Sorry if this is redundant but I am looking for some help on Wheel/Tire selection, searched the forum but did not find my specific scenario. Should be receiving my M3P before Christmas. I am looking for recommendations on tires for So. Cal winter driving. I am an early morning commuter and many days I leave my house in Jan/Feb it will be right above freezing, of course my drive home will be between 60-70F. I plan on a Ski trip to Utah in Feb to go along with a few trips to Baldy and Big Bear. I am looking at Matians for the rims, looking for recommendations on rim sizing and all-season tire selection. Uberturbines will stay with the summer tires. Thanks in advance.
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M3P Tire Selection in SoCal
- Thread starter Will_I_Make_It
- Start date
Lindenwood
Active Member
Honestly I’d just go to tire rack, search for your size, limit the search to All Seasons, and sort by average customer review.
But, specifically, I would run all-seasons for your purposes.
But, specifically, I would run all-seasons for your purposes.
Newbie here. My M3P is on order, expected by second week of Feb. Similar use case to OP, except I’m in North Texas. It can get cold here (so far this winter we’ve seen lows ranging from 8-50, with plenty of days starting out around or below freezing. The highs usually end up well above freezing.
The Tesla order page says the summer tires will be louder and have less traction below 40. And of course I’d never drive on once or snow. But it doesn’t say NOT to drive them below 40.
Is there anything inherently unsafe about occasional driving at colder temps on a dry day? I’d rather not go straight to a tire shop! Thanks for tolerating the newbie question! I’ve only ever had All Seasons before!
The Tesla order page says the summer tires will be louder and have less traction below 40. And of course I’d never drive on once or snow. But it doesn’t say NOT to drive them below 40.
Is there anything inherently unsafe about occasional driving at colder temps on a dry day? I’d rather not go straight to a tire shop! Thanks for tolerating the newbie question! I’ve only ever had All Seasons before!
UncertainTimes
Active Member
<puts alternative fact flame suit on>
I wouldn’t recommend driving in freezing temps even when dry with summer tires. Not only will you have reduced traction, you risk cracking the rubber compound in the tire. Just google “summer tires below 40” and decide for yourself.
<waits for that reply that says “TIRE COMPANIES CANT TELL ME WHAT TO DO”>
I wouldn’t recommend driving in freezing temps even when dry with summer tires. Not only will you have reduced traction, you risk cracking the rubber compound in the tire. Just google “summer tires below 40” and decide for yourself.
<waits for that reply that says “TIRE COMPANIES CANT TELL ME WHAT TO DO”>
Appreciate that feedback. That is what I was thinking and aligned with my understanding of summer tires. So I was a little puzzled with the way Tesla describes them! They sound unsafe to drive below 40, period, based on the world of Google, yet Tesla limits safety warnings to ice and snow.
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UncertainTimes
Active Member
Well the reality is that it’s complicated. If you have a garage and the car doesn’t sit outside in freezing temps, it’s probably fine to drive around in sub 40 temps right after pulling out of the garage.
Great point. It will definitely be garage kept, and we insulated all walls. Never seen it below 47 in there. I’m leaning toward just rolling with them and running them into the ground. Though I suppose if I was willing to deal with the hassle I could grab some 4S all seasons and sell the stock tires as like new. I’m definitely not the twice-a-year swapping type.
Lol, you'll be fine driving in sub 40deg, he'll, sub 30deg weather. You may have less traction, but let's be real, you weren't using 100% traction to begin with so you may never notice the difference. And they most certainly won't start crumbling when you drive it like some would make it seem.
UHP Summer tires are not all the same- The Michelin Pilot Sport 4S is limited to 20F, not 40F. You can't say "all summer tires...."
There are for sure some very aggressive near-race tires that are limited to 40F, but those are not the average summer tire.
canasion35
Active Member
Honestly i'd sell the summer tires that you get on your car and go for the PSAS4 all seasons. They give you "nearly" all the performance the PS4S' give you but the option to run them in the cold, and get more mileage life out of them. If i recall correctly the PS4S' are a 30k mileage warranty and the PSAS4's are 45k so in theory you'd get about 50% more life out of them.
