Billbrown1982
TM3 LR 2021 | Red | FSD
So my spare tyre kit now consists of:
1. Second hand Tesla M3 (OEM) alloy wheel - £99. [Tesla confirms the oem numbers ending in A,B or C are all interchangeable].
2. Budget (new) tyre with correct load rating for sidewall (98W or Y in UK).- £70.
3. Low profile 3 tonne scissor jack (stronger than 2 tonne jack) with ratchet handle and bag - £30.
4. 2nd scissor jack (to jack up other end of car if punctured end of car is too low to get a jack under vehicle). £15.
5. Telescopic handled wrench (21mm). £7.
6. 1 x chock to prevent car from moving when on jack(s). £3.
Miscellaneous: gloves. plywood square to act as base (for soft/uneven ground).
Total cost (UK): £225.
Why am I carrying a full sized spare?
1. UK Tesla RA tell me they don't change wheels on the side of the road. They flatbed you to a destination of your choice (up to 50 miles). Basically that is either a garage or home.
2. Tesla RA drops you off at destination STILL with puncture. If at home, you still need a spare. If at garage - it may be closed/out of hours/too far away. What then? Taxi? Hang around for hours? Pay full price for a "special tesla tyre" because you have no choice?
3. I may be travelling to an important meeting; to the airport for a flight; catching a ferry; on holiday. No spare - no continue!
4. A space saver limits me to 50mph. Not clever on a motorway! Not clever if I have hundreds of miles to complete my journey.
My wife reminds me that if she is driving and experiences a puncture - she will not be changing the wheel. That's fine. TRA simply brings her home and I will do it on my drive.
Failing that, we have an alternative breakdown service and they have stated they will change a tyre on the side of the road and use our spare.
In summary - for the sake of £225, I have peace of mind. And the beauty of it all is that when I sell the car - the spare wheel kit will be sold separately (either to the new buyer or online). I expect it to sell quickly because the nearest equivalent in the UK doesn't exist.
(a) Only space saver kits exist.
(b) The cheapest of these is £200 without 2nd jack, torque wrench or chock.
Not sure i'd bother with 2 jacks. I've got a wheel chock/ramp thing that I can gently nudge the car onto to give me that extra space to get the jack underneath it.
That said...i'm still using the piece of crap road hero jack and the last time I did it was bowing like a good'n - i've been meaning to pick up a decent jack to replace it so I'd be interested in what one your using?
50 isn't ideal on a motorway but your only 6 mph slower than most trucks so its not the end of the world. I ran around on one for a couple weeks when my alloy was being refurbished. But I wouldn't want to do LONG distance on it granted, but unless its at night you could probably find a tyre firm within a reasonable distance to get the tyre sorted.