Do new Tesla Model S's still have the camber / tire issue?

[joebruin77]

I have owned a Model 3 Perf for the past 5 years. I am considering selling it and buying a new Model S. I saw a video on Youtube posted by the Model S owner who has experienced the camber problem that causes the interior wall of his tires to prematurely wear out every 5,000 miles.

Is this still an issue on the newest Model S? If I buy a Model S, would I have to buy a set of new tires every 5,000 miles? If this is still an ongoing issue, I will not buy the Model S and will instead wait for the new Highland Model 3 Performance to come out.

Any info on this camber - tire question is appreciated.

Thanks,
Joe

 

[brkaus]

Depends on tire size.

 

[terranx]

Seems to only occur with 21s (and possibly only the 21” PS4S). Haven’t seen the camber wear on 19s. And aftermarket 20s seem to hold up okay too

 

[joebruin77]

Depends on tire size.

Thanks for the reply. It looks like there are two sizes available, 21 inch and 19 inch. I would be inclined to get the 19 inch. Which size tends to have the issue? If I get 19 inch wheels, how often would I have to get a new set of tires?

 

[joebruin77]

Seems to only occur with 21s (and possibly only the 21” PS4S). Haven’t seen the camber wear on 19s. And aftermarket 20s seem to hold up okay too

Thanks for the info!

 

[dsm363]

Thanks for the reply. It looks like there are two sizes available, 21 inch and 19 inch. I would be inclined to get the 19 inch. Which size tends to have the issue? If I get 19 inch wheels, how often would I have to get a new set of tires?

On the older Model S at least, just rotate every 6,000 miles but don't think you can rotate on new cars. I'd get 19" anyway unless you're getting Plaid. Should last well over 20,000 miles. Depends mostly on tire compound. Summer performance tires don't last very long at all. All season compounds last much longer and cost less.

There is probably a minor refresh of the S coming in a few months so might make sense hang back and wait until spring.

 

[SilverGS]

Thanks for the reply. It looks like there are two sizes available, 21 inch and 19 inch. I would be inclined to get the 19 inch. Which size tends to have the issue? If I get 19 inch wheels, how often would I have to get a new set of tires?

It's normal wear with 19s

 

[brkaus]

Thanks for the reply. It looks like there are two sizes available, 21 inch and 19 inch. I would be inclined to get the 19 inch. Which size tends to have the issue? If I get 19 inch wheels, how often would I have to get a new set of tires?

that will greatly depend on your driving style. I got 40k+ miles out of my 2017 S tires (19”), and around 30k miles out of my 21” staggered set. But I have coils so different beast.

My BMW ?2005? 330 also ate the inside of the rear tires when I put on the M staggered tires with performance rubber.

And I got 7k miles on my first set of tires on my 1995 M3 prior to that. But my second set lasted 40k. I got a lot of twistes out of my system in the first 5k.

 

[terranx]

that will greatly depend on your driving style. I got 40k+ miles out of my 2017 S tires (19”), and around 30k miles out of my 21” staggered set. But I have coils so different beast.

My BMW ?2005? 330 also ate the inside of the rear tires when I put on the M staggered tires with performance rubber.

And I got 7k miles on my first set of tires on my 1995 M3 prior to that. But my second set lasted 40k. I got a lot of twistes out of my system in the first 5k.

Those older BMWs have really soft trailing arm bushings that fail quickly and basically cause excessive toe under acceleration. I still have an e46 m3 and once roasted my rear tires in like 1500 miles. Excellent wear after replacing that bushing with a ball joint, despite the car being lowered and running ~-2.5 camber on 30 profile tires.

On the older Model S at least, just rotate every 6,000 miles but don't think you can rotate on new cars. I'd get 19" anyway unless you're getting Plaid. Should last well over 20,000 miles. Depends mostly on tire compound. Summer performance tires don't last very long at all. All season compounds last much longer and cost less.

There is probably a minor refresh of the S coming in a few months so might make sense hang back and wait until spring.

Can’t really rotate tires on a car with staggered wheels. And I maintain the failure mode is unusual for it being a simple alignment issue. Pretty much all of them look fine up until the tread separates. Usually first sign of impending failure is persistent air leak.

My recommendation would be to just stick with the 19s, and use the money saved to get aftermarket 20s if that’s your preference (that’s what I ended up doing)

 

[byeLT4]

'21 S here, 21"tires definitely had the uneven wear. I'm on the 19s now but not enough mileage yet to say it's a fix, but I'm hopeful!

 

[Unclepaul]

Tire wear not a big thing like before. Mostly depends on your right foot

 

[Drew-MS]

Thanks for the reply. It looks like there are two sizes available, 21 inch and 19 inch. I would be inclined to get the 19 inch. Which size tends to have the issue? If I get 19 inch wheels, how often would I have to get a new set of tires?

With a heavy right foot, my 19s were changed for the first time at 34k miles. Never had any issues with my 19s, no uneven wear etc.. The 21s look better but I'd definitely recommend the 19s or maybe aftermarket 20s. My plaid came with the Pirelli Elect and I replaced at 34k miles with the Tesla all-season Continental tires. They seem to be similar regarding comfort, road noise etc.. So far I'm happy with the Contis.

