Tesla 2022 Model 3 Tires

[android04]

Not sure if it has been changed, but when the Model 3 Performance first came out and had the option for 20" tires, they were a 92 load rating. So I remember reading multiple accounts of people going to tire shops and them refusing to work on the tires because "the load rating didn't match the requires specs". Maybe sometime with a Performance with 20" wheels can chime in.

Edit to add confirmation about the Performance 20" wheels having tires with load rating of 92 as OEM, which is enough to meet the axle weight rating 20” Uberturbines on LR RWD Model 3

 

[Lindenwood]

My M3P GAWR is highest in the rear at 2771lb. Half of that is 1386. Thus, anything higher than 92 Load Index (1389lb) is not necessary other than to assuage uncertainty derived only from scrolling too long on the internet.

Also, just so we are all on the same page, a 1389 load index doesn’t mean it will blow up at 1390lb. You could probably drive such a tire for 30k miles (at appropriate tire pressures) at 1500lb and be fine. DOT builds in not-insignificant safety margins for all of this stuff. Match the stickers/labels and move on!

*edit*

Just skimming through various tires in our sizes, you actually have to be going pretty far out of your way to find tires that aren’t rated for our GAWR.

 

[3sr+buyer]

Can anyone who got the Hankook Kinergy GT H426 tires as OEM tires post the load and speed ratings of the tires on the car? Also, if there is any marking suggesting that the tires are special-for-Tesla?

It could be that this is a new special-for-Tesla variant of the tire that has not yet been posted on the web sites of Hankook or tire retailers.

 

[E90alex]

Can anyone who got the Hankook Kinergy GT H426 tires as OEM tires post the load and speed ratings of the tires on the car? Also, if there is any marking suggesting that the tires are special-for-Tesla?

It could be that this is a new special-for-Tesla variant of the tire that has not yet been posted on the web sites of Hankook or tire retailers.

Someone posted a pic in the Model 3 LR waiting room thread but I don’t want to dig for it. They were 94V rated.

 

[Tinkerin]

That is not the load or speed rating. The photo shows the DOT manufacturing identifier and the week of manufacturing (week 11 of 2022).

You should see something like 94V or 98W after the tire size, where the number is the load index and the letter is the speed rating.

See What Do the Numbers on a Tire Mean?

Sure enough:

V rated tire afterall. Thanks for enlightening me!

 

[holmgang]

read the manual:

Model 3 Owner's Manual | Tesla

Determine loading capacity limits for your vehicle and how to calculate the capacity limits.

www.tesla.com

Model 3 Owner's Manual | Tesla

Understand the various wheel and tire specifications for your vehicle.

www.tesla.com

 

[3sr+buyer]

read the manual:

Model 3 Owner's Manual | Tesla

Understand the various wheel and tire specifications for your vehicle.

www.tesla.com

Seems like Tesla is not consistent in how it writes tire specifications.

In the owner's manual page linked above, it specifies P-metric (P in front of the size, as in P235/45R18), but on the tire label on the door jamb, the P is left off, implying Euro-metric (which often has a higher load index). And neither the manual nor the tire label lists the actual load index required, unlike the tire labels on some other cars.

 

[threeputts]

Another datatpoint:

 

[davidmaciv]

 

[Jeremy3292]

94 rating = 1,477 lbs rated per tire
1,477 x 4 tires = 5,908 lbs total rated
GVWR = 4,866 lbs
5,908 - 4,866 = 1,042 lbs available for passenger and cargo weight
The door placard is more conservative and says not to exceed 826 lbs in passenger and cargo weight.

I am however curious as to why these tires don’t appear to carry an XL load range rating, which would be required for a 42 psi tire.

 

[3sr+buyer]

94 rating = 1,477 lbs rated per tire
1,477 x 4 tires = 5,908 lbs total rated
GVWR = 4,866 lbs
5,908 - 4,866 = 1,042 lbs available for passenger and cargo weight
The door placard is more conservative and says not to exceed 826 lbs in passenger and cargo weight.

