If you're buying tires that will be mounted on your existing wheels (so taking it to a tire center and having the tires mounted and switched between winter and summer each season) then you don't need to buy TPMS. You can use your existing TPMS and wheels and just have the tires mounted. If you have a second set of wheels so the tires only have to be mounted once and then it's a simple jack the car up and bolt on the winter wheels and tires, then you need a second set of TPMS.
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Winter Tires on Model 3
- Thread starter M109Rider
- Start date
If you're buying tires that will be mounted on your existing wheels (so taking it to a tire center and having the tires mounted and switched between winter and summer each season) then you don't need to buy TPMS. You can use your existing TPMS and wheels and just have the tires mounted. If you have a second set of wheels so the tires only have to be mounted once and then it's a simple jack the car up and bolt on the winter wheels and tires, then you need a second set of TPMS.
VandalSibs
I am One with the Force, and the Force is with me
Exactly what I wanted to know, and to hear! Thanks! Now to find a tire/auto shop in the Spokane, WA area that has experience with Model 3's.....
Contrary to some beliefs, the clamping force (and friction) of the wheel against the brake rotor (and hub) is what allows for the necessary load handling capabilities of all wheels. If you think thousands of pounds of force are supported by the small cross-sectional area at the 'top' of a wheel hub lip, then you are not a Mechanical Engineer.
A 'hub-centric' wheel may help 'center' the wheel prior to installation, but after the lug nuts are torqued, they do nothing. Properly machined wheels are perfectly fine using the lug nut taper to center a wheel if you're diligent about torquing them evenly in several steps (of applied torque).
A 'hub-centric' wheel only aids installation, especially at the factory. It necessitates the lug nuts to only adjust the centering of the wheel by 1/10ths of a millimeter which is much less prone to misalignment due to improper torquing as compared to purely 'lug-centric' wheels that may be offset by a whole millimeter (or more) prior to installation. If you are not diligent, and fully torque a single lug nut before the wheel has been centered by the gentle torquing of the other lug nuts, you may deform the lug nut taper on a wheel, and bolt the whole thing off slightly off-center. Some poor mechanics cite this as the reason for why 'hub-centric' wheels should be used, but not for the reason the quoted poster claims.
Neither 'hub-centric', nor 'lug-centric' wheels put a 'load on the hub lip' during vehicle operation!
Modern tire balancers, in fact, also hold the wheel against the rotating balancer using the lug nut tapers.
So, buy 'hub-centric' wheels, or plastic, or aluminum rings to help you install the wheel. But after that, they do nothing.
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I've put about 500 miles on my Continental VikingContact7 tires and they are much quieter than expected. I did have a chance to try it out in icy conditions where some parts of Pittsburgh had several roads closed due to ice. These tires are as good as I expected them to be. I was easily able to stop faster than most of the other cars on the road (presumably on all-seasons). I run them at 43-45 psi.
They are certainly worse than all-seasons in the dry, but considering most people only use about 50% of the available grip in the dry on all-seasons, I can still corner significantly faster than them on highway on/off-ramps on my winter tires. Then again, I'm no stranger to cornering since I've tracked a BMW M3, and a Honda S2000 (still own them both!). Anyway, the diminished dry performance is nothing that will intrude any driver who isn't always looking to flirt with the law.
They are certainly worse than all-seasons in the dry, but considering most people only use about 50% of the available grip in the dry on all-seasons, I can still corner significantly faster than them on highway on/off-ramps on my winter tires. Then again, I'm no stranger to cornering since I've tracked a BMW M3, and a Honda S2000 (still own them both!). Anyway, the diminished dry performance is nothing that will intrude any driver who isn't always looking to flirt with the law.
CoolSilver
Member
I ordered online a set of Nokian R3's to be installed Saturday. Other than the short burst of snow way earlier than usual, we been getting rain since. It's been pretty cold on and off though just not freezing other than overnight. My concern has been more the ice anyway. Guess I'll have to see if I can get two seasons out of them if this rain keeps up until January.
bd7349
Member
Putting mine on tomorrow, glad to hear they perform well where it counts. How's your efficiency on them?
Hello All - New M3P owner. Any recommendations for winter tires ? I ordered the gemini wheels for Tesla, but I have a feeling they aren't going to be shipped anytime soon. They are totally unresponsive to emails, which I guess is not a surprise? Are the tsportsline wheels and tires (Pirelli Sottozero 3, 19") good ? They claim that they have a version that fits the larger brake calipers of the M3P. Anything I should know about not putting on an OEM wheel ?
If you read this thread, you'll find that your questions have been answered, discussed, and covered from just about every angle imaginable. There are many options and opinions.
CoolSilver
Member
Saturday came but my Nokian R3s did not. I was kinda forced into x-Ice since I don't have any other free weekends until new year. It's different in handling. First time running a softer winter tire.
bd7349
Member
I just installed Continental VikingContact 7's on my AWD Model 3 and they were amazing in the recent Boston snow storm. Literally couldn't get them to slip from a start or even when going up steep hills that were completely snowed over.
They're also really quiet and handle great in dry conditions as well. And best of all they're very inexpensive compared to other winter tire brands. I've got mine mounted on 18" Enkei Raijin wheels, but I think tsportline sells an 18" wheel that fits the M3P brakes if you're interested in that (18's are better than 19's for winter since they have more sidewall).
I have a 2020 Performance model 3 incoming. (Well, still waiting for a VIN so nobody knows for sure...)
I want to buy a set of snow tires ahead of time. Looking at Tirerack, the choices in the OEM size are very limited and expensive. (235/35/20) There is just one Michelin option and it’s $321 a piece as of this writing.
