Pictures of 245/45R18 tires on Model 3. Hoping to reduce curb rash.

[HullspeedDC]

I put Michelin Primacy MXM4 tires on the back. I left the factory 235/45R18 tires on the front because they still had a lot of tread. At highway speed, I started getting traction control warnings (nearly continuous) and the car was dumping out of autopilot. I thought I had gotten myself into a mess. I pulled off the road and - using the service console - I reset the tire size to 19 inch wheels. I drove a little and reset back to 18 inch aero. I don't know if the resetting had anything to do with it, but the car is driving completely fine now. I've completed two long trip and a fair amount of around town driving. I'm guessing the Tesla initially sensed a change in wheel rotation speed and was interpreting it as slip.
Pictures are attached. 245s on the back. Original 235s on the front.

 

[Sam1]

Another thing that helps with curb rash, is watching out for curbs.

 

[GtiMart]

Your problem is that the diameter of your front and back tires is different. They don't do the same number of revolutions per mile.

This might cause all sorts of trouble to the car who might think some wheels are slipping for example. Since the bigger ones are in the back, and the back tires use quicker, things might balance themselves after a while. Still, this is not suggested.

 

[gearchruncher]

Still, this is not suggested.

1.5% isn't that big a deal.
The Model X comes with tires that are 1.2% different front/rear in one configuration and 1.8% in a different config. The older ones also had a 0% config.

The Model S has matched tires front/rear with a 19" config, and 245/265's (2% different) config, with the curious note:

*On a Performance All-Wheel Drive vehicle, the width of the rear tires may vary depending on date of manufacture. Some vehicles may be equipped with P245/35R21 tires on both front and rear.

Let's not freak out over 1.5% when Tesla will randomly ship 2% different tires.

 

[Gauss Guzzler]

Looks much nicer! And looks like a huge improvement in curb protection as well.

The computer keeps track of your tires very carefully so I'm not surprised that it would get worried when one axle was suddenly so different. Good to know that changing wheels in the service menu resets it.

 

[Mr X]

Another thing that helps with curb rash, is watching out for curbs.

That's the only thing. Silly humans.

 

[deviliish]

this thread is top result in google when searching “245/45 model 3” so I’ll add to it..I just changed all 4 corners of my SR+ from OEM Primacy MXM4 235/45zr18 to Pilot Sport 4S 245/45r18

 

[father_of_6]

Another thing that helps with curb rash, is watching out for curbs.

This is not true. I tried it... it doesn't work!!

 

[adnan]

this thread is top result in google when searching “245/45 model 3” so I’ll add to it..I just changed all 4 corners of my SR+ from OEM Primacy MXM4 235/45zr18 to Pilot Sport 4S 245/45r18

Thanks for sharing your pics. Do you have any shots from the back and front, to see how it looks with the wider tire. Also, how’s the tire noise and ride quality with those tires compared to stock?

 

[deviliish]

Thanks for sharing your pics. Do you have any shots from the back and front, to see how it looks with the wider tire. Also, how’s the tire noise and ride quality with those tires compared to stock?

I’ll get some front/back shots and post later. Tire noise is negligible, I don’t notice a difference between these and stock, and actually these may be quieter. Ride quality is good so far, handling in turns and curves is dramatically better than stock, and zero squeal on turns where stock tires would be screaming. One thing I did notice was the car seems to float around in the lane when straight, but I haven’t ruled out if that’s because of the tires or because it’s been windy around here lately.

 

[Rekognize]

this thread is top result in google when searching “245/45 model 3” so I’ll add to it..I just changed all 4 corners of my SR+ from OEM Primacy MXM4 235/45zr18 to Pilot Sport 4S 245/45r18

Mind sharing where you bought those center caps?