 

[Yelobird]

On the older Model S at least, just rotate every 6,000 miles but don't think you can rotate on new cars. I'd get 19" anyway unless you're getting Plaid. Should last well over 20,000 miles. Depends mostly on tire compound. Summer performance tires don't last very long at all. All season compounds last much longer and cost less.

There is probably a minor refresh of the S coming in a few months so might make sense hang back and wait until spring.

I have 19’s on my Plaid and there is no issue nor an issue to have them on a Plaid. You should also note (as a Mod) that your refresh theory is an assumed speculation with no evidence or fact.

 

[maximizese]

That's a good question that I would like to know the answer to. It seemed like the Model S Performance variants with the staggered 21" wheels had the most issues. Unfortunately the remedy came from an aftermarket supplier with many Tesla Service Centers saying the premature tire wear with poor suspension geometry was normal.

I think I might have bragging rights getting 60K miles on a set of 19" Goodyear Eagle RS-A2s on our RWD S85; the tires were never rotated but wore fairly evenly given that the drive and regenerative braking wheels are exclusively at the rear.

 

[bkcyk]

I only want to run 21s for the ideal side profile proportions and also rear width to give it a proper sports sedan look (i.e. narrower than 295 rears = bike tire visuals).

I love the OEM spec T2 PS4S tires. I must have the Track Pack.

I want to net more of a normal PS4S rear tire lifespan at 20K-30K miles just like my other vehicles running PS4S (still the best street tire on the market today).

Solution: Adjustable rear camber arms at -1.1 on low mode

/end

 

[dsm363]

I have 19’s on my Plaid and there is no issue nor an issue to have them on a Plaid. You should also note (as a Mod) that your refresh theory is an assumed speculation with no evidence or fact.

Thank you for making me aware it wasn't officially announced by Tesla. I'm well aware it's not a confirmed feature but it's been found in the firmware and coming on other models so it will be there at some point we can safely assume. We just don't know when or even if it will make it to the Model S.

Tesla Model S and X to Gain Ambient Lighting and Front Bumper Camera

Discover the latest updates to Tesla's Model S and X, including ambient lighting and a front bumper camera. Dive into Tesla's continuous innovation and what's n

www.notateslaapp.com

 

[terranx]

Thank you for making me aware it wasn't officially announced by Tesla. I'm well aware it's not a confirmed feature but it's been found in the firmware and coming on other models so it will be there at some point we can safely assume. We just don't know when or even if it will make it to the Model S.

Tesla Model S and X to Gain Ambient Lighting and Front Bumper Camera

Discover the latest updates to Tesla's Model S and X, including ambient lighting and a front bumper camera. Dive into Tesla's continuous innovation and what's n

www.notateslaapp.com

I think a lot of people interpret “minor refresh” as something akin to the 2016 MS refresh or the 2019 raven. I suppose palladium is getting old enough that that sort of refresh is possible, but usually we’d have some sort of real leak by now.

I still think what’s been found in firmware is likely misinterpretation of the stuff coming to the cybertruck and model 3 highland.

I wouldn’t be surprised if the features come to the S/X, especially since RGB was a feature advertised when they announced the refresh. But coming any time soon is more questionable IMO.

Front camera I have no clue what Tesla is planning. It still seems strange to me that it appeared to be a planned feature for the highland, to the point where all the marketing renders had it, and then gone. I can’t imagine a camera would be under considerable supply constraints at this point

 

[dsm363]

Sacrificing handling for a cosm

I think a lot of people interpret “minor refresh” as something akin to the 2016 MS refresh or the 2019 raven. I suppose palladium is getting old enough that that sort of refresh is possible, but usually we’d have some sort of real leak by now.

I still think what’s been found in firmware is likely misinterpretation of the stuff coming to the cybertruck and model 3 highland.

I wouldn’t be surprised if the features come to the S/X, especially since RGB was a feature advertised when they announced the refresh. But coming any time soon is more questionable IMO.

Front camera I have no clue what Tesla is planning. It still seems strange to me that it appeared to be a planned feature for the highland, to the point where all the marketing renders had it, and then gone. I can’t imagine a camera would be under considerable supply constraints at this point

I see. Maybe minor refresh is wrong term then for adding front bumper camera. I don't think we'll see a refresh as extensive as palladium. Again, just my guess with no insider information of course. I don't think they'll touch the Model S with any major changes (other than front bumper camera and other minor things) until they do a redesign with 4680 cells in 2025+. Car will be over 14 years old basically at that point (extensively updated though).

I can't believe they got rid of ultrasonic sensors without something reliable in place.

 

[terranx]

I can't believe they got rid of ultrasonic sensors without something reliable in place.

Agreed. I was definitely missing those when parking the new car. It’s like I went back in time 20 years.

 

[dsm363]

Agreed. I was definitely missing those when parking the new car. It’s like I went back in time 20 years.

My first car with them was this 2012 Model S and I had to pay to get them added by Tesla (a lot) since it was delivered without them. It wasn't even delivered with P85 logo on it as they forgot or didn't have it on the first 100 cars or so they made.

I assume the camera based park assist is good enough within 2 feet? So will just have to stop then and not count on it being accurate without getting out of car and looking.

It looks like the 2023+ long range Model S don't have the same issue with inner tire wear on the 19" rims so that's good at least.