What tread depth do you replace your tires at? (and 2 or 4 at a time)?

[Krazaak]

That's pretty crazy! Why do the rear tires wear out so much faster??? I'm used to getting 50,000 miles from tires. I'm not going to buy a 13k tire even if the warranty is much longer. That's a huge waste of resources and creates a big disposal problem.

I've always liked Michelin, but don't see much about them for the model X. Am I just not looking hard enough? Do any tires give 50,000 if you keep your foot out of the gas pedal?

My driving style absolutely contributes to the tire wear. My prior vehicle was a BMW X6M sporting a tuned V8 twin turbo, slower off the line, but faster in the corners than the Model X P100D. Ran the same tires on the BMW, but the Tesla tires are narrower and significantly less expensive. Tire wear between the two is almost identical, BMW got 12-13k out of a set. Tires can't defy physics, but you can absolutely get longer range out of a set of tires if you drive more conservatively and pick a tire with a harder compound. It's all a compromise between driving style, performance/handling and lifespan. The DWS is an ultra high performance all-season tire, not as good handling as a summer only tire, but it's about as close as you can get and still be functional in light snow.

For what it's worth, the max performance summer tires on my BMW i8 can't be driven below freezing (they flake apart) and they only lasted 8k miles. I replaced them with the DWS as well so I don't have to garage it in the winter.

If tire life is your primary goal, I believe a square setup of Nexens is what the Model X taxis usually use.

 

[Richbot]

The ol' saw about summer tires below freezing falling apart is pretty much over with for Michelin and Conti products. Pirelli just lives in the stone age. I'll take a good summer tire at 25 degrees before any so-called "all-season" as long as it's dry.

 

[Krazaak]

The ol' saw about summer tires below freezing falling apart is pretty much over with for Michelin and Conti products. Pirelli just lives in the stone age. I'll take a good summer tire at 25 degrees before any so-called "all-season" as long as it's dry.

P Zero, could feel the tires weren't gripping in the cold. Fortunately we don't get that many days below freezing. That said, we get the occasional snow and I the benefits of a high performance all-season outweigh the negatives for me.

 

[dmurphy]

I'm at just about 28k miles, and my fronts are down to 4/32. Rears are about 6/32. Thinking I may replace all 4 tires with Nokian WR G4 SUV tires. They seem to get excellent reviews all around.

Yes, all-weather matters for us being in the Northeast. Don't really need dedicated winter tires here in NJ -- when the weather is seriously bad, I don't go anywhere -- so a good set of all-weathers should be all we need.

 

[johnbbyrne]

On my 2020 Raven with 20" wheels, the fronts were down to 2 (basically, almost bald) evenly across the tread, after 26k miles. The rears had plenty of tread (not sure of the measurement), but had to be replaced because the inside of each tire was worn at the edge uniformly, such that the steel belts were sticking out and one of them had developed a slow leak. Discount Tire said it was due to bad alignment, but the Tesla SC said it was a result of me keeping the suspension at Low all the time. They said that despite Tesla adding the "Always Low" suspension setting, it's not a good idea as it affects the camber, as the alignment is done assuming the Normal suspension setting. I had it set Low to prevent the shutter problem, and not for drag efficiency. I've developed the shutter problem anyway, so it's time to get those parts replaced with the newly-engineered ones that provide the permanent fix. Once that is done, I don't think I'd have any reason to run other than in Normal suspension except for unusual circumstances.

The only true fix comes from a 3rd party, in2itive. The SC will replace the parts but reports are that the issue comes back. I have the N2itive on my 2020 X and I have no shudder and I should have better tire wear.

 

[dmurphy]

The only true fix comes from a 3rd party, in2itive. The SC will replace the parts but reports are that the issue comes back. I have the N2itive on my 2020 X and I have no shudder and I should have better tire wear.

There was a recent update and bulletin with new parts and procedures. So far I haven’t heard one report of shudder returning when the latest Tesla parts are installed. It’s looking like we may have an actual permanent first-party fix!

 

[John in LB]

If you are down to 4/32 at only 10,000 miles, you are seriously in need of an alignment. At 30,000 miles, I was at 6/32 all around. But to answer your question, 2/32 is the lower limit (that is where the tread wear indicator limit is reached). If you are replacing for wear, 2 at a time is fine. No need to replace all four, unless they are all worn.

What is your energy utilization in the summer? That is a good way to verify your wheel alignment. You should get between 270 to 330 wh/mile (winter will be much higher)

Properly aligned and inflated, you should be able to get 40,000+/- from the standard 20 inch wheels and OEM tires. The 22 inch wheels are likely to not last that long. I was on track to exceed 40,000 by quite a bit, until I hit a brick in my driveway destroying one of the rears at roughly 34,000. I replaced both rears.

Many folks here will wildly disagree with my 40,000 expectation. All I can do is report my personal experience.

I fully agree with this assessment... my tires lasted almost 40k miles, would only replace 2 at a time as front & back are different sizes and they wear at different rates...

 

[dmurphy]

Well, just placed an order for the Nokian WR G4 tires ...

Nokian WR G4 SUV 265/45R20 -- $229.95/ea - incl. mount/balance
Nokian WR G4 SUV 275/45R20 -- $249.95/ea - incl. mount/balance

The Continental OEMs are at 4/32" front and 6/32" rear. I want a fresh set of tires before winter arrives... I know the 6/32" is early to be replaced, but I can't rotate them to the front, and don't want a mismatch between Conti/Nokian. So I'll keep at least one, maybe two, as a spare.

 

[Richbot]

Let us know what the noise situation is like, that tire is on my short list for a (mismatched, because yolo) pair for my fronts before winter.

 

[dmurphy]

Let us know what the noise situation is like, that tire is on my short list for a (mismatched, because yolo) pair for my fronts before winter.

Just had the Nokians installed Friday … so far, they’re magnificent! No noisier to my ear then the Contis, and definitely, definitely notice the grip. Exceptional tire for the price IMO. Granted I’m only 4 days in with them, but I may have my new tire brand from now on. Have to see what Nokian has that’ll fit my Model 3.

Only issue was with the install. The technician swapped the front and rear wheel on the right hand side. Had a clearance issue on the right-front that way. Whoops. Brought it right back, no problem at all. They redid the road force balancing I had done as well, so she drives smooth as silk. Really pleased!

 

[daltonbourne07]

You can check the status of your car tires by measuring the tire tread depth with a penny. Using 2/32 inches as the minimum acceptable tread depth is conservative. Other sources would suggest following the 4/32 tire tread percentage rule instead. Waiting for the tire tread depth to go down to 2/32 inches with a minimal tire grip might be too risky, especially when the road is wet and slippery.

 

[daltonbourne07]

The penny test is proven to be reliable, even without a gauge. You need good eyesight to inspect whether Lincoln’s head from the penny is still visible.