Plaid 21” rear tire woes - factory defect?

[Richbot]

Ever tried the "pics or it didn't happen" tactic with Tesla service when they say something sketchy?

I'd ask them to document it for you and post them up here. Extreme tire wear on high performance heavy sedans with max performance summer tires is nothing new, BMW M cars used to go through a pair of rears every 12k miles and that was a car that took 50% longer to get to 60mph and weighed 50% less...but to me it sounds like it needs a proper alignment. I'd get it on somebody else's rack, in SoCal I'd think there's a tesla specialist shop or two to get a proper readout from instead of the big pile of nothing you get from the SC when you get an alignment.

They may have asked Michelin and Pirelli to make extra-sticky, high-wear versions of the PS4S and PZero for the Plaid as well, it is a unique OEM part number so maybe it's softer than your typical PS4S and closer to a Cup2 in terms of wear characteristics. 6k miles on a Cup2 is pretty normal on other hypercar-level cars. Always remember, the Plaids are the highest-performing 5-7 seat cars ever produced, and that carries tire design compromises to keep people from killing themselves. TANSTAAFL

And if you really want to see if it's hitting something, stick a gopro under there and go drive it around. Or pull a wheel and look for witness marks yourself. Can't trust others more than your own eyeballs. Spinning tires don't hit stuff without leaving a mark, and they definitely don't hit stuff hard/ long enough to cause uneven wear without leaving a mark

 

[lbowroom]

Theres nothing to update. They told me its normal for the car to go through tires every 5-6k miles.

Its unfortunate because the media hits Tesla with bogus nonsense about FSD or where lithium comes from but there are actual legitimate issues they could target that Elon would have to admit are valid.

The tires, the vibration (plaid), the overwhelmed service centers, etc are all legitimate issues.

I'm at 11,000 miles and have plenty of tread left. Even wear too. I don't have the T1 spec though, just the "regular". I wonder if that's a factor.

 

[Hayseed_MS]

I'm at 11,000 miles and have plenty of tread left. Even wear too. I don't have the T1 spec though, just the "regular". I wonder if that's a factor.

I have the T1 on my LR version. Easily getting 15-20k on my PS4 tires. Very even wear across all 4 and across the width of the tire. I drive spirited but not really hard.

 

[KOL2000]

I have the T1 on my LR version. Easily getting 15-20k on my PS4 tires. Very even wear across all 4 and across the width of the tire. I drive spirited but not really hard.

I dont think the LR have this problem.

I'm at 11,000 miles and have plenty of tread left. Even wear too. I don't have the T1 spec though, just the "regular". I wonder if that's a factor.

Your bio says 19" tires. I think this issue is only with 21"

 

[lbowroom]

I dont think the LR have this problem.

Your bio says 19" tires. I think this issue is only with 21"

My bio is what it was I ordered. I have 295/30-21’s all around on 10.5” wheels

 

[KOL2000]

My bio is what it was I ordered. I have 295/30-21’s all around on 10.5” wheels

interesting. I wonder if changing the rims helped here. I'm running factory 21" arachnids.

 

[lbowroom]

interesting. I wonder if changing the rims helped here. I'm running factory 21" arachnids.

Same wheel width, essentially the same tire so no, aftermarket wheel makes no difference to tire wear.

 

[John Ambrose]

Hi Folks - 6500 miles in and rear tires show bizarre wear on the very most inside portion making them lose 5 psi every day. Not the usual camber issue all the old model S had. At service center and they said there is a bulletin saying this is a problem because the wheels are so wide and they are scraping some internal component. Tires look perfectly even in terms of wear no threads showing.

So it’s a factory defect apparently but of course warranty doesn’t cover it.

How is this legal or fair? Am I the only one experiencing this?

I’ve got same problem and the tire isn’t rubbing anything, luckily the Georgia lemon law will make them give my money back as a serious safety problem. If your loosing that air now I’d recommend getting a new tire and save it for proof. My second one went out going around a curve at 75 and even though it’s the rear tire, the car responded terrible

 

[John Ambrose]

Tighten, clean or replace the valve stem insert.

Replace it before it blows out like mine did on my plaid. If you have less than 24,000 miles you need to file for lemon law for serious safety defect

 

[cleverscreenam]

They told me its normal for the car to go through tires every 5-6k miles.
The tires, the vibration (plaid)

Easily fixed. Grab some proper (much stronger) adjustable control arms from website N2itive.me Eliminate Inner Tire & Premature Half-Shaft Wear On Tesla X/S! and reduce or zero out the camber and toe. I have no affiliation with them, I'm simply an EXTREMELY satisfied customer. I've got 35,000 miles on the new tires I installed same time as these control arms, they still have more than half their tread life left, and I am HEAVY on the throttle most of the time. 6 year warranty and small company devoted to customer service, like Tesla USED to be.

Plus their suspension links reduce the driveshaft angles (the front motor is mounted too high), greatly increasing their life and fending off the dreaded "vibration during acceleration".