I am however curious as to why these tires don’t appear to carry an XL load range rating, which would be required for a 42 psi tire.

GVWR is the fully loaded weight of the vehicle, so the curb weight is 4,040 pounds if the maximum load is 826 pounds out of a GVWR of 4,866 pounds.

But note that cars usually have tires with load ratings significantly higher than 1/4 of the GVWR, since they must account for inflation pressures (the pressure specified by the car may not be the one that allows the tire to hold maximum load) and weight distribution (the front or rear end of the car may have more of the weight, or the load in the car may not be distributed evenly). Add a margin of safety because many drivers let their tires get underinflated, resulting in lower load capacity for the tires, among other less safe results.

For SL and XL ratings, the SL load rating is based on 36psi, but the tire can still be capable of holding higher pressure. The XL rating means that the tire can handle a higher load at 42psi, but can be capable of holding higher pressure. For 235/45R18, SL tires appear to have load index of 94, while XL tires appear to have load index of 98.

 

[markc2]

I am going to pick up our M3 LR, it's coming with Hankook tires. V speed rating along with E4 marking. I think I drove a RWD one with hankook and it felt fine. really looking forward to getting the car, happy to get the new headlights considering I drive on mountain roads!

 

[cbmilehigh]

Not sure why you guys want the MXM4. It's a pretty subpar tire besides efficiency. They last 15k-25k miles and have poor stopping distance in both the dry and the wet. Hankook makes some great tires. I haven't had a chance to test these yet, but I would not be surprised if they are an upgrade in most if not all ways.

My 2018 LR came with Michelin Primacy and I'm at 35,000 miles now and expect to replace them in a few thousand miles

 

[MasterC17]

My 2018 LR came with Michelin Primacy and I'm at 35,000 miles now and expect to replace them in a few thousand miles

Impressive, that is certainly an outlier scenario.

 

[cbmilehigh]

Impressive, that is certainly an outlier scenario.

Well, I'm and old guy who drives like one. When I first got the car I would slam on the go pedal, but not so much now

 

[Bouba]

My MIC M3LR 2021 has Michelins rated at 186mph !!!!

can’t wait to try that

 

[texas_star_TM3]

Impressive, that is certainly an outlier scenario.

no. it's not. I could have driven my MXM4s to ~30k miles and still be more than the wear bars. The Hankooks are cost cutting measures and let's not sugar coat it. They are over $100+ cheaper/ tire on aftermarket and likely even much more at factory. In the tire manufacturer hierarchy Hankook doesnt even make the Top 5... that would be Michelin / Pirelli / Conti / Goodyear / Bridgestone ...

 

[texas_star_TM3]

Not sure why you guys want the MXM4. It's a pretty subpar tire besides efficiency. They last 15k-25k miles and have poor stopping distance in both the dry and the wet. Hankook makes some great tires. I haven't had a chance to test these yet, but I would not be surprised if they are an upgrade in most if not all ways.

lol. based on what? the Hankook's have lower specs in terms of weight and speed rating (= cheaper to manufacture) and the reviews on Discount Tire and Tire Rack are noticeably worse than the MXM4s. They are also *much* cheaper aftermarket than the Michelin's and don't even have acoustic foam like the MXM4s or the P Zero Elect ...

so in short: lower weight and speed rating, more noise, cheaper tire from a second tier manufacturer = cost cutting for shareholders

 

[Bouba]

Does anyone have an opinion about foam lined tires? The foam is used as deadening road noise...I’ve heard (on YouTube) that they don’t work...and that you cannot inject your flat tire with mousse in an emergency if it’s foam lined tires...I don’t know how true any of that is

 

[3sr+buyer]

and don't even have acoustic foam like the MXM4s or the P Zero Elect ...

There are five versions of the Hankook Kinergy GT in 235/45/18. One of them has the foam inner liner. Tire Rack says that this one is an OEM tire for the Model 3.