Spare Tyre for Model 3

[meloccom]

Can anyone speak to the impact on range when carrying a spare?
Thanks!

In 2018 I drove to Alice Springs via Adelaide in my Model S. I don’t have the consumption figures any more but despite carrying a full size jack, spare wheel and tools I noticed no difference in range. The biggest issue was the space they occupied but luckily the wheel and some tools fitted into the frunk on my car.

 

[strykeroz]

I bought the full Modern Spare set for my model 3 in Dec 2019....It took forever to arrive.

Even on their website delivery is over 2 months away. Bit of a shame they don't stock locally, as that kit looks perfect.

I need something mid-next month so will probably grab a 2nd hand full size one off eBay or similar in the meantime

 

[WoodWombat]

When I went on my recent Outback trip I obviously wanted to carry a spare for my Model 3 Performance so I might be able to add something to this discussion.

I went with a flow-forged ROH RF2 wheel for around $330 and a Winrun R330 in 235/35R20 for about $150 since it was just a spare. This was a very cost-effective combination. A couple of warnings on this:

1. The hub rings what come with your wheel will not necessarily work on your hub without modification. The Tesla hub has a small step in it which is unusual. I used a lathe to machine out a small register to clear the step. I also 3D printed some which worked just as well. It is possible to get such rings made in a variety of materials, or talk to your tyre show since they may be able to cut the step for you. Details here: Tesla Model 3 Hub Size Differences – Tesla Model 3 Wiki
2. The torque of a Model 3 lug nut is 175Nm. This is a lot. I am a big guy and found a 500mm torque wrench to be hard to handle at those torques without risking a slip and subsequent scratching of my car. I ended up buying a 750mm breaker bar and a digital torque adapter which makes it a breeze. You will struggle to crack these nuts on the side of the road with a normal cross brace so test whatever tools you intend to use and make sure that they work.
3. Jacking up a Model 3 performance is extremely difficult with a light and portable jack. The cars are heavy, the jacking points are small and you don't want to miss. I actually bought a scissor jack and customised it with a 3D printed nub on top to locate in the jacking point. If I were jacking on the side of the road I would likely drive up on a small block or something first as well since a scissor jack is at its weakest when at the bottom of the stroke.
4. The Winrun tyres are cheap and not too bad, I have a full set of them now that I bought to use while I waited for Michelins to show up (which is never going to happen so Pirelli's next). They are bloody noisy though so avoid for normal use.

Hope that this helps.

 

[zarbs]

I ordered the Modern Spare months before my 3 LR arrived last month. Travelled to Chatswood for pickup by train so the wheel stayed at home. Got a blow out on the front left wheel on the drive home from Sydney thanks to a huge pothole. Bent the rim as well. Didn't have the wheel in the car so my partner drove to me with the wheel so I could fit and get going.

After 30 minutes struggling to get the wheel on I gave up. They sent me the wrong wheel/tyre combo. Had to get Tesla roadside to help. Luckily I was just inside their country radius to get a contractor in Newcastle to bring out the spare to swap out. Got straight on to Modern Spare to vent about the problem and they were consiliatry but not convinced. I had to send pics of all the imprints in the inner wheel casting to get the to acknowledge they had sent the wrong wheel package.

I only received the replacement wheel yesterday and have yet to do a test fit to ensure this one is correct. For the money I would now say that your best bet is the Braumach offering in Melbourne. At least if there is an issue it will get resolved much quicker as they only sell one version (when it's in stock) plus you can get a 10% discount if you have your own discount code from a previous purchase.

Total cost of the tyre fiasco was $450 for the new Hankook tyre and $100 to repair the trim. Currently waiting for a reply from NSW government in regard to the Public Liability claim I lodged for the loss and damage. Plenty of people in our area have claimed and received the costs back from the NSW government. They repaired the offending pothole within a week of me hitting it. Local tyre shop said they had several people in after hitting the same hole. One person had lost two tyres and wheels to it days after me.

 

[strykeroz]

Thanks for the tip @zarbs .

