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Which tires (really) come on the 21"s?

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Lyon

2016 S P100DL, 2016 X P90D
Supporting Member
Dec 26, 2011
2,005
216
Eugene, Oregon
I thought that it was settled that the 21" wheels would come wrapped in Continental Extreme Contact DW tires; that's what's listed on the "Specs and Standard Features" page over at TM.com. Recently, however, I read an article about how they've switched to Michelin Pilot Sport (probably the Pilot Sport 2) and now I see in an image from a guy who went to the LA event that some of the testers have the Michelins and some have the Continentals. So, what's it going to be? Do you have a preference? Any of you have experience with both?

I've got experience with the Michelins as I have had them on a couple of Audis including my current TT. My understanding is that they might be grippier but wear more rapidly than the Continentals.

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vs.

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The whole gallery is here: http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/23888057_qHfFSb


Mods: please feel free to combine with another thread, I looked but didn't really find one that this question fit well in.
 
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From Tirerack.com review, they Michelin's have better grip but the Continental Extreme Contact DWs have better ride quality. The Continental Extreme Contact DWs are $1,000 cheaper for a set of 4 as well. I hope they stick with the Continentals (just personal preference) but I've never driven on the Michelins though.

This is a ranking from user reviews so not scientific
Consumer Survey Results By Category

Here are 2 TireRack.com reviews

Last year, the DWs ranked 1st:
Testing Max Performance Summer Tires

this year they are 3rd in their ranking:
Clash of the Titans: Testing Two New Max Performance Summer Heavy Hitters

Not all the tires were tested each year though.
 
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There was another discussion about this somewhere.

Anyways, it is common for car companies to have a 2nd source on tires, and so the customer may not get a choice.
They do this:
#1: To have two supply chains so if one has a bottleneck they just pick up the slack from the other.
#2: They can bid the two against each other to get the best price.

On the other hand, one vendor might say "well, if you pick us exclusively we will give you an even better price."
So, not sure if it is only one, but it wouldn't surprise me if they use both.
 
There was another discussion about this somewhere.

Anyways, it is common for car companies to have a 2nd source on tires, and so the customer may not get a choice.
They do this:
#1: To have two supply chains so if one has a bottleneck they just pick up the slack from the other.
#2: They can bid the two against each other to get the best price.

On the other hand, one vendor might say "well, if you pick us exclusively we will give you an even better price."
So, not sure if it is only one, but it wouldn't surprise me if they use both.



I thought that there might be another thread on this already, sorry for the duplicative nature of this one.

In any event, you might very well be right about them using two suppliers. If they do, however, they should probably stop listing the Continentals specifically on their website.

I would probably prefer the Pilot Sports but that may be because of the human tendency to chose the known over the unknown. I do know that they've got a pretty decent ride for max performance tires and are very predictable at the edge. Another great thing about them is that they perform really well (for what they are) in the rain which is important for me (I live in Oregon).
 
Which tires did the non performance sunset red have 21" - I drove that car at the Fremont event and tested the tires on the corners and they were amazing. I thought they were the Continentals - also found the ride incredibly comfortable.

I can't read the sidewall in the pics, so hope someone knows as they are priced very favorably.
 
From Tirerack.com review, they Michelin's have better grip but the Continental Extreme Contact DWs have better ride quality. The Continental Extreme Contact DWs are $1,000 cheaper for a set of 4 as well. I hope they stick with the Continentals (just personal preference) but I've never driven on the Michelins though.

This is a ranking from user reviews so not scientific
Consumer Survey Results By Category

Here are 2 TireRack.com reviews

Last year, the DWs ranked 1st:
Testing Max Performance Summer Tires

this year they are 3rd in their ranking:
Clash of the Titans: Testing Two New Max Performance Summer Heavy Hitters

Not all the tires were tested each year though.

I use Michelins on my M5, and have always been impressed with the grip and wet traction. Conti's came with the car, though. They were fine, and give very good balance of ride and performance, however, Michelin is a better performer, and I've never noticed a difference in ride or noise. I have always been willing to pay the extra cost. FYI, I have averaged about 20K miles per set with the Michelins, 12 with the Conti's (only one set, though).
 
I hope they stick with the Continentals (just personal preference) but I've never driven on the Michelins though.

Well Michelins are normally high in my book, but man this last set on my Avalon, have worn out in two years, with around 18k miles on them. Can't remember what they're rated for though. Thinking I might be headed to Les Schwab this next time around for some high mileage, quiet rated, all seasons next.
 
I would love 20,000 miles on the tires. After the Roadster and changing every 7,000 miles on the rears, anything that gets me through more than a year is a win. I guess I'll try the Pilot Sport 2s. I'm more concerned about dry and wet handling than road noise, ride comfort or even tread wear. Whatever tire is on there though I'll keep until it is time to change.
 
Well Michelins are normally high in my book, but man this last set on my Avalon, have worn out in two years, with around 18k miles on them. Can't remember what they're rated for though. Thinking I might be headed to Les Schwab this next time around for some high mileage, quiet rated, all seasons next.

I definitely would put all seasons on an Avalon since your Model S will be your performance orriented car anyway.
 
I definitely would put all seasons on an Avalon since your Model S will be your performance orriented car anyway.

Yeah, you got that right. And we live up on a bit of mountain, steep roads to get here. It wouldn't see the light of day if the conditions are snowy/icy. The Grand Cherokee is for that. But we have 3 vehicles, and I plan on trading in one, possibly two - to make the Model S pill a little easier to swallow. The Avalon may go. ;)
 
Hankook Ventus are excellent tires at grat price. Have put them on both our 911 and cayenne. And get great mileage and grip out of them. We are probably getting twice the normal porsche N rated tire mileage out of the tirss. They perform well in auto cross as well. I'm already planning on putting them on at the first tire change.
Unfortunately hankook doesn't do much advertising, so they come across as cheap but are far from it.
 
Since the air suspension is Continental I would think they would have a better deal with them for tires. As they are also significantly less expensive in the aftermarket it's a good chance they are less expensive for Tesla as well even in volume and that affects the bottom line. The difference between the two at tirerack.com is a bit over $1,100. So just for the 1000 U.S. sig series with assumed 21" wheels that's > $1,000,000 addition to the margin assuming the difference in aftermarket price holds true. While Tesla strives for perfection and while the Michelin's may be a superior tire most people don't think about the tire when they buy a car. Any gripes with the tires is easily remedied after 15-20k miles.
 
Yeah, you got that right. And we live up on a bit of mountain, steep roads to get here. It wouldn't see the light of day if the conditions are snowy/icy. The Grand Cherokee is for that. But we have 3 vehicles, and I plan on trading in one, possibly two - to make the Model S pill a little easier to swallow. The Avalon may go. ;)

Yeah. I have a feeling my Jetta may lose out to the Roadster when the Model S arrives. Might be going all electric.
 
Which tires did the non performance sunset red have 21" - I drove that car at the Fremont event and tested the tires on the corners and they were amazing. I thought they were the Continentals - also found the ride incredibly comfortable.

I can't read the sidewall in the pics, so hope someone knows as they are priced very favorably.

I squinted *really* hard at the one photo I have that shows the Sunset Red's wheel, and I think it's the Continental. PM me if you'd like me to send you the full-res photo so you can squint for yourself.