Spare Tire Option?

[Triangles]

Anyone have any other ideas before I embark?

If you remove the rear trunk liner you may be able fit a compact spare in the recessed compartment in the bottom of the trunk. Some day I may try this. For now I have cut piece of plywood the same size as the cubby cover and put a bolt thru it and one of the lug holes in the wheel to keep it from flopping around on me.

 

[Daniel in SD]

The Genesis has a spare tire that fits. Just make sure you get the 18" spare as the 17" won't clear the rear calipers. Model year isn't important as they all have 5x114.3 bolt pattern. Also the spare is the correct size so it has the same revolutions per mile as the OEM tires (T155/80R18). The genesis has a 12mm lug where the TM3 has a 14mm lug so the holes are a little tight. I was going to ream them but it fit my car fine with no problems. The wheel says max 50mph and this is even molded into the tire side wall. However the tire load/speed rating on the tire side wall says 113M where 113 means it can handle a load of 2540lbs and M means it's rated for 81mph so I figure as long as I keep it to 70mph or less I should be good to go. Obviously if it's excessively hot out I would go slower for a wider margin of safety. I'm guessing they say a max of 50 due to a smaller contact patch that would yield far longer stopping distance especially under adverse conditions being more of a safety factor than just failure due to excessive speed. FYI the OE tire ratings are 98W for 1650lbs and 168mph. There is a thread on Model 3 owners club with a lot of information on this.

Thanks! I got the Genesis spare and I was debating putting an 81mph spare on it. I didn't realize the tire was already speed rated.

 

[rideincircles]

I will see if I can find anything at the junkyard for the Genesis wheel. My goal will still be a full size spare for my trips to West Texas since it is very remote though. I assume it will fit on the bolts then? Sounds like this is confirmed info so will assume so.

Will let my Scion TC wheels go with the car whenever I decide to part with it. Either that or give it to my roommate for his Corolla.

 

[Daniel in SD]

I will see if I can find anything at the junkyard for the Genesis wheel. My goal will still be a full size spare for my trips to West Texas since it is very remote though. I assume it will fit on the bolts then? Sounds like this is confirmed info so will assume so.

Will let my Scion TC wheels go with the car whenever I decide to part with it. Either that or give it to my roommate for his Corolla.

Plenty for sale on eBay. I paid $123.75 for an 18" from a 2016, never been used.
I still have to make sure it fits though! haha

 

[Triangles]

So I made a small error. The Genesis spares could have either a 135/80R18 or a 155/80R18 tire. The 135 tire is what we want. it is within 0.7% revs per mile as the full size OEM tire. The 155 tire is about 5% fewer revolutions per mile which would probably put undue wear and tear on a differential if used on a driven wheel for any significant distance. I didn't notice this until I looked at my spare yesterday and saw that it is a 155!

Glad I noticed. I'll just make sure to only use it up front (I have RWD) and I'll move a front tire to the rear if I get a flat rear. Guess that means I need a 2nd jack so I can lift the whole side of the car. I also plan to fabricate and weld a to the jacks a jacking pad that mates securely to the jacking points to make it easier/safer to lift the car on the side of the road.

Also don't know if it's been mentioned here but there is a screw presumably only used to hold the rotor in place during manufacturing. With some spare wheels especially the stamped steel ones it creates a problem where the wheel can't fully seat against the rotor. I didn't run into this problem but have seen it reported. I suppose you can simply discard this screw but I'm no expert so I'd check with Tesla to make sure this screw really isn't needed.

Below is a copy of my post from the model 3 owners club on the topic:
So an 18" spare from a Genesis works as a spare for the TM3. The holes have little to no slack as a genesis has 12mm studs and the TM3 has 14mm studs. However I see no reason to enlarge the holes. There's about 3/16" to 1/4" clearance between the wheel and caliper so I doubt a 17" spare would fit. These pictures should answer any further questions:

For those worried about weight capacity:

So for less than $115 I put together my spare kit.

For now just gets tossed in the trunk. May figure out how / where to mount it later. Also I may fab up a nub/plate to weld to the jack so it mates firmly to the jacking points. For anyone who gets a model 3 I'd highly recommend torquing down the lug nuts after a couple hundred miles. Mine couldn't have been tighter than 60 ft-lbs according to my highly calibrated arm. IIRC the manual says the lug nuts are to be torqued to 129 ft-lbs. That seems a little tight. I would have expected the spec to be 80 ft-lbs or so. But I do not want a wheel coming off so 129 ft-lbs it is. I also read somewhere that you can get a higher speed rated tire in this donut size, I forget where I saw that, probably somewhere earlier in this thread.

 

[rideincircles]

Aside from the Genesis spare, are there any full size wheels and tires that would match the size of the Model 3 wheel also? Do other manufacturers have the same size bolt and lug size on any other cars? Is the Model 3 a custom tire/wheel size basically?

I am down the street from a junkyard and they had no Hyundai Genesis in the lot. Plenty of other cars to pick from though if I can find a tire size / lug pattern match. Would like to get one for cheap, but will keep an eye out for the Genesis tire. if it comes time for a road trip. I won't be going to Big Bend without a functioning spare tire.

 

[Triangles]

Aside from the Genesis spare, are there any full size wheels and tires that would match the size of the Model 3 wheel also? Do other manufacturers have the same size bolt and lug size on any other cars? Is the Model 3 a custom tire/wheel size basically?