I am looking at other sizes that potentially result in a ~1% increase in final diameter. (e.g. 245/35/20 - You have a lot more choices.)
My question to experienced Model 3 owners is, how would this variation affect the car (things like speedometer calibration, software, etc.)
Alternatively, would you move up to the only other size with identical diameter, 275/30/20 (=235/35/20)? These may be too wide for the OEM wheels though.
I want to buy a set of snow tires ahead of time. Looking at Tirerack, the choices in the OEM size are very limited and expensive. (235/35/20) There is just one Michelin option and it’s $321 a piece as of this writing.
I am looking at other sizes that potentially result in a ~1% increase in final diameter. (e.g. 245/35/20 - You have a lot more choices.)
My question to experienced Model 3 owners is, how would this variation affect the car (things like speedometer calibration, software, etc.)
Alternatively, would you move up to the only other size with identical diameter, 275/30/20 (=235/35/20)? These may be too wide for the OEM wheels though.
vogz
Member
Have a M3P on order and hoping to take delivery before the end of the year. I already picked up some TSportline 18” wheels for a winter setup but I haven’t decided on tires yet. Tire Rack has two versions of the Pirelli Sottozero 3, a Tesla version with “noise cancelling foam” inside the tire and a standard version. The Tesla version is about $60 more per corner. Wondering if anyone has experience with either version and how the sound compares to the OEM tires. Thanks in advance and excited to be a part of the community!
SomeJoe7777
Marginally-Known Member
It's probably better in the long run to get a second set of wheels for the winter tires. If you do that, you can get 18" wheels, and then have a much larger selection of winter tires available. You will save some money on the tires, which can then offset the cost of the wheels.
This also avoids the need (every winter) to actually unmount the summer tires from the wheels and have the winter tires mounted and re-balanced, and then do the opposite in the spring.
There are several good-looking and relatively inexpensive 18" wheels available for the P3D, there are several threads here in the forum with various choices that are discussed both for wheels and winter tires.
As far as the actual answer to your question -- it is recommended that the final diameter of any wheel/tire combo that you use on any car be within 2-3% of the OEM wheel/tire combo, and ideally within 1%. It's also recommended specifically for any Tesla that is AWD that the front tires and rear tires be as close to each other as possible (usually only an issue for staggered setups).
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jkoya
NA2 NSX
Willtheyfit has an online calculator you can use that shows the effect on the speedometer with different tire and wheel sizes:
https://www.willtheyfit.com/
https://www.willtheyfit.com/
19” OEM Rims fit. And a whole bunch more tire choices. Where there is snow, there are pot holes. And you don’t want to be on 20” over potholes.
TSportline has complete tire snow packages including 18” that should fit. 18” are tight though.
And the Pirelli Performance Snows are pretty awesome (coming from a long time Nokian user).
TSportline has complete tire snow packages including 18” that should fit. 18” are tight though.
And the Pirelli Performance Snows are pretty awesome (coming from a long time Nokian user).
TomB985
Member
Just for perspective, I ended up going with the General Altimax Arctic on a set of Enkei J10 wheels from Tirerack.com. So far I am extremely impressed.
At 20.4 pounds the wheels are substantially lighter than the factory Aeros, and I noticed an improvement in ride quality almost immediately. I was skeptical of the tires when I ordered them, but they seemed to get great reviews from drivers as well as Consumer Reports. After playing in the snow last week, you can color me impressed. They seem to handle as good or better than the Blizzaks I used last winter, at substantially decreased cost. After 900 miles in the tires, I still have 12/30 seconds on them, which is exactly what I measured when new. They don't see noticeably louder than the OEM Michelin's, so at this point I am extremely happy for the price.
Total cost out the door was around $1380 including Minnesota sales tax.
At 20.4 pounds the wheels are substantially lighter than the factory Aeros, and I noticed an improvement in ride quality almost immediately. I was skeptical of the tires when I ordered them, but they seemed to get great reviews from drivers as well as Consumer Reports. After playing in the snow last week, you can color me impressed. They seem to handle as good or better than the Blizzaks I used last winter, at substantially decreased cost. After 900 miles in the tires, I still have 12/30 seconds on them, which is exactly what I measured when new. They don't see noticeably louder than the OEM Michelin's, so at this point I am extremely happy for the price.
Total cost out the door was around $1380 including Minnesota sales tax.
That looks like a great setup. Since I'm getting the Performance (red) brakes, I don't want to risk clearance issues with 18" wheels, so I'm stuck in a more expensive territory :-/
Bought Aero Take Offs with new Primacy's for $1100.00
Bought X-Ice for $800-ish
Put the Primacy's tires aside.
So long term, out of pocket it was $900.00 (because the extra set of Primacy's alone are worth $1100.00)
And you can run with Aero covers in the Winter, when you need efficiency the most.
But your wheels look nice.
Don't know. I don't have a good controlled test before/after. Also, the temperatures have dropped quite a bit since needing winter tires, so who knows how much that contributed. My daily drive is 1/6th the total advertised range so I don't know exactly how much worse these tires are for efficiency, but I'm sure they are, at least, slightly worse. I also tend to have varied driving patterns and can use a lot or a little. It all depends on the mood I'm in and the traffic conditions
TomB985
Member
Very NICE!
I searched online for takeoffs for nearly 2 months before biting the bullet and going this direction. The tires were ready the morning of our first major snowfall, so I couldn’t hold out much longer. I would’ve vastly preferred takeoff Aeros to retain my efficiency with the hubcaps.
I’m the kind of guy who won’t spend a dime on appearance. Would have bought cheap steel wheels had anybody made them in his size. I like how my car looks, but would’ve preferred a few hundred more in my pocket.
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