Tesla 3 Tyre replacement
We’ve got a 2021 Tesla 3 (odo 50000km) and the first WOF indicated we need to replace the tyres (borderline pass). My husband usually looks after everything car related but he’s now in ICU in critical condition so I need to take care of this. I’ve got the spec from the existing tyres (Micheline Total Performance 235/45/18). Can anyone recommend a good tyre installer in Auckland who’s trustworthy? I’m reasonably conversant in techy things but heard stories about female customers not being treated fairly. Any advice related to tyre replacement would be great. TIA
UPDATE
Thank you everyone for your advice and kind words. After a bit of research, I ended up going with Albany Tyres, keeping Pilot Sport 4 T1 (the tyres we had were Pilot Sport 4 T1, not Total Performance 😂 I read off the wrong label).
In terms of pricing for PS4 T1, as of early October: Albany Tyres (special pricing) < Costco < Tyretech < Tesla
Even with non-sale pricing, Albany Tyres was only $12 higher per tyre than Costco so unless you are not already a member it’s cheaper to go with Albany Tyres (plus you’re supporting a local business).
I personally didn’t like Costco - I had to wait for 20 minutes on the phone just to talk to someone (if it ever gets picked up that is, and that’s the only way to find out their current pricing). They also require you to come in person and pay in full before they order them in. I live far from Costco and with all the stress and the worn out tyres it was just not worth it. As someone already mentioned Costco don’t offer alignment at all.
Albany Tyres has a very nice website with all the latest pricing and details upfront. You can order and pay online or just call in to order (always picked up within a few rings) and pay after the job. They only took 30 minutes (I didn’t need alignment as I was getting it done at Tesla the next day along with other fixes as part of warranty).
My husband has defied the odds and is now out of ICU. He is on the (rather long) road to recovery but he’s alive and we are extremely grateful.
Hi, I run a shop in Albany if you’re up that way. I have left a link below to our options in your size. We happen to have a set of the original Michelin Pilot Sport 4 Tesla (T1) option tyres on special at the moment. There are also other EV optimised tyres on there (Yokohama V108, Continental e.Contact and Zeta Artoria EV).
You’re welcome to give us a call when we’re back in the workshop tomorrow morning for a chat if it helps, we’re always happy to help and have a lot of experience when it comes to Tesla’s so we’ll be able to answer any questions you have!
https://www.albanytyres.co.nz/shop/?acf-tyre_width=63&acf-tyre_profile=100&acf-tyre_rim=110&wpf_fbv=1&redirect
Hijacking your top-rated comment to recommend the Michelin Pilot Sport 5 or Continental PremiumContact 6, and to recommend steering clear of EV/eco tyres for reasons covered in this tyre test.
Interesting test results.
Comparing the Primacy 4 (Michelin's general touring tire), and the ePrimacy:
ePrimacy gets 3.0% better fuel economy (more range)
Wet breaking increases from 31.3m to 36.3
Curved Aquaplaning speed decreases from 69.8 km/h to 64 km/h.
I knew their would be a tradeoff for the lower rolling resistance, but didn't think wet grip would suffer so badly.
I was really surprised at how much they compromised on safety for such marginal efficiency gains.
Low rolling resistance tyres might make sense on an old Leaf to maximise range, but I feel like most EVs today have enough range that safety should be the top priority when it comes to tyres.
Very interesting. Thanks for posting.
So I shouldn’t go for e.PRIMACY? How about Pilot Sport 5? note that it wasn’t part of the comparison. Maybe better to stay with PS4?
No, I wouldn't go for the Michelin e.PRIMACY due to the reduced safety. If you want to stick with Michelin, you could either go for the Primacy 4 or the Pilot Sport 4/5. They are both incredibly safe and long-lasting tyres, and I would go for whatever is cheaper. The Primacy 4 will be slightly more comfy and quiet (it's a touring tyre) whereas the Pilot Sport will be a bit more direct. Most people won't notice the difference between the two.
Thank you for the summary!
Just updated my main post. I ended up just getting PS4 T1 as we’d been happy with them. After ringing around, I went with Albany Tyres - their pricing was even better than Costco and service was superb.
If you are Costco members the Costco tyre shop usually has sharp pricing for the Michelin pilot sport 5, which is the successor to the factory fitted pilot sport 4.
