Model 3 Trailing Towing and Tire Wear

[Misterbee]

Moderator note (bmah): This post plus the next two were moved from a thread in the Model X forums.

Has anyone towing noticed a marked increase in tire wear? My M3 is six months old, and after an 8000 road trip towing a teardrop trailer, the rear tires are worn almost to the wear bar. Wondering if a different tire would be more suitable for towing.

 

[ecarfan]

Has anyone towing noticed a marked increase in tire wear? My M3 is six months old, and after an 8000 road trip towing a teardrop trailer, the rear tires are worn almost to the wear bar. Wondering if a different tire would be more suitable for towing.

I realize you are asking a towing-related question, but this is a Model X forum (and this thread is about energy usage while towing, not about tire wear). The X tires are quite different than the 3 tires. I have 36K miles on my X with its original tires and they are not down to the wear bars yet.

I also realize that there are very few 3 owners towing a travel trailer. Have you started a thread in the Model 3 forums about your towing experience?

 

[Misterbee]

I realize you are asking a towing-related question, but this is a Model X forum (and this thread is about energy usage while towing, not about tire wear). The X tires are quite different than the 3 tires. I have 36K miles on my X with its original tires and they are not down to the wear bars yet.

I also realize that there are very few 3 owners towing a travel trailer. Have you started a thread in the Model 3 forums about your towing experience?

Didn’t mean to ruffle any feathers. it was through reading this forum that I gleaned enough knowledge to take the plunge and tow with my M3. It seems to me that towing with any Tesla is a rare experience no matter what the model, and there is plenty that we can all learn from each other’s experiences. But, message received. Adios!

 

[Jaywlker]

Didn’t mean to ruffle any feathers. it was through reading this forum that I gleaned enough knowledge to take the plunge and tow with my M3. It seems to me that towing with any Tesla is a rare experience no matter what the model, and there is plenty that we can all learn from each other’s experiences. But, message received. Adios!

Hi! What is the weight of your tow trailer? I’ve thought about getting an Airstream Basecamp that weighs approx. 3,000 lbs.

 

[Misterbee]

The T@G XL by NuCamp weighs about 1100 lbs empty, with a tongue weight of about 120 lbs. It is a great match for the Model 3. I am using a Stealthitch, which has a 2500 lb towing capacity, and a tongue weight capacity of 200 lbs.

I looked at the Basecamp, as well as the Nest. Unless and until Tesla announces two ratings for the M3, I would not recommend pulling either of those. They would work much better behind a Model X, which has a tow rating of 5000 lbs.

 

[jmaddr]

until Tesla announces two ratings for the M3

The UK site lists towing at 910kg for the SR+. That's exactly 1 ton or 2000 pounds.

 

[ewoodrick]

You specified the weights empty, what are the weights that you travelled with? Clothes, utensils, plates, water, grey water, and all that other stuff weighs a lot. And it's real easy, if you aren't intimately familiar with what you are putting in the trunk and packing trailers, to put your tongue weight well over 200 pounds and significantly increase the rear wheel weights.

But, that doesn't answer your question. An 8,000 mile road trip is a lot of towing. Are you planning on doing this regularly, or is it more like camping on weekends now? By switching tires, you will probably suffer reduced mileage, but could decrease tire wear.

There should be a number of tire replacement threads on the forum, take a look.

 

[Jaywlker]

The T@G XL by NuCamp weighs about 1100 lbs empty, with a tongue weight of about 120 lbs. It is a great match for the Model 3. I am using a Stealthitch, which has a 2500 lb towing capacity, and a tongue weight capacity of 200 lbs.

I looked at the Basecamp, as well as the Nest. Unless and until Tesla announces two ratings for the M3, I would not recommend pulling either of those. They would work much better behind a Model X, which has a tow rating of 5000 lbs.

Thank you for the info, Misterbee!

 

[Jaywlker]

The UK site lists towing at 910kg for the SR+. That's exactly 1 ton or 2000 pounds.

Thanks for the info, jmaddr!

 

[coleAK]

Moderator note (bmah): This post plus the next two were moved from a thread in the Model X forums.

Has anyone towing noticed a marked increase in tire wear? My M3 is six months old, and after an 8000 road trip towing a teardrop trailer, the rear tires are worn almost to the wear bar. Wondering if a different tire would be more suitable for towing.

Over that 8000 miles did you rotate your tires? I tow a camper 8 to 10,000 miles in 3 to 4 months every summer and have done so for eight years, obviously not with our 3. Towing is brutal on the tires. In the summer I rotate every 4-5k miles and only get 15-20k miles out of 10 ply LT tires, this is about 40% of the miles I would get out of them not towing. It was even worse when I had p metric tires. All that said I can’t imagine that they make a 10 ply in a size that will fit the 3 so no other tire would be much better. If you tow like this often I would rotate tires often and plan on tires every 10-15k miles as the cost associated with all the enjoyment of camping.

 

[Misterbee]

You specified the weights empty, what are the weights that you travelled with? Clothes, utensils, plates, water, grey water, and all that other stuff weighs a lot. And it's real easy, if you aren't intimately familiar with what you are putting in the trunk and packing trailers, to put your tongue weight well over 200 pounds and significantly increase the rear wheel weights.

But, that doesn't answer your question. An 8,000 mile road trip is a lot of towing. Are you planning on doing this regularly, or is it more like camping on weekends now? By switching tires, you will probably suffer reduced mileage, but could decrease tire wear.

