Winter Shoes [tyres]

[ajp558]

The black Varro wheels were purchased through a very helpful owner called Gavin Wallace on the Facebook Tesla Owners Group UK. He organised a special deal with the manufacturers before they started selling the wheels in the UK. I first heard about it on this forum in the thread titled "Wheel Sizes - Practicality" I can't link to the offer as it is a closed Facebook group, which you have to apply to join, and prove that you have a Tesla or one on order. The wheels were available in silver, gunmetal or gloss black, and 18", 19" or 20".

In September I paid £725 for the wheels to be delivered, plus another £180 for the four TPMS sensors in black to match the wheels. They were delivered in just a week or two, and i then took them to KwikFit to get Michelin CrossPilot+ tyres fitted. As other posters have said, the Tesla 18" wheels do not fit over the M3P brake calipers, and normal 18" wheels won't fit the Tesla Model hub.

Gavin did all the leg work to find a wheel that not only fits the M3P but is also much lighter, very strong and looks fabulous. He also made sure to identify the right type of TPMS sensors which work with the Tesla. I think he did all this to help fellow Model 3 owners and not for any profit.

I think the wheels are called Varro VD25X :
Wheels | Varro Wheels

 

[MrBadger]

Whilst most insurance companies will treat winter tyres as a non notifiable option, many will require non standard rims to be notified as a modification.

I went with the Tesla package as the standard rims keep insurance simple and gives me an emergency spare. Appreciate not an option for all and the Tesla pack has a cost premium for convenience, but alternating winter tyres will significantly extend the lifespan of both sets so not really doubling up on cost as much as it may seem.

 

[pgh69]

As somebody that has yet to take delivery of their first Tesla X, what is the general opinion of needing winter tyres?
I currently have my 4th X5 and never required winter tyres before and found my X5 more than stable in Leicestershire winter weather conditions.
I have used winter tyres before on my Porsche boxter that was totally undrivable in any kind or ice of dusting of snow!

 

[Turnberrydavid]

The black Varro wheels were purchased through a very helpful owner called Gavin Wallace on the Facebook Tesla Owners Group UK. He organised a special deal with the manufacturers before they started selling the wheels in the UK. I first heard about it on this forum in the thread titled "Wheel Sizes - Practicality" I can't link to the offer as it is a closed Facebook group, which you have to apply to join, and prove that you have a Tesla or one on order. The wheels were available in silver, gunmetal or gloss black, and 18", 19" or 20".

In September I paid £725 for the wheels to be delivered, plus another £180 for the four TPMS sensors in black to match the wheels. They were delivered in just a week or two, and i then took them to KwikFit to get Michelin CrossPilot+ tyres fitted. As other posters have said, the Tesla 18" wheels do not fit over the M3P brake calipers, and normal 18" wheels won't fit the Tesla Model hub.

Gavin did all the leg work to find a wheel that not only fits the M3P but is also much lighter, very strong and looks fabulous. He also made sure to identify the right type of TPMS sensors which work with the Tesla. I think he did all this to help fellow Model 3 owners and not for any profit.

I think the wheels are called Varro VD25X :
Wheels | Varro Wheels

much appreciate your response. I am not a “facebooker” but my wife certainly is so I will ask her to help out in this instance and contact Gavin

 

[MrBadger]

My reason for getting 'winter tyres'.

In the past, we have owned standard tyres. They seem to be called all season or something these days, but they use to be just called 'tyres'. Never had a significant problem in the 30+ years I've been driving. Yes, a few minor slides when icy, maybe not taking the car out on a couple of days in the last 10 years, or leaving it at end of road whilst snow thawed - normally turns to ice as people compact it whilst sliding all over the place. We live on a steep hill with an even steeper driveway.

So we had decided one bad year weather wise to get winter tyres, but thought about it too late in the season so missed the boat. Never thought about it again as during last three years, we were on the long final straight to getting a new car.

So two things made us choose winter tyre package.

We had previously decided that we wanted some so with new car, now was the time. 'Daddy accounting' said that the earlier price cut paid for the winter package - it also paid for other bits too, but that is how 'Daddy accounting' works, you can use the same saving for different things...

But the big one was the standard tyres supplied with the car. They weren't just 'tyres', they were 'summer tyres' - why Tesla why? So, never having had 'summer tyres', my thoughts were that just as a summer outfit in winter is a bad idea, summer tyres in winter may be an equally a bad idea. So nothing other than peace of mind.

