New tires for 19" wheels?

[anticitizen13.7]

I was just fooling around on the Model S configuration page, and I saw that Michelin Primacy tires were offered in place of the Goodyear RSA-2.

The Michelins are superb tires from what I have read. It's nice that Tesla is offering them now.

 

[yobigd20]

I was just fooling around on the Model S configuration page, and I saw that Michelin Primacy tires were offered in place of the Goodyear RSA-2.

The Michelins are superb tires from what I have read. It's nice that Tesla is offering them now.

Agreed. They've probably been studying these forums and saw that many owners (including myself) do not like Goodyear tires and are planning on replacing with Michelin Primary MXM4 when the time comes. The olus side is that now these are factory offered, its not like we need to order off of tirerack and have them shipped to a service center. HOWEVER, I sort of expect Tesla to charge a premium over the tire rack price... I hope they don't! That wouldn't be cool.


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[dsm363]

Tesla likely can't buy the tires at the same volume prices tirerack can plus they are going after higher margins it seems so will likely cost more. You can order the tires off of tirerack and bring them to the service center (call your service center first though). I was told they are no longer allowed to install tires that are not also sold by Tesla.

 

[jerry33]

Tesla likely can't buy the tires at the same volume prices tirerack can plus they are going after higher margins it seems so will likely cost more. You can order the tires off of tirerack and bring them to the service center (call your service center first though). I was told they are no longer allowed to install tires that are also sold by Tesla.

Too bad, but there is no magic to mounting tires on 19" wheels. Any competent place should be able to do it with no wheel damage. You just have to check the tire pressure the next morning and torque within a few days. (This would be true even if you have Tesla change the tires).

 

[dsm363]

Too bad, but there is no magic to mounting tires on 19" wheels. Any competent place should be able to do it with no wheel damage. You just have to check the tire pressure the next morning and torque within a few days. (This would be true even if you have Tesla change the tires).

Sorry I meant to type they are not allowed to install tires that Tesla doesn't also sell. Since Tesla sells the 21" Contis, I can bring that same tire in and have it installed for example.

I agree. They should be able to install any tire.

 

[shiny]

They are probably taking a Costco like approach to make sure the speed ratings etc match what's supposed to be on the vehicle.... limit their liability?

 

[anticitizen13.7]

I checked the prices on Tirerack.com. In the P245/45R19 size, the RS-A2 sells for $137/tire (special price, was $214/tire before), while the Primacy MXM4 is $252/tire! That's a $460 difference for a set of 4 right now.

For people ordering the 85 kWh Model S, the Primacy MXM4 is standard equipment, so it's a really good upgrade for free. For 60 kWh Model S buyers, the extra $1000 to replace the RS-A2 with the Michelins is not such a great deal.

 

[Hengist]

Silent upgrade

I picked up my S85 in late July. It came with the Michelins instead of Goodyears, even though that was not listed. One more benefit to buying before the latest revisions to the design center.

 

[brianman]

Tesla likely can't buy the tires at the same volume prices tirerack can plus they are going after higher margins it seems so will likely cost more. You can order the tires off of tirerack and bring them to the service center (call your service center first though). I was told they are no longer allowed to install tires that are not also sold by Tesla.

Ok, so this brings up a good question.

Sales is supposed to make profit.
Service is not supposed to make profit.

When you replace your tires -- at the Service Center -- should they be making a profit on the tires (product) but not the work (service)?

 

[anticitizen13.7]

Sorry I meant to type they are not allowed to install tires that Tesla doesn't also sell. Since Tesla sells the 21" Contis, I can bring that same tire in and have it installed for example.

I agree. They should be able to install any tire.

Ok, so this brings up a good question.

Sales is supposed to make profit.
Service is not supposed to make profit.

When you replace your tires -- at the Service Center -- should they be making a profit on the tires (product) but not the work (service)?

If I'm correctly understanding what dsm363 is saying, I think that a Model S owner could buy the OEM specified tires from a third party like tire rack and have the Tesla Service Center install them.

So I could buy, from tire rack, the same size/rating Primacy MXM4 that Tesla ships with new cars, and Tesla would install those. The tire model is approved by Tesla so no problem.

I would not be able to buy a set of Bridgestone Turanza (tire model not factory equipped with any Model S) and have Tesla install those, even if they were the correct size and rating.

 

[DRK]

Did the Rim guy go on vacation, those new 19" Aero wheels are hurting my eyes...or is it just me.

 

[anticitizen13.7]

Did the Rim guy go on vacation, those new 19" Aero wheels are hurting my eyes...or is it just me.

