Time to Replace Tires

[davem2421]

HI,

Just looking for a bit of advice and the search feature returned lots of info related to tires but I couldn't quite find what I was looking for.


A few data points

I live in South Florida
I put 100+ a day on my Tesla 5 days a week
I have a RWD LR Model 3
VIN 007xxx
18" wheels (235/45/18)

Here is my dilemma

I've been driving for 20+ years and outside my mustang (6yrs) I've always had good all season tires. A friend of mine and another Tesla owner (Model S) recommended getting summer tires as he says the handling and braking would be a noticeable difference the only downside is the tread wear would be quicker

that being said, with me putting 100+ miles a day on the Tesla does the cost of summer tires and replacing them more frequently justifies what summer tires offer and will it possibly have an effect on range (decrease)? Am I better off sticking with the stock tires for replacement?

I'm a pretty conservative driver and from time to time like to have fun but 90% of the time I let EAP do all the work. But I do drive the turnpike and during the rain, it feels like a mad max movie so having a good handling tire is pretty enticing.

I've found some pretty good tires on tirerack.com and wondering if I should order them myself or just leave it to the Service Center.

thanks appreciate the help.

 

[AlanSubie4Life]

HI,

Just looking for a bit of advice and the search feature returned lots of info related to tires but I couldn't quite find what I was looking for.


A few data points

I live in South Florida
I put 100+ a day on my Tesla 5 days a week
I have a RWD LR Model 3
VIN 007xxx
18" wheels (235/45/18)

Here is my dilemma

I've been driving for 20+ years and outside my mustang (6yrs) I've always had good all season tires. A friend of mine and another Tesla owner (Model S) recommended getting summer tires as he says the handling and braking would be a noticeable difference the only downside is the tread wear would be quicker

that being said, with me putting 100+ miles a day on the Tesla does the cost of summer tires and replacing them more frequently justifies what summer tires offer and will it possibly have an effect on range (decrease)? Am I better off sticking with the stock tires for replacement?

I'm a pretty conservative driver and from time to time like to have fun but 90% of the time I let EAP do all the work. But I do drive the turnpike and during the rain, it feels like a mad max movie so having a good handling tire is pretty enticing.

I've found some pretty good tires on tirerack.com and wondering if I should order them myself or just leave it to the Service Center.

thanks appreciate the help.

1) Summer tires will absolutely affect range. I would budget for 30Wh/mi increase, though the real amount may be less. You have to determine whether this will bother you.

2) Stopping distances are improved by more than 15% with Pilotsport 4S over the MXM4s. That’s a significant safety improvement. It would take just one accident avoided to pay for many, many summer tires, and the energy saved running the all-seasons.

3) Handling will be much improved. Often, rain performance of summer tires is superior to all-seasons.

4) Be prepared for an increase in noise if there are no acoustic measures taken in the new tire. May not be that bad. Depends on the tire choice.

5) You’ll probably notice more gravel hitting the car underbody and fenders with the summer tires, as they tend to be stickier.

6) Overall they will likely wear faster and be the more expensive option.

Really it is a personal choice.

 

[mcbarnet007]

Best tire review.

 

[mcbarnet007]

Continental Sport Contact 6 seems to have the lowest rolling resistance of summer tires. I have not tried it personally but it is ranked at the top of most categories.

 

[TampaRich]

I drive 50 miles/day and the MXMs have done very well by me. I’ve bought tires from Tesla in the past any they don’t screw you on the price. Comparable with TireRack prices.

 

[Rockster]

We just put Yokohama ADVAN Sport A/S on our 3 and are very happy with them.

 

[davem2421]

1) Summer tires will absolutely affect range. I would budget for 30Wh/mi increase, though the real amount may be less. You have to determine whether this will bother you.

2) Stopping distances are improved by more than 15% with Pilotsport 4S over the MXM4s. That’s a significant safety improvement. It would take just one accident avoided to pay for many, many summer tires, and the energy saved running the all-seasons.

3) Handling will be much improved. Often, rain performance of summer tires is superior to all-seasons.

4) Be prepared for an increase in noise if there are no acoustic measures taken in the new tire. May not be that bad. Depends on the tire choice.

