and have now had 4 tires replaced on my brand new 2022 s. this is beyond absurd, costly and inconvenient. has anyone used other tires successfully? i’m regretting ordering the vehicle

Yep, I've had my Model Y since it was delivered in late January. Have had a flat in every tire, replaced 2 (one within the first month of owning and the other two weeks ago), repaired 1 and literally just got home from picking up dinner and found a big chunk of metal in the side tread of the last tire, which I'm guessing will have to be replaced. I'm like $1400 in on these tires after less than a year and I've owned 6 cars before this - never once had to replace a popped tire and I've lived in the same area the entire time. Do these tires come with a magnet installed or something???

Seriously considering just replacing all of them with something else at this point. I don't want to have to replace another one of these stupid tires, when I literally just replaced the second one two weeks ago. These low profile tires on the 20" rims have a very small section that an object can pierce and be repaired and the tread is very shallow.

What are the best options at 20" that won't sacrifice too much range but also aren't a homing becon for metal?

 

[Hayseed_MS]

I have a 2020 model 3 performance with 21" wheels driven only 15,000 miles. So far I have had 5 flat tires and 2 bent rims from small potholes. The problem is that the car is too heavy for the 21" low profile tires. The $ I have paid for new tires and rims is way way more what I save in gas.
Tom G

I have 58k miles (40k on 21" OEM wheels/tires). Five flats - all punctures found - screws or nails. Countless potholes - no bent rims. Yes, it happens but it happens to any size wheel/tire.

 

[vcor]

What are the best options at 20" that won't sacrifice too much range but also aren't a homing becon for metal?

Switch to 18" tires to avoid so many flats, and you'll also get more range. Go to any manufacturer's car forum and you'll find the same thing for those that opt for low-profile tires. They are best for very clean roads (which we don't have here).

Another option might be to try run-flats. Maybe they have a better/thicker tread that will resist punctures better, but I suspect not. Run flats do have stronger sidewalls, so if you are getting a lot of sidewall damage, that may reduce that kind of damage.

 

[MatrixClaw]

Switch to 18" tires to avoid so many flats, and you'll also get more range. Go to any manufacturer's car forum and you'll find the same thing for those that opt for low-profile tires. They are best for very clean roads (which we don't have here).

Another option might be to try run-flats. Maybe they have a better/thicker tread that will resist punctures better, but I suspect not. Run flats do have stronger sidewalls, so if you are getting a lot of sidewall damage, that may reduce that kind of damage.

Hmm... would prefer not to have to switch out wheels as well, but I'm guessing I could resell the Induction wheels for a decent price...?

Took the car to Discount Tire today, to get the most recent tire evaluated with the piece of metal that was sticking out of it. They pulled it out and it looks like it was in there sideways, as it only went into the tread and didn't pierce into the tire, thankfully. However, they said my tires were at 5mm on the back and suggested replacing them before we go on any roadtrips (which we are doing in 2 weeks). This car was brand new in January, the rear driver's side was replaced in February after a nail went into the sidewall. I never drive it fast and have it in chill mode. Even the brand new tire that was just put on 2 weeks ago by Tesla on the front driver's side only had 7mm. Guy at Discount told me you're lucky if you get 15k miles out of the OEM tires, which can't be right. These things are rated at like 45k miles??

 

[URBAN LEGEND]

Are you looking at new home developments? That’s a no no. That’s screw and nail heaven.

 

[MatrixClaw]

Are you looking at new home developments? That’s a no no. That’s screw and nail heaven.

Nope.

 

[vcor]

Guy at Discount told me you're lucky if you get 15k miles out of the OEM tires, which can't be right. These things are rated at like 45k miles??

Yep, 15K miles is about right, although 5mm isn't time to replace them. Maybe 2-3mm. Most low-profile tires are also using a soft rubber compound that does a great job at road holding but also wears quickly. Tire types are all about different priorities. If you want the best handling, the tires are not going to last long. If you want a tire that lasts 80K miles, they are going to be stiff and likely to ride poorly. Lots of tires between the extremes too. On my NSX (first-gen) years ago, I was lucky to get 8K miles out of the low-profile tires. I never did races or any abusive driving. Handling was great, but spending $1500 for a set every 8K miles was expensive.