Ordering tires "OE Designation" option?

[Uncompahgre]

I'm in the process of ordering new tires for my MYLR with 19" Gemini wheels.

I'm going with the Continental ProContact RX in the stock size. Discount Tire Direct offers these tires with the exact same specs but gives you two options under the "OE Designation" category: Tesla or No OE Designation.

The Tesla OE Designation option adds $73 to the price of each tire. Not sure I want to spend almost $300 extra if I don't have to. Are these tires the same? I can't seem to locate any real-world info.

https://www.discounttiredirect.com/buy-tires/continental-procontact-rx#

 

[Goobers]

It’s likely foam padding on the inside of the tire to make it quieter.

 

[jcanoe]

The manufacturer's tire specs for the Continental Procontact RX tire are T0, T1 and T2. Over time the spec has changed. This could be due to changes in the tread design or the tire tread compound. The Contisilent sound treatment (foam liner) is present in all T0, T1 and T2 spec tires. Continental may also sell this tire without the Contisilent sound treatment. Although the differences between T0, T1 and T2 tires are probably minimal you should look for the OE spec that matches your tires or at least replace the tires in pairs, front or rear.

 

[MY1stEV]

I'm going with the Continental ProContact RX in the stock size. Discount Tire Direct offers these tires with the exact same specs but gives you two options under the "OE Designation" category: Tesla or No OE Designation.

I realize that you asked this question quite awhile ago, but I was shopping for tires today and encountered the same question. I started googling around and fell down a rabbit hole of confusing information and speculation.

The "T" designation means the tire was manufactured to Tesla's specification. T0 is the original spec, and there have been two revisions, T1 and T2. (I've seen people refer to these tires online as V1 and V2, which can cause confusion because these tires were also sold as OEM on certain Volvos with the designation "VO".)

T0 tires are oe designation 15573630000, T1 tires are oe designation 15577870000, and T2 tires are 15578540000. I don't believe T0 tires are available from Continental anymore.

I cant find anywhere where Tesla has explained the differences in the specs. I found some speculation online that T0 was the spec when the Model 3 was launched (and subsequently used when the Model Y launched too), T1 was the spec when the Model S refresh was launched, and T2 was the spec for the Model S Plaid release. I have no idea if this is credible or just a coincidence.

The T1 tire is a bit more expensive than the T2 tire. All of the specifications for the two tires are identical except for two things: The T1 tire weighs 27 lbs and is manufactured in Portugal, and the T2 tire weighs 26 lbs and is manufactured in the US.

I've also noticed some inconsistent behavior on the Discount Tire website specifically. Sometimes when I search for the Continental ProContact RX it asks me to choose between the two, and other times it just defaults to 15578540000 (T2) which it refers to as "255 /45 R19 104W XL BSW TE" (Tesla Edition?).

Unless anyone knows otherwise, if you want the ProContact RX, my inclination would be to get the T2 tire, as it is slightly lighter and less money.