That's pretty typical for an EV, and not just Tesla's. Whatever money you save on gas, it'll get spent on tires.I’m shocked the tires only lasted 20k, that is astounding to me
Tesla Model 3 Performance tires - your thoughts?
- Thread starter JeffKeryk
- Start date
I have the Pilot Sport All Seasons on my Model Y Performance and am happy with how they are wearing and the overall performance. I’ve got 39,000 miles on them and will likely replace in the next 5,000 miles or so.
If you don’t push your Model 3 I think you’d be very happy with how these handle in addition to the tread life.
If you don’t push your Model 3 I think you’d be very happy with how these handle in addition to the tread life.
Teslas are pig heavy; all EVs are. But then again many cars are. The OE Pirelli P-Zero tires will not last long on any car as they are max performance summer rubber. The Michelin PS4S may last a little longer; I have over 30K on our Lex GS350 F Sport, which ain't exactly light.
The Michelin Pilot Sport All Season is not a bad choice. They are a little cheaper, would last much longer and would add a little range to the EV drivetrain. They are great tires, IMO.
Staggered sizes lose the benefit of tire rotation. The fronts on my car are fine; the rears not so much.
Look at the incredible BMW M cars. They get a big perfomance benefit from sticky tires. Drop down to a lesser tire and the M performance is not the same. No different than any car.
I am somewhat OK with the tire cost; the insurance is another story.
Have you looked at any of the Continental tires?
Apparently some manufacturers have a slightly different tire for ev's. "
The Continental extreme contact dwso6. The pro contact RX (T1/T2) have acoustic foam to reduce noise.)
- T-Marking: Tesla-approved tires e.g., T0, T1, T2) are specially engineered, often including noise-canceling foam."
I've had the PS4 on two cars. A Cayman (also staggered, several sets), rears lasted 15k-18k miles, fronts about 2x that. Also on a WRX (not staggered) where they lasted ~30K. Recently replaced the tires on the Cayman with Continental ExtremeContact Sport02 tires which are similar in terms of ride and performance to the PS4, they were significantly less expensive as when I bought them Continental and Tire Rack had two rebates on them totally $200, one for buying four tires, the other for using a Continental credit card (one was $110 the other was $90) which made the Continentals ~30% cheaper. I have not tracked or auto-crossed the Continental's yet so cannot currently report on their performance in those uses.
Just picked up the car from Costco. $1600 all in, with the $80 promotion. The Michelin Pilot Sport 4S is a great tire.
You can't take anything away from the P-Zeros; Pirelli is a classic tire company. The Michelins feel flat-out glued.
The warranty is 30K, but 1/2 for staggered sizes because you can't rotate. I will get 30K, I'm pretty sure.
Thanks to @edyvw @Trav and @Cujet. I was leaning to the A/S tires, which would have been fine, but you were right.
100% satisfied.
You can't take anything away from the P-Zeros; Pirelli is a classic tire company. The Michelins feel flat-out glued.
The warranty is 30K, but 1/2 for staggered sizes because you can't rotate. I will get 30K, I'm pretty sure.
Thanks to @edyvw @Trav and @Cujet. I was leaning to the A/S tires, which would have been fine, but you were right.
100% satisfied.
Dont discount the Bridgestone potenza line. I had a set of those after sending a set of DWS-06 back. The potenzas (mine were a UHP A/S) were a terrific tire. Grip for days, predictable, excellent in the rain. The had solid sidewalls but were a softer tread. They are not a high longevity tire. They were great!!
Cool, post a pic with new sticky tires!! That thing has got to be just about unbeatable. Supercar cornering, acceleration, braking. What's not to love?
A related topic. Remember a good bump in G force does not mean an equiv speed increase. A local 325 foot radius (650 foot diameter) symmetrical off ramp that is nearly 330 degrees from start to finish is a great test of a car's G force capability. (lateral acceleration)
A Camry can generate 0.82G and can negotiate this corner at 63mph. A good sports car can (in the real world) make 1G on street tires, 69mph or 6mph faster. That's it, a 25% increase in cornering force based on 0.8G gives a 9.5% speed increase.
Note 25% of 0.8G is 0.2G People will incorrectly say a bump from .8 to 1G is a 20% increase, nope. It's 25%.
But oh what a difference in feel!
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edyvw
$50 site donor 2026
Photos or didn’t happen!
The Pirelli Pzero's on my Jag F-Type barely made it 10K miles. I hear that the Michelin's Pilot Sport 4s' can do 15K on the Jag. Certainly not longer lasting than the same tires on the Tesla. But at least the F-Type is slower than the Tesla...
Let's just say coupled with the instantaneous pull and zero corner lean, it is tempting. Too tempting. When @edyvw ventures out to Silicon Valley I will toss him the keys...
The weak point in these cars is the brakes. Of course the tires are a big step in the right direction. The M3P refresh added better components, but still. But I don't push it, so there's that.
edyvw
$50 site donor 2026
I really don't understand this issue behind Tesla and brakes.
Apparantly neither do they... 500+ HP in a heavy car... What could go wrong?
They are fine for general use but on a track apparantly you have to brake very early, and they could heat up....
edyvw
$50 site donor 2026
There are a lot of 500+ hp, heavy cars with good brakes. The new M5 is a prime example.
There are options, but it costs money. Tesla, from my observations, used Brembo early on and then switched to other suppliers, cheaper ones.
Another thing is unsprung weight. Smaller brakes (rotors) are very easy to bump up the range.
Do not forget that motors working as generators do offer resistance to the movement/rotation.
So one can get away with smaller brakes compared to vehicle without regen infrastructure.
But...
They are not as good as real brakes to stop NOW.
Krzyś
So one can get away with smaller brakes compared to vehicle without regen infrastructure.
But...
They are not as good as real brakes to stop NOW.
Krzyś
edyvw
$50 site donor 2026
NOW is really big thing.
For the most part the newer model 3P Tesla uses street pads that are not track worthy. Heck they probably fall short of my daily needs. Pads like Carbotech XP8 or XP10 really make the M3P a bunch more capable. I know people really fault the Tesla brakes, but real world track days show they hold up for 2-3 laps before fading. For OEM, that is not unusual in any modestly priced vehicle
The Track Package carbon brakes on our Model S Plaid, work pretty well. But they absolutely are lacking compared to our ZR1 and ACR carbon brakes. Of course they both weigh over 1000 lbs less than the Model S Plaid. About 1200 lbs and 1500 lbs less, respectively.
edyvw
$50 site donor 2026
Well, yeah, that is the point. Also, Track Package is extra money.
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