5) You’ll probably notice more gravel hitting the car underbody and fenders with the summer tires, as they tend to be stickier.

6) Overall they will likely wear faster and be the more expensive option.

Really it is a personal choice.

Great info and thanks for the reply. appreciate it.

 

[davem2421]

appreciate all the replies. Good info. Thank you

 

[fataldeadlock]

Beware, summer tires are no good below 40 deg F. The slightest amount of moisture one the road with temps under 40 will cause nearly zero traction and can be very dangerous. Maybe thats not a concern in FL, but in the Midwest I cannot run summer tires between Nov-Mar.

 

[joebruin77]

Having just replaced a new Michelin Pilotsport 4S at 6500 due to a nail that could not be repaired, I highly recommend buying your tires at Costco for this reason:

Road Hazard Warranty
All passenger, performance and light truck tires sold through Costco Wholesale are covered by a 5-year Road Hazard Warranty* protecting customers against tread wear damage and tire failure. Costco Wholesale will repair or replace** tires damaged during standard legal vehicle operation.

For complete details download the Costco Road Hazard Warranty


* Warranty is subject to proper Tire Care
** Replacement tires will be provided in the form of credit toward purchase, determined by remaining tread analysis.

 

[mikelipino]

1) Summer tires will absolutely affect range. I would budget for 30Wh/mi increase, though the real amount may be less. You have to determine whether this will bother you.

2) Stopping distances are improved by more than 15% with Pilotsport 4S over the MXM4s. That’s a significant safety improvement. It would take just one accident avoided to pay for many, many summer tires, and the energy saved running the all-seasons.

3) Handling will be much improved. Often, rain performance of summer tires is superior to all-seasons.

4) Be prepared for an increase in noise if there are no acoustic measures taken in the new tire. May not be that bad. Depends on the tire choice.

5) You’ll probably notice more gravel hitting the car underbody and fenders with the summer tires, as they tend to be stickier.

6) Overall they will likely wear faster and be the more expensive option.

Really it is a personal choice.

Having just changed tires from the MXM4s to the Pilotsport 4S (LR RWD, 18"), I concur with almost all these points. While noticeable, consumption increase estimate of less than 30Wh/mi seems about right. The handling and wet/dry traction have been top notch. For example, in the rain the MXM4s would occasionally skip when accelerating from stop. I have not had that happen with the Ps4S. And they seem to corner really well. All around a fun tire to drive.

I have not however noticed any significant increase in road noise. I have 18s, so that may be a reason why.

They are fairly expensive though, both initially and by rate of wear. If you're a more casual driver, or if you have winters and aren't interested in winter tires (not an issue for S Florida, I imagine), a solid all weather tire may be a good option.

 

[JPP]

Americas Tire/Discount Tire offers a road hazard warranty too.

 

[Burrito]

I upgraded to falken Azenis for my new 20s. About half the price of pilot sport 4s, car handles so much better. Tire tests out the Michelin above the falken but not by much. Since I’m not tracking I’ll take the half price one. 245/285 tires

 

[Oil4AsphaultOnly]

We just put Yokohama ADVAN Sport A/S on our 3 and are very happy with them.

Me too!

Due to forgetting to rotate my tires, my front OEM michelins still have full tread left, while I had worn the rears down to the wear bars. Replaced just the two rears (at 19,500 miles!) with the yokohama's and surprisingly did NOT notice any increases in tire noise (despite not having any foam in the new tires).

To simplify my life, I'm thinking of NOT rotating my tires (left/right seems to be have balanced wear), and just replace the rears again in the next 20-25k miles. Am I taking too much of a risk with this strategy?

 

[Rockster]

Ha! We forgot to rotate, too. Having too much fun just driving the car. Our fronts were low enough that we just replaced all four at the same time.

As long as you don't let your fronts get so low as to be unsafe, I see nothing risky about just replacing the rears again when they're due.

 

[rhaekar]

I just put the Falkens on my new 20's too. Man, these tires are quiet! Not the best rolling resistance but it is a UHP tire. I'll take the grip and safety for some extra wh/mi. At $115 each it's amazing bang for your buck.