Braumach are currently out of stock but I've dropped them a note to see when new stock is expected

 

[WoodWombat]

Oh, one other thing about space saver spares. While they may seem like a good idea, think of your use case. Remote area touring with an 80km/h space saver when you are 5000km from home with no chance of getting a replacement tyre is going to ruin your week. They are usually limited to a few hundred km of use as well. If you are lucky you might be able to get a puncture repaired in the next town, but it is pretty common for a spike to go through a tyre and the rim as well when you have 20" wheels and rubber bands for tyres.

 

[doggy1]

My son has just bought a newish but used Nissan 4WD with Spacesaver. Discovered it is punctured. Response form dealer "you must buy a new rim and tyre- complete". Response from tyre company "Cannot do it, sorry". Response from Tyre company 2 "It can be done with a special machine but we don't have one". So definitely space saver tyres are not all they are pumped up to be!

 

[zarbs]

Oh, one other thing about space saver spares. While they may seem like a good idea, think of your use case. Remote area touring with an 80km/h space saver when you are 5000km from home with no chance of getting a replacement tyre is going to ruin your week. They are usually limited to a few hundred km of use as well. If you are lucky you might be able to get a puncture repaired in the next town, but it is pretty common for a spike to go through a tyre and the rim as well when you have 20" wheels and rubber bands for tyres.

With the low profile tyres of the LR and P you are more likely to suffer a catastrophic failure from a tyre wall split like mine. Because the Hankook is an EV tyre it has a foam liner on the interior sidewalls to reduce noise and that gets destroyed in a pothole strike making the tyre unrepairable. In such an instance you will need a spare wheel if travelling in a rural location. My split was 15cm long and no way it was repairable. We live rural so the space saver can be a life saver. Better to be moving at low speed than stuck in the middle of nowhere with no assistance.

 

[gm12]

Even on their website delivery is over 2 months away. Bit of a shame they don't stock locally, as that kit looks perfect.

I need something mid-next month so will probably grab a 2nd hand full size one off eBay or similar in the meantime

It's a pity you live in Brisbane, because I lend out my full size spare + jack + pucks from Sydney... Unless you are passing through Sydney?

 

[strykeroz]

While they may seem like a good idea, think of your use case. Remote area touring with an 80km/h space saver when you are 5000km from home with no chance of getting a replacement tyre is going to ruin your week. They are usually limited to a few hundred km of use as well. If you are lucky you might be able to get a puncture repaired in the next town, but it is pretty common for a spike to go through a tyre and the rim as well when you have 20" wheels and rubber bands for tyres.

My use case is to give me something to get somewhere other than the side of the road at the scene of the incident. I already carry a can of mousse, repair kit, pucks & 12V inflator, this just provides additional options. If I'm 5000km from home I have no interest in getting home on it. And the SR+ has the 18" with slightly taller side walls, but I get your point - the last puncture I had was unrepairable due to side wall damage. But I only need to limp to a town where a Tesla road ranger can give me a loaner.

It's a pity you live in Brisbane, because I lend out my full size spare + jack + pucks from Sydney... Unless you are passing through Sydney?

Thanks for the extremely kind offer @gm12 . The next trip of length is Brisbane to Temora for the air show in October, but by the time we get to Sydney we're more than 2/3 the way to the destination and we'll be skirting around rather than passing through town.

 

[Maximillan]

When I went on my recent Outback trip I obviously wanted to carry a spare for my Model 3 Performance so I might be able to add something to this discussion.

I went with a flow-forged ROH RF2 wheel for around $330 and a Winrun R330 in 235/35R20 for about $150 since it was just a spare. This was a very cost-effective combination. A couple of warnings on this:

