Tire Cost > Electricity Cost

[turnbowm]

Like most, I'm concerned about efficiency and the cost of operation, with little attention paid to the running cost of tires. I recently checked the tread depth on our 2022 MYLR and was shocked to find that the rear tires are down to 5/32"-6/32" in only 8,500 miles. At this rate, I'll be lucky to get 20,000 miles out of them. The front are running approximately 7/32" and, obviously, a tire rotation is needed. At $327/tire, replacement of the OEM Contis will be expensive with an operating cost of approximately $0.065/mile. This is more than the operating cost of charging the car at an Edison rate of $0.23/kWh! You can bet that when it comes time to replace the ProContacts, tread wear rating will be my main consideration. The savings in tire costs will more than pay for expected degradation in efficiency.

 

[Watts_Up]

I would be interested knowing more about the new efficiency tires of the Model 3 Highland
which I beleive are the Hankook Evo iON on the 19" wheels and the new Michelin e-Primacy on the 18" wheels?
And if the Model Y will get similar tires?

Hankook Ion Evo: Why Tesla Swapped Michelin for This Tire on the Model 3 Highland?

 

[tm3dlr]

Don’t floor it all the time?

 

[turnbowm]

Don’t floor it all the time?

It's the wife's car and she's not a speed demon, which is why I'm shocked at the rapid tire wear.

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

It's the wife's car and she's not a speed demon, which is why I'm shocked at the rapid tire wear.

Check alignment and tire pressure.

Also, it's not being a speed demon that matters, it's being a quickness demon.

 

[turnbowm]

Check alignment and tire pressure.

Also, it's not being a speed demon that matters, it's being a quickness demon.

4-wheel alignment done by Tesla SC at 228 miles to correct left pull. Done again at 1,892 miles to correct off-center steering wheel that was not corrected with first alignment. Slight amount of negative camber on rear wheels which is normal for Tesla. No feathering of tires which would indicate toe in/out issues. It's interesting that the tire tread depth at first SC alignment (228 miles) was 7/16", which is less than the 9/16" ProContact spec. I do run 40PSI (2lbs less than std.) to take the sharp edge off the stiff suspension, but tire wear is even (within 1/32").

FWIW, the wife is no "quickness demon" and gets on my case if I accelerate too quickly. I don't drive the car that often, so it's not an issue.

 

[MP3Mike]

was shocked to find that the rear tires are down to 5/32"-6/32" in only 8,500 miles. At this rate, I'll be lucky to get 20,000 miles out of them. The front are running approximately 7/32" and, obviously, a tire rotation is needed.

I could be wrong, but I thought the OEM tires started with a tread depth of 8/32", so your front tires have barely worn at all. You may have an alignment problem in the back causing the excessive wear.

 

[zroger73]

I could be wrong, but I thought the OEM tires started with a tread depth of 8/32", so your front tires have barely worn at all.

TireRack.com shows the 19" OE tires start with 9/32". I am ASSuming they have the 19" tires since the 20" tires are Goodyears instead of Continentals.

The 20" tires start with 8/32". At my first tire rotation on my 23 MYLR, I was still 8/32" on the front and 7/32" on the rear. Despite having AB, I drive in Chill Mode 99.999% of the time.

Because EVs are so quiet and smooth when accelerating, it can be hard to judge the amount of torque-induced tire wear that is occurring. I find it's easy to think I'm driving gently, yet I still pull ahead of other traffic.

 

[MP3Mike]

TireRack.com shows the 19" OE tires start with 9/32". I am ASSuming they have the 19" tires since the 20" tires are Goodyears instead of Continentals.

The 20" tires start with 8/32". At my first tire rotation on my 23 MYLR, I was still 8/32" on the front and 7/32" on the rear. Despite having AB, I drive in Chill Mode 99.999% of the time.

Given they were already at 7/32" at 228 miles, it seems like they would have started at less than 9/32"...

It's interesting that the tire tread depth at first SC alignment (228 miles) was 7/16"

 

[zroger73]

7/16" = 14/32"

That's closer to the tread depth of an all-terrain tire on a brodozer. I assume they meant 7/32".

 

[jkdman123]

It's interesting that OEM tires seem to wear out much sooner than rated. The Michelin MXM4s on my old M3 only lasted about 20,000 miles before they needed to be replaced.

There seems to be a consensus that the weight of BEVs is a contributing factor in tires wearing out prematurely.

 

[turnbowm]

7/16" = 14/32"

That's closer to the tread depth of an all-terrain tire on a brodozer. I assume they meant 7/32".

