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jkirkwood001
Active Member
SOOO expensive to buy extra rims. FWIW, I routinely transfer my summer and winter tires to the same rims - tires are balanced every time (slight wheel vibrations drive me crazy!) Also, less heavy to transport, if you can't find an inexpensive garage to store them.
Tony_YYZ
Tezler Guru
I'm going to buy new summer rims next year. i usually keep a complete separate set of wheels for summer/winter. I have racks in my garage to store them on.
pcons
M3 AWD+
Do you do the swap/balance yourself? Doing it at a garage has never made financial sense to me, even a decent cash price where I live is $60-70 to swap and balance. x2 and that's lets say $130/year, plus then you are potentially banging up your rims.
I'm still undecided what I'm going to do with my model 3, but on my past 2 cars (2014 volt and 2017 volt) I had steelies on it since the rims were ~$60 each, and I install them on the car myself at home once I have them on rims. Also do the same with my wife's bolt. Not sure if there will be steelies that fit the 3, but that's going to be my preferred route rather than paying $1000 for rims
I know it wont make the car look pretty, but to each his own....unless there is a good deal with the group by mentioned above in which case I may be convinced to join in
jkirkwood001
Active Member
Do you do the swap/balance yourself? Doing it at a garage has never made financial sense to me, even a decent cash price where I live is $60-70 to swap and balance. x2 and that's lets say $130/year, plus then you are potentially banging up your rims.
I'm still undecided what I'm going to do with my model 3, but on my past 2 cars (2014 volt and 2017 volt) I had steelies on it since the rims were ~$60 each, and I install them on the car myself at home once I have them on rims. Also do the same with my wife's bolt. Not sure if there will be steelies that fit the 3, but that's going to be my preferred route rather than paying $1000 for rims
I know it wont make the car look pretty, but to each his own....unless there is a good deal with the group by mentioned above in which case I may be convinced to join in
I agree, pros and cons (haha). If you want to buy nice summer rims, like @Tony_YYZ I expect (to replace his Aeros), it could be expensive. If you use steelies in the winter, maybe easier & cheaper. No, I have a garage do it.
Do you do the swap/balance yourself? Doing it at a garage has never made financial sense to me, even a decent cash price where I live is $60-70 to swap and balance. x2 and that's lets say $130/year, plus then you are potentially banging up your rims.
I'm still undecided what I'm going to do with my model 3, but on my past 2 cars (2014 volt and 2017 volt) I had steelies on it since the rims were ~$60 each, and I install them on the car myself at home once I have them on rims. Also do the same with my wife's bolt. Not sure if there will be steelies that fit the 3, but that's going to be my preferred route rather than paying $1000 for rims
I know it wont make the car look pretty, but to each his own....unless there is a good deal with the group by mentioned above in which case I may be convinced to join in
Is it necessary to re-balance the tire every time you swap back and forth between wheel sets?
Canuck
Well-Known Member
Tires don't do well stretching on and off rims twice a year. Plus, if you know where to look, you can get good quality winter rims at decent prices. For my S, I bought a set of these for winter rims:
About Us | Replika
https://www.replika.ca/productsearch.aspx?qs=r187
There's a rep from Replika who posts here in a thread about them. Here's my invoice:
4 R187-1985-12MN-40C64119x8.5 5-120 +40 REPLIKA R187 GUNMETAL 193.99 775.96
4 00006581 MICHELIN XICE XI3 245/45R19XL 102H 307.99 1231.96
4 00ITM433 433 Mhz ITM UNIVERSAL PROGRAMMABLE TPMS 69.99 279.96
4 00000WP1 MOUNTING BALANCING 12.50 50.00
So then spring came around and I had to put the stock 19" rims back on with the summer tires and I just couldn't do it. So I bought another set of the Replikas, put the summer tires on those, and someone here PM'd me and bought the stock rims.
Now it's easy to swap back and forth.
But then I got to reading here about snowflake symbol tires you can drive all year round and I probably would have gone that way if I knew about them a few years ago. My 3 is going to stick with all-season and stay off the roads the few days we get snow here (usually). My S goes over the mountain passes in the shoulder seasons, so I have to have snowflake symbol tires and I will swap them over again come October. Plus, it's free to swap over rims (at Kal Tire where I bought the rims) but they charge if it's on the same rim. Twice a year swapping tires adds up fast -- that's what's "SOOO expensive" to me and you can probably have new rims for the same price if you plan to keep the car any length of time.