Had the car come with just 'tyres', we would have done the same simply for the first reason. But as we got 'summer tyres', I'm planning on putting the 'winter tyres' them on for longer than I would have with just 'tyres'. Probably in next few weeks when average temperature drops. Nothing to do with risk of snow, but to do with keeping the tyres within recommended operating temperature range. Not sure exactly what that is, but many people say 7C - it was 5C this morning, but 10-12C yesterday. So not quite there yet. I just wished the standard tyres were 'tyres' to have a better temperature overlap. I'm sure experts will chip in here... just my normal joe thoughts.

 

[pgh69]

My reason for getting 'winter tyres'.

In the past, we have owned standard tyres. They seem to be called all season or something these days, but they use to be just called 'tyres'. Never had a significant problem in the 30+ years I've been driving. Yes, a few minor slides when icy, maybe not taking the car out on a couple of days in the last 10 years, or leaving it at end of road whilst snow thawed - normally turns to ice as people compact it whilst sliding all over the place. We live on a steep hill with an even steeper driveway.

So we had decided one bad year weather wise to get winter tyres, but thought about it too late in the season so missed the boat. Never thought about it again as during last three years, we were on the long final straight to getting a new car.

So two things made us choose winter tyre package.

We had previously decided that we wanted some so with new car, now was the time. 'Daddy accounting' said that the earlier price cut paid for the winter package - it also paid for other bits too, but that is how 'Daddy accounting' works, you can use the same saving for different things...

But the big one was the standard tyres supplied with the car. They weren't just 'tyres', they were 'summer tyres' - why Tesla why? So, never having had 'summer tyres', my thoughts were that just as a summer outfit in winter is a bad idea, summer tyres in winter may be an equally a bad idea. So nothing other than peace of mind.

Had the car come with just 'tyres', we would have done the same simply for the first reason. But as we got 'summer tyres', I'm planning on putting the 'winter tyres' them on for longer than I would have with just 'tyres'. Probably in next few weeks when average temperature drops. Nothing to do with risk of snow, but to do with keeping the tyres within recommended operating temperature range. Not sure exactly what that is, but many people say 7C - it was 5C this morning, but 10-12C yesterday. So not quite there yet. I just wished the standard tyres were 'tyres' to have a better temperature overlap. I'm sure experts will chip in here... just my normal joe thoughts.

Thanks for post vanilla and yes makes sense. When I went from normal tyres to winter tyres on my Porsche it went from something that would slide at 30 mph on a roundabout to a car that was drive-able as long as I didn't use my lead foot!

Will hopefully receive my X this side of the new year and will see what tyres it has on it? I'm looking to buy an aftermarket set of 22" so if it does come with summer tyres might well put a set of winters on the the 20" standard rims?

 

[KennethS]

Thanks everyone for your responses -- very helpful! I have gone ahead and purchased a set of the 18" Varro wheels from Gavin of the Facebook group. Now to select tyres and get them mounted and fitted.

 

[pgh69]

Thanks everyone for your responses -- very helpful! I have gone ahead and purchased a set of the 18" Varro wheels from Gavin of the Facebook group. Now to select tyres and get them mounted and fitted.

Hi Kenneth, do you mind me asking how much you paid for the wheels & freight etc as presumably these are from the US??
As a person that doesn't have facebook, how do I contact Gavin?

 

[KennethS]

Hi Kenneth, do you mind me asking how much you paid for the wheels & freight etc as presumably these are from the US??
As a person that doesn't have facebook, how do I contact Gavin?

The 4 wheels, TPMS sensors and wheel caps were £923, including delivery. Not certain where they are shipped from, but my expectation is they are already in the UK. Gavin seems a super nice guy and believe he is doing these group buys as a favour to the Tesla Owners Group UK Facebook community. If there is any profit in it, I can’t imagine it is much more than compensation for headache value. I abhor Facebook but find it is a necessary evil for certain things, so not sure how to contact him outside of Facebook.

 

[pgh69]

The 4 wheels, TPMS sensors and wheel caps were £923, including delivery. Not certain where they are shipped from, but my expectation is they are already in the UK. Gavin seems a super nice guy and believe he is doing these group buys as a favour to the Tesla Owners Group UK Facebook community. If there is any profit in it, I can’t imagine it is much more than compensation for headache value. I abhor Facebook but find it is a necessary evil for certain things, so not sure how to contact him outside of Facebook.

