Tires! A Cautionary Tale

[blissdancer]

If only my new refreshed S had ANC...

Today I was told that by Tesla service that their tires have added road grip that other tires so not. I know nothing about tires. Are there other tires that are not from Tesla that have this extra grip? Are there other tires that have extra grip and acoustic foam that don't cost 400$? Also told not to use sealant in acoustic foam tires. Why does Tesla sell a sealant kit and sealant replacement if it should not be used in an acoustic tire? I am totally confused and leaving on a cross country road trip in a month. The Tesla sealant repair is not available. Does anyone else have a recommendation for a kit that can be used in acoustic tires? Or can they only be plugged from the outside? Help please.

 

[OCJeff]

Today I was told that by Tesla service that their tires have added road grip that other tires so not. I know nothing about tires. Are there other tires that are not from Tesla that have this extra grip? Are there other tires that have extra grip and acoustic foam that don't cost 400$? Also told not to use sealant in acoustic foam tires. Why does Tesla sell a sealant kit and sealant replacement if it should not be used in an acoustic tire? I am totally confused and leaving on a cross country road trip in a month. The Tesla sealant repair is not available. Does anyone else have a recommendation for a kit that can be used in acoustic tires? Or can they only be plugged from the outside? Help please.

Tires are tires. They are all rated on how they perform under certain conditions. Foam is foam. You don't need tires with foam, you tube reviews show minimal acoustic enhancement.

"Extra grip" sounds like "underbody coating" and "paint sealant" you'll get sold by a traditional auto dealer.

Also, this kit was recommended. I've never patched a tire yet, but I have this kit in case I ever need to try.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07G252DCC

 

[dawnerd]

Similar story. Guy at Sams Club thought my tires were run flat but let me go into their bay to show them they can just pull the foam back and plug it. He was hesitant but didn't seem to care once he realized it was no big deal. Sometimes these people just need a little education.

 

[Daniel L]

Today I was told that by Tesla service that their tires have added road grip that other tires so not. I know nothing about tires. Are there other tires that are not from Tesla that have this extra grip? Are there other tires that have extra grip and acoustic foam that don't cost 400$? Also told not to use sealant in acoustic foam tires. Why does Tesla sell a sealant kit and sealant replacement if it should not be used in an acoustic tire? I am totally confused and leaving on a cross country road trip in a month. The Tesla sealant repair is not available. Does anyone else have a recommendation for a kit that can be used in acoustic tires? Or can they only be plugged from the outside? Help please.

Added road grip... Tesla's custom OEM tire is the only one that has an A rating for traction when all the others have AA rating (this is measured by testing braking deceleration G force on a wet surface) https://www.tirerack.com/tires/Spec.jsp?tireMake=Michelin&tireModel=Pilot+Sport+All+Season+4

So in summary, Tesla tires, at least in this instance, have the LEAST amount of grip Anyways, this is likely due to the fact that the compound is significantly harder to reduce rolling resistance. They make the tires have slightly less tread as well, probably because they wear slower from the harder compound) and do not need to be as thick to last the same amount of time.


Also, at least in the Los Angeles area, I've had my Pirelli patched by the Tesla mobile tire service. He unmounted the tire, cut the foam, patched it, replaced the foam, and rebalanced the tire. He said he doesn't do plugs because it's supposed to be repaired the right way.

 

[jcanoe]

Today I was told that by Tesla service that their tires have added road grip that other tires so not. I know nothing about tires. Are there other tires that are not from Tesla that have this extra grip? Are there other tires that have extra grip and acoustic foam that don't cost 400$? Also told not to use sealant in acoustic foam tires. Why does Tesla sell a sealant kit and sealant replacement if it should not be used in an acoustic tire? I am totally confused and leaving on a cross country road trip in a month. The Tesla sealant repair is not available. Does anyone else have a recommendation for a kit that can be used in acoustic tires? Or can they only be plugged from the outside? Help please.

Don't know about extra grip but you can purchase the same tires that Tesla uses to equip the Model Y from Tirerack.com For the 19" Gemini wheels, the current OE tire is the Continental Procontact RX size 255/45R-19 XL 104Y. If you look up this tire on Tirerack there are actually three variations labeled T0, T1, T2. T0 is the original Tesla tread pattern, T1 and T2 are later iterations of the tire. Perhaps Tesla service was noting that only the T0 version is the original tread design. This tire includes the ContiSilent foam sound treatment technology which can slightly reduce the boominess of the tire when driving.

