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I currently rotate the tires on my Jeep every 1k miles. I switch out the full size spare tire when doing this to extend the life of all the tires. 37" tires aren't cheap, but I'm finding that the tires for the Tesla could be the same price, or more expensive! I understand the Tesla most likely won't have a spare tire. Should I be rotating the tires every few thousand miles so they wear evenly, or is this something you don't even have to worry about?

Also, can someone help me out with CHAdeMO? I know it is a type of charging standard, but that's about it. Is it a quick charge version for other EV's? Is it faster than a 14-50 or HPWC? I see you can buy an adapter for Tesla. I'll probably never use one, but I'd like to know more about CHAdeMO incase there is a destination charger somewhere I might go in the future.
 
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I currently rotate the tires on my Jeep every 1k miles. I switch out the full size spare tire when doing this to extend the life of all the tires. 37" tires aren't cheap, but I'm finding that the tires for the Tesla could be the same price, or more expensive! I understand the Tesla most likely won't have a spare tire. Should I be rotating the tires every few thousand miles so they wear evenly, or is this something you don't even have to worry about?

Also, can someone help me out with CHAdeMO? I know it is a type of charging standard, but that's about it. Is it a quick charge version for other EV's? Is it faster than a 14-50 or HPWC? I see you can buy an adapter for Tesla. I'll probably never use one, but I'd like to know more about CHAdeMO incase there is a destination charger somewhere I might go in the future.
CHAdeMO is a DC fast charging system that's faster than 14-50 or HPWC, but slower than Tesla Superchargers. The 3 main DC fast charging systems are CCS, CHAdeMO, and of course Tesla. CCS, and CHAdeMO both have 25KW and 50KW rates, whereas Tesla is 135KW.

Of the battle of standards, CHAdeMO seems to be losing, as more and more manufacturers are abandoning it in favour of CCS.



 
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CHAdeMO is a trademarked high speed charger. Depending on your area, there may be many or none. check out one of the EV charger maps to get an idea if it would be useful for you.
The rate of charge from it would be more than a 14-50, and could be comparable with a higher amp HPWC. I think in the 60A range... but just like the higher amp HPWCs, if you only have the on-board smaller (or is it slower?) charger, you likely will not be able to take advantage of the amps beyond the 40A-ish range except when Supercharging (which bypasses the on-board charger).
 
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CHAdeMO is a trademarked high speed charger. Depending on your area, there may be many or none. check out one of the EV charger maps to get an idea if it would be useful for you.
1. CHAdeMO also bypasses the onboard charger. It's direct DC charging. It's much faster than any HPWC but slower than a Supercharger.

2. Unless you don't have home charging, CHAdeMO is for trips as you'll likely never charge away from home except on trips. So what you want to check is if there are CHAdeMOs (and no Superchargers) where you frequently travel.
 
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1. CHAdeMO also bypasses the onboard charger. It's direct DC charging. It's much faster than any HPWC but slower than a Supercharger.

2. Unless you don't have home charging, CHAdeMO is for trips as you'll likely never charge away from home except on trips. So what you want to check is if there are CHAdeMOs (and no Superchargers) where you frequently travel.
Thanks for the correction
 
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I currently rotate the tires on my Jeep every 1k miles. I switch out the full size spare tire when doing this to extend the life of all the tires. 37" tires aren't cheap, but I'm finding that the tires for the Tesla could be the same price, or more expensive! I understand the Tesla most likely won't have a spare tire. Should I be rotating the tires every few thousand miles so they wear evenly, or is this something you don't even have to worry about?
Haha what?

I'd rather just get new tires at 30-40k miles than deal with having to rotate them every 2-3 weeks. Damn.
 
1. Charging: Should I plug in often, or run the battery down some? Is it better for a modern battery to be recharged often? Does Tesla explain all this when you purchase the car? I have about 6 miles to drive to work. Is it a good idea to charge every day, or drive the battery down half way before charging, or it doesn't really matter?

Lithium Ion batteries should not be fully discharged too often, as a matter of of fact if you discharge a Li battery too much you damage it (you can't do this on a Tesla because the computer keeps you from bricking the battery). At the same time they don't like to stay 100% charged all of the time. The car lets you select to what percentage you want to charge and when it gets there it stops charging. 70%-80% is the sweet spot for daily driving, I only use 100% for road trips and never leave it at 100% overnight

2. Insurance: Good insurance companies for better rates? Things to be aware of?

Shop around and get multiple quotes, I was paying close to $1k/6 Months on my ICE, I got a quote from my agent on the S and they wanted $1.6k, I got quotes from multiple places and now I pay $760/6 Months on the S. also P = Higher insurance

3. Air suspension vs regular suspension: This is a question I have. Is the air suspension that much better? I'm used to a bumpy Jeep suspension so I assume the regular coils will be an improvement than what I am used to.

