Welcome to Tesla Motors Club
Discuss Tesla's Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model Y, Cybertruck, Roadster and More.
Register

Winter tire recommendations

What is your plan for winter tires?

  • Sticking with all-seasons

    Votes: 11 25.6%
  • Looking into the Pirelli set offered by Tesla

    Votes: 19 44.2%
  • Looking into the Nokian studded set offered by Tesla

    Votes: 1 2.3%
  • Looking at another brand

    Votes: 12 27.9%

  • Total voters
    43
  • Poll closed .
This site may earn commission on affiliate links.
Hi guys, sorry if it has been asked before. But I can't find it via the search function.

Does anybody know the 21-inch tyre size for winter tyres? Seems that 265 for rear isn't available. So should be front and rear both 245/35?

I just don't trust this because 265/35 and 245/35 have different diameter so messing up of the ABS and 4WD could occur?

Your help would be appreciated
Which diameter rim? Do you have different width front and rear rims? If your talking 21” rim I’m pretty sure no one makes a 21” passenger car winter tire.

If you are talking 265/35 -20 vs 245/35 -20 the tire diameter is 27.3” vs 26.8”

So either size is acceptable as long as all 4 tires are the same size.
 
Which diameter rim? Do you have different width front and rear rims? If your talking 21” rim I’m pretty sure no one makes a 21” passenger car winter tire.

If you are talking 265/35 -20 vs 245/35 -20 the tire diameter is 27.3” vs 26.8”

So either size is acceptable as long as all 4 tires are the same size.
Thank you coleak.
I'll be getting the standard 21 Inch rims of tesla. Monday I will receive the car, and looking for winter tyres fitting those rims. I have no clue yet whether the original 21 wheels have wider rims in back than in front. Would almost expect so?
 
I'm so confused. I am hearing that regen is intermittent when some brands of snows are used. At the last meeting of our Ontario club, someone mentioned that even the recommended tires create regen problems.

We are retired and don't need to go out in the bad weather. I think I'll wait until the dust settles over this issue.
 
For what it's worth, I used 19" wheels and 245/45 19 Dunlop 3Ds on both of my Model Ss and never had any trouble; one came from the factory with 19" wheels (it was an S85), and the other came from the factory with staggered 21s (it was a P85+), and both were fine on the 19 inch set. No problems with regen or otherwise.

In fact, since I got a Model 3 I am selling the snow set for $500. PM me if interested.
 
I'm so confused. I am hearing that regen is intermittent when some brands of snows are used. At the last meeting of our Ontario club, someone mentioned that even the recommended tires create regen problems.

We are retired and don't need to go out in the bad weather. I think I'll wait until the dust settles over this issue.

In my experience, a cold battery is the main cause of lack of regen. I just dont see how winter tires would have any impact on regen.
 
I'm so confused. I am hearing that regen is intermittent when some brands of snows are used. At the last meeting of our Ontario club, someone mentioned that even the recommended tires create regen problems.

We are retired and don't need to go out in the bad weather. I think I'll wait until the dust settles over this issue.

The dust has settled. Tires do not limit regenerative braking. It's the low temperature one encounters during snow-tire season that's limiting it.
 
I just took a look at my 19" winter tires (Pirelli Sottozero 3 from TireRack) as I'm about to go on a ski trip. They have maybe 7000 miles on them and are too worn to use again. Down to 6 & 7 32nds of an inch on the two better ones. The other two are more like 3 to 4 32nds. So I'm buying new ones. I suppose the excessive (in my opinion) wear comes from driving them on mostly dry pavement, especially at high speed on the highway. That seems to be inevitable when you are dealing with winter only on and off when in the mountains, but I can't be swapping tires over and over during the winter, can I?

TireRack has a good clearance deal on Sottozero Serie II ($195 for 245/45R19) so that's what I'm getting. Tesla has used both as their Model S winter tire in the past, so I can't see any real reason to prefer one to the other (the various ratings on TireRack are close).

Not sure what to do with the old ones. Maybe keep the best one as a spare in case something happens?
 
  • Like
Reactions: bhzmark
I just took a look at my 19" winter tires (Pirelli Sottozero 3 from TireRack) as I'm about to go on a ski trip. They have maybe 7000 miles on them and are too worn to use again. Down to 6 & 7 32nds of an inch on the two better ones. The other two are more like 3 to 4 32nds. So I'm buying new ones. I suppose the excessive (in my opinion) wear comes from driving them on mostly dry pavement, especially at high speed on the highway. That seems to be inevitable when you are dealing with winter only on and off when in the mountains, but I can't be swapping tires over and over during the winter, can I?

TireRack has a good clearance deal on Sottozero Serie II ($195 for 245/45R19) so that's what I'm getting. Tesla has used both as their Model S winter tire in the past, so I can't see any real reason to prefer one to the other (the various ratings on TireRack are close).

