Pirelli 240 Sottozero tires & Tesla Winter wheels/tire package

[ualdriver]

Hello-

Just found out that Tesla has a $2700 (delivered & installed with TPMS, center caps, wheels, tires) winter tire package. Seems like a pretty good deal. The tires on the site show Pirelli 240 Sottozero tires. Calling around to the tire shops in my area, no one carries the tire or knows much about it. I went on tirerack.com to look at their survey for the tire, but they don't sell this tire either nor have pricing info.

The other Pirellis on the tirerack website (Sottozero 3, Serie II, Carving Edge) all seem to get pretty good reviews as far as winter traction goes. Can I expect similar traction/performance as the Sottozero3 tires or Sottozero Serie II tires?

Thanks

 

[Jgdixon]

The Pirelli's are not very good if you get any quantity of snow.
Nokian R2s seem to get the best reviews but were sold out when I was looking for them. I went with the Michelin X Ice and they seem great so far.

 

[DieAbetic]

The Pirelli's are not very good if you get any quantity of snow.
Nokian R2s seem to get the best reviews but were sold out when I was looking for them. I went with the Michelin X Ice and they seem great so far.

I have to disagree here. I just did CA -> VA and back through the northern route (SD, WY, etc) in December and had to deal with a couple snow storms and fresh snow on the roads. I can't say about heavy snow, but anything 1-4" (including ice) the Pirelli worked great for me. I was quite impressed with them

 

[Footbag]

Given the lackluster comments on here about them, I've been pleasantly surprised with the Pirelli's on my D. On very slick/ice covered roads, they do take a little bit longer to stop than desirable (in other words, the traction control kicks in). I imagine the Nokian's or x-ice/Blizzacks are indeed better, but the Pirelli's are still decent. The car itself seems really good at picking up traction on most surfaces for acceleration (awd helps for sure). The cost of the Pirelli tire package seemed very decent, slightly better than tirerack.com (considering I'm in Canada), and I am sure glad I had winter tires on the car on the day of delivery.

Still, had I taken delivery in the summer, I would have went with Nokian or another alternative and the Rial rims.

 

[ualdriver]

All through Footbag....thanks....If anyone else has any comments about the tires please post.....Don't want to drop a ton of money on this package only to get crappy snow tires.

The price seems pretty reasonable....4 OEM wheels with the TPMS and the tires and center caps and installation seems pretty decent for $2700 including tax & shipping.

 

[Cottonwood]

All through Footbag....thanks....If anyone else has any comments about the tires please post.....Don't want to drop a ton of money on this package only to get crappy snow tires.

The price seems pretty reasonable....4 OEM wheels with the TPMS and the tires and center caps and installation seems pretty decent for $2700 including tax & shipping.

I picked up a set of Hakka R2's at Discount Tire for $230 each, a set of Tesla 19" rims for $1200 from an owner who when with Sportlines, and the TPMS are $50 each from Tesla. That is $2,320 total plus local taxes; pretty comparable. Check what Tesla will charge for rims and TPMS. I love my R2's. See Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2 Snow Tire Report - Page 7


PS: I like the R2's so much that I would sell my used Hakka 7's for slightly more than shipping. Full disclosure, they have 12k miles on them and studs; I call them my Rice Krispy tires, snap, crackle, pop.

 

[Tmoody]

I purchased a set of these when Tesla reduced the price back in Oct/Nov I've been pleased with their performance this winter season. Tesla service center installed the 19" Pirellis and also cleaned, packaged, and delivered my summer 21" tire/wheel set to my house.

 

[ualdriver]

I picked up a set of Hakka R2's at Discount Tire for $230 each, a set of Tesla 19" rims for $1200 from an owner who when with Sportlines, and the TPMS are $50 each from Tesla. That is $2,320 total plus local taxes; pretty comparable. Check what Tesla will charge for rims and TPMS. I love my R2's. See Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2 Snow Tire Report - Page 7


PS: I like the R2's so much that I would sell my used Hakka 7's for slightly more than shipping. Full disclosure, they have 12k miles on them and studs; I call them my Rice Krispy tires, snap, crackle, pop.

Cool report Cottonwood. Thanks for posting that. Also, thanks for the offer on the Hakka's, but I want to get a new set of snow tires.

 

[arijaycomet]

The other Pirellis on the tirerack website (Sottozero 3, Serie II, Carving Edge) all seem to get pretty good reviews as far as winter traction goes. Can I expect similar traction/performance as the Sottozero3 tires or Sottozero Serie II tires?

For the past 20+ years I've been driving around snowy Cleveland, Ohio with cars that are front, rear, and all-wheel-drive. Some of them had all-season tires, others have had snow tires. But never summer tires, because obviously the temps here don't permit Z-rated rubber during the summer months.

In my experience my favorite snow tire brand remain the Bridgestone Blizzak line. For me a close second, on my sportier cars, have been the Dunlop Winter Sport 3D tires. However I recently acquired a 2014 Tesla about a month ago, and like you, ended up looking at various options for wheels/tires for the winter time.

Back when I was getting ready to order mine, a setup new from Tire Rack would have run be about $2400, but there was $150 or more in mail-in rebates being offered. Ultimately, I decided to get the Pirelli setup from the local service center for the following reasons: first off, the wheel was less likely to be discontinued, secondly, the local SC is only 2-miles away which is nice if I had an issue, thirdly, there was no hassle of having to third-party ship them, and so forth...

