Tires are Already Bald After 14523 Miles in Less Than 2 Years and? Is this Normal?

[Shane Qi]

Tires pictures at the end.

Got a flat tire recently. I was going to remove the tire and send it to Discount Tire to patch, but found out that my tires are severely worn after only 14523 miles / 20 months.

I never had taken close looks at my tires before because I expected them to last for at lease 3 years / 20k miles, so this is pretty shocking to me.

Is this normal for Model X OEM 20' Continental Tires (265/45R20 and 275/45R20)?

I know that it depends on a lot of factors, but I don't see myself having any special driving patterns: never used it for any kind of racing, never drove off-road, less than 200 miles towing U-Haul trailers, never carried heavy cargo.

I'm buying 4 new tires tomorrow, any suggestions on where to buy and tire selections?
I'm planning to go to Discount Tire and buy the Michelin ones w/o foam (easier to patch).


Tires pictures:

 

[DOCAL]

It's a heavy car, and has a lot of torque. It's pretty normal.

 

[patrick40363]

I go through a complete set every year on my S and 3. My S gets 12K miles and the 3 only got around 8500. Michelin warranty is pretty good if you have even wear.

 

[Shane Qi]

@DOCAL @patrick40363

Thanks for confirming this isn't uncommon.I guess that's the price we pay for electric car torque.

 

[DrComputer]

This is pretty normal. I think I got about 17K out of my first set of tires. The rear will always wear faster than the fronts but they tend to wear most on the inside of the rears. Seems like yours were worn on the outside edge so you should probably have the alignment checked when you replace them. Any decent tire shop can patch the tires with the foam and the foam tires ride much quieter.

 

[mswlogo]

I go through a complete set every year on my S and 3. My S gets 12K miles and the 3 only got around 8500. Michelin warranty is pretty good if you have even wear.

I had 9K on mine when I sold the 3 and they looked like new. Friend has a 3 with 36K miles, still going.
It it depends on which tires, how you drive and how you maintain them.

That said there are higher tread life tires out there. Not many for the X with staggered setup though.
I plan to replace my 20" Continental's with Pirelli's on my X. I ran 19" Pirelli P7+ on the Model 3, not the crappy OEM's.

 

[Shane Qi]

This is pretty normal. I think I got about 17K out of my first set of tires. The rear will always wear faster than the fronts but they tend to wear most on the inside of the rears. Seems like yours were worn on the outside edge so you should probably have the alignment checked when you replace them. Any decent tire shop can patch the tires with the foam and the foam tires ride much quieter.

I had Tesla do the annually maintenance 9 month ago (1 year mark). They did alignment and I didn't touch them, how often do I need alignment?

I've heard mixed messages regarding foamed tires, a lot of people said Discount Tire won't patch foam tires nor plug them.
That's why I want non-foam tires to avoid the complication. But I can check with them when I buy the new set, if they says they are good with patching foam tires, I don't against foam tires.

 

[Shadious]

Check Discount Tires Direct .com. Great prices on tires and they have road hazard warranty plans if that is your thing. They will ship directly to your installer and will often beat their best price any about 25-35% or more.

 

[patrick40363]

I had 9K on mine when I sold the 3 and they looked like new. Friend has a 3 with 36K miles, still going.
It it depends on which tires, how you drive and how you maintain them.

That said there are higher tread life tires out there. Not many for the X with staggered setup though.
I plan to replace my 20" Continental's with Pirelli's on my X. I ran 19" Pirelli P7+ on the Model 3, not the crappy OEM's.

I have good quality tires. It depends on the roads. I always take care of my tires. If you lived where I do you would go through the tires just like I do.

 

[mswlogo]

I have good quality tires. It depends on the roads. I always take care of my tires. If you lived where I do you would go through the tires just like I do.

You can have quality tires with short tread life or long tread life. 8500 miles is ridiculously short life span, and not normal in the least.

 

[Terthen]

Tires pictures at the end.

Got a flat tire recently. I was going to remove the tire and send it to Discount Tire to patch, but found out that my tires are severely worn after only 14523 miles / 20 months.

I never had taken close looks at my tires before because I expected them to last for at lease 3 years / 20k miles, so this is pretty shocking to me.

Is this normal for Model X OEM 20' Continental Tires (265/45R20 and 275/45R20)?

I know that it depends on a lot of factors, but I don't see myself having any special driving patterns: never used it for any kind of racing, never drove off-road, less than 200 miles towing U-Haul trailers, never carried heavy cargo.

I'm buying 4 new tires tomorrow, any suggestions on where to buy and tire selections?
I'm planning to go to Discount Tire and buy the Michelin ones w/o foam (easier to patch).


Tires pictures:

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My first said of Continentals lasted about 20k miles. I got Pirelli Scorpion Verde A/S Plus from Discount Tire. I am not a performance driver by any means but these seem solid as a good all around tire for driving the family around. They did not send to impact range or road noise much at all. I'm going to get these again the next time I need to change them as they were about half price ($970) the stock tires when I got them.

