Model 3 Tires, Tire Sizes, Types, make / model recommendations, tire discussions, etc

[Perscitus]

Yes, for the all-weather/snow-peak Quatrac pros, the road noise will go up with higher inflation pressures, especially as you approach 50-51 psi cold.

 

[is95aus]

Just changed my OEM tires after 35k miles so I figured I would post what I changed too here. I am in the Northern VA area, so we don't usually have any really harsh winters but since I got the car in 2018, I noticed that the MXM4's were a bit squirrely on wet and icy/snowy pavement. I just put on the Michelin CrossClimate 2 tires and while I haven't done much driving on them yet, I am happy so far. They are so much better on wet pavement!

There is always talk about noise and efficiency with any new tire here so I'll put my limited testing notes here on those subjects too. As far as noise goes, when comparing 2/32 - 3/32 worn MXM4's to new CrossClimate 2's on dry pavement, the new tires are at about the same noise level. I did use a sound meter and basically came up with a dB range over x distance at x speed(highway speeds). The new tires are to the human ear effectively the same as the old tires. If you want a number to go with that I would estimate the new tires are maybe 2-3dB louder.

Anyway, as far as efficiency goes, with an even more limited test scenario, it's looking like about <10% hit which is pretty good considering I am going from extremely worn shallow tread to new full tread.

That's my two cents. Ohh and the CrossClimate 2's not only are all season, they are triple peak rated so I should have no problems here in Northern VA winters.

In Maryland and have 19" PS4 AS on order at Costco for about $900 installed, but really wanted to get these due to the triple peak and longer tread warranty. Do you have 19" wheels and if so, are you wearing the original 235/40'? I would love to have little wider tire to give me some wheel coverage to help protect against curb rash, but am concerned with going to 265/35's...

 

[Sergelimo]

I have a 2019 model and have been holding out for the Michelin Pilot Sport EV that was announced back in February 2021.
does anyone here has an insider update on actual release da

 

[Sergelimo]

Date in the US and whether will be available to consumers as opposed to OEMs only

if not in our immediate future what would you guys suggest for a tire that maintains the same range as the MXM4, I have done about 2622w/m over life of the car put has better winter ( snow I live in northern New England handling and is all season tires . We have great snow removal so winter tires not really necessary up here.

 

[Sergelimo]

Model 3 Dual motor AWD model

 

[superflyrolla]

Date in the US and whether will be available to consumers as opposed to OEMs only

if not in our immediate future what would you guys suggest for a tire that maintains the same range as the MXM4, I have done about 2622w/m over life of the car put has better winter ( snow I live in northern New England handling and is all season tires . We have great snow removal so winter tires not really necessary up here.

You're not going to find anything with better winter performance AND equal range to the MXM4. Michelin Cross Climate seems to be a popular choice for an all season that can also handle some snow. I have not seen any tire that gets equal range to the MXM4, except maybe Pirelli P7. I'm sure there's something, but I haven't personally seen anyone show data.

 

[Sergelimo]

You're not going to find anything with better winter performance AND equal range to the MXM4. Michelin Cross Climate seems to be a popular choice for an all season that can also handle some snow. I have not seen any tire that gets equal range to the MXM4, except maybe Pirelli P7. I'm sure there's something, but I haven't personally seen anyone show data.

Thank you, what exact P7 tire you are referring to? the Cinturato rub-fat ?

 

[Sergelimo]

Thank you, what exact P7 tire you are referring to? the Cinturato rub-fat ?

I meant run flat...

 

[chinney]

Date in the US and whether will be available to consumers as opposed to OEMs only

if not in our immediate future what would you guys suggest for a tire that maintains the same range as the MXM4, I have done about 2622w/m over life of the car put has better winter ( snow I live in northern New England handling and is all season tires . We have great snow removal so winter tires not really necessary up here.

Winter tires are not just for snow, but also for cold. The Michelin Primacy MXM4 is a terrible winter tire. If you insist on not getting dedicated winter tires for northern New England, I would at least get some of the new generation all-weather (not all-season) winter rated tires, such as the Michelin Cross Climate or Vredestein Quatrac. By all accounts the range hit will be minimal, with some people even claiming that there is none.

 

[Rothgarr]

I need some help with choosing replacement tires for my 18" aero wheels. They currently have 16k+ miles on them, I estimate I'll need to replace them before 20k.

