Winter Tires on Model 3

[Plug-n-Play]

But how do you know they fit for sure, what can I look at? Because by using the wizard, the rims I got should've fit

I guess I don't know for sure, but I've been buying wheels and tires from TireRack since the 80's and if they said something would fit my car, they fit. I've never had an issue.

In any event, it has nothing to do with the width unless your offset is such that the calipers are hitting the face of the rim. Was it hitting the barrel or the face?

 

[Garlan Garner]

I just got winter tires for my car about a month ago.

I got the Michelin Pilot Alpine ( 20" ) tires.

They are ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC. I tested them in the snow and ICE yesterday and NOW I understand how people plow through snow with their cars. My OEM summer Michelin Pilot Sport 4S's slide around in the snow all over the place.

On another note....I can hear the emptiness of the winter tire vs the foam inside the summer tire. I would have bet anyone that the foam made no difference. WOW...it does make a difference. KInda sounds like the ping you hear inside of a tightly inflated "red ball" used in dodge ball.

I can also say this. The road noise of the winter tire is a lot softer than the summer tire. Maybe its because there is more rubber on my winter tires.

 

[ICE_breaker]

What wheel size and tire size do you have on there? Is there a hubcentric ring for Tesla's smaller bore diameter?

there is a ring as well...

 

[ICE_breaker]

What wheel size and tire size do you have on there? Is there a hubcentric ring for Tesla's smaller bore diameter?

 

[RLEE]

Drove about 30 miles on my new VikingContact7 in cold/wet and cold/dry. No snow yet so I can't report on that. However, these are quiet (better than Blizzak WS80, Hakka R3, and Altimax Arctic; I went up to 80mph), it is somewhat squishy as is expected for a winter tire (I think better than Blizzak, worse than R3 and Altimax Arctic). So far I do like it, I hope it excels in the snow if/when it comes.

I could have gotten the XI3's for about the same price but due to the test results showing the VikingContact7 much higher rated in most measures, I chose to give these a shot!

 

[MnM3]

I have about 250 miles on the Viking 7s I just put on our rwd M3. Noticeably softer in the roundabouts but overall happy. Quieter than I expected and relatively smooth riding. No snow to test yet.

 

[Ayy Eye]

Are 245/40/R20's ok on a Model 3 Performance w/ stock 20"?

 

[GregD60]

Looks like Pirelli have started their winter rebates! I'm glad I waited...

"Purchase a set of qualifying Pirelli Winter Tires from participating dealers (other than GM Dealers) between November 8th, 2019 and December 15th, 2019 and be eligible to receive a $70 Prepaid Mastercard® Card via mail-in rebate. Not valid with any other offer.

Mail-in rebate form must be postmarked by January 14th, 2020. You may print a copy of your mail-in rebate form here. Please see our Terms and Conditions below for full mail-in rebate details, including a list of eligible Pirelli tires."

That brings the Sottozero 3 (Tesla OE) with noise cancelling down to $976 after rebate. That's now about the same price (within a few bucks) as the Nokian R3s and within about $100 of the xIce 3.

I guess I'm now leaning toward the Sottozero 3s since they had pretty good wet performance and ice performance, have the noise cancelling, and are Tesla spec tires (so hopefully feel pretty good in the dry). I just can't find really good review numbers on the Nokian R3s when it comes to stopping distance on glaze ice, snow, and wet/dry. I know there's one site floating around that have some numbers, but they don't say what car they use and they don't compare it to the xIce, WSxx, or the Sottozero so it's really hard to compare performance... and honestly in that one review the Nokian numbers didn't look fantastic so I kinda of question that review anyway...

It's not a perfect Apples to Apples because the cars are a little different... the xIce 3 was tested with a 2014 BMW F30 328i Sedan and the Sottozero 3 was tested with a 2012 BMW F30 328i Sedan.