If you're in Dallas and not to far north or west than that then you can go with the stock ones. But personally i would go for the PSAS4's and call it a day not having to worry.
comanchepilot
Member
If you have an M3P what I would do for snow is go down an inch on the tire size, to the 19's - maybe even 18" wheels - and buy the tires sized for those wheels - "Minus one" is a tried and true method for getting better traction out of winter wheels and tires plus you can find 18" steel wheels cheap -
I would NOT keep the stock wheels since they are so sensitive to getting dings and you will be in snow and road crap all the time. Tire size for the 18" wheels is 235/45R18 -= lots of good choices- be sure to get tires that have the snowflake symbol if you will going to Big Bear/Baldy/Mammoth - try NOT to get Blizzaks since they will be worn down fast on Socal concrete freeways.
Summer tires lose grip under 50 pretty significantly since the rubber compound is designed for warmer temps. I'd look at the Pirelli Winter's - might lose a bit of traction and performance during warmer temps but they'll keep you moving - remember the minus one or two idea. The taller tire will bite into the snow better than a wider tire -
I would NOT keep the stock wheels since they are so sensitive to getting dings and you will be in snow and road crap all the time. Tire size for the 18" wheels is 235/45R18 -= lots of good choices- be sure to get tires that have the snowflake symbol if you will going to Big Bear/Baldy/Mammoth - try NOT to get Blizzaks since they will be worn down fast on Socal concrete freeways.
Summer tires lose grip under 50 pretty significantly since the rubber compound is designed for warmer temps. I'd look at the Pirelli Winter's - might lose a bit of traction and performance during warmer temps but they'll keep you moving - remember the minus one or two idea. The taller tire will bite into the snow better than a wider tire -
@AggieM3P Since you don't want to swap wheels 2x/year, then UHP allseasons seem like a good choice for you. Michelin PSAS4 or Goodyear Eagle Exhilarate (what I'm running now for "winter" where I live) are on the sportier side of the category. Or Conti DWS06+ for likely a little more snow traction - but maybe not as sporty feeling.
(I'm basing this on experiencing the Goodyears on my M3P right now, and older PSAS3 & Conti DWS on friends cars in years past.)
Whether to swap out your stock summer tires early is really up to you. In my case the stock 20" wheels HAD to go (due to pavement conditions here), so I swapped wheels+tires early, but initially to other, better summer tires.
(I'm basing this on experiencing the Goodyears on my M3P right now, and older PSAS3 & Conti DWS on friends cars in years past.)
Whether to swap out your stock summer tires early is really up to you. In my case the stock 20" wheels HAD to go (due to pavement conditions here), so I swapped wheels+tires early, but initially to other, better summer tires.
Nmtdriver
Former BMW dbag
This is what I did - ended up get the 18" ev01+s (specific M3P fitment) from a member here and mounted the new bridgestone weatherpeaks. The extra meat definitely absorbs the crappy roads better than the 20's and I can't tell much of a difference in road noise. Maybe 3-5% better efficiency. That said, they do not grip as well in the dry as the old pirellis and will spin a bit off the line if I mash it. Ultimately, I'll get Michellin 4s' mounted in the spring (18's are like $1000/set so that's a win). Haven't tested in snow but the preliminary reviews online give me confidence that we'll get to and from ski resorts in all but the heaviest storms.
Howdy!
I live in Dallas, and I'm on my 2nd Model 3 P, going on 3 years in total. Always had the 20" wheels and standard summer tires.
They never gave me a problem when cold. Obviously I didn't go out in it when we had snowmageddon in '21.
However, I just secured a set of 19" Tesla wheels that I will mount up tomorrow. The 20" wheels with the stretched tires (9" wheel width) can be a real problem with potholes. So I'm going to give up a bit of looks in favor of piece-of-mind, and maybe gain some efficiency too.
Howdy! Perfect use case comparison, thanks! I’m just north of Fort Worth, so good to know I’m not crazy for keeping the summers on for a while. Our potholes in this area aren’t too bad I don’t think - but I’m going to take notice more between now and delivery day!
Yeah those skinny tires on the OEM 20s might be more fragile than you're used to, even little holes can cause big problems. I put on a set of 19s today. I would have preferred summer tires instead of the factory all-season. I might switch after I wear these out.
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