They were around $500/tyre fitted when I replaced my rear pair a few months ago.
Save this for next time…
https://www.albanytyres.co.nz/product/235-45r18-98y-michelin-pilot-sport-5/
I just checked, I was wrong, they were $825 for the pair, fitted.
Fair enough. I’ve heard they barely break even on tyres as they expect that customers will go in store and spend another few hundred $’s while waiting for the tyres to be fitted. Just comes down to whether we want to support global corporations or local businesses.
That's basically the Costco business model. They make money from your subscription
Costco price for PS4 T1 is now $545 per tyre vs Albany Tyres $557 (special pricing was $529) vs Tyretech $575 - all as of 7 Oct.
Costco are usually by far the cheapest supplier of Michelins, I know a few people that drove up from Wellington it was enough of a saving
Herb Morgan’s. Bottom of Onehunga Mall. Have been going there since 2004
I went there for a set of Pilot Sport 5's. They didn't quite price match Costco, but by the time they added in wheel alignment, it might as well have been the same (Costco don't do wheel alignment). Cost me $1586 for 245/45 R18, install, disposal fee and wheel alignment.
Nothing to offer in terms of tyres but sorry to hear about your husband. Hope he’s out of the ICU asap!
Tyre Power Otahuhu has them cheap and fitted.
I'm quite fond of Michelin tyres.
Factory fitment for your car was Michelin Pilot Sport 4 Tesla (T1). These vairy from the regular Michelin Pilot Sport 4, I don't know the full list of differences, but at least includes the addition of acoustic foam. Would give you exactly the OEM experience, which is a safe bet if you like the current tyre setup.
Alternatively you could consider
Michelin Pilot Sport 5, The new version of the (general) Pilot Sport 4. Ultra high performance tire, optimized for grip and steering feel, over things like comfort.
Michelin Primacy 4, Nice Touring tire. Favors things like ride comfort a bit more than the above.
Michelin e.PRIMACY, Tesla factory fitment on 2024 model 3's (unsure if they get a tweaked tesla version like the older car did). These are designed specifically for EV's, and are optimized for EV use case, putting particular emphasis on rolling resistance (to get you more range), acoustics & suitability for the high torque & heavy weight of EV's.
Fitting a full set of new tyres is optimal for safety, but it is common to fit only a pair at a time.
If you are fitting only a pair, I would try to match the existing tyres.
If I was fitting 4 (and I could get them at a reasonable price, sometimes they are quite pricy), I would give the fairly recently released Michelin e.PRIMACY tyres a crack. They are optimized for exactly your application.
Worth getting a price from Costco. Phone 09 870 4700 and ask for the tyre center. Note they are hard to reach on the phone, I have had good luck near closing time. Note membership is required and is $60.
Note that Costco doesn't do wheel alignments, so if yo wanted that you need to get it elsewhere. I try to get alignments when I buy tire's, to reduce the risk of rapid wear of my expensive tyres if my alignment is off. Usually around the $150 mark.
This is an awesome post and I’m going to piggy back onto it with our listing for the e.Primacy. We do alignments for Model 3’s for $115 inc. GST too.
https://www.albanytyres.co.nz/product/235-45r18-98w-michelin-e-primacy-st/
Hi, just make sure you get ev spec tyres with acoustic foam. Don’t get normal tyres. I don’t think the Pilot Sport 5’s do an EV spec yet? I’ve stuck with the OEM Pilot Sport 4’s on my model 3 as my first set also lasted 50,000km which I thought was exceptional.
I recently (within the last couple of weeks) got 2 Michelin Pilot sport 4 tyres from Tyretech in Glenfield for a good price (a little better than Costco when I called them)
I use advantage tyres they are premium service
Dairy Flat Tyres - I’ve been there myself and found him to be excellent. Give him a call for a quote, can’t hurt to shop around!
The Tesla dealer has tyres. I'd give them a call first.
Tesla can be a bit pricy for tyres, just had a quote of $2100 for 4 new Pilot Sport 4’s here in chch, the PS5’s posted above seem far better value
Quote I’ve got from Tesla for PS4 T1 is $2476 for the full set.
I used this tool last time to purchase my tires and they worked out well. hyperdrive.co.nz
They act as a middle man and use a range of local installers to do the job.