Not confident this is a good road trip vehicle for me...

[Chickenlittle]

So I just went on my second roadtrip in my fairly new Model S and it went very well up until I hit a pothole and lost two tires. I really enjoy driving my MS, especially with AutoPilot on a long trip, but being stranded for 3 hours with my young children make me wonder if, at least in my situation, if it is a bad decision to take this vehicle on long trips.

Quick summary of what happened: I'm on the side of the freeway about 1-1/4 hours north of Atlanta, 70 miles away from the closest Tesla service center. Roadside assistance was nice and tried hard but it feels like when stuck in a rural setting, especially outside of CA, their standard operating procedures didn't cover the situation well. But I digress. The call started well, he was going to send a tow truck and then get me an Uber to get me home. Then I realized a big problem -- I had two kids in the car but only one car seat because one of them was in the rear third-row seats. So I called back with my concerns about whether or not Uber would work and he told me he would get an Uber, then call them and find out if they had a car seat, and if not cancel the Uber and get another one and keep trying until he found one with a car seat. It seemed a tedious process but plausible.

Meanwhile the only towing options he could find were in Atlanta so they started on their journey up to where I was stuck. Then he found out there weren't any Uber drivers that could pick me up way north of Atlanta. So in the end I called my wife (who was fortunately home with our minivan and loaded with the proper car seats) and she headed up to meet us, ultimately arriving about 3 hours after I was stranded (in hindsight I should have had her start driving about an hour sooner but I was hopeful that Tesla would find an option instead of bothering my wife since the trip was designed to give her a much needed break). In the end we got home and the kids to bed very late and any gas savings was wasted on the ~150 mile journey in the minivan. I also had to pay about $60 for the extra 20 miles of towing beyond the 50 miles that is included in roadside assistance.

Again I'm not complaining about the quality of the help from Tesla, they were actually pretty helpful (although I have never used any other roadside assistance program against which I could compare). But I wonder if I'm putting myself at unnecessary risk for this type of situation occurring again by going on long trips in my MS, specifically:

1) With no spare tire I'm guaranteed to be stranded if I lose a tire (yes in this case I lost two but that seems pretty unlikely to happen regularly).

2) With the third-row seats I'm guaranteed to be short a car seat (and eventually two) if I ever need to take an Uber or a rental car, possibly requiring me to buy or rent car sets.

3) If this would have happened further from my home (I was visiting TN) and/or on the way out of town rather than on the way home it could have dramatically affected all of the pre-arranged activities (hotel, entertainment, etc) for my short vacation, and possibly caused me to miss work or other activities back at home if I got home days late.

For #1 I have a tire repair kit, however this was the 4th and 5th flat tire I have had and I'm pretty sure the tire repair kit wouldn't have helped with any of them.

For #2 I don't see any good options rather than bringing along a spare carseat which kind of defeats the purpose of the third-row seats.

For #3 if this would have happened up in TN they would have likely had to tow me to a Tesla location in TN and being that I didn't get my car back until 2 days later it definitely would have added a lot of extra stress (two more nights of hotel for which I didn't have the necessary supplies for me nor my kids, missing a day of work, etc).

The tow truck driver mentioned that Tesla was working on a program where they would have spare tires for Teslas on their trucks. I think that could have helped quite a bit. Otherwise is there anything else I can do to try to avoid this situation in the future? How likely would a random tire shop be to stock the tires on my 21" rims (yes, I know, the 21" rims isn't making things better)? Or if I'm stranded can I buy a cheap wheel and tire combo that could get me home (what bolt pattern is compatible with Tesla)?

I know this is a long rant, but my wife was already hesitant to take the Tesla on long trips and this certainly isn't going to help that any (plus our first trip was very inconvenient with the locations of the superchargers). But since I do all of the driving I'd love to make my MS on more trips not fewer.

IMO, there should be four spare tires. What happens when you hit a pot hole or jump over a curb and you replace your two tires. Maybe you hit a second and need another two tires SOL without 4 spare tires. What I do like about the tesla is that you get spare engine. I don't know another car with that feature. When your rear motor fails you can go on with the front one.

 

[Max*]

When your rear motor fails you can go on with the front one.

Pretty sure that's not how it works.

 

[SFOTurtle]

In my case my older daughter loves the rear seat and she has spent a lot of time back there, including now two road trips. I'm curious why you say "no way I'm putting our twin 3 year olds in the rear facing seats for hours at a time". Thanks!

Motion sickness, claustrophobia, and in the summer, potential sickness from heat (if you're driving with the sun at your back). The ventilation is just not good enough back there to have humans sit there for hours, at least not in warmer temps.