Hi Kenneth, pretty decent price then! Thanks for the info

Do anybody know how I contact Gavin outside of Facebook??

 

[marvin28]

Why have a second set of rims? On my current car I just have a set of winter tyres and have the local tyre shop swap them with the summer tyres on one set of rims. Isn't that the easiest way to go?

 

[ajp558]

I joined Facebook specifically just to join and use the Tesla Owners Group UK. I don't use it for any social media stuff but I do like the TOGU, as indeed I do with this TMC forum. @pgh69, you may want to consider joining and setting up just a minimal profile?

I agree with the positive comments about Gavin from Kenneth S, and I think Gavin has previously stated that he does not get anything from arranging this excellent deal for wheels and TPMS sensors to fit our various Model 3's, other than the pleasure he gets from helping us and seeing how great they look on our cars. I am very grateful that Gavin sourced not just a bargain, but also did all the work to make sure that even the 18" wheels fit the M3P and have the right measurements such as the centre bore. Mine even came with matching black lug nuts in the box. I doubt I would have been confident to get non-OEM wheels that safely fitted the M3P.

I like to have a second set of dedicated winter/cold-weather wheels so that I can swap them myself. I also heard that repeatedly taking the tyres off the rims can cause some internal damage. For the M3P, I don't think there are any(many?) options for cold weather tyres. The 18" tyres are much cheaper, but I shall look forward to swapping back to the 20" when the weather warms up next March/April.

 

[JCremonini]

The other good argument for winter tyres is that with, say, one set you will be using them all the time so they will last you X years and then you will replace them again. Over the life of the car you will go through multiple sets anyway with wear. With winter tyres you are , effectively, spreading the wear over multiple sets so your summer tyres will last longer ( you will use them less ). So, economically, you are not much worse off.

I’ve never bothered with winter tyres simply because I don’t need a car everyday as I work from home. But if I had a commute I would probably buy a set now.

I don’t buy the 7 degree argument for cross over temperature as the difference is fairly marginal down to 0 degrees ( it’s easy to adapt your driving anyway) . But on icy roads the difference is night and day.

 

[KennethS]

. He also made sure to identify the right type of TPMS sensors which work with the Tesla.

Follow up question, if I may: I received the wheels and sensors from Gavin and am delighted with them. Waiting for a local tyre shop to get the tyres to mount, balance and install them. How fiddly was it to pair the TPMS sensors to the car? I presume my local shop will know how and what to do, but I do like to understand what needs to be done myself just in case. Obviously the Tesla displays each wheel individually and I just want to be certain it all gets done properly and each wheel TPMS is coded to the right corner of the car. Thanks!

 

[MrBadger]

Has anyone got any suggestions for storing the alternate set? I was thinking about https://www.sealey.co.uk/product/5637202044/wheel-storage-trolley-100kg-capacity-with-handle but the tyres are too 5mm wide.

I've also just notice that my trusty old torque wrench only goes up to 100ft-lb Anyone got a suggestion or alternative. I guess a 24" breaker bar and approx 25kg weight somehow ? I use a set of luggage scales to measure 300N brake force so that may work?

Anyone used a DeWalt impact driver on wheel nuts? Only used it on stubbon screws. I think this is mine and max torque if reliable is within tolerance of a typical torque wrench https://www.screwfix.com/p/dewalt-d...r-brushless-cordless-impact-driver-bare/437gt I just need a 1/2" impact adaptor.

 

[ajp558]

Follow up question, if I may: I received the wheels and sensors from Gavin and am delighted with them. Waiting for a local tyre shop to get the tyres to mount, balance and install them. How fiddly was it to pair the TPMS sensors to the car? I presume my local shop will know how and what to do, but I do like to understand what needs to be done myself just in case. Obviously the Tesla displays each wheel individually and I just want to be certain it all gets done properly and each wheel TPMS is coded to the right corner of the car. Thanks!

Hi KennethS,

Good question.