Not sure what to do with the old ones. Maybe keep the best one as a spare in case something happens?
Michelin ice3, you won't regret....
 
Why? In what way are they better? Why do you think Tesla has not used them?
Car compainies rarely pick the best tires for OEM. It’s based on contracts, margins, and where they can get the best deal. And the pirelli’s are not close to the xIce (or Blizzak, nokian, ...) on winter roads. My theory has always been that since they have the option of 21” (why???) on the s and x and the pirelli is all that is available in that size for a winter tire. So they are lazy and put it on the winter package for all the cars.
 
Why? In what way are they better? Why do you think Tesla has not used them?
Michelin X-Ice are one of few winter tires that have mileage warranty - 40,000 miles. Into my first winter with mine, so can't report if 40k is a sure bet. But today I did have to go through 8 inches of snow on unplowed road. X-Ices were flawless. Like hot knife through butter.
 
Last edited:
  • Helpful
Reactions: supratachophobia
Car compainies rarely...
Tesla isn't a car company. In any case I think that the Model S requires a particularly complicated set of trade-offs that actually require a custom designed tire unlikely to be right for ICE cars: heavy, instant torque, regenerative braking, plus all the winter stuff. So I'm guessing that Tesla chose carefully.
Michelin X-Ice are one of few winter tires that have mileage warranty - 40,000 miles.
That seems like a good reason. On the other hand I've never actually had a tire warranty be of any use to me, despite tires sometimes wearing overly fast. Is it useful?
 
  • Like
Reactions: StealthP3D
I suppose the excessive (in my opinion) wear comes from driving them on mostly dry pavement, especially at high speed on the highway. That seems to be inevitable when you are dealing with winter only on and off when in the mountains, but I can't be swapping tires over and over during the winter, can I?

That's always the problem for those of us in coastal areas that need a solid winter solution for the mountains. If winter tires are just needed for a couple of ski trips/winter, I would swap them back and forth. But I'm going into the mountains every week so I need to leave the winter tires on all winter.

I've learned over the years how important it is to keep the air pressures in winter tires near the high end of the range to limit heat buildup on the pavement when driving long distances. With a religious dedication to keeping the air pressure up, I haven't had any problems with fast wear or poor performance in snow/ice. Do not underestimate the difference a couple of pounds can make when the tire is already near the edge of acceptable conditions for the design of the tire. Do not cook your winter rubber!

Also, if you can, try to keep it on the slower side on high-speed Interstate highways particularly if it's a warm spell or near the middle of the day when the pavement is warmest. Cruise with the trucks and slower traffic to preserve the winter rubber.
 
That seems like a good reason. On the other hand I've never actually had a tire warranty be of any use to me, despite tires sometimes wearing overly fast. Is it useful?

I wouldn't bother with tire warranties. They are not warranted because they are higher quality, they are warranted by building the price of the warranty claims into the price of the tire. Essentially, you are paying for all the people who don't know how to maintain their winter tires at the correct pressure or who drive at excessive speeds. And making a claim on a pro-rated warranty usually isn't worth the time it takes to make the claim.
 
  • Like
Reactions: bhzmark
I've learned over the years how important it is to keep the air pressures in winter tires near the high end of the range to limit heat buildup on the pavement when driving long distances.
Thanks! Useful advice. Yeah, I want to head up to Tahoe the moment I hear "powder day!" so I'm just leaving the winter tires on despite my part of California having no winter to speak of.

I'm really, really looking forward to the day that Tesla comes up with a better solution to the car-surface interface than tires. It's absolutely the weakest part of the car: high maintenance (both cost and attention), most polluting, limits safety, limits efficiency, limits performance, limits where the car can go. Compromises everywhere, and ugly too.
 
Tesla isn't a car company. In any case I think that the Model S requires a particularly complicated set of trade-offs that actually require a custom designed tire unlikely to be right for ICE cars: heavy, instant torque, regenerative braking, plus all the winter stuff. So I'm guessing that Tesla chose carefully.

That seems like a good reason. On the other hand I've never actually had a tire warranty be of any use to me, despite tires sometimes wearing overly fast. Is it useful?
Whatever you want to believe. But Tesla has to think about margins and make money just like everyone else.

We had an S and now a 3, so obviously we like the brand. Tesla deffinetly does not cut corners in terms of battery, motors, software. But many other things I feel are an afterthought or they favor form over function. Case in point: 19”- 21” wheels on the S, 20” wheels on the P3 (18” would be better in every way, lack of interior lighting, falcon doors, model 3 wipers,...

The pirellis are ok winter tires and probably will do just fine in a mild winter region with much time on asphalt. But no one in a real winter region would pick them as they don’t preform well on ice and in bitter cold. I don’t know anyone in Alaska that run them and our tire dealers don’t even stock them. For studless, xIce, Blizzak, nokian R3, Conti contact are all better options.
 
  • Like
Reactions: YYZ-IAD