 

[tomas]

For me: 20,000 miles on 20s. Not a single problem. Prior 10k on 21s: 2 blowouts. Even a smidgen of research prior to purchase would have shed light on this potential problem.

More and more cars are shipping with no spares, because incidence of blowouts and severe tire failure is getting quite rare. I don't know what prior cars the OP had nor how long OP has been driving. I believe that people under 35 who have not driven +1 or +2 equipped cars may have zero experience with tire failures, therefore zero expectation it will ever happen to them. I grew up doing family road trip vacations in the 60s, and we would always blow out at least 1 tire, and usually on a bridge over a 1,000 foot gorge in western PA. Those scars still exist!

The baby seat issue.... understood. Not something everyone would have thought ahead on, but seems wrong to blame the car manufacturer.

Neither issue unique to tesla.

I appreciate that the OP went through some trauma, but are 2 threads on it necessary? And, how about some humility/accountability for not researching the wheels and not thinking to bring a spare seat?

 

[Max*]

Motion sickness, claustrophobia, and in the summer, potential sickness from heat (if you're driving with the sun at your back). The ventilation is just not good enough back there to have humans sit there for hours, at least not in warmer temps.

Forgot about motion sickness, yep, that's definitely another issue with the RFS, but that's not a Tesla defect per-se. Lack of airflow is 100% a Tesla defect.

And warmer temps are subjective, my kids don't get back there when it's hotter than about 75F. And I have the car tinted and use the Tesla sunshade.

 

[kirkbauer]

You keep saying this, but that doesn't make it true. Model S is not the only car ever made with built-in child seats. A very popular mini-van had them as an option. I think it was Chrysler. And Mercedes and Volvo have already been brought up in this thread as having built-in child seats - rear-facing, even!

User "green" replied to that and said "Rear facing seats are not unique, rear facing child seats are." I understood that to make Tesla still unique in this. They aren't regular seats in the Tesla, if they were then you'd need to put a child set in the seat first.

The whole thing comes down to the fact that you configured your car in such a way that it conflicts with your mission. That's a shame, for sure. Especially so, when you had to spend a bunch of money on it. But, you can't really fault the entire Model S line because you ordered the wrong wheels/tires and you didn't have a spare child seat.

1) How do you know what my mission was? I did not buy a MS to take kids on long road trips, but it was expected to be a nice bonus. So the car doesn't conflict with my mission.

2) Nowhere did I fault the entire Model S line.

3) I wouldn't have physically had enough room to have a spare child seat on this trip (at least none that I currently own), and I find usually I'm pretty space-constrained when traveling in this vehicle (with one child in the third-row seat and one child in a rear-facing child seat in the second row). However I will be ordering a small backup booster seat that my daughter could now use in this situation (BubbleBum) which is the best suggestion I have seen on this thread. My daughter just turned old enough for that to be an option.

 

[Super_Popular]

19 > 21

21 > 19

 

[kirkbauer]

For me: 20,000 miles on 20s. Not a single problem. Prior 10k on 21s: 2 blowouts. Even a smidgen of research prior to purchase would have shed light on this potential problem.

It was certainly a concern of mine when I ordered my car, however plenty of people are happy with their 21" tires. It seemed largely related to whether or not potholes were common (up north) or less so (SoCal). I agree 21" have more risk, but I don't think it was the central concern of my post since we all know that any tire can have a flat.

I don't know what prior cars the OP had nor how long OP has been driving. I believe that people under 35 who have not driven +1 or +2 equipped cars may have zero experience with tire failures, therefore zero expectation it will ever happen to them. I grew up doing family road trip vacations in the 60s, and we would always blow out at least 1 tire, and usually on a bridge over a 1,000 foot gorge in western PA. Those scars still exist!

I'm the OP. I have had 3 or 4 tire issues before this in about 20 years of driving. In every case I was able to swap in my spare tire and take it to a tire shop to get it fixed. This experience, the warnings about the 21" tires, and the lack of a spare is why I purchased a tire repair kit, however I'm pretty sure it wouldn't have helped in this case (I didn't try due to the severity of the tire damage).

The baby seat issue.... understood. Not something everyone would have thought ahead on, but seems wrong to blame the car manufacturer.

Yup, something I will advise others to think about. I now have ordered a good backup option. I never did blame Tesla for any of this. I did share some constructive feedback on how they could have been in a better situation to help me in this unique case.

Neither issue unique to tesla.

From what I can tell (and I could be wrong), Tesla is not the first vehicle with rear-facing seats, but it is the only recent vehicle with a factory-installed rear-facing seat that can be legally used for children without car seats (since car seat rules became much more strict).

I appreciate that the OP went through some trauma, but are 2 threads on it necessary? And, how about some humility/accountability for not researching the wheels and not thinking to bring a spare seat?