What I'm looking for is an all-season tire where the edges overlap the rims to give them some protection (I'm sure the protection is minimal, but it looks really nice on my friend's Porsche). It's OK if the tire is a little wider than what comes from the factory. Is there a keyword to look for when purchasing tires that describe if they do that overlap?

 

[play150]

I ordered some 19" wheels for my M3P to try and get more sidewall for pothole protection, does anyone have good summer tire recommendations for someone that goes to the track 1-2 times a year?

I originally wanted the Michellin Pilot Sport 4, but I don't see sizes that fit the Model 3. The closest PS4 size seems to be 245/40/19.
(I wanted the PS4 over the PS4S because of the lower noise, rolling resistance and wet handling/braking i.e safety)

So I guess that leaves the Pilot Sport 4S which is available in 235/40/19. My main concern here is that it isn't a Tesla spec tire! (No acoustic foam and other optimizations as mentioned by @dfwatt ) I do see that there's a NA0 Porsche specced version for that size though.

 

[dfwatt]

I ordered some 19" wheels for my M3P to try and get more sidewall for pothole protection, does anyone have good summer tire recommendations for someone that goes to the track 1-2 times a year?

I originally wanted the Michellin Pilot Sport 4, but I don't see sizes that fit the Model 3. The closest PS4 size seems to be 245/40/19.
(I wanted the PS4 over the PS4S because of the lower noise, rolling resistance and wet handling/braking i.e safety)

So I guess that leaves the Pilot Sport 4S which is available in 235/40/19. My main concern here is that it isn't a Tesla spec tire! (No acoustic foam and other optimizations as mentioned by @dfwatt ) I do see that there's a NA0 Porsche specced version for that size though.

Having run both Tesla spec and non-tesla spec PS4s on our cars I can say the difference is subtle. There is no acoustic foam in my front tires (265/30 - 20) but there is in the rear tires. Since most of the noise appears to be coming from the rear I was not terribly uncomfortable trying those out. Their 'stiction' is amazing even compared to the impressive stock 235/35 PS4s, which as I have mentioned is significantly wider in terms of the tread than any other 235/35 Tire in that line or in any other line that I've been able to find of Max performance summer Tires

 

[play150]

Having run both Tesla spec and non-tesla spec PS4s on our cars I can say the difference is subtle. There is no acoustic foam in my front tires (265/30 - 20) but there is in the rear tires. Since most of the noise appears to be coming from the rear I was not terribly uncomfortable trying those out. Their 'stiction' is amazing even compared to the impressive stock 235/35 PS4s, which as I have mentioned is significantly wider in terms of the tread than any other 235/35 Tire in that line or in any other line that I've been able to find of Max performance summer Tires

That gives me hope re: the subtle noise differences... I just saw that there's the T0 version tires available for 18" rims, but the aesthetic of the 19"/20" wheels!!

Now that I think about it the 245/40/19 PS4s should work, 26.7" diameter vs the 26.5" of 235/35/20 wheels.

 

[Gimmethecash]

That gives me hope re: the subtle noise differences... I just saw that there's the T0 version tires available for 18" rims, but the aesthetic of the 19"/20" wheels!!

Now that I think about it the 245/40/19 PS4s should work, 26.7" diameter vs the 26.5" of 235/35/20 wheels.

Any tire with a diameter between 26-27” should be fine, height-wise. I‘m running 27” diameter PS4S with no issues.

I didn’t notice a significant noise difference between 235/35/20 T0 P Zero’s and 255/35/20 PS4S, but I’m not the most sensitive to it; I have my car set up pretty firm and that doesn’t bother me either.

 

[play150]

Any tire with a diameter between 26-27” should be fine, height-wise. I‘m running 27” diameter PS4S with no issues.

I didn’t notice a significant noise difference between 235/35/20 T0 P Zero’s and 255/35/20 PS4S, but I’m not the most sensitive to it; I have my car set up pretty firm and that doesn’t bother me either.

Good to know! Perhaps I should be less concerned about noise. I'm mostly worried about the whole no engine = road noise is more noticeable phenomenon - I've done 6h drives with the 235/35/20 T0 P-Zeros and it's been fine.

I think I made a mistake earlier with the tire sizes - there aren't any 245/40/19 PS4s in my area, only PS4Ss!
For the PS4s there's 245/45/19, but that's a 27.7" diameter x.x
I did see these though 255/40/19 PS4s with the acoustic foam. Would 255 mess with range and hydroplaning though :///

But yeah, if the noise increase might not be that much the 245/40/19 PS4Ss might also be a good option!