The Tesla Tire Repair Kit is out of stock on the Tesla.com site, not sure when it will be available. No great loss. What you would want instead is a 12V tire inflator pump and a tire plug kit. The tire inflator may enable you to add air to the tire and drive to a repair shop where the tire can be repaired. Plugging a tire requires a lot of physical force (don't let anyone tell you otherwise.) If plugging a rear tire you pretty much need to first remove the wheel from the vehicle to repair the puncture to be able to get enough leverage to ream out the puncture hole and insert the plug.

I suggest that if you have not done so go to Discount Tire aka America's Tires and purchase their extended tire warranty for your tires. You can purchase the Discount Tire warranty even if your tires are not new. That way, if you have a puncture or blowout, Discount Tire will repair the tire for no charge, even replace the tire if needed.

The last option is Modern Spare. They can sell you a spare tire kit for the Model Y. This product often has long lead times for delivery so you if you want to purchase the Modern Spare kit do so right away.

 

[Pianewman]

jcanoe: "Plugging a tire requires a lot of physical force (don't let anyone tell you otherwise.)"

 

[OCJeff]

I suggest that if you have not done so go to Discount Tire aka America's Tires and purchase their extended tire warranty for your tires. You can purchase the Discount Tire warranty even if your tires are not new. That way, if you have a puncture or blowout, Discount Tire will repair the tire for no charge, even replace the tire if needed.

I did this last weekend here is Southern CA. It was $49.25/tire, ($197 out the door) where I live for the 20" induction tires (they also rotated my tires which I needed anyway, so saved $50 not paying Tesla for the rotation). I feel a little better now, but usually tire hazard warranties are just money makers. We'll see over the next couple of years if it was worth it.

I do also have a tire inflator I can use in case of a slow leak to get where I need to (if it holds air for a bit).

 

[loan-potato]

I did this last weekend here is Southern CA. It was $49.25/tire, ($197 out the door) where I live for the 20" induction tires (they also rotated my tires which I needed anyway, so saved $50 not paying Tesla for the rotation). I feel a little better now, but usually tire hazard warranties are just money makers. We'll see over the next couple of years if it was worth it.

I do also have a tire inflator I can use in case of a slow leak to get where I need to (if it holds air for a bit).

Tire warranties are one of the few warranties I actually buy. There is a lot of construction in my area and I’m always picking up nails, and about half the time it is too close to the side wall.

 

[Tha_Ape]

Its a PITA, but I carry a Modern Spare and their toolkit. Slime, air pimp and plugs do you no good if you have a sidewall puncture. I can have my Tire changed before roadside service is even dispatched.

Similar, but I use one of my winter/summer tires depending on the season. I'll just take 1 of the 4 with me if I'm going on a very long trip (like 2x's a year). Otherwise, I just have fix-a-flat (not even sure if that works with the foam in the tire, but any port in a storm! I also have plugs.

 

[2020]

Blew out 2 tires at once 6 months ago by a pothole. Ended up buying a set of wheel/tire combo fairly cheaply from a chap that swapped out his wheels immediately after he bought his car. As of yesterday ended up using all four of the tires. In 2 years of ownership, tires have been my largest expense on the Model Y. I guess a combination of low profile tires, weight and bad potholes are not good. I guess that's the price you pay to play.

 

[blissdancer]

Added road grip... Tesla's custom OEM tire is the only one that has an A rating for traction when all the others have AA rating (this is measured by testing braking deceleration G force on a wet surface) https://www.tirerack.com/tires/Spec.jsp?tireMake=Michelin&tireModel=Pilot+Sport+All+Season+4
View attachment 784659

So in summary, Tesla tires, at least in this instance, have the LEAST amount of grip Anyways, this is likely due to the fact that the compound is significantly harder to reduce rolling resistance. They make the tires have slightly less tread as well, probably because they wear slower from the harder compound) and do not need to be as thick to last the same amount of time.


Also, at least in the Los Angeles area, I've had my Pirelli patched by the Tesla mobile tire service. He unmounted the tire, cut the foam, patched it, replaced the foam, and rebalanced the tire. He said he doesn't do plugs because it's supposed to be repaired the right way.

View attachment 784660

Yes I was told if I get a flat to call Tesla service and they will come repair the tire just as you described. thx

 

[jcanoe]

Yes I was told if I get a flat to call Tesla service and they will come repair the tire just as you described. thx

When you are in town, Tesla contracted roadside assistance can come to you in a relatively short time if you break down or have a flat tire. It they have spare wheel available then can get you back on the road quickly. Otherwise the Tesla vehicle would need to be towed to a Tesla Service center or tire repair center. If you are away from the cities, driving on the interstate highway system help can be hours away.