Tire foam, remove or not?

[Tethlaaaa]

I'm now having this problem with BOTH sets of tires... Winter Pirelli Sottozero 3's, and All-Season Michelin MXM4's.

Do I ask my service center to figure it out, or do I just remove the foam myself?

 

[Beans4Me]

I’m Im taking my oem tires in to be mounted tomorrow. I tugged at all of the foam and decided it’s too much work to pull it all off. It’s really on there good. I’d be pulling it off in pieces and left with a ton of sticky goop inside the tire. I’ll deal with it if it becomes an issue down the road. Assuming the tires last that long. lol. I probably won’t ever buy foam tires again though.

 

[BroncoAZ]

If I were that concerned I’d bite the bullet and buy a new set of tires without foam. The Michelin Cross Climate seem very popular.

 

[Tethlaaaa]

I talked to the service center nearest to me and they said they will remove all the foams and cover it under warranty. I LOVE my service center. They are the best set of guys and girls around

 

[DomDeWild]

The biggest negative to having foam lined tires, besides the foam coming loose, is that any tire sealant you use to fix a flat will soak into the foam and not repair the leak. The tire can still be patched though. But it is odd that Tesla's own tire repair kit will not work on the stock tires that come with the car. For that reason alone, any replacement tires I buy would not be foam lined.

 

[Tethlaaaa]

The biggest negative to having foam lined tires, besides the foam coming loose, is that any tire sealant you use to fix a flat will soak into the foam and not repair the leak. The tire can still be patched though. But it is odd that Tesla's own tire repair kit will not work on the stock tires that come with the car. For that reason alone, any replacement tires I buy would not be foam lined.

Yeah 100%. Foam lined tires are 1 step forward, 10 steps backward.

 

[electricar]

Only slightly less ridiculous than run-flats.

 

[TSLA Pilot]

The biggest negative to having foam lined tires, besides the foam coming loose, is that any tire sealant you use to fix a flat will soak into the foam and not repair the leak. The tire can still be patched though. But it is odd that Tesla's own tire repair kit will not work on the stock tires that come with the car. For that reason alone, any replacement tires I buy would not be foam lined.

Seems like a bit of stretch, no?

The foam makes a measurable impact on road noise.

Puncture repair is easily accomplished at any tire repair shop at minimal cost, far, far less than the cost you will pay to remove the foam for a perceived fear that the foam may come loose . . . .

Leave well enough alone: the vast, vast majority of the foam-filled OEM tires will be fine, and that includes your tires as well.

 

[DomDeWild]

Seems like a bit of stretch, no?

The foam makes a measurable impact on road noise.

Puncture repair is easily accomplished at any tire repair shop at minimal cost, far, far less than the cost you will pay to remove the foam for a perceived fear that the foam may come loose . . . .

Leave well enough alone: the vast, vast majority of the foam-filled OEM tires will be fine, and that includes your tires as well.

Nowhere did I encourage anyone to remove the foam, I merely stated that the foam absorbs tire sealant. However, I should have been clearer, my next set of tires will not have foam inside, but I'll ride these out for now. Somehow for me flat tires don't happen near tire shops.

 

[electricar]

The noise reduction can be discerned in a new car. That’s why the manufacturers spend the extra money to fit foam tires; it helps to sell cars. As your car ages the minuscule amount of noise reduction becomes pointless. When I changed to no foam tires I couldn’t discern any additional noise over the wind noise etc.

 

[Iron]

The noise reduction can be discerned in a new car. That’s why the manufacturers spend the extra money to fit foam tires; it helps to sell cars. As your car ages the minuscule amount of noise reduction becomes pointless. When I changed to no foam tires I couldn’t discern any additional noise over the wind noise etc.

There are tires that are quieter based on tread pattern. I'd seek that out versus the foam fill.

 

[Lbpl]

When I bought my tesla I remembered someone talking to a service advisor about removing the tire foam from his tire because it had come loose and balled up causing an imbalanced wheel. The guy tired to get them to dismount the remaining tires and remove all the foam because he didn’t want this to happen again but they said he’d have to pay for that proactive service.

I just had my winter tires mounted and I have access to the foam on my original tires. Should I remove the foam before they get remounted in the spring or its not really a problem and I should just leave it?

