Tyres and RANGE: foam v no foam?

[sk19]

Model X Ludicrous
7-10k miles a year
UK - so no extreme temps
Need new tyres
20" wheels

I can get the proper 'Tesla' Michelin ones for £260 each or so, or some alternatives for abotu £150 or so each. Would save me a fair bit of money.

Noise

My initial Q was about noise but the excellent search function for similar threads has answered that for me: i.e. not a significant difference (added for benefit of anyone else stumbling across this thread).

Range

...but searching those other threads I see that some people talk about a 10-15% (!!!!!???) drop in efficiency! I'm not entirely sure how tyres can drop range so much but that's a huge deal breaker for me. Can anyone else comment on this - has anyone changed to non-Tesla tyres and noticed any change in range? I wonder if those people are using winter or something else, I don't know. I was thinking og just looking at what the fuel economy grading is on the Michelin ones and buying tyres with a similar or better rating so I don't lose range.

Endurance

I don't know much about tyres but I'm guessing that the more you pay the longer they last. Mine have been on for now coming up to 2 years and 13k miles. If cheaper ones are40% cheaper but will last 40% less miles there's no point, although asmy bro says a nail will ruin any tyre so may as well go cheapest!

Any advice appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

 

[Les236]

My first set lasted almost 40,000 miles, and still had tread for a lot more, but one front and one rear had tread separation, so replaced them and got a discount for the remaining tread. I have heard of others who don't get 20,000 miles. I am not sure if I am driving much different, but most of my miles are highway.

 

[sk19]

My first set lasted almost 40,000 miles, and still had tread for a lot more, but one front and one rear had tread separation, so replaced them and got a discount for the remaining tread. I have heard of others who don't get 20,000 miles. I am not sure if I am driving much different, but most of my miles are highway.

Thanks mate. By range I mean efficiency, miles range out of the battery by the way, just to be clear.

 

[StanMI]

Tires (or Tyres for our friends across the pond) are in my near future. Subscribed for opnions.

 

[mswlogo]

Ignore the foam. It does practically nothing. Think of foam as a bandaid to tire designs that are inherently noisy to begin with. There are much better tires out there. Some that do everything better for less money. But most are trade offs. But ignore the stupid foam. Foam is also a nuisance when it comes to repairs.

 

[Needsdecaf]

The foam will have absolutely no effect on range. If anything, it'll make it ever, ever so slightly worse as it increases the weight of the tire vs. no foam. It's acoustic only.

Now, having said that, even if you get a "Pilot Sport 4S T0" vs. just a generic Pilot Sport 4S, there MAY (and I say may because I have done zero research on this) be other differences in the tire. Compound, construction, etc. can all change. Even the tread can slightly change. There's a reason that there are different specs of the same tire in the same size and they cost different amounts.

Now, if you go to a completely different tire, all bets are off. Anyone saying that the foam contributed to a 10-15% reduction in range is either lying, doesn't know what they're talking about, or got completely different tires.

Don't worry about "Tesla Official" tires. Just keep researching and look for "eco" tires or "low rolling resistance" if you're after the best efficiency.

Good luck.

 

[scottf200]

Range
...but searching those other threads I see that some people talk about a 10-15% (!!!!!???) drop in efficiency! I'm not entirely sure how tyres can drop range so much but that's a huge deal breaker for me. Can anyone else comment on this - has anyone changed to non-Tesla tyres and noticed any change in range? I wonder if those people are using winter or something else, I don't know. I was thinking og just looking at what the fuel economy grading is on the Michelin ones and buying tyres with a similar or better rating so I don't lose range.

Endurance
I don't know much about tyres but I'm guessing that the more you pay the longer they last. Mine have been on for now coming up to 2 years and 13k miles. If cheaper ones are40% cheaper but will last 40% less miles there's no point, although asmy bro says a nail will ruin any tyre so may as well go cheapest!

These are the ones that I'm tracking. Range (miles on a charge) is a big deal to me as well. I bought the OEM continental in Oct '19 again before a big road trip. They have worked well for me in the Chicago area and my road trips around the USA. I'm OK to look at others if they have the acceptable range and all-season performance.

I'm looking for 'fuel efficiency' (ie. long miles on a charge in our EV world) charts but I can't find them. I don't know where I found the ones below but maybe they only show up for certain passenger tires.

 

[Harvey Danger]

Nokian WR G4 is good for low rolling resistance and longevity, and as a bonus they are ok in snow. If you can find them.

 

[KentuckyX]

If available where you are, I recommend Nexen Roadian GTX. They cost me ~$650 US for the set of 4 and I find them quieter than the foam-filled Contis they replaced. No complaints about efficiency, either.