Air feels cloudy as in very soft, think back to big caddys, it's mostly a preference thing or if you have a driveway that your 3 won't clear. Keep in mind more moving parts to fix and a lot of S owners have mentioned servicing needing to be done around the 3 year mark.

4. Sound system: I figure that since I will be driving a vehicle with virtually no noise, I will listen to the radio more often. Can guys with the premium upgrade chime in on if it is an impressive improvement over the regular sound options?

This is very much a personal thing, I was on the same boat so I asked to sit in an S with UHF and one without. With: highs are clear and crisp lacks a little base. Without: highs are a little baffled, lacks a lot of base. keep in mind they may change this in the 3.

5. Service: Nearest Tesla station is over an hour away. I won't need to go probably more than once a year? Do you recommend prepaying for a service plan?

Again personal preference here, you do save some money but trust me when I tell you this, when you get a Tesla you find reasons to drive it

6. Warranty: I'm buying this Tesla expecting a premium car. What can I expect for warranty? I heard Tesla is very good with customer service, but I hear this from guys who have multiple Tesla vehicles. Of course they will get top notch service. Can I expect this with an M3?

All my services have been covered under warranty, for the most part I've had a good experience. I say for the most part because the Orlando SC is known to have personnel issues, but a simple bad survey (which you get after every service) and they try their best to ensure you are happy

7. Tesla App: I have a Windows 10 smartphone. Not interested in switching to iOS or Android at this time. I don't expect an app to be made for Windows. Will I be missing some awesome features by not having an app?

You'll miss out on convenience, being able to vent and start the AC on a hot day before you get to the car, seeing if it's done charging while traveling, using it as a key when you forgot your key and are too lazy to walk back in the house. If you have a programming background take a look at the REST API thread, lots of people willing to help, I built and Android and Wear app because I didn't like the official app, I also built a PowerShell script that data mines the API for stuff like kW/H used per month, miles driven, etc. There is also web services like TeslaLog, TeslaFi and EVmote for most of those features, the ladder even has IFTTT integration so you can control the car from any service available via IFTTT (SMS, email, prox, bluetooth, possibilities are endless)

8. Charging Cables: I have a 110 outlet outside my office at work. Anything wrong with charging this way with a regular extension cord? Remember, I only have a short drive to work. At home I have a 220 plug. Is it necessary to purchase a Tesla wall charger, or can I just plug into that?

110v@15A will give you a very slow charge of 2-3 miles per hour, however being that you're driving 24 miles to work, in 8 hours you'd have more than enough. being that you have a 220v at home you don't even have to charge at work, 24mi round trip will be put back into the battery in about an hour at 220v@40A. as for extensions they induce resistance in the form of heat so don't get a dinky extension cord, get something rated for more than you will be pulling through it, for example if you are planning on charging at 110V@15A get a 20A rated one, secondly resistance on top of creating heat will lower the Amps that get to your battery so somewhat slower charge. Lastly you don't need a wall charger unless you're planning on charging at a higher amperage than your 220V@? can provide, as of now Tesla gives you 2 adapters, a normal NEMA 5-15(110v@15A) and a NEMA 14-50(220V@40A), the wall charger can provide up to 100A charge (this requires a car with dual chargers which is an extra $$ option during your build and a 100A breaker in your panel)

9. Cold weather package: What is this exactly? Is it necessary for PA winters? I sometimes scrape ice off the INSIDE of my Wrangler windshield, so I'm used to the cold weather with a softop vehicle.

I live in FL so I don't know what snow is, however cold weather is a heated steering wheel, windshield, and all seats (vs only heated front seats which is the standard)


10. Vehicle SIM Card: Would the M3 have a SIM card in it so it is always connected? Who pays for this data? Is it built into the price of the car?

The Tesla MCU has a SIM card in it but you have to remove the computer to get to it, if you search the forums a couple guys have take the module out and found the WWLAN card and SIM, yes the car is always connected for Nav (using Google maps) internet radio, slacker, and most importantly updates. The jury is still out on who will end up paying for the data on it, but as of now Tesla pays for it, SCs say that Tesla pays for it forever, some press releases say Tesla pays for it for 2 years, but I have yet to see a single owner that has has to pay for theirs after 2 years.


Hope that helps.
 