It's not just you. I drive a Honda Civic, and the alloy wheels on the 8th Gen Civic Hybrid (2006-2011 model years) look just like that. People in the Civic community joked that they were pizza trays or flying saucers. The aerodynamic improvement is there, but it doesn't look great to most folks who see them.

Now the 19" Cyclone wheel… those are badass. I actually like them better than the 21" Turbines.

 

[dsm363]

If I'm correctly understanding what dsm363 is saying, I think that a Model S owner could buy the OEM specified tires from a third party like tire rack and have the Tesla Service Center install them.

So I could buy, from tire rack, the same size/rating Primacy MXM4 that Tesla ships with new cars, and Tesla would install those. The tire model is approved by Tesla so no problem.

I would not be able to buy a set of Bridgestone Turanza (tire model not factory equipped with any Model S) and have Tesla install those, even if they were the correct size and rating.

That's correct. That's what I was told by one of the service people in Texas. Don't know if there is regional variation with this policy but would expect it the same.

 

[Newscutter]

That Cyclone makes up for a fair number of other price increases. Almost.

 

[William13]

The tire policy has mirrored the fact that Tesla carries liability if they mount your tires. Thus they can as a manufacturer only do things that are factory approved.
I hope they expand their winter tire options. But as said, I can have them mounted locally. The tire pressure light will be on until I go to the service center and pay them to switch on the sensor and recalibrate summer vrs winter. 21 vrs 19.

 

[anticitizen13.7]

The tire policy has mirrored the fact that Tesla carries liability if they mount your tires. Thus they can as a manufacturer only do things that are factory approved.

Along the same lines, a lot of tire stores I've visited have similar policies in that they won't install tires on a car that have load and speed ratings less than the OEM spec. For example, my Civic is OEM spec'd for 89H tires. A place like Costco would not install a lesser tire like an 87S, for liability reasons.

It would be nice to have the flexibility of choosing different tires so long as they were the correct specification. I guess the only way around that is to have the tires installed at a place other than a Tesla service center.

 

[jerry33]

I'm all for not installing tires that have a lower carrying capacity then the OE tires--seen too many fail. For the speed rating, well, winter tires are almost always going to have a lower speed limit (the ones that don't have a tendency to be not-very-wintery). There is some question as to whether a 160 mph tire is needed when the highest speed limits are around 80 mph. (You don't really want to use your street tires on the track anyway

However, except for winter tires, I won't put on tires that have less than an "H" rating on any car that I own.

 

[neroden]

Did the Rim guy go on vacation, those new 19" Aero wheels are hurting my eyes...or is it just me.

I actually like the look of the aeros. But for a 3% range improvement -- 8 miles out of 260 -- $2500 seems like a lot. It's not enough of a difference in mileage to be a reliable improvement in planning a road trip, and of course it isn't saving enough money in electricity to be worth it, unless you drive, like, a bazillion miles a day.

- - - Updated - - -

I'm all for not installing tires that have a lower carrying capacity then the OE tires--seen too many fail.

There are things to watch out for. I recently returned a set of winter tires to TireRack because they had too low a max psi rating; TireRack.com doesn't filter for that when they figure out which tires match your car. (I ordered another set which does have an appropriate max psi rating.) Tire Rack's automated matching system checks for carrying capacity but not manufacturer-recommended psi. (This has now been reported as a bug and may be fixed on tirerack.com at some point.)

Speed rating really and truly does not need to match the manufacturer's recommendation, it just needs to be higher than the top speed you will ever drive.

 

[efusco]

I just ordered new tires for my S85 w/19" rims as I'm at 20,000 and there are pretty significant wear and traction issues. I had planned to upgrade to the Primacy based upon comments here and reviews, however, they cost twice as much as the Goodyears (OEM) right now...and actually more than that. There is an $80 instant rebate on a set of 4 tires at Sams (and presumably elsewhere), so a full set of 4 with the premium install package that includes install, lifetime rotation and road hazard warranty came in under $600 whereas the Primacy were over $1200. For that difference, I'll just plan on getting a new set of tires every year, I doubt the Primacy would last 40,000 miles to justify twice the cost.

 

[MikeC]

I'm almost at 19k and need new tires. The wheels slip are slipping when I accelerate hard.

Does anyone know anything about Michelin Pilot Sport A3 tires? My friend's brother is a Tesla service technician and told my friend that they were considered the "newer version" of the Primacy MXM4, but I got that 2nd hand so I'm not sure what he meant - if they're actually better than the Primacy or even appropriate for a Model S.