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Performance Model 3 Snow Tires/Rims
- Thread starter gurtburns
- Start date
@Seattle,
Hope we can give you some insight as one of our Principals is a Bay Area native and spends about 30 days in Tahoe a year mostly during the Winter ski season.
3P+ will come equipped with Michelin Pilot Sport 4S 235/35-20, which is really a High Performance Summer Tire. Probably not a tire you want to be rolling on driving up to Stevens Pass in the Winter. Having an extra set of "winter" wheels/tires is much easier than changing 4 tires during the Winter, and there's not many choices out there in a 235/35-20 when it comes to properly Model 3 load rated All Season or Winter tires. Your other great alternative is to roll on a set of 19" Wheels with Grand Touring All Season Tires that you won't have to swap on and off during those trips up to the mountains.
An AWD 3 will come equipped with 18" Aero Wheels & Michelin Primacy MXM4 tires, which is classified as a Grand Touring All Season Tire. In our opinion "ok" for light snow. Practical, but not sexy by any means
. Again, you can always upgrade and have All Season functionality with 19" Wheels & Grand Touring All Season Tires. If price is no issue, 3P+ all the way with a set of 19" TST Wheels & Grand Touring All Season Tires, or an exclusive 18" Model 3 Winter Wheel & Tire Package.
The factory 20" will fetch a pretty penny 2nd hand for the time being.
The more cost effective route would be to buy an AWD, sell the factory 18" aero wheel/tires, and upgrade to 19" TST Wheels & Grand Touring All Season Tires.
Oyster Bait
Member
I'm pretty sure the tires on the 3P+ are performance tires and aren't recommended for use below 40°F! They are strongly not recommended for use in snow and ice. The Model 3 Club's most recent pod cast had a fairly extensive discussion of the winter tire issue and is working on a specific pod cast on the 3P+ problem.
I have no affiliation with T-Sportline but their having forged wheels in smaller diameters that will fit 3P+ hubs without adapters seems to me to be a Good Thing™.
No, not lowered. Perhaps looks low due to picture angle.
Factory Performance Model 3+ with factory Michelin Primacy MXM4 235/45-18.
We are transitioning our entire wheel offerings from here on out into forged manufacturing process. Some machine forged, some flow forged.
Oyster Bait
Member
I don't think hub rings are an ideal fitment solution, and are probably responsible for your "rattley" complaint. I don't think wheels should ever rattle. The correct solution is for the wheels to be machined to fit the lip at the base of the disc hub which Tesla put there just to drive us crazy. /joke
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yearofthedragon
Member
A big edge. Am I the only one who's seeing FAT vs. Well Proportioned wheel spokes in relation to an 18" diameter wheel?! And for the record and all fairness, yes I am biased. I've been a T Sportline fan boy since day 1 along with @DrTaras !!!
KingTito
Member
@Seattle,
Hope we can give you some insight as one of our Principals is a Bay Area native and spends about 30 days in Tahoe a year mostly during the Winter ski season.
3P+ will come equipped with Michelin Pilot Sport 4S 235/35-20, which is really a High Performance Summer Tire. Probably not a tire you want to be rolling on driving up to Stevens Pass in the Winter. Having an extra set of "winter" wheels/tires is much easier than changing 4 tires during the Winter, and there's not many choices out there in a 235/35-20 when it comes to properly Model 3 load rated All Season or Winter tires. Your other great alternative is to roll on a set of 19" Wheels with Grand Touring All Season Tires that you won't have to swap on and off during those trips up to the mountains.
An AWD 3 will come equipped with 18" Aero Wheels & Michelin Primacy MXM4 tires, which is classified as a Grand Touring All Season Tire. In our opinion "ok" for light snow. Practical, but not sexy by any means
If price is no issue, 3P+ all the way with a set of 19" TST Wheels & Grand Touring All Season Tires, or an exclusive 18" Model 3 Winter Wheel & Tire Package.
The factory 20" will fetch a pretty penny 2nd hand for the time being.
The more cost effective route would be to buy an AWD, sell the factory 18" aero wheel/tires, and upgrade to 19" TST Wheels & Grand Touring All Season Tires.
Do you a measurement on the clearance between the inner diameter of your 18” wheels and the brake caliper of a 3P+? You’ve posted pictures demonstrating it works. The clearance looks tight thought. Thanks!
Consumer Reports November 2018 issue tested a bunch of All Season and Winter Tires. I live in Chicago. We get a bit of snow but really not that much compared to say upstate NY. I'd be interested in what others think about the tire ratings in CR. I was surprised how much wet handling you give up to get good snow driving. I have Model 3 with the Performance Package (20") so I do need alternative for winter. Now I'm thinking maybe it should be All Seasons.