Truly it was a matter of convenience. Thus far we've had a fair share of snow in the past month and I've been VERY happy with the Pirelli snow tires. It is hard to say how these perform compared to anything else on the Tesla, because my only winter Tesla driving has been on these specific tires. But comparing them to my other snow-tire or rear-drive winter car performance, I'd rate the Pirelli tires are competent, satisfactory, and acceptable. The car is heavy, and the torque is instant, so you'll need to adjust your driving style if you're coming from something different. For me, I've usually had an Audi with Quattro and snow tires for my winter vixen, so I'm learning to take it easier and not drive quite as aggressively in the snow.

Of course, down the road I do hope to get a Dual Drive Tesla, at which point I'll be able to drive more spirited even in the white stuff. But even then, I'll still get snow tires, and I'd be happy to recommend/suggest the OEM setup for sure!

 

[Jgdixon]

Don't get me wrong the Pirelli's are OK for a few inches of snow and hard packed snow.But any type of incline will be a problem. My driveway has a very slight incline and with 3-4 inches or more I couldn't get up it.This is my experience after 2 winters. Tesla will now install, balance and store any type of tire and rim.For my P85D I bought a set of very slightly used 19" Tesla rims and then found a good deal on the X Ice.

 

[Andyw2100]

Hello-

Just found out that Tesla has a $2700 (delivered & installed with TPMS, center caps, wheels, tires) winter tire package. Seems like a pretty good deal. The tires on the site show Pirelli 240 Sottozero tires. Calling around to the tire shops in my area, no one carries the tire or knows much about it. I went on tirerack.com to look at their survey for the tire, but they don't sell this tire either nor have pricing info.

The other Pirellis on the tirerack website (Sottozero 3, Serie II, Carving Edge) all seem to get pretty good reviews as far as winter traction goes. Can I expect similar traction/performance as the Sottozero3 tires or Sottozero Serie II tires?

Thanks

I'm not sure why no one has told you this yet, but the winter wheel package Tesla sells is the Sottozero Series II that you mention seeing on Tire Rack. Tesla just doesn't include the "Series II" part in the description anywhere.

I have them, but haven't had enough experience with them to be able to give you any advice. If I'm not happy with them, eventually I'll go with the Hakka's everyone raves about.

 

[invisik]

Hi,

I got them for my first winter season. Historically I've had Blizzak's (have 3 sets in my basement for various cars, heh) and have loved them. I also have not heard much good about the Pirelli's but as they are the only approved snow tire from Tesla (and I wanted another set of wheels) I went for it anyway.

I have to say I've been impressed with them. We've had a variety of above and below 0F temperatures, snow amounts and slushiness, and I've driven in 3-4 inches of fresh snow on purpose to see how they handled. I will say they are no Blizzak--you don't get that glued to the road feel, but they hold their composure well. All in all, I'm satisfied with my purchase.

One other note, they are noticeably louder then the all-season tires. I can't remember if the Blizzak's were louder on my S500 then the sum Michelin's I had on it... I'm guessing they were somewhat louder, but not as noticeable as the Pirelli's.

-m

 

[ualdriver]

I'm not sure why no one has told you this yet, but the winter wheel package Tesla sells is the Sottozero Series II that you mention seeing on Tire Rack. Tesla just doesn't include the "Series II" part in the description anywhere.

I have them, but haven't had enough experience with them to be able to give you any advice. If I'm not happy with them, eventually I'll go with the Hakka's everyone raves about.

Cool, thanks. I don't know why Tesla wouldn't put the full name on the webpage?

- - - Updated - - -

All through invisik, thanks. My desired aftermarket wheels didn't come in a 19" size that would fit the Tesla (bummer), so I'm just going to go with the Tesla OEM winter package. Ordered it an hour or two ago, and they say it's a 2 week wait for delivery.

 

[Fezzik]

What Andyw2100 said is correct. It is the sottozero serie II but its also the 240. Its on the tire and on tire racks website.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...toYear=2015&autoModel=Model S&autoModClar=P85

 

[ualdriver]

What Andyw2100 said is correct. It is the sottozero serie II but its also the 240. Its on the tire and on tire racks website.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...toYear=2015&autoModel=Model S&autoModClar=P85

Cool. Looks like the Sottozero 3 has better reviews:

 

[Andyw2100]

Cool. Looks like the Sottozero 3 has better reviews:

After I had ordered my car, with the winter package, I was trying to learn which Sottozeros were on the car myself, after finding the information you reference above on Tire Rack. I saw the relatively small price difference, figured the 3s must just be newer than the Series IIs, and expected those were the ones I'd be receiving. I was a little disappointed when I learned it would actually be the Series IIs.

 

[ualdriver]

After I had ordered my car, with the winter package, I was trying to learn which Sottozeros were on the car myself, after finding the information you reference above on Tire Rack. I saw the relatively small price difference, figured the 3s must just be newer than the Series IIs, and expected those were the ones I'd be receiving. I was a little disappointed when I learned it would actually be the Series IIs.

He-he....Elon must have a warehouse full of Series II he has to burn through before the 3s start going out When I called before I ordered, they told me I was getting the IIs. I'll post back if it is anything different.