There should be a number of tire replacement threads on the forum, take a look.

It was our first trip, and totally epic, but we never found a chance to weigh it. Although I could still lift the hitch by hand, so I doubt it got near 200 lbs. We never pulled it with the water tank loaded, either. We did stuff the trunk pretty full, though.

We will probably take shorter trips for a while, won’t really be able to get away for a long trip for a while. In the end, I would prefer the tire that gives the most battery range, and is relatively quiet, so for now I guess that’s the stock tires?

 

[Misterbee]

Over that 8000 miles did you rotate your tires? I tow a camper 8 to 10,000 miles in 3 to 4 months every summer and have done so for eight years, obviously not with our 3. Towing is brutal on the tires. In the summer I rotate every 4-5k miles and only get 15-20k miles out of 10 ply LT tires, this is about 40% of the miles I would get out of them not towing. It was even worse when I had p metric tires. All that said I can’t imagine that they make a 10 ply in a size that will fit the 3 so no other tire would be much better. If you tow like this often I would rotate tires often and plan on tires every 10-15k miles as the cost associated with all the enjoyment of camping.

That’s really good information to have. I actually had scheduled a SC appointment during the trip to have the tires rotated, but the SC called me up and told me that it wasn’t really necessary. Towing with the M3 is totally worth the extra tire wear, so I will factor in the tire rotation going forward.

 

[coleAK]

Also did you use a weight distribution hitch? If not that could really help trailer control.

What kind of efficiency? I have a buddy that pulls a 3800lb rpod with a model X 100D. He can’t get much more than 100 miles range when he is towing.

 

[Misterbee]

Also did you use a weight distribution hitch? If not that could really help trailer control.

What kind of efficiency? I have a buddy that pulls a 3800lb rpod with a model X 100D. He can’t get much more than 100 miles range when he is towing.

The car aweigh so much more that the trailer, I did not feel that a weight distribution hitch was worth it. The car handled the trailer with ease, so much so that we re-named it “Honey Badger”.

Efficiency was a mixed bag. At 60mph on level ground, we lost about a third of our range. Which was fine. We started every day with a full battery at an RV park. Then stopped to supercharge and make lunch. Aerodynamics matters more than weight, so going over 70 mph, range took a bigger hit. Going up a steep hill cost more, as well. We were touring, stopping frequently on a whim, so we didn’t mind stopping every three hours to charge.

 

[AltLogic]

What kind of efficiency? I have a buddy that pulls a 3800lb rpod with a model X 100D. He can’t get much more than 100 miles range when he is towing.

Like someone else said, aerodynamics matter. Speed matters too. I borrow a Model X 75D to tow. I tow in CA so I keep it at 60 mph due to the stupid laws here. I get about 100 miles range with a Uhaul trailer. I built my own trailer that is the same width as the X and the tires are below the trailer instead of sticking out. I now get 140 miles driving the same routes and speeds.

 

[coleAK]

Like someone else said, aerodynamics matter. Speed matters too. I borrow a Model X 75D to tow. I tow in CA so I keep it at 60 mph due to the stupid laws here. I get about 100 miles range with a Uhaul trailer. I built my own trailer that is the same width as the X and the tires are below the trailer instead of sticking out. I now get 140 miles driving the same routes and speeds.

Yeah when I tow our 22’ 6800lb camper with my LX570 going 55-60 I get 9-10 mpg. If I bump it to 65-70 I get 7-8 mpg. Same trips with no camper and I get 16-18 mpg.

 

[COrental]

The car aweigh so much more that the trailer, I did not feel that a weight distribution hitch was worth it. The car handled the trailer with ease, so much so that we re-named it “Honey Badger”.

Efficiency was a mixed bag. At 60mph on level ground, we lost about a third of our range. Which was fine. We started every day with a full battery at an RV park. Then stopped to supercharge and make lunch. Aerodynamics matters more than weight, so going over 70 mph, range took a bigger hit. Going up a steep hill cost more, as well. We were touring, stopping frequently on a whim, so we didn’t mind stopping every three hours to charge.

That’s not bad, we lose at least 20% just with a hitch mounted bike rack and 2 bikes avg 65mph, rising exponentially with speed. Those bikes are like a drag chute. I’m thinking about a small camping trailer and throw the bikes inside that, kill 2 birds.

 

[Misterbee]

That’s not bad, we lose at least 20% just with a hitch mounted bike rack and 2 bikes avg 65mph, rising exponentially with speed. Those bikes are like a drag chute. I’m thinking about a small camping trailer and throw the bikes inside that, kill 2 birds.

That seems like a good idea. You might want to look at the Happier Camper trailer. It’s fairly aero, and has a large hatch, so loading bikes might be easier. They are also built to order, and I needed to buy something I could use right away, so I went with the T@G, which has worked out great for me.

 

[KristieA]

We just purchased a T@G trailer as well! I'd love to hear more about your experiences. Did you set a trip meter to measure Wh/mi during the 8k mile trip? Did you do most of your charging at RV stops or supercharges, or both?

 

[Misterbee]

View attachment 457966

We just purchased a T@G trailer as well! I'd love to hear more about your experiences. Did you set a trip meter to measure Wh/mi during the 8k mile trip? Did you do most of your charging at RV stops or supercharges, or both?

Yes. We typically charged overnight at RV parks, then arranged our lunch stop near a supercharger. Here’s my trip odometer

Edit. Sorry, having trouble uploading the screen grab.
Over 8055 miles, the average was 445 Wh/mi.