Wheels and Tyres

[Power Hungry]

Hi guys, I've been lurking here a bit. My wife and I are ready to pull the trigger on an MY P (would like LR but who knows when?). We currently drive a Benz E class sedan with run-flats and believe me we've needed them on at least 4 or 5 occasions over the past 5 years. (Tradies dropping nails and screws etc)

We're in our mid to late 70's so the thought of being out at night somewhere and suffering a puncture with no spare and no run flats doesn't appeal at all. I think Tesla recommend calling roadside assist for flats but we're in Noosa Heads and it could be hours for service.

Has anyone solved this problem? With the MY for instance, there are few to no options for run-flats and I really don't want to spend another $5-6K on new wheels and tyres on top. It's one of the main things that's holding us back.

 

[tyrotex]

Hi guys, I've been lurking here a bit. My wife and I are ready to pull the trigger on an MY P (would like LR but who knows when?). We currently drive a Benz E class sedan with run-flats and believe me we've needed them on at least 4 or 5 occasions over the past 5 years. (Tradies dropping nails and screws etc)

We're in our mid to late 70's so the thought of being out at night somewhere and suffering a puncture with no spare and no run flats doesn't appeal at all. I think Tesla recommend calling roadside assist for flats but we're in Noosa Heads and it could be hours for service.

Has anyone solved this problem? With the MY for instance, there are few to no options for run-flats and I really don't want to spend another $5-6K on new wheels and tyres on top. It's one of the main things that's holding us back.

If you don't wish to muck about with self repairs, then Tesla roadside assist is your first option. If they cannot get to you in a reasonable time, then in Noosa Heads you should be able to get towing with RACQ reasonably easily.
I've have put together all the kit I'd require to fix a nail/screw leak. It adds up to quite a bit of gear (jack pucks, jack and associated spanners, tyre plugs, etc). I've also just bought a pair of ramps to get my M3 Tesla to a height to be able to use the jack, though an MY may not need that.
Despite all of that, I'd be unable to do anything that required the replacing the wheel (torque wrench, etc).
I'm in a similar age bracket to you and had Iknown all of this earlier, I'd just have gone with roadside assist (whether from Tesla or a motoring association) - even though I live in rural Tasmania, which is a lot more isolated than Noosa Heads. :-}
A recent post in the Tesla Owners Tasmania Facebook group (a private group you may not feel like joining) showed that Tesla Roadside *can* be very helpful. Other Tesla owners can also be great. Some have loaner wheels.
Don't let it put you off the purchase, though. You'd be in the same situation with many modern cars, whether an EV or an ICE model. Many no longer come with spare tyres, even a space saver.

 

[Power Hungry]

Yes, thanks for your contribution. The frustration is that I could change wheels and tyres and get run-flats but why should I have to spend another 5-6K (or more) just to feel secure. I think it's pathetic, and an endightment on Tesla )or amny other car manufacturer) that we're faced with a situation like this. It seems like I'm the only person on earth that feels like this. It's unheard of to own a vehicle in this day and age where a flat tyre means a 3-4 hour wait for help.

Can you imagine the crap having a puncture late at night, calling a towing service to take the vehicle to a tyre repair company, then having to try and get yourself home via a cab or Uber. That is rubbish.

By the way, even though for an old bloke I reckon I'm fairly tech savvy, I will not get involved in social media.
Cheers
Tony

 

[meloccom]

Like others have said, many new cars are ditching the spare wheel. Companies like Modern Spare sell a ‘Space Saver’ type spare wheel to suit many newer cars , including for the Model 3.
I don’t have a spare wheel but have been saved a couple of times when I picked up a nail or screw as I can re-inflate the tyre with the portable pump available from Tesla and others.

 

[bobbyjae]

We carry a portable pump for minor punctures (nails, screws). If any bigger, there are patches you can buy where you remove the nail, then insert a rubber/plastic compound to seal the hole.