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CHAdeMO is a DC fast charging system that's faster than 14-50 or HPWC, but slower than Tesla Superchargers. The 3 main DC fast charging systems are CCS, CHAdeMO, and of course Tesla. CCS, and CHAdeMO both have 25KW and 50KW rates, whereas Tesla is 135KW.

Of the battle of standards, CHAdeMO seems to be losing, as more and more manufacturers are abandoning it in favour of CCS.




Thank You, that was very helpful!
 
1. Charging: Should I plug in often, or run the battery down some? Is it better for a modern battery to be recharged often? Does Tesla explain all this when you purchase the car? I have about 6 miles to drive to work. Is it a good idea to charge every day, or drive the battery down half way before charging, or it doesn't really matter?

Lithium Ion batteries should not be fully discharged too often, as a matter of of fact if you discharge a Li battery too much you damage it (you can't do this on a Tesla because the computer keeps you from bricking the battery). At the same time they don't like to stay 100% charged all of the time. The car lets you select to what percentage you want to charge and when it gets there it stops charging. 70%-80% is the sweet spot for daily driving, I only use 100% for road trips and never leave it at 100% overnight

2. Insurance: Good insurance companies for better rates? Things to be aware of?

Shop around and get multiple quotes, I was paying close to $1k/6 Months on my ICE, I got a quote from my agent on the S and they wanted $1.6k, I got quotes from multiple places and now I pay $760/6 Months on the S. also P = Higher insurance

3. Air suspension vs regular suspension: This is a question I have. Is the air suspension that much better? I'm used to a bumpy Jeep suspension so I assume the regular coils will be an improvement than what I am used to.

Air feels cloudy as in very soft, think back to big caddys, it's mostly a preference thing or if you have a driveway that your 3 won't clear. Keep in mind more moving parts to fix and a lot of S owners have mentioned servicing needing to be done around the 3 year mark.

4. Sound system: I figure that since I will be driving a vehicle with virtually no noise, I will listen to the radio more often. Can guys with the premium upgrade chime in on if it is an impressive improvement over the regular sound options?

This is very much a personal thing, I was on the same boat so I asked to sit in an S with UHF and one without. With: highs are clear and crisp lacks a little base. Without: highs are a little baffled, lacks a lot of base. keep in mind they may change this in the 3.

5. Service: Nearest Tesla station is over an hour away. I won't need to go probably more than once a year? Do you recommend prepaying for a service plan?

Again personal preference here, you do save some money but trust me when I tell you this, when you get a Tesla you find reasons to drive it

6. Warranty: I'm buying this Tesla expecting a premium car. What can I expect for warranty? I heard Tesla is very good with customer service, but I hear this from guys who have multiple Tesla vehicles. Of course they will get top notch service. Can I expect this with an M3?

All my services have been covered under warranty, for the most part I've had a good experience. I say for the most part because the Orlando SC is known to have personnel issues, but a simple bad survey (which you get after every service) and they try their best to ensure you are happy

7. Tesla App: I have a Windows 10 smartphone. Not interested in switching to iOS or Android at this time. I don't expect an app to be made for Windows. Will I be missing some awesome features by not having an app?

You'll miss out on convenience, being able to vent and start the AC on a hot day before you get to the car, seeing if it's done charging while traveling, using it as a key when you forgot your key and are too lazy to walk back in the house. If you have a programming background take a look at the REST API thread, lots of people willing to help, I built and Android and Wear app because I didn't like the official app, I also built a PowerShell script that data mines the API for stuff like kW/H used per month, miles driven, etc. There is also web services like TeslaLog, TeslaFi and EVmote for most of those features, the ladder even has IFTTT integration so you can control the car from any service available via IFTTT (SMS, email, prox, bluetooth, possibilities are endless)

8. Charging Cables: I have a 110 outlet outside my office at work. Anything wrong with charging this way with a regular extension cord? Remember, I only have a short drive to work. At home I have a 220 plug. Is it necessary to purchase a Tesla wall charger, or can I just plug into that?

110v@15A will give you a very slow charge of 2-3 miles per hour, however being that you're driving 24 miles to work, in 8 hours you'd have more than enough. being that you have a 220v at home you don't even have to charge at work, 24mi round trip will be put back into the battery in about an hour at 220v@40A. as for extensions they induce resistance in the form of heat so don't get a dinky extension cord, get something rated for more than you will be pulling through it, for example if you are planning on charging at 110V@15A get a 20A rated one, secondly resistance on top of creating heat will lower the Amps that get to your battery so somewhat slower charge. Lastly you don't need a wall charger unless you're planning on charging at a higher amperage than your 220V@? can provide, as of now Tesla gives you 2 adapters, a normal NEMA 5-15(110v@15A) and a NEMA 14-50(220V@40A), the wall charger can provide up to 100A charge (this requires a car with dual chargers which is an extra $$ option during your build and a 100A breaker in your panel)

9. Cold weather package: What is this exactly? Is it necessary for PA winters? I sometimes scrape ice off the INSIDE of my Wrangler windshield, so I'm used to the cold weather with a softop vehicle.

