Model 3 has no spare tire

[rpiotro]

Agree with this 100% - OEM tires always wear much faster it seems, at least in my years of experience. Run flats (have them on my Caddy) are also complete crap. Noisy, bumpy, hard to repair things not worth the extra piece of mind at all. Stay away!

Tim

This! ^^^

I had an Infiniti Q50 hybrid that came with RFTs. Got rid of them pretty quickly. When I bought my winter tire kit I bought some Nokian Hakkapeliittas in RFT because I did not want to take the chance of being stranded in a blizzard. Awesome winter tires but if I had known that they achieved run flat capability by filling them with concrete I would have taken my chances. Very rough riding.

 

[RSpanner]

This! ^^^

I had an Infiniti Q50 hybrid that came with RFTs. Got rid of them pretty quickly. When I bought my winter tire kit I bought some Nokian Hakkapeliittas in RFT because I did not want to take the chance of being stranded in a blizzard. Awesome winter tires but if I had known that they achieved run flat capability by filling them with concrete I would have taken my chances. Very rough riding.

" filled with concrete" Ha.. ( in retrospect, we have had Nokian tires on a Prius and an Audi Q5..for us thy worked really really well. If I had an extra set of rims for our Model 3, I would put them on in a second.)

 

[engineered]

The Modernspare is pumped up, as you probably already know. The rack I made has space under for some storage...and I still have to buy the expensive wheel/tire combo from that company. A friend supplied his spare for the pic.

Yes, I do. I was just lamenting that Tesla could have fit a compact inflatable tire in the frunk, or in the lower trunk (like our previous Audi and other cars have).

While true, most holes really are small and in the tread. In most punctures I've had with my Tesla, I've been able to pump up the slow leak, get home, and plug the tire in my garage. The one I did on the side of a busy freeway — you know you're going to have a problem when you get out to check a TPMS warning and hear hissing! — I had to remove the (rear) tire to get a good angle on it and had to do it again at my next Supercharger stop because I didn't do a good job the first time. After that, the second plug held until the tire wore out.

However, a working TPMS system on tires in reasonably good condition makes tire-destroying blowouts much less likely than in the past. The one time I had that happen, I was driving an older car that predated TPMS. Had I known the tire was leaking I'd have stopped and fixed it before it was destroyed (smoke and lots of excitement, driving at freeway speeds).

Overall, the chance of a flat tire that can't be repaired by plugging is pretty low. Nevertheless, if it is a concern, carrying a spare can help with peace-of-mind. For long trips I sometimes carry one of my snow tires as a spare.

Funny enough, the only deflation ever had I've had was a large cut causing instant deflation due to chunk of metal on the road. Luckly it was only at 70kph so no drama. Pulled to the side and installed my spare tire. My wife somehow has had several punctures, mostly nails, so they were slow leaks in the tread that I noticed at home so was able to plug with a tire plug kit.

I just bought a Model 3 and was pretty concerned about not having a spare. BUT.... my research tells me that the Model 3 default tire is the Continental ProContact RX. The "RX" means that it is a "Run Flat" tire (check the Continental Tires website). After even a complete blowout you should be able to drive the car up to 55 mph for 60 miles without ruining the car or the wheels.

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If you really want to be sure, let the air out. An RF tire will only look partially deflated with low pressure, but a regular tire will look completely flat. You'll also notice that the RF tire sidewall is very stiff. But as others said, it looks like it's not a runflat.

 

[dgpcolorado]

I just bought a Model 3 and was pretty concerned about not having a spare. BUT.... my research tells me that the Model 3 default tire is the Continental ProContact RX. The "RX" means that it is a "Run Flat" tire (check the Continental Tires website). After even a complete blowout you should be able to drive the car up to 55 mph for 60 miles without ruining the car or the wheels.

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In my view, the problem with run flat tires is that they are the polar opposite of "Low Rolling Resistance" (LRR) and with the limited range of any EV, having the most efficient tire, subject to handling and safety, is my highest priority.

I do wish that there were better resources for comparing the rolling resistance of tires. But Run Flats? No way! I'll continue to carry my tools and plug kits, as well as a spare on longer trips for a serious problem that I can't fix.