I found it quite a bit of effort or at least it took a few attempts to get the car to recognise the new sensors. At first I just assumed that KwikFit who fitted the new tyres must not have known how to properly fit the accompanying TPMS sensors which apparently need an extra twist on the locking nut after they seem to be tight, that then activates the sensor. I had the tyres fitted off the car 2 weeks ago, but didn't try them out until last Saturday. Once I had put all 4 wheels on properly myself I went into the car service menu before moving off, and selected the TPMS reset. That started a search for the sensors but didn't seem to find them as I drove around the local area at about 20-40mph for a few miles. Eventually I just got a TPMS error fault message on screen which led me to start unfairly assuming KwikFit had not installed them properly.

So, I returned home and Googled Tesla TPMS problems which led me to the need to also select the Tyre Configuration menu and change the wheel size from 20" to 18" (Aerowheels as that is the only option even though we are using Aftermarket alloys) and that it had taken 20 mins of driving for some people before the pairing was complete. Once I had done that I set off again and this time I drove a bit further and after 10 minutes I got a popup message to confirm the new wheels/TPMS and then all was well as one by one the new pressures in PSi started to appear on screen.

One downside of the wheel configuration option is that the picture of my car on the mobile phone app now shows a Performance Model 3 with Aerowheels with the covers on instead of the silver 20" alloys. But I can live with that.

The coding of the correct sensor to each corner of the car is automatic. I think the car has multiple receivers and uses triangulation to work out which sensor is fitted to which wheel. It takes some time but is worth it compared to using cheap Ebay sensors built into the external valve caps which is what I have used on previous cars.

Good luck, and if I can be of any more help then just ask.

 

[Tatoo1]

If anyone can post pictures of their new winter wheels that would be great. Deciding between the FB offer Varro wheels or the TSSportline Arachnid replicas from the US.

 

[MrBadger]

If you have not done so already, I would check with your insurance company to see if the changed rims will be treated as a modification. Winter tyres are normally non notifiable, but different rims would need a double check.

 

[KennethS]

Hi KennethS,

Good question.

I found it quite a bit of effort or at least it took a few attempts to get the car to recognise the new sensors. At first I just assumed that KwikFit who fitted the new tyres must not have known how to properly fit the accompanying TPMS sensors which apparently need an extra twist on the locking nut after they seem to be tight, that then activates the sensor. I had the tyres fitted off the car 2 weeks ago, but didn't try them out until last Saturday. Once I had put all 4 wheels on properly myself I went into the car service menu before moving off, and selected the TPMS reset. That started a search for the sensors but didn't seem to find them as I drove around the local area at about 20-40mph for a few miles. Eventually I just got a TPMS error fault message on screen which led me to start unfairly assuming KwikFit had not installed them properly.

So, I returned home and Googled Tesla TPMS problems which led me to the need to also select the Tyre Configuration menu and change the wheel size from 20" to 18" (Aerowheels as that is the only option even though we are using Aftermarket alloys) and that it had taken 20 mins of driving for some people before the pairing was complete. Once I had done that I set off again and this time I drove a bit further and after 10 minutes I got a popup message to confirm the new wheels/TPMS and then all was well as one by one the new pressures in PSi started to appear on screen.

One downside of the wheel configuration option is that the picture of my car on the mobile phone app now shows a Performance Model 3 with Aerowheels with the covers on instead of the silver 20" alloys. But I can live with that.

The coding of the correct sensor to each corner of the car is automatic. I think the car has multiple receivers and uses triangulation to work out which sensor is fitted to which wheel. It takes some time but is worth it compared to using cheap Ebay sensors built into the external valve caps which is what I have used on previous cars.

Good luck, and if I can be of any more help then just ask.

Thanks so much ajp558, this is enormously helpful! I had been thinking of asking the local tyre place that will do the tyre mounting and balancing to clone the new TPMSs with the old ones if they have the programming tool, but now think it may be best to have them setup as new sensors. This way it will force me to do the tyre/wheel size and sensor reset each time the wheels are swapped from summers to winters. I’m hoping to get this done toward the end of next week and really appreciate your post.

 

[Tatoo1]

If you have not done so already, I would check with your insurance company to see if the changed rims will be treated as a modification. Winter tyres are normally non notifiable, but different rims would need a double check.

I will definitely check. Currently with Direct line and I will be ringing them to tell them I am putting on winter wheels and tyres. If they refuse or require a huge uplift in premium then that would be an issue, and I would look to insure elsewhere.