 

[AZAV8R]

The MXMs are out of stock, and I need new tires before an upcoming trip, so I purchased some VREDESTEIN QUATRAC PRO XLs instead (at TireRack.com). A few people here have been impressed with them, and I was surprised to find them at about half the price of the MXMs.

Hi Piano Al,

I am facing the same dilemma. Did you notice any change in noise level or ride?

 

[Gimmethecash]

Good to know! Perhaps I should be less concerned about noise. I'm mostly worried about the whole no engine = road noise is more noticeable phenomenon - I've done 6h drives with the 235/35/20 T0 P-Zeros and it's been fine.

I think I made a mistake earlier with the tire sizes - there aren't any 245/40/19 PS4s in my area, only PS4Ss!
For the PS4s there's 245/45/19, but that's a 27.7" diameter x.x
I did see these though 255/40/19 PS4s with the acoustic foam. Would 255 mess with range and hydroplaning though :///

But yeah, if the noise increase might not be that much the 245/40/19 PS4Ss might also be a good option!

With sufficiently low offset, you should be fine with the 255/40/19’s. Somebody here rubbed the knuckle with them, but solved the issue with a 3mm spacer. If your wheels are out far enough already, it should work.

255 probably won’t make a huge range difference over 245 or even 235, you might even gain a few miles if you’re switching from 20” wheels to 19”. The taller tire might make the *estimated* range a little pessimistic however.

I’ve found the PS4S to be a pretty good tire in the rain (for a sticky summer tire), better than expected. My last car (M5 Comp) had 275/285 PS4S F/R and it needed a pretty deep puddle at speed to get out of sorts, I was usually faster than the cars around me when it was coming down. Same goes for the X3M40i before it with 245/265 PS4S. Could be the tires or my nerves of steel lol or both.

 

[play150]

I'm in the process of switching from 20" Uberturbines to 19" Martian MW03 wheels and I've been thinking of what tires I should get for them. I wanted to switch to the MW03s because of the lower unsprung mass + increased sidewall for pothole protection with the 19" rims. I go to the track 1-2 times a year but also drive around long distance to visit relatives etc, so both track performance and range/noise is important for me! (and I'm hoping to not have to keep an extra set of track tires)

My current tire shortlist:
Stock 235/35/20 tire diameter: 26.5", 673 mm

235/45/18 Michelin Pilot Sport 4 (Tesla Version, Acoustic Foam): $250 per tire
Cheap! But would have to switch to 18" rims which might look less cool. 18" rims are also cheaper and lighter than 19" ones though...
Tire diameter: 26.3", 668 mm
Extra sidewall vs stock: 31.3% (1", 26 mm)
255/40/19 Michelin Pilot Sport 4 (Volvo Version, Acoustic Foam): $350 per tire
Expensive... but there's the acoustic foam and it's for a 19" wheel!
Tire diameter: 27", 686 mm
Extra sidewall vs stock: 25% (0.8", 21 mm)
245/40/19 Michelin Pilot Sport 4S (No Acoustic Foam): $300 per tire
Middle ground for price. PS4S = better track performance but noisier than the PS4 AND it has no acoustic foam, also has more rolling resistance so range might be impacted.
Tire diameter: 26.7", 678 mm
Extra sidewall vs stock: 21.9% (0.7", 19 mm)
255/35/20 Pirelli P ZERO (PZ4) (Volvo Version, Acoustic Foam): $290 per tire
If I stuck with the 20" uberturbines these might be an option, the tire diameter would still be acceptable and there would be more sidewall than the current 235/35/20 stock tires.
Tire diameter: 27", 686 mm
Extra sidewall vs stock: +9.4% (0.3", 8 mm)

tbh other than aesthetics it's looking like 18" MW03 wheels with the Michelin PS4s are the best option in terms of both price and performance. But what if they don't look as cool as the 20" Uberturbines

If the the 27" tire diameter options might need spacers I might be a bit nervous about the fit being a bit tight... I've never added spacers etc to the wheel before @Gimmethecash ! That would leave the 245/40/19 PS4S, but then I have road noise concerns.

 

[Gimmethecash]

What are the specs of the MW03’s you’re looking at? I’m not a fan of spacers personally, I went custom on this car to ensure a good fit.

 

[play150]

What are the specs of the MW03’s you’re looking at? I’m not a fan of spacers personally, I went custom on this car to ensure a good fit.

19x8.5", +35 offset!