Founder. Environmentalist. EV Enthusiast. Dad.

Tesla Wheel Nut Torque / Tyre pressures, best places to buy tyres for Tesla and how to protect your wheel

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Page 173 of the UK manual tells you all about torque settings and tyre dimension but sometimes it’s a pain to find so I thought I’d add it on here as well and hope the search engines pick this up.

What do I need to check the torque of my wheel nuts?

129 lb. ft (175 Nm) is the correct setting and mine were nowhere near that, make sure this is checked when the car goes in for service/tyre change etc or do what I just did & do it yourself by purchasing:

↪ Remember 10% off everything at Halfords for Cycling membership (anyone can get this for reference from https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/ membership for £21)torque

Things to remember:

  • It is often recommend that you check the torque after driving a few miles after swapping tyres, etc. 
  • Be careful not to scratch your nice alloys with a non-protected socket set, you can cover your socket in electrical tape of buy one with a plastic cover

Which tyres for my Tesla?

Obviously, prices vary almost on a daily basis so this data is already out of date but gives you a rough idea, first of all you need to know your tyre options:

19″ (P245/45 R19)

For comparison Tesla charge around £255 for a Michelin, £185 from BlackCircles or £215 from Kwikfit

biggins

  • Michelin Primacy 3 – for low noise level and energy efficiency, ideal long distance tyre,
  • Michelin Pilot Sport 3 – Better for performance driving compared with the Primacy 3, louder than Primacy 3, superior in the wet compared with Pilot Sport 2
  • Contisport Contact 5
  • Pirelli P zero / P zero Rosso
  • Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2
    • £182, £177.50 (local store)
  • Goodyear Excellence
  • Dunlop Sport Maxx Rt

21″ P245/35/R21 &/or P265/35/R21

Remember to check both front and rear as you might have a staggered setup e.g. different sizes 245 + 265

211

  • Michelin Pilot Super Sport – The top performing tyre for acceleration, speed and handling (come as standard on P model)
  • Conti SportContact 5p (come as standard on D 21″)
  • Conti SportContact 5p ContiSilent (tire contains a polyether-based polyurethane foam. It is firmly attached to an adhesive layer on the inner surface of the tire tread area to reduce road noise, up to 9 dB(A) reduction in noise inside the cabin)
  • Pirelli PZero XL – slightly quieter than the others except the ContiSilent, supposedly the best ‘fuel’ economy

What about TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitoring Valves)?

tyreTesla sell these for around £170 for 4 or £40-£43 each.

The car can learn 2 sets of sensors – so once you have the second set on, do the TPMS reset option (somewhere in settings) and it will pick them up. (thanks to Matt Boyes for comment)

What about fixing kerb damaged wheels?

wheel-damageMost local companies will do a decent job at repairing a wheel, however, I’ve seen several good reports on Revive UK and their services

Insurance for Alloy Wheels?

Alloy Wheel cover via ALA is a good option, you should be able to get 3 years of cover for around £150, this allows for up to 3 repairs a year and they typically offload the repair to revive, try code HJ10 for 10% off

Consider Alloygators or RimProTecs

These little bits of plastic can save you a fortune

wheels-rim-pro

Replacement wheels for Tesla?

  • Tesla prices seem to vary dramatically but a refurbished/new wheel for around £120-£265 (19″), £145-£255 for a tyre but no TPMS sensor (£40-£43), so around £305-£563. Although other reports on the Tesla group has seem them as low as £100 all-in.
  • eBay often have Tesla wheels being sold on from owners that have changed their minds etc
  • Check UK forums like TeslaMotorsClub, SpeakEV or Tesla Owners Club FB
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Follow Will to keep up to date with my latest escapades and top tips for success. If you have an exciting project that I will enjoy make contact.

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