1. The hub rings what come with your wheel will not necessarily work on your hub without modification. The Tesla hub has a small step in it which is unusual. I used a lathe to machine out a small register to clear the step. I also 3D printed some which worked just as well. It is possible to get such rings made in a variety of materials, or talk to your tyre show since they may be able to cut the step for you. Details here: Tesla Model 3 Hub Size Differences – Tesla Model 3 Wiki
2. The torque of a Model 3 lug nut is 175Nm. This is a lot. I am a big guy and found a 500mm torque wrench to be hard to handle at those torques without risking a slip and subsequent scratching of my car. I ended up buying a 750mm breaker bar and a digital torque adapter which makes it a breeze. You will struggle to crack these nuts on the side of the road with a normal cross brace so test whatever tools you intend to use and make sure that they work.
3. Jacking up a Model 3 performance is extremely difficult with a light and portable jack. The cars are heavy, the jacking points are small and you don't want to miss. I actually bought a scissor jack and customised it with a 3D printed nub on top to locate in the jacking point. If I were jacking on the side of the road I would likely drive up on a small block or something first as well since a scissor jack is at its weakest when at the bottom of the stroke.
4. The Winrun tyres are cheap and not too bad, I have a full set of them now that I bought to use while I waited for Michelins to show up (which is never going to happen so Pirelli's next). They are bloody noisy though so avoid for normal use.

Hope that this helps.

I had previously wondered about how to jack a Model 3 on the side of the road even with a puck, however your insight regarding the lug nuts and the need for a breaker bar was super insightful.

 

[Braz]

Oh, one other thing about space saver spares. While they may seem like a good idea, think of your use case. Remote area touring with an 80km/h space saver when you are 5000km from home with no chance of getting a replacement tyre is going to ruin your week. They are usually limited to a few hundred km of use as well. If you are lucky you might be able to get a puncture repaired in the next town, but it is pretty common for a spike to go through a tyre and the rim as well when you have 20" wheels and rubber bands for tyres.

Modernspares are rated for 81mph constant use (M rating)

 

[zarbs]

Modernspares are rated for 81mph constant use (M rating)

After receiving the first wheel from them with that rating I thought so too. But they sent me a wheel for another type of vehicle that didn't fit the Model 3. When they sent the correct wheel and tyre it came with a Kuhmo tyre rated at only 80 kph. In fact it is the same tyre fitted to the Braumach version of the spare. The only difference is the Modern Spare has multiple bolt holes to fit different lug nut patterns. Save your money and buy the local one from Braumach in Melbourne.

 

[schnaxxl]

After receiving the first wheel from them with that rating I thought so too. But they sent me a wheel for another type of vehicle that didn't fit the Model 3. When they sent the correct wheel and tyre it came with a Kuhmo tyre rated at only 80 kph. In fact it is the same tyre fitted to the Braumach version of the spare. The only difference is the Modern Spare has multiple bolt holes to fit different lug nut patterns. Save your money and buy the local one from Braumach in Melbourne.

I bought the Braumach wheel and tyre combo before they offered a package including a jack
I’ve looked at a few Porsche jacks on ebay, and I’d like to know which is the best one
does anyone have a recommendation?
how much difference does it make?

 

[strykeroz]

Braumach are currently out of stock but I've dropped them a note to see when new stock is expected

4-6 weeks, end October so no good for this trip. I've done without so far, will do so again

I bought the Braumach wheel and tyre combo before they offered a package including a jack

Left field - have you asked if they'd sell you the jack alone?

 

[schnaxxl]

Left field - have you asked if they'd sell you the jack alone?

they have sold me the jack, which has arrived with the other stuff that comes in the package
they charged me $100, the difference in price

 

[WoodWombat]

they have sold me the jack, which has arrived with the other stuff that comes in the package
they charged me $100, the difference in price

Does the jack actually fit under the car with the supplied hockey puck and does it struggle to lift the car? I customised a similar jack and the clearance is very low.

If you have not done so already, you should try and change a front wheel with the supplied tools it might prompt you to carry a block of wood to drive up onto with your flat tyre to get enough elevation to get the jack into a good spot. Scissor jacks are super weak when at their lowest level.

 

[ChopsEV]

I have purchased a new set of aftermarket rims for my Long range model 3. I have used one of the 19' originals as a spare. I am selling the other 3 for $500 each. No TPMS. Wheels are as new travelled <1000km. MSG me if your interested, in Sydney.

 

[schnaxxl]

Does the jack actually fit under the car with the supplied hockey puck and does it struggle to lift the car? I customised a similar jack and the clearance is very low.

If you have not done so already, you should try and change a front wheel with the supplied tools it might prompt you to carry a block of wood to drive up onto with your flat tyre to get enough elevation to get the jack into a good spot. Scissor jacks are super weak when at their lowest level.

good advice, thanks