Al Sherman
It's about THIS car.
That's great news and a very welcome feature. Will save the company lots of money on Ranger visits.
Is 5.8 actually being pushed now?
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That's great news and a very welcome feature. Will save the company lots of money on Ranger visits.
Is 5.8 actually being pushed now?
ModelS1079
Member
I opted to NOT buy snow tires last winter, enjoying over 8,000 miles of winter driving in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont (December through March). I had the standard Goodyear 18's. As I had burned my way right through the rubber to the metal belt in the rear at 21,000 miles, I just replaced those with the new standard 18's - they are Michelins. I again do NOT intend to buy snow tires. The car drives really well in the snow. Really well. Better than our Toyota Highlander, for sure.
Not necessarily recommending this course of action (non-action), just letting you know it is an option for the Model S enthusiast not wishing to lose everyday performance for 6 months of the year, just to have a little more traction on those 8 days a year you should slow down a little anyway.
My apologies to those in the tire business.
Not necessarily recommending this course of action (non-action), just letting you know it is an option for the Model S enthusiast not wishing to lose everyday performance for 6 months of the year, just to have a little more traction on those 8 days a year you should slow down a little anyway.
My apologies to those in the tire business.
Just a warning to be careful. It's one thing to drive all seasons in the winter. It's another altogether to drive summer tires. The tire compound is different and they go really hard in freezing temperatures, resulting in negligible traction.
At what temperature threshold do you think this becomes a significant concern?
More specifically, are we talking <0F, <32F, or <40F for the OEM Continentals is danger territory w/r/t tire compound issues?
Continental suggests that 7C or 45F is the threshold temp for summer tires in cold conditions.
Here is the link: Continental Tires -Once temperatures drop below 7 °C switch to winter tires.
As high as 40F (4.5 C) can be a problem when you start out. Yes, the tire will warm up after a couple of miles at that temperature. It's a bit hard to say what the temperature that will always be an issue regards is because there are several variables like speed, inflation pressure, and whether the pavement is dry or otherwise, plus it will vary between makes of performance tires as well. I see Continental likes 45/7.
Me, I wouldn't risk it, and I wouldn't advise others to risk it unless the Model S' price equates to chump change for them.
Not sure. Generally if the tire isn't labeled All-Season assume 40F and you'll be fine. Continental's page is referring to the highs of the day being 45F. I am referring to the lows of the day being 40F.
The only real exceptions are R compound tires (DOT approved race tires for certain competition classes), however, R compound tires won't last long enough on a Tesla to be an issue unless you put them on the day of the first hard freeze
Good to know.Not sure. Generally if the tire isn't labeled All-Season assume 40F and you'll be fine. Continental's page is referring to the highs of the day being 45F. I am referring to the lows of the day being 40F.
The only real exceptions are R compound tires (DOT approved race tires for certain competition classes), however, R compound tires won't last long enough on a Tesla to be an issue unless you put them on the day of the first hard freeze
And the typical threshold for All-Season compounds is what? (Vs. dedicated winter/snow tires)
They are the same for all practical purposes for the lows in most locations (down to -40).
For the snow tires, it's the high temperatures that are an issue, a good time to remove them is when the highs of the day reach 50F (10C). However, because heat builds up faster when the tread is deeper, once the snow tires have reached the snow tire wear bar (assuming you've purchased a brand that has a snow tire wear bar--they are not mandatory for North America), you can run them out during the spring--or even better use them to take that driving school class you've been putting off. If the tires don't have a snow tire wear bar, then 6/32 inch (5 mm) is when you should stop using them for winter conditions regardless of whether it's legal in your jurisdiction or not.
The only real exceptions are R compound tires (DOT approved race tires for certain competition classes), however, R compound tires won't last long enough on a Tesla to be an issue unless you put them on the day of the first hard freeze
Actually for DOT approved competition tires, exposing them to freezing temperatures will almost certainly ruin them. I store my Roadster's A048's in the basement over the winter.