All of these are temporary until you can drive to a shop or home.

 

[Spalding]

Hi guys, I've been lurking here a bit. My wife and I are ready to pull the trigger on an MY P (would like LR but who knows when?). We currently drive a Benz E class sedan with run-flats and believe me we've needed them on at least 4 or 5 occasions over the past 5 years. (Tradies dropping nails and screws etc)

We're in our mid to late 70's so the thought of being out at night somewhere and suffering a puncture with no spare and no run flats doesn't appeal at all. I think Tesla recommend calling roadside assist for flats but we're in Noosa Heads and it could be hours for service.

Has anyone solved this problem? With the MY for instance, there are few to no options for run-flats and I really don't want to spend another $5-6K on new wheels and tyres on top. It's one of the main things that's holding us back.

I've never had a truly explosive tire failure in 45 years of driving. That said, it's a completely random experience, so you never know when your luck will run out. If you have a sudden catastrophic failure then you're stuck by the side of the road regardless - even run-flats have their limitations. Tesla roadside service is always available for that (perhaps with a bit of waiting).
Far more common, I think, are slow (or even fast) leaks. You can address that by keeping a portable air pump in the car at all times. Teslas have air pressure displayed on the screen so you'll be able to monitor air pressure at all times. (Which is important to maintain range, if nothing else.) I recommend getting one and keeping it in whatever car you drive. As you won't be going to a gas station anymore, it's all the more important to be able to do that tiny bit of maintenance yourself. And when you get a low tire pressure warning or see a tire losing pressure you can fill it up anywhere, including the side of the road, and probably get enough enough mobility to get to a repair shop.

 

[Onshore]

Hi guys, I've been lurking here a bit. My wife and I are ready to pull the trigger on an MY P (would like LR but who knows when?). We currently drive a Benz E class sedan with run-flats and believe me we've needed them on at least 4 or 5 occasions over the past 5 years. (Tradies dropping nails and screws etc)

We're in our mid to late 70's so the thought of being out at night somewhere and suffering a puncture with no spare and no run flats doesn't appeal at all. I think Tesla recommend calling roadside assist for flats but we're in Noosa Heads and it could be hours for service.

Has anyone solved this problem? With the MY for instance, there are few to no options for run-flats and I really don't want to spend another $5-6K on new wheels and tyres on top. It's one of the main things that's holding us back.

I guess the first question is, even if you had a spare, would you be happy, for example, to change the wheel in the breakdown lane of a 110kph motorway?

More and more vehicles are now shipping without spare tyres. There was a study done of thousands of end-of-life cars at wrecking yards, and they found that the spare tyre in 95% of cars had never been used.

What I think most of us with Teslas are doing is as follows:

Buy a small compressor. The Windgallop is popular https://www.amazon.com.au/WindGallop-Compressor-Automobiles-Basketball-Inflatables/dp/B081YVKGLP

This will help you with slow leak punctures to get the car to a garage.

You'll need one anyway to keep your tyres inflated througout the year, since you won't be visiting petrol stations.

If you're up for it, also buy a plug kit, which will allow you to fix a simple puncture in about 10 minutes.

The TPMS will warn you in the event of a slow puncture, so in many cases, you will be able to get to a tyre place.

If there's a catastrophic blowout (eg from a pothole) then you'd be calling Tesla roadside, although many owners also have an NRMA road service membership as a backup (or equivalent in each state)

If you're dead keen on runflats, Pirelli makes a runlet version of the Tesla MYP tyre:

Run flat™ P ZERO™ (PZ4) 275/35R21 | Pirelli

Run flat™ 275/35R21 - New P Zero (PZ4) is the latest expression of Pirelli tyre technology in the Ultra High-Performance segment for cars and SUVs

www.pirelli.com

 

[zoros]

Tesla Model 3 Road Hero Spare Wheel Kits | Carnoisseur

www.carnoisseur.com