Someone at Tesla Decided to Put Michelin Pilots on My New Model S P85 and.....

[lolachampcar]

My guess, you will not even notice until at the limit where the the balance should move towards over steer. That being said, there is so much under steer designed into street cars that you should still have under steer at the limit. The only other test you would want to do is an emergency maneuver whereby you yank the wheel from side to side and try to induce momentum or pendulum affect over steer. It is unlikely that you have done this with your current car (if you have - ) so it is unlikely you will have anything to compare it to should you do it with the new tires.

The other thing you will loose is "the look".

Personally, I hope you do this as it is exactly what I plan on doing when my time comes. I'm currently at just over 10K with 5/32" even across the back so I have a ways to go.

If you do this, please share.


Lastly, I remember looking not too long ago and 265 was available but just in a slightly different side wall height. I also seem to remember that the difference in rolling diameter made this side wall difference negligible.

Ah, I just looked it back up. The newer tire compound/construction is available in 265/30ZR21 which is actually the way I was looking to go.

 

[gnelson]

Thanks for checking out the availability of the Pilot Super Sports. I think I will order 2 ea 265/30ZR21. They will be 1 in less diameter than the 265/35ZR21 Michelin Pilot Sport 2. This may improve acceleration and reduce top speed a little. The 265/30ZR3021's are on backorder at TireRack.com.

 

[simplesolar]

see if you can put 285/30/21. Those are close to spec as the 265/35/21 stocks.

 

[gnelson]

see if you can put 285/30/21. Those are close to spec as the 265/35/21 stocks.

I can't find them at TireRack.com or DiscountTire.com. They are listed on the Michelin site. I suspect they might fit.

 

[PaulusdB]

To mount 285 wide rear tyres, you need lesser offset rims. E.g. ET35 after market rims, or 5 mm spacers with the stock rims.

 

[LuckyLuke]

I doubt that 285 will fit on the factory P+ rear wheels that are 9.0 wide. You would need 10.0 or 10.5 to be able to fit those 285's.

 

[PaulusdB]

Good point, Loek.
Completely forgot that they are just 9.0". It's been 4 months since I sold them.

 

[andrewket]

245 will fit on 9". I just went through a similar situation. I couldn't find a lot of options for tires in 265 (P+ spec)

 

[Madartist]

After nearly 10K miles, I was recently informed by the service center that the rear tires on my P85+ are nearing replacement indicators. I have been following the discussions regarding the Pilot Sport 2 vs Pilot Super Sport with a lot of interest. It certainly sounds like PSS is definitely the better tire but not yet available in the rear tire factory specs (265/35/R21) for the P85+. Has anyone replaced just the rear tires only on their P85+ with the Super Sport (either 245 or 265)? Is it OK to mix thread patterns on the car (i.e. PS2 in front and PSS in the back)? Of course, I may not be able to get the 265/30ZR21 anyway because they are back ordered.

 

[gnelson]

How does the Model S speedometer compensate for a slightly smaller tire diameter if I install 265/30ZR21 Pilot Super Sport tires on the rear? My bicycle computer has an option for entering tire circumference and also utilizes the gps to calculate the tire diameter.

 

[Madartist]

I also wonder if installing a non-spec tire size (265/30ZR21) could potentially affect the warranty/insurance in case of a car problem or accident?

 

[jerry33]

I also wonder if installing a non-spec tire size (265/30ZR21) could potentially affect the warranty/insurance in case of a car problem or accident?

As far as the warranty goes, Tesla would have to prove that the problem was caused by the tires. In other words, if you snapped an axle Tesla might have a good case. If the display died, not so much.

Insurance would only be affected if it were shown that the tire contributed to the accident. For example if the tires didn't have the load/speed rating of the OE tires, then it could get sticky.

 

[PaulusdB]

How does the Model S speedometer compensate for a slightly smaller tire diameter if I install 265/30ZR21 Pilot Super Sport tires on the rear? My bicycle computer has an option for entering tire circumference and also utilizes the gps to calculate the tire diameter.

It simply doesn't compensate for different tyre dimensions.

 

[gnelson]

It simply doesn't compensate for different tyre dimensions.

The P and the P+ have different rear tire diameters. How does Tesla determine the correct speedometer readings?

 

[andrewket]

You can mount a 245/35ZR21 on the 9" rims of the P85+. It's within spec. So you can go with PSS if you want if you're wiling to lose the staggered configuration. Note that the service centers won't mount PSS tires. I asked.

 

[jerry33]

The P and the P+ have different rear tire diameters. How does Tesla determine the correct speedometer readings?

Check the RPM of the tire, not the diameter. C=pi D doesn't work on tires.

 

[gnelson]

You can mount a 245/35ZR21 on the 9" rims of the P85+. It's within spec. So you can go with PSS if you want if you're wiling to lose the staggered configuration. Note that the service centers won't mount PSS tires. I asked.

The circumference is 1.8 in greater with the 265's than with the 245's.

 

[PaulusdB]

The P and the P+ have different rear tire diameters. How does Tesla determine the correct speedometer readings?

The cars get calibrated to the tyres they are delivered with. So they CAN be calibrated for different tyres, but my guess is that only a Service Center can actually do that.

Same goes for P+ models with original 19" winter wheels. Possible the SC calibrates the car to prevent erroneous speedometer readings when they mount those.

 

[adamglass]

Are the Pilots standard now? My 2014 Model S 85 came with them.

I got my car Monday (P85, pearl white, grey 21's, loaded options). It came with Pilots and the ride is very supple considering some crappy streets we have here in Fort Worth. Having said that, I may change to something less expensive at the first tire change. The way I drive that is going to be soon!