True or False: Tires on a Model S wear out faster due to the increased vehicle weight

[Khatsalano]

How to maximize tire life:

- drive slowly and accelerate conservatively ... most of the time. C'mon, you own a Tesla so you have to enjoy it a little bit.
- take corners slowly
- apply brakes, regen or friction, with anticipation so you can have a smooth deceleration curve instead of jerky stops
- don't weight down the car with unnecessary things like that golf bag that you permanently leave in the back, "just in case"
- buy a manual tire gauge off Amazon and rotate when you see uneven wear: Amazon.com: Milton 448 Tread Depth Gauge: Automotive

 

[David29]

The weight *should not* be an issue, if the manufacturer correctly chose the tire size and tire pressures. Different tires for different demands, including weight. Each tire model has a weight rating. You won't find the same size tires on a lighter car. Tesla Model S tires are much larger than other, lighter cars I have owned, as I would expect.
But the other factors -- Torque, handling, braking, driving style -- will indeed influence tread life.

 

[JohnQ]

I would categorize this as "mostly false." It is a factor, but many other factors also affect tread life. Assuming the same tread compound, and in no particular order:

Driving habits (acceleration, cornering, etc)
Inflation
Alignment/suspension geometry
Road surface
Ambient temperature

I'm sure there are some I missed.

 

[stevezzzz]

You might want to skim some of the 58 pages in this thread:

Negative Camber in the Rear and Expensive Tires

Bottom line (for RWD cars, anyway): make sure your alignment is good (particularly rear toe) and rotate your tires as needed.

 

[jcoverton]

The tires on my 26,000 lbs motor home have lasted 60,000 miles. I don't think the vehicle weight or what you carry impacts tire wear. Tires have different compounds, some are soft and give better handling. I get less than 20k miles on my BMW tires. Different compounds can give better efficiency,lower noise, longer life, are better in snow, are better in rain.... You can only get so much of each characteristic depending on the rubber used. Tesla selected tires that had good efficiency, the 19" tires have good efficiency and winter traction. The 21" tires have good efficiency and good handling at the expense of tire life.

EVs decelerate using both regenerative and friction brakes. I am not an expert but logically I can't see how regenerative braking has any more impact than friction brakes. I find am slowing sooner and slower with the Tesla than I used to with the BMW. One pedal driving is so much easier and smoother.

 

[Ldub22]

Not to totally disagree with this thread, but you guys are way too conservative for me. I understand that it would be nice to have long tread life, but look at yourselves! The only thing that will really extend the life of your tires is to drive slowly, accelerate slowly, take turns gently, brake gently with long distances, and have the SC dial back your camber.

Snooze alert! I'm sorry, but that is WAY to boring of a way to live. Enjoy your car! So you have to change tires a little more frequently? That means you are having fun!

 

[boonedocks]

Just had EVie in for a few very minor issues. The invoice provided back said I have 7/32 all the way across the front and 8/32 outer & center and 7/32 inner on the rears. I had just turned over 11,000 miles at that service. According to Tire Rack, 4/32 is a good comfort level for areas that experience heavy rains so I'll probably stick with that as my guide line for replacement. I guess I am about 1/2 way there unless the last 1/2 of the tread wear is slower than the first 1/2.

21" Factory Tesla Wheels with ContiSilent tires.
Service center recommended not to rotate quite yet and they have not been rotated as of yet either. Wearing very smoothly and evenly for me.

 

[tstafford]

Powerful cars (light or heavy) tear up tires. My F-cars were all extremely light compared to my MS and they went thru rears in 8-10K miles. I anticipate replacing tires on my MS about every 12-15K miles given how I drive it and the compound of the Primacy tires.

 

[jerry33]

Tires wear out faster (on any car) due to:

1. Poor pressure maintenance

2. Poor alignment (particularly toe)

3. Higher performance tire design

4. Performance driving style

5. Road construction

6. Road conditions (lots of hills and turns)

Weight isn't a factor. Truck tires can last up to almost 400,000 miles if everything is just right. And trucks weigh far more than any car and have far larger engines. The only time weight would be a factor is if the tires specified had too little carrying capacity.

 

[kenkamm]

I had the factory dial back the camber to the minimum factory spec and it helped a lot with my rear tires. Much more even and longer wear. I have not noticed any change in handling and I am fairly aggressive at cornering.

Interesting, because the rear camber is not adjustable on the Model S. It's fixed. The only adjustment available in the rear is toe.

 

[AmpedRealtor]

Interesting, because the rear camber is not adjustable on the Model S. It's fixed. The only adjustment available in the rear is toe.

Tesla installed camber bolts in my car to reduce the camber. Some in the forum have said that the bolts are sloppy and shift, but my service center said that is not the case. My camber bolts, according to service, are rock solid and have been checked during two annual services and no issues. I have incredibly even wear on my tires and local service told me that due to the incredibly even wear, I can skip every other rotation. I still have them check, but they tell me to come back in another 5,000 miles!

 

[ljwobker]

ALL other things being equal, more weight on the tires will increase the rate that they wear out, but only by a small amount. But I think in general the other things that are NOT equal have a much greater impact on tire life. The main things are the tread compound and how much acceleration/deceleration the tires are subject to, which is basically "how aggressively you drive".

 

[rogbmw]

My original 21 inch Michelins have 28,000 miles on them now, and I expect to go over 30 before looking at replacing. I was fortunate that the service center did an alignment shortly after I took delivery of the car in 2/2013 due to a pulling issue, and the tires have worn well. They are rotated every 4k - 5k miles.