I would take a look at their all weather comparisons (e.g. Goodyear Assurance WeatherReady, Michelin CrossClimate +, Nokian WRG4, Toyo Celsius, and Vredestein Quatrac 5.)
For those of us who don't have access to CR though I'd be interested in seeing what they say. I'm planning on Nokian WRG4
Thanks so much, that is what I suspected. I've always lived in moderate weather areas, getting by with all season tires for my small amount of winter driving. I am glad I didn't get the p3+ without understanding this issue. If I do get one, I'll look into your suggestions.
BrandonLive
MS LR (refresh) Blue/Black/21s/FSD
I live in Seattle and grew up in upstate NY. At various times I’ve had:
- Separate sets of winter and summer tires
- All-season tires only
- Summer tires only
You can get away with just summer tires around Seattle IF you don’t plan to go skiing or anything, and are okay with not attempting to drive when the weather is below freezing, or if there’s any ice or snow around. You should also take great care when the weather hits 40F or below, remembering that you’ll have less traction even on regular dry roads (due to the rubber turning hard), especially when you first set off and the tires haven’t had a chance to warm up. Also keep in mind that the colder it gets, the greater your risk of the tires cracking.
All-season tires will be much easier to deal with and most years we won’t have any weather here that they’re unsuitable for.
Winter tires are best if you plan to drive up to the slopes, to other snowy places, or if you want to be able to drive even in the rare Seattle blizzard.
My P3D+ has only summer tires for now, same as my RS5 for the first two years I had it (until I replaced them with all seasons). I haven’t decided yet if I’ll get a proper winter set or just make due with these and maybe swap them to all seasons when they’re worn out (or try to sell and replace them sooner).
- Separate sets of winter and summer tires
- All-season tires only
- Summer tires only
You can get away with just summer tires around Seattle IF you don’t plan to go skiing or anything, and are okay with not attempting to drive when the weather is below freezing, or if there’s any ice or snow around. You should also take great care when the weather hits 40F or below, remembering that you’ll have less traction even on regular dry roads (due to the rubber turning hard), especially when you first set off and the tires haven’t had a chance to warm up. Also keep in mind that the colder it gets, the greater your risk of the tires cracking.
All-season tires will be much easier to deal with and most years we won’t have any weather here that they’re unsuitable for.
Winter tires are best if you plan to drive up to the slopes, to other snowy places, or if you want to be able to drive even in the rare Seattle blizzard.
My P3D+ has only summer tires for now, same as my RS5 for the first two years I had it (until I replaced them with all seasons). I haven’t decided yet if I’ll get a proper winter set or just make due with these and maybe swap them to all seasons when they’re worn out (or try to sell and replace them sooner).
Based on this thread, I think my plan will be to do hard launches until the tires are worn down, then swap them for all seasons
Thanks for the tip. I will contact the tire shop to see what can be done. The wheels almost sound as if there are rocks in there when I go over bumps.
Last Tuesday Tire Rack updated their site and added an option for the M3P and they have a drop down for larger brakes. When you choose that option, they only let you choose 20” wheels. Perhaps over time as they update their database you'll be able to order smaller wheels.
When I tried to order online the website said they had no compatible TPMS sensors, but I called them and they looked up the sensor compatibility and since both M3P+ and regular car have the same TPMS compatibility, they sold me the package over the phone.
Total cost was around $2500 for 4 20x9 wheels, snow tires and TPMS.
When I tried to order online the website said they had no compatible TPMS sensors, but I called them and they looked up the sensor compatibility and since both M3P+ and regular car have the same TPMS compatibility, they sold me the package over the phone.
Total cost was around $2500 for 4 20x9 wheels, snow tires and TPMS.
The tire shop figured out the problem that causing noise with my car. See the photo below. The screw with the paint marker line on it was loose. The photo was taken before it was tightened.
It was this way on the passenger side of the car. The screws on the driver's side were tight. Once the tire tech tightened those screws and mounted the tires, NO NOISE! Will follow up with Tesla to see if there is a bigger problem that I should be concerned about.
It was this way on the passenger side of the car. The screws on the driver's side were tight. Once the tire tech tightened those screws and mounted the tires, NO NOISE! Will follow up with Tesla to see if there is a bigger problem that I should be concerned about.
tambam
Member
Has anyone asked a "nearest" Tesla Service Center? I've called mine a number of times but the wait time is so long that I give up. I'm curious what the current recommendation is.
Is there any advantage to 18" tires over 20" tires for the winter? I was assuming they would be better, and I have always had smaller winters than summers, but if the surface area is the same, does it make any difference? I am in Toronto, so the winters are up and down temperature-wise, and we don't generally have much snow accumulation on the roads. Most of the time it's either dry, or a slushy mess.
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