Had a tire sensor fail. Took it in to Tesla who replaced the sensor under warranty (1 year old M3). Subsequently noticed a shake at highway speeds. Took it back to Tesla; found out that they don't do a wheel rebalance after sensor change. Requested a wheel balance which they claimed to do and charged me $183 for the privilege. Car still shook but now at a lower speed. Took the car to the neighborhood tire store. They did an inspection. Foam on one wheel was completely loose. Pulled out the foam and rebalanced the tire charging me $25. Car is now fine. So...did removing the tire to replace the sensor knock the foam loose? Why didn't Tesla diagnose the problem on my second trip in for wheel balance? All good questions but I am now definitely off of tire foam as a noise suppressant. Will never buy tires containing that stuff and will remove foams from remaining wheels when the opportunity arises.

 

[Tethlaaaa]

Had a tire sensor fail. Took it in to Tesla who replaced the sensor under warranty (1 year old M3). Subsequently noticed a shake at highway speeds. Took it back to Tesla; found out that they don't do a wheel rebalance after sensor change. Requested a wheel balance which they claimed to do and charged me $183 for the privilege. Car still shook but now at a lower speed. Took the car to the neighborhood tire store. They did an inspection. Foam on one wheel was completely loose. Pulled out the foam and rebalanced the tire charging me $25. Car is now fine. So...did removing the tire to replace the sensor knock the foam loose? Why didn't Tesla diagnose the problem on my second trip in for wheel balance? All good questions but I am now definitely off of tire foam as a noise suppressant. Will never buy tires containing that stuff and will remove foams from remaining wheels when the opportunity arises.

Yeah well said. Have you talked to your service center about removing the foam under warranty? I talked to the service center nearest to me and they said they will remove all the foams and cover it under warranty! I hope they rebalance after lol.

 

[TSLA Pilot]

Had a tire sensor fail. Took it in to Tesla who replaced the sensor under warranty (1 year old M3). Subsequently noticed a shake at highway speeds. Took it back to Tesla; found out that they don't do a wheel rebalance after sensor change. Requested a wheel balance which they claimed to do and charged me $183 for the privilege. Car still shook but now at a lower speed. Took the car to the neighborhood tire store. They did an inspection. Foam on one wheel was completely loose. Pulled out the foam and rebalanced the tire charging me $25. Car is now fine. So...did removing the tire to replace the sensor knock the foam loose? Why didn't Tesla diagnose the problem on my second trip in for wheel balance? All good questions but I am now definitely off of tire foam as a noise suppressant. Will never buy tires containing that stuff and will remove foams from remaining wheels when the opportunity arises.

Millions and millions of foam-filled tires installed, and a fraction of a fraction have foam failure . . . and you use that as a BIG data point to remove foam from all remaining tires?

Interesting take on how to extrapolate an edge case into questionable action, such as choosing to never buy tires with foam liners going forward.

Perhaps a better idea:

1. Take photographs of the failed foam liner to your local Discount Tire, and the tire if possible (is it still on the car).

2. Request the manufacturer make a warranty replacement of your tire at no cost, and reimburse your cost to rebalance tires.

3. This would enhance tire manufacturer's QA process through their internal warranty reviews.

4. Have a quieter car with at least one new tire . . . and money returned to your wallet.

 

[OldPro]

When I bought my tesla I remembered someone talking to a service advisor about removing the tire foam from his tire because it had come loose and balled up causing an imbalanced wheel. The guy tired to get them to dismount the remaining tires and remove all the foam because he didn’t want this to happen again but they said he’d have to pay for that proactive service.

I just had my winter tires mounted and I have access to the foam on my original tires. Should I remove the foam before they get remounted in the spring or its not really a problem and I should just leave it?

Why?

 

[DomDeWild]

"Millions and millions of foam-filled tires installed, and a fraction of a fraction have foam failure . . . and you use that as a BIG data point to remove foam from all remaining tires?"
Millions and millions is still millions. A fraction of a fraction is still a fraction. Talk about BIG data points!

 

[adamjones]

From the stock continental RX’s or whatever they were, like maybe 10%?? Think I’ve actually gotten better at timesZ It’s Probably because you start taking corners faster and more aggressively. I think people put too much thought into tire selection on EV’s.

I can say on my 23 MYP, I can very easily beat the claimed mileage, without even really trying hard. Much more effecient than my model 3. Is it the tires that do this? Doubt it. Driving style does.

I also have an S plaid, and while I can say Discuss, I can also beat efficiency ratings, it doesnt happen often lol

All comes down to how you drive in my opinion

I've rang a few local garage services and it appears they don't like to repair tyres filled with foam, so if I'm forced to purchase a new tyre so be it, but I was wondering how hard it is to clean the foam out of the tyre if I take it back and would it then be in a repairable condition as it's only 6 months old. I intend to ring my local dealer tomorrow and ask, but for now does anyone know if BMW can repair the tyre, after all they're the ones that put the tyre kit in the boot of the car in the first place instead of a spare wheel.