Seeking forum help on choosing new tires

[Cyclone]

or just for grins the Goodyear Eagle RS-A2s from Tire Rack

I have been very happy with my Eagles. They are wearing well, give me good handling, the noise level is acceptable, and they did find in the recent snowstorm and freezing rain in Charlotte, NC (just a dusting to northerners - 3" snow + 1/2" ice). That said, I am not overly aggressive, I have an S, and I drove 5 mph below to +/- 0 mph of the speed limit and avoided the interstate (so 55 mph max) during the snow.

 

[JPP]

I have been very happy with my Eagles. They are wearing well, give me good handling, the noise level is acceptable, and they did find in the recent snowstorm and freezing rain in Charlotte, NC (just a dusting to northerners - 3" snow + 1/2" ice). That said, I am not overly aggressive, I have an S, and I drove 5 mph below to +/- 0 mph of the speed limit and avoided the interstate (so 55 mph max) during the snow.

FWIW, on my 2013 S85 I replaced the OEM Eagles with another set at 24k miles. At $120/tire it was a great deal. The tires are still relatively cheap. Would you/I get twice the 'value' with the Primacy or Pilots? YMMV.

 

[jerry33]

Your #1 goes against what my service center recommends as well as what Discount Tire recommends. Also, Discount Tire recommends a TPMS rebuild when changing tires due to the potential for air leakage.

You are getting the alignment only because it may have shifted, not because of the new tires.
I was not referring to hardware replacement, just the calibration.

 

[TaoJones]

Thanks, jerry, cdf, AR, Cyclone, et alia. Much appreciated.

I'd like to replace the OEMs in 3 months, before heading from LA to the Custer Rally (3rd Annual Sound of Silence 2016 Black Hills Tesla Rally in Custer, SD - everyone should make this journey at least once as it's history in the making, a great group of people, and includes some of the best barbecue on the continent).

By then, the tires will have between 40,000-45,000 miles thereon, and presumably I'll have made a decision by then about keeping the car past 50,000 miles (which, given the screwed-up ESA verbiage, the variable service experiences this past year and the frequency thereof, appears highly unlikely).

Fortunately, it appears that insofar as tires go at least, there are solid choices - and predictably, one appears to get what one pays for (either 45,000 miles with a top-shelf tire, or 24,000 with the next shelf down). Translated, about $650 twice or $1450 once. Every 18 months, at this rate. Hehe. I think I need to run out of places to which to drive, except that it's been so much fun.

 

[rjatc]

Has anyone tried the michelin pilot sport a/s 3 plus? Costco said that they have just been released and were far superior to the non-plus variety.

Thoughts?

 

[shs1]

I have had the A/S 3+ on for about a week now and they seem great. Had X-Ice Xi3s on for winter and before that the non + A/S 3s. I thought that the non+ 3 were much better than the Primacies and Goodyears before in terms of handling and overall performance. I do live in snow country and therefore was very happy to see that the A/S 3+ have been designed for much better performance in light snow and ice which could come in handy in shoulder seasons. I'll continue to use winter tires in the winter, unless winters go away.

For me, it is hard to argue against having tires with superior grip on wet and dry conditions as even if you don't drive aggressively, you never know when you will need all the grip that is available to avoid an accident, deer or dog in the road, etc. The A/S 3s and now the plus seems like ideal tires for the MS.

 

[TaoJones]

Has anyone tried the michelin pilot sport a/s 3 plus? Costco said that they have just been released and were far superior to the non-plus variety.

Thoughts?

Tire Rack has a review here, with more to come this summer:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testDisplay.jsp?to_desktop=true&ttid=211&cid=R5411445&em_id=7512963&em_lid=Link:+Here's+What+We+Learned

 

[AoneOne]

I was leaning towards the Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06...

I just put a set of the 19" DWS-06 on my 2013 S85 and they feel great. Very secure going around curves.

 

[jerry33]

Has anyone tried the michelin pilot sport a/s 3 plus? Costco said that they have just been released and were far superior to the non-plus variety.

Thoughts?

I tried them and returned them. Wh/mi went up by a minimum of 30. Back on Primacy.

 

[TaoJones]

Hrm.

Tesla blog article states 3% improvement at 65mph with the Primacies due in part to LRR.
Then 5% and 10-12% penalties were reported above for two alternate tires.
Add to that battery degradation over time (after 40,000 miles and 15 months, 2% less is what I see).