I live in FL so I don't know what snow is, however cold weather is a heated steering wheel, windshield, and all seats (vs only heated front seats which is the standard)


10. Vehicle SIM Card: Would the M3 have a SIM card in it so it is always connected? Who pays for this data? Is it built into the price of the car?

The Tesla MCU has a SIM card in it but you have to remove the computer to get to it, if you search the forums a couple guys have take the module out and found the WWLAN card and SIM, yes the car is always connected for Nav (using Google maps) internet radio, slacker, and most importantly updates. The jury is still out on who will end up paying for the data on it, but as of now Tesla pays for it, SCs say that Tesla pays for it forever, some press releases say Tesla pays for it for 2 years, but I have yet to see a single owner that has has to pay for theirs after 2 years.


Hope that helps.

Thanks for all that helpful info!
 
Haha what?

I'd rather just get new tires at 30-40k miles than deal with having to rotate them every 2-3 weeks. Damn.

With the amount of driving I do with that vehicle, I only rotate them about once a month. At 130lbs each, they are heavy! Since it is 4wd, the tires wear more, and the terrain I drive on helps with that. I prefer to help them wear evenly so the spare tire tread matches all the rest.
 
With the amount of driving I do with that vehicle, I only rotate them about once a month. At 130lbs each, they are heavy! Since it is 4wd, the tires wear more, and the terrain I drive on helps with that. I prefer to help them wear evenly so the spare tire tread matches all the rest.
Right. Rotation is about having all the tires wear out evenly. This provides the best handling experience. A lot depends on your driving conditions.
 
Right. Rotation is about having all the tires wear out evenly. This provides the best handling experience. A lot depends on your driving conditions.

Driving conditions...PA roads are terrible.

WP_20160424_13_47_40_Rich_zps6goel2no.jpg
 
Had a thought about the regen on the accelerator pedal.

Other Tesla owners I've talked to have pointed out that this is the most noticeable aspect of transitioning between an ICE and a Tesla. The fact that the regen "brakes" the car as soon as you let off the go pedal, whereas ICE cars, you have to hit the brakes.

If you are used to driving manual transmission cars or grew up driving crappy 4 cylinders with limited gear ratios (like I did) then it's probably second nature to understand engine braking.

If not, and you've been blessed with driving powerful cars with good gear ratios then I would suggest going Go-Karting before getting your Model 3. Key is doing the Go-Kart loops without ever touching your brakes. Just throttle on, and throttle off. Besides understanding the regen/engine braking aspect of this, it's lots of fun!
 
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At the US national average of $0.12/KWh and a gas price of $2.50/gallon, a 50 MPG car costs about $0.05 a mile and the Model S 90D/70D costs about $0.04 a mile. Of course electrical rates are more stable and gas prices are at their lowest in over a decade.
So, you've got your Tesla sooner than me. I think you said you'd give me a ride if you got yours first.;)
 
Had a thought about the regen on the accelerator pedal.

Other Tesla owners I've talked to have pointed out that this is the most noticeable aspect of transitioning between an ICE and a Tesla. The fact that the regen "brakes" the car as soon as you let off the go pedal, whereas ICE cars, you have to hit the brakes.

If you are used to driving manual transmission cars or grew up driving crappy 4 cylinders with limited gear ratios (like I did) then it's probably second nature to understand engine braking.

If not, and you've been blessed with driving powerful cars with good gear ratios then I would suggest going Go-Karting before getting your Model 3. Key is doing the Go-Kart loops without ever touching your brakes. Just throttle on, and throttle off. Besides understanding the regen/engine braking aspect of this, it's lots of fun!

Regen is a feature I really like from my limited test drives of different Tesla models. I often engine brake with my 5 speed to save the brakes.
 
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As far as the upgraded sound system goes, in the S and the X, you have to upgrade to get XM/Sirius satellite radio capability. So it's not just about the extra speakers.

I am a huge XM radio junkie, so I will be paying the price if it stays that way in the 3. I just have to hope it's priced a bit more reasonably.

I get the appeal of XM/Sirius. In my current car, I just have HD Radio (and iPhone Ipod adapter). It's not perfect, but much better than standard radio, especially on an upgraded stereo system. :)