 

[KOL2000]

Thanks folks great advice. Tesla is completely non responsive on request to cover cost of the tires. Now right one is losing air but the tires are backordered for a month nationwide. there are no plaid tires currently available on earth.

 

[KOL2000]

Easily fixed. Grab some proper (much stronger) adjustable control arms from website N2itive.me Eliminate Inner Tire & Premature Half-Shaft Wear On Tesla X/S! and reduce or zero out the camber and toe. I have no affiliation with them, I'm simply an EXTREMELY satisfied customer. I've got 35,000 miles on the new tires I installed same time as these control arms, they still have more than half their tread life left, and I am HEAVY on the throttle most of the time. 6 year warranty and small company devoted to customer service, like Tesla USED to be.

Plus their suspension links reduce the driveshaft angles (the front motor is mounted too high), greatly increasing their life and fending off the dreaded "vibration during acceleration".

I dont have time or know-how to install. Can any repair shop install these easily?

 

[lbowroom]

Thanks folks great advice. Tesla is completely non responsive on request to cover cost of the tires. Now right one is losing air but the tires are backordered for a month nationwide. there are no plaid tires currently available on earth.

Just a small point. 19” and 21” wheel and tire options are the same for long range and Plaid.

 

[KOL2000]

Just a small point. 19” and 21” wheel and tire options are the same for long range and Plaid.

yes sorry I'm referring to 21" tires. I have no idea what the 19" situation is.

 

[Russell]

I'm at 11,000 miles and have plenty of tread left. Even wear too. I don't have the T1 spec though, just the "regular". I wonder if that's a factor.

My bio is what it was I ordered. I have 295/30-21’s all around on 10.5” wheel

What PSI do you keep your wheels at?

Do you have air suspension and how often do you drive in low setting?

Have you had any suspension work done like installing adjustable camber arms or toe arms?

 

[lbowroom]

What PSI do you keep your wheels at?

Do you have air suspension and how often do you drive in low setting?

Have you had any suspension work done like installing adjustable camber arms or toe arms?

42 cold.

All refresh S have air suspension. Default to low. N2itive links -6/-7 drop.

Recently added Mountain Pass Toe and Trailing arms that removed a little bit of camber. Rear camber is 2.2°, Front is 1.2°

 

[Betheclub98]

Hi Folks - 6500 miles in and rear tires show bizarre wear on the very most inside portion making them lose 5 psi every day. Not the usual camber issue all the old model S had. At service center and they said there is a bulletin saying this is a problem because the wheels are so wide and they are scraping some internal component. Tires look perfectly even in terms of wear no threads showing.

So it’s a factory defect apparently but of course warranty doesn’t cover it.

How is this legal or fair? Am I the only one experiencing this?

You are NOT the only one experiencing this! I think the lack of response is because this is just beginning to show up for many of us. I'm the owner of a '21 Plaid w/21's and have the exact same issue. Spent the early part of this week going through all the chaos of identifying the problem, trying to find replacement tires, and dealing with Tesla Service. All have been a nightmare!

My issue started with a low pressure warning which I thought was a simple nail puncture. Discount Tire was convenient and I had great luck with them for years so this was my first stop. Imagine my surprise when I found the entire inside tire worn and delaminated. I cautiously (perhaps stupidly) made it home and had Tesla Roadside pick up the car (I'll spare the frustration of trying to have someone, anyone at Tesla be able to tell me if they had a tire in stock before it was towed....aaargh!). The rest of the story is are as yours....pound sand, we don't warranty tires. Luckily they had one tire and managed to find another so both of my rears are replaced. I thought it was only one side, but turned out to be both.

TLDR..... 2021 Plaid, 21" Arachnids, 100% stock, 13k miles, two demolished rear tires with even wear except extreme inside edge, no support from Tesla.

 

[Gixx1300R]

I would purchase an inexpensive Go pro like camera, place it in different areas on the suspension and look at the inner tire wear to make sure the tire is not rubbing, with that being said the Model S has a history for inner tire wear dating all the way back to 2012.

 

[lbowroom]

I would purchase an inexpensive Go pro like camera, place it in different areas on the suspension and look at the inner tire wear to make sure the tire is not rubbing, with that being said the Model S has a history for inner tire wear dating all the way back to 2012.

The tire is not rubbing. Refresh has completely new suspension geometry.

 

[cleverscreenam]

I dont have time or know-how to install. Can any repair shop install these easily?

yes, these camber and toe arms are standard suspension components that anyone can install. Also, most any shop can do an alignment except now it takes longer (I get charged $200 instead of $100). I have the older version that usually requires removing the wheel to make adjustments (unless the shop has an off-wheel adapter for their alignment machine). N2itive says they've done a redesign that now allows wheel-on adjustments!

After 10 years of Model S, Tesla still puts some toe and extreme negative camber in the rear, worse than BMW's! Also with my zero'd out rear toe and camber (almost, -0.4 camber and 0.02 toe), I can floor my RWD P85 from a stop with *almost* zero tire slip (I run 275/45R19 tires at 40 psi with even tire wear), blowing away brand new Corvettes!