Have been paying more attention at SCs and have seen all sorts of tires on various Model S - from Hankook to Yokohama to the usual suspects (Michelin, Continental, Pirelli, Goodyear). No Falkens yet though, but I'm not in Europe wherein I understand they are more popular.

Semi-confirmed rumor has it that Michelin will make available a tire optimized for Teslae - the questions then become whether and when those will be available in the aftermarket. Especially now, given the givens.

I don't mind the Primacies at all, although they aren't the quietest tire I've owned, now that I think about it - that honor goes to a set of performance Falkens I stumbled across for a heavy Volvo convertible - they never got loud.

Am leaning toward taking a shot with the Goodyear Eagle RS/A2s if only to have more tire more often (how's that for twisted logic), and because the Primacies are wearing so well and so evenly, which implies at least that the alignment is holding up. That said, I would expect to go through a full set of the Goodyears annually, and even that entails some wishful thinking. Most recent quote was $518.00 for a full set out the door with certs and everystuff. Do I think the Eagles will last at least 15,000 miles? Sure - 25,000 reported above and I've heard of 35,000. Will they be worth the hassle to replace more often? That depends upon the quality of the place doing the work - from whether they know how to raise a Tesla to whether they scratch my rims and torque the lug nuts properly. Maybe Tesla will still install the old OEM tires but I doubt it would be for $518.00 otd.

Financially, the difference across two years will pay for 1 or more annual services even at the new rates. On the other hand, if another rumor is true concerning softer sidewalls with the Goodyears, then we have the epitome of pennywise and pound foolish.

More importantly, will have to think about losing 3-5% range. There were quite a few times last year when that's what I arrived with at the next SC. Heaven forbid I should slow down. First world problems.

 

[Cyclone]

Am leaning toward taking a shot with the Goodyear Eagle RS/A2s if only to have more tire more often (how's that for twisted logic), and because the Primacies are wearing so well and so evenly, which implies at least that the alignment is holding up. That said, I would expect to go through a full set of the Goodyears annually, and even that entails some wishful thinking. Most recent quote was $518.00 for a full set out the door with certs and everystuff. Do I think the Eagles will last at least 15,000 miles? Sure - 25,000 reported above and I've heard of 35,000.

I have the Eagle RS/A2s on my car. 14k miles and I'm at 7/32.

 

[JPP]

My original Eagles (OEM in 2013) went about 23,000 miles. I replaced them with the same tire (really cheap from Tire Rack or Americas Tire at about $120 each--maybe half the price of the Primacy) and now have 15k on this set--all good. I am compulsive about maintaining tire pressure and rotate every 6,000 miles.

My wife has 8,000 miles on her 2015 S70D with the Primacy OEMs--not sure I can tell the difference.

YMMV.

 

[TaoJones]

I have the Eagle RS/A2s on my car. 14k miles and I'm at 7/32.

That's encouraging - thanks for noting.

It would be nice if Goodyear would step up just a tad and have some sort of modest tread life warranty for these - even if it's 25,000 miles. But nooooo.

For the sake of comparison for those into this sort of thing, I found the following specs relative to the old OEM 19s versus the new OEM 19s:

Goodyear Eagle RS A-2

P245/45R19 98V

Speed Rating [?]: V - 149 mph(240 km/h)

Sidewall [?]: VSB - Vertical Serrated Blackwall

Load Rating [?]: 1,653 lbs

Load Range/Ply [?]: SL

O.D. [?]: 27.7

Tread Width [?]: --

Section Width [?]: 9.6

UTQG [?]: 440-A-A



Michelin Primacy MXM4

245/45R19 98W Speed Rating [?]: W - 168 mph(270 km/h)

Sidewall [?]: BSW - Black Side Wall

Load Rating [?]: 1,653 lbs

Load Range/Ply [?]: --

O.D. [?]: 27.7

Tread Width [?]: --

Section Width [?]: 9.6

UTQG [?]: 500-AA-A 500-A-A 420-A-A



Note there are at least 3 flavours of Primacy MXM4 245/45R19 - including the 98W, 100V and 102H XL, each with different characteristics.

My original Eagles (OEM in 2013) went about 23,000 miles. I replaced them with the same tire (really cheap from Tire Rack or Americas Tire at about $120 each--maybe half the price of the Primacy) and now have 15k on this set--all good. I am compulsive about maintaining tire pressure and rotate every 6,000 miles.

My wife has 8,000 miles on her 2015 S70D with the Primacy OEMs--not sure I can tell the difference.

YMMV.

This is good to know as well - am similar with regard to rotations and tire pressure.

