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Tyres for S85 and S70

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I have had issues with the ride on my S85 since delivery last December. The car's stiff and somewhat underdamped ride seemed to contradict the glowing reports from the USA about the Tesla's smooth ride. In particular, my wife had a back injury and the sharp jouncing and a certain side to side sway disturbed her. We have kept our 2006 Prius as a second car and we both preferred the ride in that. Say no more.


I suspected the problem was due to the tyres that we received in Australia, which were Eagles rather than the Primacies supplied in the USA. I would have waited until the Eagles had worn out and then bought Michelins, which I have used without failure since the 1970s. The Eagles, however, seemed to be hardly wearing at all, according to both the Tesla garage and my own measurements. It looked like years before we could change. However, one Eagle recently received a sidewall slash from a nasty protruding curb in Katoomba, so instead of buying another Eagle I decided to change them all at about 11000 km.


This month I installed a set of Michelin Primacy 3ST's which Michelin says are designed for Asian and Australian markets, maybe because of our shocking roads. These tyres have many excellent reviews on the net from Australians who say they are quiet, comfortable and more efficient than most. They are not available in the USA to my knowledge.

The difference is very clear. Tyre noise is much reduced as advertised by Michelin, cornering is now smoother but most importantly, the suspension thump and sway are substantially less. My wife now is happy with the car for long trips. Now the car seems to ride like the overseas reports.


I have called Tesla and recommended that these tyres be considered for original equipment for S70s and S85s in Australia. They are touring tyres rather than performance tyres, so are probably not suitable for the ludicrous fraternity. They are currently in short supply until the boat comes in.


I still have the three remaining original Eagles if anyone has struck a nail and is interested in making an offer for one or more of them.
 
I haven't tried them on a Tesla nor heard of anyone else trying them but I think that ill plan to replace my Goodyears with Yokohama Advans. Always fantastic for grip, ride, noise and tyre life

Thanks Michael

There is a 2013 discussion comparing these two tyre brands that includes the #ST and the Advan. It is at:

TYRES Silent running - motoring.com.au


but there seem to be many varieties of Yokohama Advan available so I am not sure which you had in mind.

The Michelin Primacy 3STs are relatively new and give me great confidence in turns and in the wet. Some people on other sites claim they use less energy as well. There are some Australian reviews at

Michelin Primacy 3 ST Reviews - ProductReview.com.au

My 3STs were A$345 each fitted and balanced.

I found a lot of discussion about performance tyres and snow tyres on the TMC USA pages but very little about a long lasting 'summer' touring car tyre that improves comfort and lowers noise levels. It would be good if others who have tried non-original replacement touring tyres on their Model S could contribute their experiences here.
 
I have had issues with the ride on my S85 since delivery last December. The car's stiff and somewhat underdamped ride seemed to contradict the glowing reports from the USA about the Tesla's smooth ride. In particular, my wife had a back injury and the sharp jouncing and a certain side to side sway disturbed her. We have kept our 2006 Prius as a second car and we both preferred the ride in that. Say no more.


I suspected the problem was due to the tyres that we received in Australia, which were Eagles rather than the Primacies supplied in the USA. I would have waited until the Eagles had worn out and then bought Michelins, which I have used without failure since the 1970s. The Eagles, however, seemed to be hardly wearing at all, according to both the Tesla garage and my own measurements. It looked like years before we could change. However, one Eagle recently received a sidewall slash from a nasty protruding curb in Katoomba, so instead of buying another Eagle I decided to change them all at about 11000 km.


This month I installed a set of Michelin Primacy 3ST's which Michelin says are designed for Asian and Australian markets, maybe because of our shocking roads. These tyres have many excellent reviews on the net from Australians who say they are quiet, comfortable and more efficient than most. They are not available in the USA to my knowledge.

The difference is very clear. Tyre noise is much reduced as advertised by Michelin, cornering is now smoother but most importantly, the suspension thump and sway are substantially less. My wife now is happy with the car for long trips. Now the car seems to ride like the overseas reports.


I have called Tesla and recommended that these tyres be considered for original equipment for S70s and S85s in Australia. They are touring tyres rather than performance tyres, so are probably not suitable for the ludicrous fraternity. They are currently in short supply until the boat comes in.


I still have the three remaining original Eagles if anyone has struck a nail and is interested in making an offer for one or more of them.
That's great information!
Note that 19's come with the goodyears and 21's have continentals.
 
As a point of reference, my 70D was built in Aug 2015 and delivered Oct 2015, came with 19" Michelin Pilot Sport 3.

I have standard coil suspension. Happy with quality of ride. Although I must admit I can't recall how my two previous test drives nearly 11 months ago of the 85s with 21" and air suspension were like.


Other observations (at the risk of hijacking this thread):

Rear number plate lights seemed to be white-tinge rather than yellow-tinge: I assume those are LED
The premium interior - I was told the leather now extends to cover the part directly next to the door window glass. eg. the part of the door your elbow lean on if you wind down your window and have your elbow (illegally) sticking out of the car.
My battery pack is "C" pack - can't seem to find any reference on the web - the battery packs seemed to skip the letter C.
 
There are reports that the number plate lights were changed to a new fitting and LED a little while ago.
I can confirm that my 85D recieved this week has LED licence plate globes, a big T in the boot carpet, plusher floor mats, and some addition black film next to the rear view mirror. These are not on my july delivery S85. The 21" continentals are barely louder than the 19" eagles.
 
The more I read the more it seems that the pilot sport3 is the way to go for the 19 in wheels at changeover time.
Not sure how similar the MPilot Sport 3 is to the PSuperSport, but I seriously am stunned at how much nicer my car is to drive, now I've put them (the PSS) on.
Interestingly, as far as I know it's IMPOSSIBLE to test-drive tyres. But we pay THOUSANDS for them :)
 
Not sure how similar the MPilot Sport 3 is to the PSuperSport, but I seriously am stunned at how much nicer my car is to drive, now I've put them (the PSS) on.
Interestingly, as far as I know it's IMPOSSIBLE to test-drive tyres. But we pay THOUSANDS for them :)

I agree, it has been very difficult, but I found today a comparison of different Michelin tyre characteristics at the Tyreplus site

Car Tyres

and the Primacy 3ST score set for mileage, fuel efficiency, handling, braking, comfort, noise is......
9 9 8 9 9 9

compared to

Sport3 7 8 9 9 8 7
PS2 7 7 9 8 7 6
PSS 8 7 9 9 8 6
PSC2 6 5 10 10 5 5

On the basis of these criteria, I would not now have changed my choice of the Primacy 3ST. It is down one point on handling compared to PSS and Sport 3 but the tyre life, fuel efficiency (for range), braking, comfort and noise are all as good or better. In fact I find the handling for the 3STs very predictable, even on aggressive turning. Predictability is more important to me than ultimate G force, since for passengers the car has awkward door grab surfaces and modest seat bolstering.

Also, the PSS is roughly twice the price. Check out the site.
 
I contacted Continental Australia and just got a response that the 19 in version is not in Australia yet, but possibly early in the new year. I did not enquire regarding the 21 in and to judge from the reply, it is possible they are indeed here.
I have previously had Continental on a different vehicle and they were expensive but excellent. Gripped like proverbial s*** to a blanket. Probably no dearer than Michelin pilot sport 3 though.