Slow tire leak on Model 3

[oreobbq]

I took it in to Discount Tire last week. They removed the tire from the vehicle, inspected it visually and found nothing. They sprayed the entire tire including the rim and the valve and still found nothing. They dunked the tire in a tank of water and spun it around looking for leaks…nothing.

I took the car in to America’s Tire today and they found a nail in the tire, patched it up and reinflated it. And they did it all for free.

How did the first place not see a whole nail in the tire?? Glad you got it sorted.

 

[OCR1]

Have you seen any appreciable range hit / increased power usage with these tires compared to the OEM tires?

I have not purchased them yet. I have a friend who just put these tires on his Model 3 and he said the range loss is between 5-10%. Noise might be a tad higher but nothing really all that noticeable.

 

[OldPro]

My right rear tire has developed a slow leak. I seem to be losing around 2-3 psi per day, so every other day or so I have to inflate it back to 45. I took it in to Discount Tire last week. They removed the tire from the vehicle, inspected it visually and found nothing. They sprayed the entire tire including the rim and the valve and still found nothing. They dunked the tire in a tank of water and spun it around looking for leaks…nothing. So they put it back on the car and reinflated it to 45 psi. Two days later it’s down to 38.

Any suggestions on how to address this? They spent more than 30 minutes inspecting the tire. Is there something they could have missed?

Same here on my wife's 2018 Model 3 Long Range RWD! Took the Tesla in to the service center and they reinflated all the tires to 45lbs. Same tire a week plus is now showing 40lbs. What did you find with your leak? I wonder if the valve stems are prone to leaking. I have the tire a visual but did not see any nails in the tree.

 

[OldPro]

I once had some ice develop in the valve stem somehow. I must have filled it on a super cold day and some moisture condensed (and subsequently froze) there. Led to a slow leak until I happened to clear it. But that was in NJ, and you live in SoCal…?

The only ice in San Diego goes into my Margarita.

 

[Adam3]

Tire shops use a soapy water bath/spray, you'll see bubbles coming from the leak. America's Tire does this for free, even if you didn't buy the tires from them.

 

[OldPro]

My right rear tire has developed a slow leak. I seem to be losing around 2-3 psi per day, so every other day or so I have to inflate it back to 45. I took it in to Discount Tire last week. They removed the tire from the vehicle, inspected it visually and found nothing. They sprayed the entire tire including the rim and the valve and still found nothing. They dunked the tire in a tank of water and spun it around looking for leaks…nothing. So they put it back on the car and reinflated it to 45 psi. Two days later it’s down to 38.

Any suggestions on how to address this? They spent more than 30 minutes inspecting the tire. Is there something they could have missed?

Please post what you found

 

[afadeev]

My right rear tire has developed a slow leak. I seem to be losing around 2-3 psi per day, so every other day or so I have to inflate it back to 45. I took it in to Discount Tire last week. They removed the tire from the vehicle, inspected it visually and found nothing. They sprayed the entire tire including the rim and the valve and still found nothing. They dunked the tire in a tank of water and spun it around looking for leaks…nothing. So they put it back on the car and reinflated it to 45 psi. Two days later it’s down to 38.

Any suggestions on how to address this? They spent more than 30 minutes inspecting the tire. Is there something they could have missed?

I had a similar issue on one of my other cars in the past - check if you see any bends, however minor, on the inside lip of the wheel.
The way that dynamic plays out, is while you drive, the tire deflects under the weight of the car. The deflection cycle opens marginal areas for the air to escape between the bead of the tire and the bent portion of the wheel lip. You can not reproduced that conditions with the wheel off the car, since the weight is not on it.

If that's the case, the solution is to repair the bent wheel.

HTH,
a

 

[TomT]

What, those DT guys missed the nail in the tire?!?

I guess you missed that it was not really Discount Tire but a sound-alike ripoff...