Yes, I meant 7/32". Brain cramp!

 

[EatsShoots]

It's interesting that OEM tires seem to wear out much sooner than rated. The Michelin MXM4s on my old M3 only lasted about 20,000 miles before they needed to be replaced.

There seems to be a consensus that the weight of BEVs is a contributing factor in tires wearing out prematurely.

I've never had OEM tires on any car last past ~20k with one exception: Our 2022 Rav4 hybrid now has 26k and the tires are still okay. I might actually get 40k out of them. My Model 3 rwd actually has a surprising amount of depth @ 12k miles (almost all highway).

I have zero intention of going OEM tires on these; I will 100% be going to tirerack for replacement tires.

 

[zroger73]

I've never had OEM tires on any car last past ~20k with one exception: Our 2022 Rav4 hybrid now has 26k and the tires are still okay. I might actually get 40k out of them. My Model 3 rwd actually has a surprising amount of depth @ 12k miles (almost all highway).

I have zero intention of going OEM tires on these; I will 100% be going to tirerack for replacement tires.

Historically, I've traded vehicles about once a year on average, but I've kept a few longer. A few examples:

2021 Honda Ridgeline with Firestone Destination LE2 tires that started with 10/32". At 31K miles with lots of full-throttle accleration, they had 4/32" tread remaining.

2010 Honda Ridgeline with Michelin LTX M/S tires that still had lots of usable tread left at 54K miles. Many owners reported getting 75K miles out of these tires.

1999 Buick Regal with Goodyear Eagle LS tires that lasted 50K miles.

If the OE Goodyear Eagle F1 tires that came on my MY continue to perform and wear as well as they have over the first 9,000 miles and I keep this vehicle longer than average, I'll use the same tires again.

 

[turnbowm]

I would be interested knowing more about the new efficiency tires of the Model 3 Highland
which I beleive are the Hankook Evo iON on the 19" wheels and the new Michelin e-Primacy on the 18" wheels?
And if the Model Y will get similar tires?

Hankook Ion Evo: Why Tesla Swapped Michelin for This Tire on the Model 3 Highland?

Hankook just might have a winner on their hands. The tread wear rating of 600 (50% more than OEM Contis) got my attention.

https://www.americantiredepot.com/tires/hankook/ion-evo-as-suv/255-45-19/1033215

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

It's interesting that OEM tires seem to wear out much sooner than rated. The Michelin MXM4s on my old M3 only lasted about 20,000 miles before they needed to be replaced.

There seems to be a consensus that the weight of BEVs is a contributing factor in tires wearing out prematurely.

OEM tires tend to wear out faster because they tend to be focused on efficiency, not durability. They're often a bit lighter than the normal spec.

There's a consensus amongst people who don't like BEVs about tire wear, even though fleet data in the UK suggests no significant difference.

However, some people may enjoy the sporty acceleration of their EV and increase the wear.

 

[jkdman123]

OEM tires tend to wear out faster because they tend to be focused on efficiency, not durability. They're often a bit lighter than the normal spec.

There's a consensus amongst people who don't like BEVs about tire wear, even though fleet data in the UK suggests no significant difference.

However, some people may enjoy the sporty acceleration of their EV and increase the wear.

The issue is that the OEM tires seem to be only lasting about 30%-60% of their rated mileage. Then people tend to replace them with different tires and get better wear. Of course, it's mostly anecdotal, but the number of people here who complain that they're only getting about 18k to 30k miles out of a tire rated for 55k miles is significant. I had to change at 30% and it wasn't like I was drag racing at every traffic light.

 

[Jiver]

Driving in "chill" all the time will help to save your tires. Since the primary driver is not a "quickness" person driving in "chill" should not make a difference.

My OEM tires did not last a long time. Neither did my next set. But the set after that I got discounted due to not making the advertised number of miles on the previous tires. Then again I am not driving in "chill". I anticipate always getting a prorated discount on new tires.

 

[zroger73]

The tread wear rating of 600 (50% more than OEM Contis) got my attention.

Be careful with that UTQG treadwear rating. It is self-assigned by the tire manufacture - not a third party. It is extrapolated by the tire manufacturer based on 7,200 miles of driving around a 400-mile test loop in West Texas. This number is also allowed to be under-reported, so it is of limited value even when comparing between two tires of the same brand because it can be manipulated to fit into marketing strategies.

 

[chan_man]

Amazon.com

Ordered these as the first set of replacement for MYLR. 46k miles but also run with snow tires. Will be installed next Monday. there is a $80 rebate on a set of 4