For a car for which the maintenance entails tires, windshield wiper fluid, and proper washes, it seems the least I can do - at least until the suspension (control arm bushings maybe) and various seals (door, window, pano) start wearing out .

Tires in general wouldn't have gotten my attention as much, but the quotes I've gotten are that far apart - $518 versus just shy of $1500 - and for what nets out to $500/year with my driving habits, that's worth at least a look as it covers a good chunk of the annual service - even the $900 one now.

 

[FlatSix911]

What is the consensus on tire pressure for the 19" tires?
I use 45 psi per the door jamb recommendation, while early build cars state 50 psi...

 

[jerry33]

What is the consensus on tire pressure for the 19" tires?
I use 45 psi per the door jamb recommendation, while early build cars state 50 psi...

The vehicle placard pressure is a starting point. It's based on a set of assumptions. Change any of those assumptions and the pressure needs to be changed. In general, for on-road use, you can think of the vehicle placard pressure as the pressure you never want to go below. An example of an assumption is 18C (65F) ambient temperature (every tire pressure chart from every manufacturer is based on 18C). If the temperature in your area is 38C, then you need 4 psi extra just to compensate for that. Another assumption is that you do a daily pressure check before each driving day.

The early build cars, like mine, had a vehicle placard pressure of 45 psi, then they changed it to 50 later on. I don't know if they changed it again.

Note that when driving at highways speeds, regardless of the initial pressure, the tires will end up at very close to the same pressure once they have reached thermal equilibrium. However, there will be a big difference in the temperature of the tires depending upon the starting pressure. Pressure is also the biggest single factor in pothole and curb damage resistance (for any given size tire).

 

[AmpedRealtor]

I find a noticeable difference between 42 PSI and 45 PSI on my 19" tires. At 42 PSI, my 19" tires feel more planted than they do at 45 PSI. I know that 3 PSI shouldn't make a difference, per se, but it does. I've been running them at 45 PSI until just a couple of days ago, trying them out at 42 PSI. Energy consumption of the Pilot Sport A/S 3 (non plus) is noticeably higher than the Primacies, so not a tire I would recommend for those who are looking for efficiency.

 

[FlatSix911]

Interesting ... I have a late build car (June 2015) and 45 PSI is again recommended by Tesla.

The vehicle placard pressure is a starting point. It's based on a set of assumptions. Change any of those assumptions and the pressure needs to be changed. In general, for on-road use, you can think of the vehicle placard pressure as the pressure you never want to go below. An example of an assumption is 18C (65F) ambient temperature (every tire pressure chart from every manufacturer is based on 18C). If the temperature in your area is 38C, then you need 4 psi extra just to compensate for that. Another assumption is that you do a daily pressure check before each driving day.

The early build cars, like mine, had a vehicle placard pressure of 45 psi, then they changed it to 50 later on. I don't know if they changed it again.

Note that when driving at highways speeds, regardless of the initial pressure, the tires will end up at very close to the same pressure once they have reached thermal equilibrium. However, there will be a big difference in the temperature of the tires depending upon the starting pressure. Pressure is also the biggest single factor in pothole and curb damage resistance (for any given size tire).

 

[jerry33]

I find a noticeable difference between 42 PSI and 45 PSI on my 19" tires. At 42 PSI, my 19" tires feel more planted than they do at 45 PSI. I know that 3 PSI shouldn't make a difference, per se, but it does.

I notice a similar difference in energy efficiency. 3 psi is a lot for critical driving. Those who don't pay that much attention won't notice.

 

[tinm]

This has been a really informative thread. Like Amped, I've got a 2013 S with 19" OEM Michelin Primacy MXV4s (well, the 2nd set).

But here's the thing: the first set, from the factory, only lasted until 21000 miles. Now I am at 42000 miles and am down to about 3/32" tread. I'm gonna need new tires soon. I'm in northern NM and it does snow here. Last winter, we nearly had a horrible catastrophic wipeout on a slick, snowy I-40 in northern AZ on the return from a long trip out to CA and back.Kind of a wakeup call to have snowtires in winter

But the main question is, why didn't I get 40K mi on these tires? Why'd they wear out so fast? I don't drive particularly hard, pretty gentle most of the time in fact. But I was hoping for longer range. If the tires are warranted for 40K+ do I have grounds for contacting Michelin about these tires?

Finally, I'm intrigued learning that Amped went with Pilot Sport A/S 3's. Going to have to consider them this next round.

 

[FlatSix911]

Interesting ... I have a late build car (June 2015) and 45 PSI is again recommended by Tesla.