I am down the street from a junkyard and they had no Hyundai Genesis in the lot. Plenty of other cars to pick from though if I can find a tire size / lug pattern match. Would like to get one for cheap, but will keep an eye out for the Genesis tire. if it comes time for a road trip. I won't be going to Big Bend without a functioning spare tire.

You'll have to do some googling. The wheel is 5x114.3 bolt pattern and you need 18" or larger wheel to clear the rear calipers. The OE wheel is 8.5" wide and has a 40mm offset. www.wheel-size.com/ has lots of information. You can also use these specs to buy a cheap aftermarket rim if you want a full size spare. That is a better match. Also you might find someone who replaced the aero wheels with aftermarket and no longer wants the aero wheels who would be willing to sell you one.

 

[xanatos]

So I made a small error. The Genesis spares could have either a 135/80R18 or a 155/80R18 tire. The 135 tire is what we want. it is within 0.7% revs per mile as the full size OEM tire. The 155 tire is about 5% fewer revolutions per mile which would probably put undue wear and tear on a differential if used on a driven wheel for any significant distance. I didn't notice this until I looked at my spare yesterday and saw that it is a 155!

Glad I noticed. I'll just make sure to only use it up front (I have RWD) and I'll move a front tire to the rear if I get a flat rear. Guess that means I need a 2nd jack so I can lift the whole side of the car. I also plan to fabricate and weld a to the jacks a jacking pad that mates securely to the jacking points to make it easier/safer to lift the car on the side of the road.

Also don't know if it's been mentioned here but there is a screw presumably only used to hold the rotor in place during manufacturing. With some spare wheels especially the stamped steel ones it creates a problem where the wheel can't fully seat against the rotor. I didn't run into this problem but have seen it reported. I suppose you can simply discard this screw but I'm no expert so I'd check with Tesla to make sure this screw really isn't needed.

Below is a copy of my post from the model 3 owners club on the topic:
So an 18" spare from a Genesis works as a spare for the TM3. The holes have little to no slack as a genesis has 12mm studs and the TM3 has 14mm studs. However I see no reason to enlarge the holes. There's about 3/16" to 1/4" clearance between the wheel and caliper so I doubt a 17" spare would fit. These pictures should answer any further questions:

For those worried about weight capacity:

So for less than $115 I put together my spare kit.

For now just gets tossed in the trunk. May figure out how / where to mount it later. Also I may fab up a nub/plate to weld to the jack so it mates firmly to the jacking points. For anyone who gets a model 3 I'd highly recommend torquing down the lug nuts after a couple hundred miles. Mine couldn't have been tighter than 60 ft-lbs according to my highly calibrated arm. IIRC the manual says the lug nuts are to be torqued to 129 ft-lbs. That seems a little tight. I would have expected the spec to be 80 ft-lbs or so. But I do not want a wheel coming off so 129 ft-lbs it is. I also read somewhere that you can get a higher speed rated tire in this donut size, I forget where I saw that, probably somewhere earlier in this thread.

you mention that although the tesla stud is 14mm and genesis is 12mm, you did not need to ream the holes. so how tight is it exactly? it's hard to tell from the pictures, but can you still put it on easily, or do you have to push and wiggle and spend some time working it in?

 

[Daniel in SD]

you mention that although the tesla stud is 14mm and genesis is 12mm, you did not need to ream the holes. so how tight is it exactly? it's hard to tell from the pictures, but can you still put it on easily, or do you have to push and wiggle and spend some time working it in?

I reamed the holes on mine. It seemed too tight to try to force it on.
With this: https://smile.amazon.com/Drill-Amer...s=KFDRBSS9/16&qid=1561479602&s=gateway&sr=8-1
I should probably sell my reamer since I'm not sure if I'll ever use it again...

 

[calidreamz808]

When I bought the car, homegirl who sold it to me said that if I get a flat tire, to call roadside and they will come replace the tire for free. I haven't gotten a flat yet, so I can't say if it's true. That's what she told me though.

 

[Daniel in SD]

When I bought the car, homegirl who sold it to me said that if I get a flat tire, to call roadside and they will come replace the tire for free. I haven't gotten a flat yet, so I can't say if it's true. That's what she told me though.

In theory Tesla will loan you a wheel. In practice you often have to wait a few hours, there is no spare wheel, your car is towed to the service center, and you get your car back the next the day. This is assuming you are near a service center.

 

[ibGeek]

I purchased my spare from Modernspare.com
Here are my thoughts...

First of all their customer service is spectacular. As you can imagine, they got hammered with business when the Model 3 production ramped up. So there was a delay in shipping while they increased their production. But throughout it all they stayed in touch with me and in the end, the product I received is top notch. The jack and all included tools are very high quality. I did have to buy a puck from a separate 3rd party but that was cheap enough. The ratchet for the jack makes it far easier to use.

Something to note: This is not a compact tire. It does fit in the rear trunk but it takes up a fair amount of space.
So far it hasn't been a hindered to me and the extra piece of mind is worth it. The wheel provided is nicer than what most cars have from the factory.

In my opinion, it was worth every penny.

 

[Andy_STL]

When I bought the car, homegirl who sold it to me said that if I get a flat tire, to call roadside and they will come replace the tire for free. I haven't gotten a flat yet, so I can't say if it's true. That's what she told me though.

Incorrect. They will come and replace your whole wheel and take the wheel with the flat and drive it to the service center for you. They will then either repair or replace the tire on YOUR wheel at the service center at whatever the cost is. Then you drive to service center and they will put your wheel back on with the new tire and take back the "loaner" tire. I got a flat on day 4 of owning my car and they charged me $350 for the new tire.