Public service announcement for P+ owners

[Lloyd]

5K could be normal wear if it is even across the tire, and the person has a lead foot. If the wear is uneven, then this is not normal.

That said, I drive fairly agressively, have 13K miles. My rears have 3/32nds on the inside edge, and 4/32nds on the outside. 21" PS2's with 9" rims.

 

[yobigd20]

5K could be normal wear if it is even across the tire, and the person has a lead foot. If the wear is uneven, then this is not normal.

That said, I drive fairly agressively, have 13K miles. My rears have 3/32nds on the inside edge, and 4/32nds on the outside. 21" PS2's with 9" rims.

Right. Agreed. But the problem at hand with the Model S is inside edge wear. And everyone is getting that. Doesn't matter if you have S40, S60, S85, P85, P85+, 19" or 21". I know some 19" owners that burned down to the inside cords at 15-16k miles. Obviously the problem is exacerbated for the 21s. Some P85+ owners down to the cords in as little as 3k miles while the middle treads still look brand new. This is *not normal* and represents a serious issue that warrants investigation. It could be as simple as all of Tesla's alignment machines being miscalibrated. But that doesn't explain some owners still getting their alignment done and then out of whack again a few thousand miles later.

 

[yobigd20]

Right. Agreed. But the problem at hand with the Model S is inside edge wear. And everyone is getting that. Doesn't matter if you have S40, S60, S85, P85, P85+, 19" or 21". I know some 19" owners that burned down to the inside cords at 15-16k miles. Obviously the problem is exacerbated for the 21s. Some P85+ owners down to the cords in as little as 3k miles while the middle treads still look brand new. This is *not normal* and represents a serious issue that warrants investigation. It could be as simple as all of Tesla's alignment machines being miscalibrated. But that doesn't explain some owners still getting their alignment done and then out of whack again a few thousand miles later.

 

[qwk]

Right. Agreed. But the problem at hand with the Model S is inside edge wear. And everyone is getting that. Doesn't matter if you have S40, S60, S85, P85, P85+, 19" or 21". I know some 19" owners that burned down to the inside cords at 15-16k miles. Obviously the problem is exacerbated for the 21s. Some P85+ owners down to the cords in as little as 3k miles while the middle treads still look brand new. This is *not normal* and represents a serious issue that warrants investigation. It could be as simple as all of Tesla's alignment machines being miscalibrated. But that doesn't explain some owners still getting their alignment done and then out of whack again a few thousand miles later.

I don't really understand why Tesla solves most issues very quickly, but two of the biggest issues surrounding the car(UMC, and rear alignment), they fail to do what it takes to completely fix the issue. It's only going to get more costly by waiting longer.....

 

[PhilBa]

When I ordered my P85 over a year ago, this was a known problem with the 21" wheels. It was one of several factors that lead me to get 19" wheels. My tires still have a lot of rubber on them at 12K miles (looks like at least 8/32s).

 

[yobigd20]

I don't really understand why Tesla solves most issues very quickly, but two of the biggest issues surrounding the car(UMC, and rear alignment), they fail to do what it takes to completely fix the issue. It's only going to get more costly by waiting longer.....

To add to that I think there's some large defect with the drive unit as well. Aka all the drive units being replaced do to grinding or hum sounds. They tend to get louder as the car ages. I haven't heard of any "driving" issues caused by this though, just acoustic. Dunno if you want to count the loud A/C compressor as well. The Model S is awesome but it's certainly not without it's flaws. The repeated toe out and inside edge wear is probably the biggest and most costly issue to address.

 

[qwk]

To add to that I think there's some large defect with the drive unit as well. Aka all the drive units being replaced do to grinding or hum sounds. They tend to get louder as the car ages. I haven't heard of any "driving" issues caused by this though, just acoustic. Dunno if you want to count the loud A/C compressor as well. The Model S is awesome but it's certainly not without it's flaws. The repeated toe out and inside edge wear is probably the biggest and most costly issue to address.

To be fair, the other issues you mention are just noise related, and most can live with that(I have both).

 

[rainman50]

I'm planning on ordering soon (time up this Sunday to decide). Maybe I should put it off till next year and see if there any solutions.

 

[dsm363]

I'm planning on ordering soon (time up this Sunday to decide). Maybe I should put it off till next year and see if there any any solutions.

It's more of a thing to keep your eye on and be proactive about asking to have alignment checked and checking your tread depth at the beginning. Not everyone has had this issue but more than a few have.

 

[yobigd20]

I'm planning on ordering soon (time up this Sunday to decide). Maybe I should put it off till next year and see if there any any solutions.

I would still order. Just get 19s. I got 48k miles on my original set of 19s before I got the inside edge wear. I was down to 4/32" and could have squeezed out another 7-10k if it weren't for that. Also it's key to stay on top of keeping the tires inflated to 45psi. They tend to have a slow leak. I commonly find mine down to 39-43psi and I inflate them back up to 45 weekly or bi weekly. Perhaps that is how I got such decent mileage out of my original set. Otherwise if it's low you'll have various issues but likely resulting in lower tread life. My point is that you can still get decent mileage but you have to stay on top of the psi and alignment and keep a lookout for any signs of inside edge wear.

 

[qwk]

I'm planning on ordering soon (time up this Sunday to decide). Maybe I should put it off till next year and see if there any any solutions.