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5_+JqckQttqck
Active Member
Yes, because the red dot (heaviest point) will be in a different location every time. Pros, swapping = balanced tires all year long. Cons, can damage rims if shop is shady.
When I say swapping wheel set I mean, 2 or more sets of mounted tires/rims and not mounting different tires on the same rims.
jkirkwood001
Active Member
It's once a year per tire (twice per year per wheel). And respectfully, I've never had a tire rim fail before the tread wore out. I'm not saying everyone should do this, it's just an economical option that leaves my nice rims on year round, and the tires are always balanced (yes, @Funkmobile, you need to balance every time you put a tire on the rim.)
jkirkwood001
Active Member
You're right, @Gen3.
Still, this hasn't been an issue for me during the time I've done this. I think as wheel sizes become bigger and sidewalls shorter, this is less stressful on them. Perhaps?
Canuck
Well-Known Member
You're right, @Gen3.
I guess if you're able to do it yourself and it's not an issue that's fine but I have to have it done in a tire shop and it's not cheap twice a year. I'd way rather put that money towards an extra set of rims.
How to change your tires from summers to winters | The Star
If you want nicer wheels, it takes more than "a couple" of seasonal changes but not that many more.
What's the difference between a tire changeover and swap? | OK Tire
I beg to differ on all accounts. It costs more in the long run, my aftermarket rims are nicer than my stock ones, and changing tires on rims affects the balance. Putting tires on rims, balancing them, means they are "always balanced". Not the other way around even though most shops balance both ways:
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jkirkwood001
Active Member
Guys & gals, I've never ruined a tire or had a rim dented by re-using the rims. And since I'd have them balanced anyway, it's not more expensive, for me. And I like the non steel rims during winter. Do what you like.
Canuck
Well-Known Member
Of course, we will "do what we like". I've already done that a few years ago when I bought separate rims. The point of the discussion is what is preferable so we are discussing the details, and it helps people reading to decide what to do who are undecided.
I still can't figure out how the costs "are not more expensive, for me" regardless of balancing. There's no doubt that it costs more to pull tires off and on rims twice a year, unless you do it yourself, and few people have a machine to take tires on and off rims but many tire shops swap rims for free if you buy the rims/tires from them -- but none swap tires for free, of course. So how it cannot be more expensive for you only makes sense if you have a machine to do it yourself, or if you only plan to keep the car a couple of years. After that, you can buy good rims, like these, that are not steel, but an alloy with a "winter approved" coating:
R187 Gloss Gunmetal
https://www.replika.ca/productinfo.aspx?wn=r187&fn=gloss+gunmetal&wc=tesla&lang=en-US
At $80 a swap over, the average charge here plus tax, that's $160 year. At the price it only takes 5 years to equal the swap over costs for a nice set of new rims, that I like much better than the stock S rims (to the point that I bought 2 sets), and they are not steel rims, as you suggest. Plus, anytime tires are taken on and off wheels there's the potential for rim (and tire) damage and doing that twice a year to tires increases the odds of damage. Then try telling the tire shop that damage wasn't there prior. Another downside of swapping tires.
Can anyone tell me if i'm using the correct link to edit the configuration of my reservation as I can't get it to work? Tesla SSO – Login (replace the X with your RN).
jkirkwood001
Active Member
I pay less than $60 per swap, and if you don't do it yourself, you have to pay them to lift your car and swap the tires anyway (don't know a place in Canada that does this for free - and would they balance them for free, too? I like them balanced). Also, black, steel rims are inexpensive, but some people are buying expensive rims. Tesla charges you US$3,500 for winter wheels and tires. So I'm saying it depends what you want - it can be cheaper to swap the tires onto the same rims.
Hugh Mannity
Mediocre Member
an alternative to all the "dicking around" is to throw a set of all-weathers on, (I have WRG3 and they've been very good tires over the years), and forget about them till they wear out and need replacing again.
Yes, yes I know I live in Vancouver, what do I know about snow. For the record I ran WRG3 for 2 years in Alberta before moving west
Yes, yes I know I live in Vancouver, what do I know about snow. For the record I ran WRG3 for 2 years in Alberta before moving west
SmartElectric
Active Member
I paid $800 CDN from Kal Tire for the Replika R187's as others here have done.
Then, Kal does the yearly swap over at no cost, and will check balancing if I ask.
In the almost 4 years of ownership that is 7 swaps that have been zero cost.
Whereas your cost is 60x7 = $420
Plus if I want I can resell the rims for $500 and be cheaper than what you've paid.
It's not about the money for me, the tire manufacturer does not recommend the practice of mounting and unmounting tires routinely. Period.