Stopping distance - 12mph to 0 on glare ice
xIce 3 - 30.3 feet (12% shorter)
Sotto - 34.3 feet


Stopping distance - 20mph to 0 on snow
xIce 3 - 66.7 feet (7.5% shorter)
Sotto - 71.9 feet

Stopping distance - 50mph to 0 at 30 to 40F temps

Dry
xIce 3 - 93.2 feet
Sotto - 85.6 feet (8.5% shorter)

Wet
xIce 3 - 131.4 feet
Sotto - 106.9 feet (20.5% shorter)

Maybe I'll get the chains from Tesla's online store and toss them in the trunk just in case I cross some mountains and am worried about getting stuck. I've never used chains before, but previously I had an AWD drive that I wasn't too worried about (with snow tires) and the FWD Chevy Volt was just a 3 year lease that I knew I wouldn't be doing much traveling with...

I had the Sottozero 3s on my LR AWD all last winter, and even on a couple of really horrible days with black ice and cars sliding off the road all around me, I had no problems getting through. I really don't think you'll need the chains.

 

[acarney]

Michelin just started their winter tire promo! This brings a set of xIce 3 for the 18 inch aeros down to $753 before tax from TireRack

When you purchase any set of four (4) new MICHELIN® brand passenger or light truck tires you may be eligible to receive a $70 Mastercard® Reward Card or a Visa Virtual Account after submission. Offer valid on tires purchased from Tire Rack’s in-stock inventory between 12:00 a.m. EST November 13, 2019 and 11:59 p.m. EST December 13, 2019. Offer not valid if tires are returned.

 

[AIIP]

Michelin just started their winter tire promo! This brings a set of xIce 3 for the 18 inch aeros down to $753 before tax from TireRack

And of course i just received my X-ICE yesterday from tirerack... Yay me On the plus side so far they seem no more noisy than the OEM all seasons.

 

[Mull031496]

I’ve seen quite a few questions about this tire on this forum and I’ve had a few of the same.

This Sunday I was able to test the OEM Michelin MXMs against an unexpected Minnesota snow squall resulting in light ice - and I can tell you that the results were scary. The car broke traction under regen and mild throttle and brake inputs - waaay different than what I’ve ever experienced under similar conditions with all season tires. I had my family in the car and I was scared.

I changed out the stock Michelin’s for the Crossclimates - and while they’re not quite as responsive to braking inputs as my wife’s x-ice tires on our Audi Q7, they’re pretty darn close and welcomely predictable to steering commands.

Also, they absorb bumps less harshly while
Changing the character of the tire noise to a lower pitched hum from a more muted higher frequency noice. Overall, I’d judge ride comfort to be improved. I can’t say that overall the noise in the cabin is better or worse than on the stock tires. Hope this helps.

I am very pleased with this tire.

 

[acarney]

I’ve seen quite a few questions about this tire on this forum and I’ve had a few of the same.

This Sunday I was able to test the OEM Michelin MXMs against an unexpected Minnesota snow squall resulting in light ice - and I can tell you that the results were scary. The car broke traction under regen and mild throttle and brake inputs - waaay different than what I’ve ever experienced under similar conditions with all season tires. I had my family in the car and I was scared.

I changed out the stock Michelin’s for the Crossclimates - and while they’re not quite as responsive to braking inputs as my wife’s x-ice tires on our Audi Q7, they’re pretty darn close and welcomely predictable to steering commands.

Also, they absorb bumps less harshly while
Changing the character of the tire noise to a lower pitched hum from a more muted higher frequency noice. Overall, I’d judge ride comfort to be improved. I can’t say that overall the noise in the cabin is better or worse than on the stock tires. Hope this helps.

I am very pleased with this tire.

Where the MXM4s almost shot? Otherwise I’m not sure why you decided to buy another all season. You could have went for a dedicated winter tire for Oct - February, and then just used the MXM4 for the rest of the year. Tests do seem to show that the MXM4 is geared a little more toward dry weather and pretty good in the wet, but hardly passable with any snow or ice. In fact, it’s probably more of an “all season” in the sense that the compound won’t be damaged by below freezing temperatures.

 

[evannole]

Great to hear. I will probably be picking up some of these fairly shortly. They've been on my list for some time now and the characteristics you describe match up well with my wish list.

 

[ilyak]

Curious - why not proper snow tires, given that you’re in MN? I’m considering CrossClimates for my next summer season tire, but I would not want to run it in winter unless I’m not changing tires between seasons.

