SC tells me that my tires are not rotatable

[X Fan]

Suggested that factory shipped two types of tires: ones that should be rotated and ones that should not be.

Hhhm...news to me but OK.....

 

[RobertSeattle]

From the Manual:
Tire Rotation, Balance, and Wheel Alignment

Model X tires cannot be rotated, as tires are asymmetrical and front tires are a different size from rear tires.

Unbalanced wheels (sometimes noticeable as vibration through the steering wheel) affect vehicle handling and tire life. Even with regular use, wheels can get out of balance. Therefore, they should be balanced as required.

If tire wear is uneven (on one side of the tire only) or becomes abnormally excessive, check the alignment of wheels.

Note: When replacing only two tires, always install the new tires on the rear.

 

[K-MTG]

Really! When I took delivery I was told the only maintenance (except for inspection) was rotating tires every 10K or so miles

 

[Monkey]

Suggested that factory shipped two types of tires: ones that should be rotated and ones that should not be.

Hhhm...news to me but OK.....

In staggered (asymmetric) wheel setups, tires can't be rotated. Technically, you could flip them from one side of the vehicle to the other, but not necessary. The Model X uses a staggered setup -- the rear wheels are 1" wider than the front wheels. Tesla could offer a non-staggered setup, but they probably found better performance keeping the wider tires on the rear.

In modern traction control vehicles, tire rotation is not necessary. Uneven wear comes from improper balance and alignment. Tire rotation is a common practice to stave off the effects of a poorly aligned vehicle and improperly balanced wheels. You won't be rotating your tires, but alignment and wheel balance should be checked occasionally. Keep tires properly inflated and note any uneven wear. Annual recommended checkups of the car, or about every 12K miles, are a good idea.

Extreme driving habits can also play a role. If you spend a lot of time doing laps at the local race track, for example, all those left turns are going to eat away your tires much differently than normal day to day driving.

 

[jaguar36]

In staggered (asymmetric) wheel setups, tires can't be rotated. Technically, you could flip them from one side of the vehicle to the other, but not necessary. The Model X uses a staggered setup -- the rear wheels are 1" wider than the front wheels. Tesla could offer a non-staggered setup, but they probably found better performance keeping the wider tires on the rear.

In modern traction control vehicles, tire rotation is not necessary. Uneven wear comes from improper balance and alignment.

This is incorrect. While improper balance and alignment can contribute to tire wear, if possible you most certainly do want to swap left and right tires. The left hand side tires will wear noticeably faster as the proportion of right hand turns is significantly higher than left hand turns. (particularly on highway off ramps which have a large contribution to tire wear)

However directional tires can not be swapped right to left, and therefore a car with directional and stagger tires can't have the tires rotated.

 

[Saghost]

Tesla does allow a square setup on the X - the 19" snow tire set is square (the other three - 20" snow, 20" and 22" all season are all staggered.)

The staggered tires was yet another thing I didn't really like about the X, but after the test drive I ordered one anyway.

If they end up being annoying enough, I may try to find a square 19" all season set that suits the car instead.

 

[trmmcd]

When I picked up my X - they told me to be sure to rotate the tires after 5,000 to 6,000 miles. I can't believe they can't get this straight across their service centers. Its not like they have a 1,000 products they need to learn. This is a pretty basic thing and the one real maintenance thing they said I need to do.

 

[Monkey]

This is incorrect. While improper balance and alignment can contribute to tire wear, if possible you most certainly do want to swap left and right tires. The left hand side tires will wear noticeably faster as the proportion of right hand turns is significantly higher than left hand turns. (particularly on highway off ramps which have a large contribution to tire wear)

I suppose this is a more real-world incarnation of my race track analogy above. If such conditions exist for your normal driving -- a disproportionate number of right turns -- then yes. And you would swap tires left to right... Not so sure this represents conditions for most drivers. Or maybe I'm projecting what is attributable to my local area onto the problem. We have just about as many left hand on-ramps to balance out right hand off-ramps and then there's plenty of hilly topography, winding mountain roads and generally crappy road conditions... We don't usually see tires wearing disproportionately due to having more turns in one direction. We do rotate / swap tires where we can and where applicable. We can, so why not. I suppose in my post above I should have stated that.

However directional tires can not be swapped right to left, and therefore a car with directional and stagger tires can't have the tires rotated.

Yes. Not sure about the various tires Tesla has been putting on the X. I think the Scorpion Zero tires are directional, but not totally sure. I have the 20" all-seasons on mine.

 

[Hengist]

Really! When I took delivery I was told the only maintenance (except for inspection) was rotating tires every 10K or so miles

Hmmm. There is a detailed discussion of the maintenance in the owner manual, starting on page 144. Service every 12 months, 12,500 miles. Big service is 2 years, 25k with brake fluid replacement, biggest is 4 years 50k with battery coolant replacement.

With model S they used to do a flat $600 for annual service. Nowadays the 1 and 3 year are cheaper, 2 year is more, and 4 year is even more.

It is mostly a big inspection, alignment if needed. New wiper blades and they put new batteries in the fobs, so remember to bring both of them. No new 12 volt battery, unfortunately.

 

[commasign]

I wonder if they went with staggered to save money on having to do free tire rotations.

 

[Hengist]

I wonder if they went with staggered to save money on having to do free tire rotations.

Doubtful. I believe that the engineers were searching for a good mix of handling and towing capacity.

 

[X Fan]

Hmmm. There is a detailed discussion of the maintenance in the owner manual, starting on page 144. Service every 12 months, 12,500 miles. Big service is 2 years, 25k with brake fluid replacement, biggest is 4 years 50k with battery coolant replacement.

With model S they used to do a flat $600 for annual service. Nowadays the 1 and 3 year are cheaper, 2 year is more, and 4 year is even more.

It is mostly a big inspection, alignment if needed. New wiper blades and they put new batteries in the fobs, so remember to bring both of them. No new 12 volt battery, unfortunately.

No plan yet as per my SA during a SC visit this week (btw: he said to ignore the S plan, not relevant to X).......

 

[nctalkinghead]

Owner's manual says tires cannot be rotated. Then it goes on to add that when 2 tires are replaced, always put the new tires on the back! Duh....