Just had tire changed on my 3 at discount tire also. They did a great job making it contactless. I paid online and even stayed in my vehicle during the tire change (20 min).

 

[Shane Qi]

My first said of Continentals lasted about 20k miles. I got Pirelli Scorpion Verde A/S Plus from Discount Tire. I am not a performance driver by any means but these seem solid as a good all around tire for driving the family around. They did not send to impact range or road noise much at all. I'm going to get these again the next time I need to change them as they were about half price ($970) the stock tires when I got them.

Just had tire changed on my 3 at discount tire also. They did a great job making it contactless. I paid online and even stayed in my vehicle during the tire change (20 min).

That’s awesome, thanks for sharing!

The only problem left for me is that I can’t even drive the car to the 1 mile away discount tire because the flat tire is completely flat. I’ll figure something out with them tomorrow.

 

[blitzpa]

I think that's normal. The X is heavy and has high torque. Mine stays in Ludicrous mode so the original Conti's only lasted until about ~15K in the rear. I read a rumor that the OEM tires might wear faster due to cheaper design.. but I doubt that. I'm running seasonal Michelins and Pirelli's now but I have no expectations that I will get anywhere near normal tread life with the X. I've accepted it as an increased expense for a performance EV.

 

[jerry33]

It's normal only if the alignment isn't correct or the tire pressure is too low. I don't believe that the Service Centre aligns the cars on delivery and it's very easy for the alignment to be knocked out during transit.

 

[DCGOO]

That’s awesome, thanks for sharing!

The only problem left for me is that I can’t even drive the car to the 1 mile away discount tire because the flat tire is completely flat. I’ll figure something out with them tomorrow.

That is what Tesla Emergency Road Service is for. They will come to your car, give you a loaner wheel and get you on your way. Free (included). You will have to return the loaner to Service Center. Alternatively, you might be able to get them to flatbed your car to Discount Tires, since it is close.

 

[ShawnA]

Hi Shane Qi,

I just replaced my Continental tires today.
Original tires on March 2018 Model X 100 D.
They had a little over 30,000 Miles on them...
Suspension setting on Low.
Tesla performed the 4 wheel alignment on them.

I drive medium... They have been from Southern Michigan to Montreal
and from Southern Michigan to South Florida.

My lifetime average is about 375 Wh/Mile.
This information on TeslaFi may help to determine how hard you drive...

My tire place removed 2 screws and a nail from one tire and patched
or really plugged them all at the same visit.
So, the foam tires can definitely be patched.

Good luck,

Shawn

 

[Shane Qi]

That is what Tesla Emergency Road Service is for. They will come to your car, give you a loaner wheel and get you on your way. Free (included). You will have to return the loaner to Service Center. Alternatively, you might be able to get them to flatbed your car to Discount Tires, since it is close.

That's smart, thanks for chiming in!

I've used them for one time before, but this time I chose to take off the flat one myself and take it to shop to get it fixed, because of multiple reasons.

 

[Shane Qi]

Hi Shane Qi,

I just replaced my Continental tires today.
Original tires on March 2018 Model X 100 D.
They had a little over 30,000 Miles on them...
Suspension setting on Low.
Tesla performed the 4 wheel alignment on them.

I drive medium... They have been from Southern Michigan to Montreal
and from Southern Michigan to South Florida.

My lifetime average is about 375 Wh/Mile.
This information on TeslaFi may help to determine how hard you drive...

My tire place removed 2 screws and a nail from one tire and patched
or really plugged them all at the same visit.
So, the foam tires can definitely be patched.

Good luck,

Shawn

Thanks for the info! I have similar lifetime average efficiency. I had been at 375 Wh/Mile for a long time since I had taken delivery. Then I slowed down a little bit and got the number down to ~350 Wh/Mile.

Seems like the treadwear can be very different for everyone. My Continentals are gone for good, will try different tires in the future to find the best for me.

 

[ShawnA]

Hi Shane Qi,

Since your average efficiency and mine are equal,
I would offer another possibility.
I am north where the average annual temperature has to
be much lower than in Dallas.
From our chemistry and physics we know reactions generally
proceed faster at elevated temperatures...
Your heat and ozone may be deteriorating your tires faster...

Please keep us posted on the performance and life of the replacements.

Shawn

 

[Shane Qi]

Hi Shane Qi,

Since your average efficiency and mine are equal,
I would offer another possibility.
I am north where the average annual temperature has to
be much lower than in Dallas.
From our chemistry and physics we know reactions generally
proceed faster at elevated temperatures...
Your heat and ozone may be deteriorating your tires faster...

Please keep us posted on the performance and life of the replacements.

Shawn

I had the same theory of the temperature, the Discount Tire guys also mentioned our Texas temperature really can do a number on tires.

Sure thing, will report back on the new tires.
BTW the new tires are Michelin Pilot Sport 4 SUV.