I wouldn't call it trauma, it was just eye-opening, especially regarding a spare car seat (which I couldn't have fit on this trip anyways). I don't think I started two threads on it, did I? I did research the wheels and I did know the risk was higher, but again this could have happened on any set of wheels. I did not think about the car seat issue which is my central concern. Nor had I seen anybody else ever mention it in all of my research on the rear-facing seats. It seems it would have been useful info for me, and it seems it would be useful info for future buyers.

 

[green1]

Pretty sure that's not how it works.

According to Elon that's exactly how it works.

 

[Max*]

According to Elon that's exactly how it works.

Any links to backup your statement?



Here's one link, where the front motor died and the car drove on the rear -- P85D Front Motor Died

And here's a link where the rear died, and the car is done for - P85D Front Motor Died

And here it's explained why when the rear motor dies, you're likely stuck -- P85D Front Motor Died


So like I said, "pretty sure that's not how it works"

 

[green1]

Any links?

Here's one link, where the front motor died and the car drove on the rear -- P85D Front Motor Died

And here's a link where the rear died, and the car is done for - P85D Front Motor Died

And here it's explained why when the rear motor dies, you're likely stuck -- P85D Front Motor Died


So like I said, "pretty sure that's not how it works"

He stated it when giving a reporter a ride for the "D" event. That said, it's quite possible that this was yet another example of his exaggerating the truth.

 

[Max*]

He stated it when giving a reporter a ride for the "D" event. That said, it's quite possible that this was yet another example of his exaggerating the truth.

We need a new acronym... Tesla Time and Over-promising to Under-delivery (TTOPUD) just doesn't have a great ring to it...

 

[tomas]

It was certainly a concern of mine when I ordered my car, however plenty of people are happy with their 21" tires. It seemed largely related to whether or not potholes were common (up north) or less so (SoCal). I agree 21" have more risk, but I don't think it was the central concern of my post since we all know that any tire can have a flat.



I'm the OP. I have had 3 or 4 tire issues before this in about 20 years of driving. In every case I was able to swap in my spare tire and take it to a tire shop to get it fixed. This experience, the warnings about the 21" tires, and the lack of a spare is why I purchased a tire repair kit, however I'm pretty sure it wouldn't have helped in this case (I didn't try due to the severity of the tire damage).



Yup, something I will advise others to think about. I now have ordered a good backup option. I never did blame Tesla for any of this. I did share some constructive feedback on how they could have been in a better situation to help me in this unique case.



From what I can tell (and I could be wrong), Tesla is not the first vehicle with rear-facing seats, but it is the only recent vehicle with a factory-installed rear-facing seat that can be legally used for children without car seats (since car seat rules became much more strict).



I wouldn't call it trauma, it was just eye-opening, especially regarding a spare car seat (which I couldn't have fit on this trip anyways). I don't think I started two threads on it, did I? I did research the wheels and I did know the risk was higher, but again this could have happened on any set of wheels. I did not think about the car seat issue which is my central concern. Nor had I seen anybody else ever mention it in all of my research on the rear-facing seats. It seems it would have been useful info for me, and it seems it would be useful info for future buyers.

Yes, entirely useful to others to post experience. For some reason I thought new thread appearing same day about 2 simultaneous blowouts from potholes was from you, but maybe I got that wrong. If so, very sorry...

 

[kirkbauer]

Yes, entirely useful to others to post experience. For some reason I thought new thread appearing same day about 2 simultaneous blowouts from potholes was from you, but maybe I got that wrong. If so, very sorry...

It probably was me, I think I posted one about the whole repair process, etc. Then later I posted this one about the car seats. In my mind they were different topics but pretty much both devolved into 19" vs 21" discussions

 

[Brass Guy]

Another minus for the 21's, they're just less common; so less likely to be in stock.

 

[mikeash]

And since any vehicle can lose a tire, even with 19" wheels, then it sounds like most people in this thread think I shouldn't be using any sort of MS for a road trip with my kids.

Talk about missing the point.

The point is not that you cannot ever afford to have a flat tire. The point is that if you reduce the occurrence to a reasonably low level by using reasonable wheels, the hassle when you do get a flat stops mattering very much.

Any car could leave you stranded. What if it caught fire and burned up your car seats? It's about playing the probabilities, not eliminating the possibility that anything could ever happen.

All of your problems can not only be solved, but can be solved pretty easily. Get reasonable wheels to reduce the chance of a flat. If you still find the chances to be too high, then get a spare. (Yes, you can do this.) If you're worried about car seats, bring car seats.