I think Tesla has worked the kinks out long ago, and putting off your order now will only keep you from enjoying the car sooner. Knowing what I know now, I wouldn't change my build number or order if I had a chance. The issues I have had with my car have been relatively minor.

 

[100thMonkey]

there are lots of threads related to this. as I transitioned from a P to a P+ the tire wear issue was really getting hot so the first thing I did when I got the car was had the alignement checked, it was quite out. the second thing I did was put 19's on it with all seasons. in this climate much of the year it is too cold and damp to enjoy the performance tires anyway. I still feel that the handling is much improved over the P even with 19's and I have had no issue with tire wear, lots of life left after almost 10K miles. the combination of alignment issues and the super soft wide back sport tires that come spec on the + can turn the + into a bit of a cheese grater when it comes to tire wear, and don't forget, that's a barrel of oil per tire, so exceptionally hard on planet earth and the wallet. I thought Tesla had copped to the alignment element and dealt with it, surprised to hear more of the old line that 5K is normal... it aint, IMHO.

 

[rainman50]

Thanks for the encouraging posts. I really want to get the car. Just concerned hearing about this again.

- - - Updated - - -

@100thMonkey,

Did you happen to drive the most current P85? A'm I correct in saying that the P85 you had before your P85+ did not have the upgraded suspension components that were added after Tesla developed the P85+. Just wondering if that might make a difference if that was true.

 

[Seven7]

I must be doing something right, 21" wheels that came from the factory with Michelin Pilot Sports, not PS2 sports or Super Sports, and they still look great all the way across after 9000+ miles. Since I'm wishing they would wear out so I can put Pilot Super Sports on my car, they'll probably last forever.

ETA: P16215

 

[AWDtsla]

Ugh all this damn bellyaching.

The tire wear doesn't sound unusually high for a $130,000 car in this performance category to start with. Now we have 2 more damn threads on it.

Of course I can believe the alignment issues are experience by many, that's because they stick the wrench monkey lowest on the totem pole on balance/alignment service, and that includes Tesla service. Find a shop that has an actual professional who can also tell you if their machine is properly calibrated to optimize the alignment/tire life, then STFU.





PS: PSS has twice the tire life of PS2, on any car.

 

[Kraken]

To add to that I think there's some large defect with the drive unit as well. Aka all the drive units being replaced do to grinding or hum sounds. They tend to get louder as the car ages. I haven't heard of any "driving" issues caused by this though, just acoustic. Dunno if you want to count the loud A/C compressor as well. The Model S is awesome but it's certainly not without it's flaws. The repeated toe out and inside edge wear is probably the biggest and most costly issue to address.

I was hoping it was an alignment bit as well, but I'm becoming convinced it's something more. My alignment was out at 5k when I hit a pothole. I had it fixed and one new tire put on. Then I had it checked at 15k. It was still fairly decent, but I had inside edge wear on the older tire (with 15k on it). I got just that one switched (Even though Service recommended switching both at once). The one that was replaced at 5k was just replaced yesterday at 25k. It had noticeably more tire wear. It seems 20k is the most I would get. That isn't that much different than what I got with cheap tires on a ford focus. This range seemed like a consistent amount from swap to swap. The wear was consistently bad on the inside edges.

Each time I've also had an alignment checked/done. It again hadn't changed much at 25k. Perhaps the return of lowering exasperated the issue, but that is hard to say. It is definitely something they need to do more to look into.


As for the sounds you mentioned, they are just noises. I think a lot of drive units have been replaced just out of simplicity of doing so. I had the mount replaced yesterday, and now I have no noise from the motor during acceleration. They said if the noise was still there/came back, the next step would be to replace the motor. I think a lot of service centers are probably skipping straight to that step unnecessarily.

The padding has really helped with the A/C noise too. Also, my notes said that there was a fix being engineered to help reduce the source of the A/C hum (not just alleviate the symptoms), but it wasn't out yet. I'm assuming I'll be notified when it is.

 

[brianman]

To be fair, the other issues you mention are just noise related, and most can live with that(I have both).

The reasons he quoted for drive unit replacement were acoustic, but the primary reason for my two replacements was not acoustic.

 

[Richard L]

I to replaced the Pilot Sports 21inch at 9200 mi At 5000 mi the car began to feel slippery it was not until the rainy season started in Miami.The tires became dangerous. Now that the new ones are on the Model P85+ ridesw like it should.By the way i had a 911s with the same tires only
had 11,000 to 12,000 miles on them. Porsche claims that the rear engin wt contributed to the wear nonsense They are very soft High performance tires. Just suck it up and spend for new tires.

 

[jbruce]

Look at it this way. You can't use your P 85+ on the track like an M3, M5, Porsche etc. because it goes into limp mode after a couple of laps so its going to save you a ton in tires. I have to admit I've gone through tires on many other cars in less than 5K miles. That's what tires are for Putting a smile on your face as you smear them on the asphalt.

As a side note, on all the recent sedans I've owned with staggered tire sizes (M3, M5 etc) my first mod has been to buy another set of rears to run on the front or a whole new square set. That way you can rotate them and balance out the tire wear. The outside front edges always feather while the inner and center of the rears go first. You can get really even wear this way. I may do the same with our P85+.

Now let's all go burn some rubber!

 

[lolachampcar]

There's a problem with tire wear on the MS????