 

[Mull031496]

MXMs were new. My 2019 P3D- has less than 3k miles on them. Some of the comments and videos online gave me pause about the tires ability to function safely in a MN winter. My personal experience in what I’d describe as mild conditions compelled me to order the Crossclimate + tires. Keep in mind that these tires have the unique property of holding the 3 snowflake symbol as meeting the criteria necessary for a snow tire (I understand that if you research this, the criteria are a bit sketchy - but it’s what we’ve got).

I typically run a separate set of wheels and tires on my vehicles for winter. I was hoping that the Crossclimate product would serve the purpose of performing well in extreme cold and snow while offering admirable summer performance.

so far, I can say that the stock MXM tires perform poorly in early MN snow. Performance can only be expected to degrade as the temps drop and we get more snow.

early impressions show a night and day difference between the Crossclimate and MXM in these conditions. I’m hopeful that I can run one tire all year and so far it seems that i can. When/if this changes as the winter wears on, I’ll let you know.

 

[Skione65]

I just got winter tires for my car about a month ago.

I got the Michelin Pilot Alpine ( 20" ) tires.

They are ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC. I tested them in the snow and ICE yesterday and NOW I understand how people plow through snow with their cars. My OEM summer Michelin Pilot Sport 4S's slide around in the snow all over the place.

On another note....I can hear the emptiness of the winter tire vs the foam inside the summer tire. I would have bet anyone that the foam made no difference. WOW...it does make a difference. KInda sounds like the ping you hear inside of a tightly inflated "red ball" used in dodge ball.

I can also say this. The road noise of the winter tire is a lot softer than the summer tire. Maybe its because there is more rubber on my winter tires.

@Garlan Garner,

Garlan....Great choice! Ran the PA4’s all last winter and just swapped out my PS4s for the PA4s afew days ago due to the snow coming. Looooooove the PAs. Closest thing to the PSs and in a winter tire. Just the slightest little squirm due to the sipes (which make the tire look cooler/meaner in my opinion) but man-o-man the performance. Glad you like them as well. Enjoy! New wheels detected in 5 seconds, size selected.....TPMS detected in 15....and rollin!!! Clockwork.

Ski

 

[evannole]

Why was the thread about the CrossClimate+ merged into the winter tire thread? Some people are interested in that tire specifically yet have no need or interest in dedicated winter tires. The CrossClimate+ is not a winter tire. It's an all-weather tire.

 

[Kabillyhop]

I put Nokian R3's on the Model 3 last week, just in time before the early snow. I also have them on other vehicles. Fantastic traction, braking and handling.

But... they are loud on the Model 3, depending on road surface and speed. At highway speed I don't notice it, but between about 40-75 Km/H they are quite loud.

I noticed several posts here about X-ICE being as quiet as the original all weathers. I think if you live in an area with moderate winters they might be the better choice.

Although I have a 30 day guarantee and could have the R3's replaced with X-ICE, there is a lot of winter here so I will keep the R3's. Hopefully they will get a little quieter as they wear.

 

[Mull031496]

Why was the thread about the CrossClimate+ merged into the winter tire thread? Some people are interested in that tire specifically yet have no need or interest in dedicated winter tires. The CrossClimate+ is not a winter tire. It's an all-weather tire.

I asked the mods the same thing for the same reasons. I couldn’t find much info on the tire prior to my purchase and wanted to specifically share with the group my experience and see if anyone else had something to share.

 

[evannole]

I asked the mods the same thing for the same reasons. I couldn’t find much info on the tire prior to my purchase and wanted to specifically share with the group my experience and see if anyone else had something to share.

Well, thanks for posting your impressions in a dedicated thread. I am glad I caught it before the thread merge; being in Atlanta, I have no use for winter tires (indeed, we have enough sudden warm spells in the winter that driving on them could actually be a really bad idea at times), and never would have looked in a winter tire thread.

The overall reviews of these all-weather tires have been so positive that I have been anxious to see what a fellow Model 3 owner thought of them. The fact that they can handle a bit of light snow, which we do get once or twice every year, is just icing on the cake.
Thanks again. I hope they continue to perform well for you.