Tires - Staggered Size

NOLA_Mike said:

For the first time I can recall while perusing The Tire Rack this morning I see the Continental ContiSport Silent are available in Tesla OEM 21" staggered tire sizes.

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Thanks for posting that Mike.

It was getting close to time to replace my staggered Michelin PS2 (wet traction was beginning to suffer at 4/32 of tread left after 10,000 miles), so I sprung for the Continental Contisportcontact 5P. I found the PS2s to be painfully loud on the tar-on-aggregate road surfaces we have a lot of around here, so I was excited to see if the Contisilent foam makes a difference.

First impressions: WAY quieter than the PS2s. The foam really does make a difference. They are quieter than the 21" Continental Extreme Contacts I had on my previous Model S as well. Handling and traction seem easily on par with the PS2s. Better than the Extreme Contacts. Only downside is the 5Ps are a bit stiffer in the sidewalls than the PS2s. Could just be I need to break them in a bit though.

I wish the Michelin PSS came in a staggered size . . .

I'm gonna have to put on new tires any day now. If the continentals are quieter and the handling is the same then they seem to be a no brainier right? How similar is the handling?

EarlyAdopter said:

I found the PS2s to be painfully loud ....

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I fully agree! One of the surprises with the car has been how loud the original, staggered 21" PS2 tires are, when the electric drivetrain should make it so much quieter. Especially after I compared it to the much quieter 19" X-Ice winter tires.
However, I really like the performance of the PS2s.

Can others who have the Contisportcontact 5P please report their impressions in how these stack up to the PS2s in performance and wear.

Thanks!

I am also looking to buy new tires for my 2013 P85+ before too long. I found a tire review for the Contisportcontact 5P which rates it very highly:

Continental ContiSportContact 5 review

Hey guys. Great topic. My P85+ has 15,000 miles and I know I will be needing tires soon, especially on the rear. Have any of you looked into the used tire sources available? I know Tire Rack offers great prices, but looking for better. Thanks.

Here is a link to another thread that indicates that Michelin may come out with Pilot Supersport tires this summer in the required sizes

Rear tires for the P85+ with 21x9 rears -- Michelin, Dunlop or Continental?

I had a rear tire replaced by Tesla yesterday, got the PS2.

Turns out I need another and would prefer the continentals.

Is there a return policy for tires?

Called Tesla and they don't carry the continental and its not approved.

They also said its not possible to return.

Funnily enough the loaner they provided me with had the continental tire on there!

Went to a performance shop I use to get my tires switched over to Summers. I discussed tire options with the owner and he was really keen on Michelin Pilot Super Sports compared to the Continental Contipsportcontact 5s. He checked his supplier online pages and the 245/35/21 and 265/35/21Supersports were listed but showing no availability. He checked my tires and figured the fronts have two seasons of tread while the rears are likely good for this season. I am going to try to wait for the Super Sports.

@KR1 You bring up a good point. I will likely need to replace at least the rear PS2s in the next several months. I will stay with Michelin. So I need to begin sourcing now to make sure I have some lined up when I need them. Can't have them out of stock when I have to replace them now. Thanks for the nudge!

Please pass along your impressions on noise when the tires are 5-10K miles old. Comparing almost any brand new tire to the clapped-out set they are replacing will probably result in a lot less road noise regardless of the brand. In general I have found the more they wear, the more noise they make. For me, remembering how bad they sounded a year back is tough. My staggered P85+ PS2's are and were really noisy on concrete highways, but almost silent with new asphalt and I think this held through regardless of mileage.

Getting a good comparison on noise across the fitment for staggered set-ups with similar wear/age is a challenge.

I went from staggered PS2's on my P85D to square (245) PSS's 6000 miles ago. They are better in every respect: tread wear, dry traction, wet traction, price and (possibly) noise. Since the P85D has mostly been delivered with a square setup it appears it doesn't need the extra oversteer protection of having 20mm more tire at the rear like is needed on the P85+.

I just called TireRack. It is promising they put the 265 on their product page, but they have no idea when it will be in stock.

Michelin PSS's are awesome tires. Let's hope they are more regularly available going forward.