Uh-oh. Forgot to rotate the tires for 38K miles!

[Mikedrives]

My wife has a 2019 M3 SR with the standard 18" wheels. Zero problems with this car except 1.) I don't get to drive it enough and 2.) I have to fill the wiper fluid every 9 or 10 months, dammit.

So I forgot about rotating the tires for, um about 2 years now, and didn't realize how quickly she's been racking up the miles. And then this week we got a warning that the tread depth on the rear tires is low. I had no idea there could be a sensor for that. (Does it compare rotation of axle to distance traveled? Impressive.)

The tires still look fine and run smooth, and the alignment is still perfect. Rear tread depth is 4/32nds, front tread depth is 6/32nds. I *have* been careful about keeping the tire pressure correct. Any reason I couldn't have my mechanic neighbor do the job? I haven't read anything about any sensors needing to be reset or recalibrated at the dealer or anything like that. It sounds like rotating diagonally for asymmetric tires is the thing to do. Thanks! And go ahead and roast me on lazy maintenance, I deserve it, but I got spoiled by how needy this car isn't.

 

[Gauss Guzzler]

No big deal, just exchange the fronts with the rears and motor on.

No need for diagonal rotation unless you have a significant L/R wear difference, which you don't seem to. TPMS sensors will figure themselves out after a short drive but you'll never know unless there's a pressure difference. A single jack can easily lift the car high enough from either the front or rear lift point to get both wheels off the ground for rotation but the rear lift point is most sensible for your RWD model.

 

[timk225]

Do you ever accelerate in your car, to make tires last 38K miles? When I first got my RWD LR 3, the rear tires were worn SMOOTH in 16K miles. I'm rotating tires every 5-6 K miles now but I still not make it to 25K on a set of tires.

I accelerate. Often and hard.

 

[Mikedrives]

No big deal, just exchange the fronts with the rears and motor on.

That's great to hear. Thanks for the tips.

 

[Mikedrives]

Do you ever accelerate in your car, to make tires last 38K miles? When I first got my RWD LR 3, the rear tires were worn SMOOTH in 16K miles. I'm rotating tires every 5-6 K miles now but I still not make it to 25K on a set of tires.

Wow, that's gotta be a record. Sounds like you're peeling out. It never occurred to me that you could put it in Slip Mode when on dry pavement- would it let you peel out?

Yes, I stomp it multiple times whenever I drive it (when alone in the car or with my daughter who loves it) but as I say, I don't get to drive it as much as I'd like to. I can't believe when I see other Teslas driving around as if they're regular cars that are bound by the laws of physics. I always enjoy that sound of the rubber stretching out and clawing to get at more pavement when you stomp it. In the 5% of the miles I've put on the car, I'm responsible for at least 1/32nd of the rubber left behind. Somebody has to keep the asphalt from bleaching out under the summer sun- just doing my part, officer!

My wife has it in chill mode all the time.

 

[MasterC17]

I can't believe the factory 18" MXM4's have lasted 38k miles.

Are you sure the tires haven't been replaced at least once? That's utterly unheard of, especially for a RWD.

 

[Mikedrives]

I can't believe the factory 18" MXM4's have lasted 38k miles.

Are you sure the tires haven't been replaced at least once? That's utterly unheard of, especially for a RWD.

Well, if you leave your car unlocked on the street here sometimes people come around and help clear the change out of your ashtrays, and some Priuses lost their catalytic converters last year, but I haven't heard of anybody changing tires on cars at night. Smooth roads around here, I guess.

I thought tires generally go 50-60K these days, no? These were stock on the M3 SR+ and I don't know how far they are supposed to go. My wife's not crazy about how they handle in the snow, but I don't know what she's expecting. I find them to be okay, and totally predictable, especially since the traction control is so good.

 

[Big Earl]

I'm also surprised and impressed that you've been able to get so many miles out of a set of tires. As mentioned above, rotating front-to-back is very simple and your mechanically inclined neighbor should have no problem doing it. Make sure he jacks the car up using jack pads to avoid battery pack damage. Also make sure he knows that the wheel torque is 129 lb-ft, which is higher than most other vehicles. I highly recommend using a torque wrench to tighten the lug nuts.

FWIW, I rotated my tires in my driveway in 15 minutes this past weekend. The car is so stiff that the entire side can be lifted with a single floor jack.

 

[MasterC17]

Well, if you leave your car unlocked on the street here sometimes people come around and help clear the change out of your ashtrays, and some Priuses lost their catalytic converters last year, but I haven't heard of anybody changing tires on cars at night. Smooth roads around here, I guess.

I thought tires generally go 50-60K these days, no? These were stock on the M3 SR+ and I don't know how far they are supposed to go. My wife's not crazy about how they handle in the snow, but I don't know what she's expecting. I find them to be okay, and totally predictable, especially since the traction control is so good.

Those tires specifically are usually good for 18k-30k miles. I guess you got a unicorn set. The 19" Continental's are more of a 50k tire.

 

[Mikedrives]

I'm also surprised and impressed that you've been able to get so many miles out of a set of tires.

FWIW, I found out I was wrong about my everlasting tires. I checked tread depth on the left side and, in the dark, the tires looked great. I went to rotate them and saw the back right tire in daylight and it was very different. Getting close to bald in the middle, with wear marks showing. Apparently the car delivers most of its power to that back right wheel, judging by the difference in wear.

In which case, rotating diagonally and front to back, alternately, might make the most sense. Single motor Model 3 SR.

 

[etekberg]

I'm surprised you only have a 2/32 diference with that many miles. I have just under 2,000 miles on my car and the rear tires are at 7/32 tread and the fronts at 8/32. I rotated them.

 

[drtimhill]

FWIW, I found out I was wrong about my everlasting tires. I checked tread depth on the left side and, in the dark, the tires looked great. I went to rotate them and saw the back right tire in daylight and it was very different. Getting close to bald in the middle, with wear marks showing. Apparently the car delivers most of its power to that back right wheel, judging by the difference in wear.

In which case, rotating diagonally and front to back, alternately, might make the most sense. Single motor Model 3 SR.

It's all those donuts you keep doing...