But it sounds to me like you'd rather complain than solve your problem. If that's not true, then I strongly suggest you stop looking for problems and start looking for solutions.

 

[KJD]

So I just went on my second roadtrip in my fairly new Model S and it went very well up until I hit a pothole and lost two tires. I really enjoy driving my MS, especially with AutoPilot on a long trip, but being stranded for 3 hours with my young children make me wonder if, at least in my situation, if it is a bad decision to take this vehicle on long trips.

You might be right. The Tesla is NOT the right car for you. Maybe you should get one of these instead.

 

[sitter_k]

You might be right. The Tesla is NOT the right car for you. Maybe you should get one of these instead.

View attachment 102961

Yeah but it's has built in child seats which make you forget you won't be able to take another car... You also shouldn't get AP just in case you get used to the feature and forget most other cars don't have it.

 

[Xenoilphobe]

I have well over 70,000 miles on two model S's. One P85 has 19's and the other 21's. Neither has ever left me or my family stranded (even in a freak blizzard). The P85 with 21's did develop a fracture wheel and I got that one repaired for $200 (and had them PVDed).

I am rotating a spare set of 19's with all season tires, just until the roads recover from the winter mix and the temperatures are higher than 50 degrees.

It is Georgia, recommend getting a lift kit for your Telsa and 33" with Super Swampers - you should never have that problem again. (Tongue in cheek).

Sorry you had a bad experience, I hate to call my wife to bail me out - so I get why you are perturbed/upset. Option two is buy a spare 19 and keep it in the frunk if this is really a concern in the future. I wouldn't have worried about the car seats. You could have run by a Walmart and picked up a couple on the way home... hang in there - those kids will grow out of them faster than you imagine, by then you will be looking for the new roadster and the Model S will seem like a minivan next to the next generation roadster.

 

[kirkbauer]

Talk about missing the point.

The point is not that you cannot ever afford to have a flat tire. The point is that if you reduce the occurrence to a reasonably low level by using reasonable wheels, the hassle when you do get a flat stops mattering very much.

Any car could leave you stranded. What if it caught fire and burned up your car seats? It's about playing the probabilities, not eliminating the possibility that anything could ever happen.

All of your problems can not only be solved, but can be solved pretty easily. Get reasonable wheels to reduce the chance of a flat. If you still find the chances to be too high, then get a spare. (Yes, you can do this.) If you're worried about car seats, bring car seats.

But it sounds to me like you'd rather complain than solve your problem. If that's not true, then I strongly suggest you stop looking for problems and start looking for solutions.

I really don't think I'm complaining but apparently most people are taking it that way. Is there a way to just delete this whole thread? I don't think it has been productive for anybody. For me I certainly am less interested in being involved in this community.

I have a brand new set of wheels that, for better or worse, I paid $4500 for. I also have pretty much brand new tires. Replacing them with a whole new set of wheels and tires is not a trivial effort when you consider the time and/or cost involved. To many of you this seems like a trivial activity but I don't view it as such. At the very least it seems I should get some more mileage out of my tires before I replace them. Nobody seems to consider the fact that I like the look of the 21" wheels and for 99% of my driving they are just fine. So do I replace my wheels and tires or do I just not take my MS on road trips? The latter also seems pretty reasonable.

We all understand that nothing I can do will eliminate the chance of another roadside assistance incident but I could only minimize the likelihood. As I have said repeatedly I have had 3-4 flat tires on wheels that were much less low-profile than even the 19" wheels. We all know the same situation could have happened with 19" wheels.

Up until a week ago (when my daughter hit 4yo) the only backup carseat option available to me was a full-sized car seat which I wouldn't be able to fit into my MS along with the other associated equipment. But now I have an option.

The advice that you guys are giving me boils down to: go back in time and order 19" wheels and you definitely wouldn't have lost two tires (but we can't be sure) and/or carry a spare tire and/or carry a spare car seat. Sure that sounds easy. Now think about the logistics. My frunk has enough room for a small suitcase. Front seats have two adults. Rear-facing seat has my daughter so I can't put heavy items back there. Rear seat has a large rear-facing car seat, a pack & play, a mattress for the pack & play (my wife insists), a stroller, and a second bag, and some toys/food/etc. No way I can fit both a spare tire and a backup car seat there.

So if I could go back in time and order 19" wheels AND *not* order the third-row seats (to give me more storage) and perhaps not get a "D" model so I can fit a spare tire in my frunk then I'd be good to go. Until then, as my subject said, it looks like my particular Model S isn't ideal for long-distance road trips with kids when I have a perfectly fine minivan I can use instead. Now if I want to completely repurpose my MS so it is better for road trips and less useful for what I bought it for then yes it would be just fine.

I think we are good here?