From personal experience, in freezing temperatures you can get yourself in big trouble. About this time last year I was still driving my old G37, and because I was so busy I was a bit late getting the snows installed. It was no big deal until one evening when we got just a little snow/ice on the road. The car had NO traction - I couldn't believe how terrifyingly bad it was. So I was driving on eggshells trying to limp it home, and it started spinning when I tapped my brakes at all of 30 kph (~20 mph). I just barely recovered in time - it was really close!
It probably depends on the exact tire compound. I was driving on Michelin Pilot Super Sports, which are really good wet/dry summer tires. Do NOT drive those on ice/snow!!!
Wow, lucky!
In my case no such luck - I had tapped the brake because of traffic. What saved me something I learned at the track: "Look where you want to go." It really works!
It appears my TPMS isn't synchronized with my winter wheels. It's been producing TPMS system error messages after driving a while. I thought you were supposed to be able to have two sets of tires registered?
Edit: Service says you have to reset TPMS every time you switch wheels.
Odd, though, that others have reported a different experience here on the boards. Are those reports confused or maybe there's a USA/Canada difference? Or maybe they're just being anal about the pressure threshold and not letting us use the two slots?
Edit: Service says you have to reset TPMS every time you switch wheels.
Odd, though, that others have reported a different experience here on the boards. Are those reports confused or maybe there's a USA/Canada difference? Or maybe they're just being anal about the pressure threshold and not letting us use the two slots?
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mnx
2018 M3P
People claiming that they didn't need a reset or that the Tirerack TMPS worked without syncing are confused. They didn't drive long/far enough or the car took too long to report an error. Supposedly the ability to remember 2 sets of TMPS sensors is coming in a future firmware update.
mknox
Well-Known Member
On a somewhat related thought, my TPMS threw up an error once. Not a "low pressure" alert, but something to the effect that service was required. It only happened once in a torrential downpour and cleared itself. I assumed RF interference due to all the water. I mentioned it to service and they seemed to know about an issue having to do with the receiver in the car. However, when I got my car back, they said it was because the tire pressure was too low, and adjusted the pressure in my tires. I dunno about that because I do check my pressure regularly and had never once received a "low pressure" warning. In any event, it has not given me any trouble since.
thefortunes
Active Member
I would be shocked if they add that capability in a future release. I just had long conversations with my service center and with Tesla corporate since I was trying to decide whether to buy rims or just have snows installed on the current rims. One of the deciding factors in staying with one set of rims was exactly this - that I would have to bring the Roadster 150 miles to the service center (or have a ranger visit) to have the TPMS programmed EVERY time I switched rims (or ignore the error).
Also, the TPMS module will not throw an error until exactly 20 minutes of key on. If you drive 15 minutes and then turn the car off, this cycle restarts (although on occasion the error, if triggered, would still be there at the start of the next drive). This was confirmed on my commute every day for 2 months (until I got my TPMS module replaced), as well as per the conversation with the service center.
Edit: Sorry for any confusion. My comments are ONLY related to Roadsters.
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Ok that makes sense - I was wondering about that. The two times my Model S has complained about the TPMS system I had been driving for longer than usual.
The Roadster is a lot more erratic about it. Sometimes the alert is within minutes and sometimes it takes a long time or never happens. Also it tends to "forget" your sensors if it hasn't seen them for a while. That's a bit annoying because I have a second set of wheels (didn't bother with TPMS for the second set because I use them for autocross/track and I switch back for daily driving). Fortunately it sometimes picks up the sensors when they're sitting on the tire rack in my garage, so I haven't had it forget this season.
The Roadster is a lot more erratic about it. Sometimes the alert is within minutes and sometimes it takes a long time or never happens. Also it tends to "forget" your sensors if it hasn't seen them for a while. That's a bit annoying because I have a second set of wheels (didn't bother with TPMS for the second set because I use them for autocross/track and I switch back for daily driving). Fortunately it sometimes picks up the sensors when they're sitting on the tire rack in my garage, so I haven't had it forget this season.
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