40-60k miles on a set of tires? Not on a 3 1/2 ton R1T!!!

[mini2nut]

As a Tesla owner I want to prepare future R1T owners. Tires don't last nearly as long on a EV as a gas powered vehicle.

We are conservative drivers and our 17k mile Tesla Model Y Dual Motor will be due for a new set of tires soon. The rear tires typically wear faster than the front. The average tire lifespan on a Tesla is roughy 15k to 25k miles.

The main reason? Battery pack are very heavy. The R1T is a portly truck at over 7100 pounds.

A 20"AT Pirelli replacement tire runs around $375 each. Owners should budget around $1700-$1800 "out the door" for a new set. 21" and 22" tires are even more expensive.

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[Inkedsphynx]

Lots of factors to consider here. What kind of tire? ATs will last a whole hell of a lot longer than road tires, because there's more depth to the tread. What kind of driving is usually done? Highway? Lots of ripping it from stop lights? Does 4 motor torque vectoring have any impact? Etc etc.

I'd be very surprised if I'm replacing the ATs it comes with after 15k miles. My Defender is 2/3rds the weight and after 7k miles I've barely put a dent in the tires tread, and that's with me offroading a bunch and generally driving like a lead-footed asshat. I'd bet I could get another 25k out of them no problem.

 

[BrayBay]

Not a tire expert, but would the type of tire be a factor in addition to weight? I imagine something like sports tires or something with low tread wear would cause the tires to be changed out more frequently.

 

[mkg3]

There's a lot that goes into how long any set of tires last. Your point about EVs being heavy is a very valid point but your low life expectancy may not be the norm.

My Model 3 on Conti's lasted about 30K mi before I changed it to Michelin PS 4S. I could have easily gone another 5K mile or more but I never liked the original tires. I do not expect the PS 4S to last 30K mi, as its a much stickier performance tire. Maybe 20~25K mi.

If the tires are inflated to normal ICE level (say 32~36 PSI), instead of EV level (42~45 psi), then it will wear faster. If you live in mountain or very hilly topological area, then it will wear faster. Road roughness that you drive mostly on will matter too.

With AT tires, it is very unlikely that those deep mud/dirt grooves will wear down in so quickly. On the 21" all season tire designed for Rivian appear to have lower rolling resistance and has wear rating of over 600 so they too will last quite a while (say around 30K under normal driving and proper inflation pressure), I'm guessing.

 

[SANZC02]

This thread is just setting expectation, your mileage may very but keep your eyes on the tire wear.

I had 45k mile Goodyears on my Model S when bought new, replaced them just shy of 30k. Put 50k mile Pirelli tires on, again got just shy of 30k. I probably could have stretched both sets another 3 or 4K but easily less than 70% of the estimated range as evidenced by the tread credit I got replacing the Pirelli tires.

If I drove easier would probably do better but with all of the torque in these cars and the low center of gravity, I’m sure I accelerate faster than usual and corner harder as well only because it is so easy to push. Add that to the extra weight and the tires suffer.

 

[McMoo]

All depends on driving style. I’ve owned performance cars since I was a teenager and used to burn through sets of tires in 5k miles but I’m at 25k miles with my model 3 performance (stealth so stock 18s) and I think I could get another 20-25k.

 

[Gabe1aron]

As a Tesla owner I want to prepare future R1T owners. Tires don't last nearly as long on a EV as a gas powered vehicle.

We are conservative drivers and our 17k mile Tesla Model Y Dual Motor will be due for a new set of tires soon. The rear tires typically wear faster than the front. The average tire lifespan on a Tesla is roughy 15k to 25k miles.

The main reason? Battery pack are very heavy. The R1T is a portly truck at over 7100 pounds.

A 20"AT Pirelli replacement tire runs around $375 each. Owners should budget around $1700-$1800 "out the door" for a new set. 21" and 22" tires are even more expensive.

Don’t forget all of that torque applied to the tires during acceleration and also deceleration with regen!

 

[R1SBucks]

I agree that the simple answer to how often you’ll need to replace your tires is, “it depends”. My own two cents, rotate tires on your EVs often! I rotate every 7-8k miles and have only replaced my all season tires once on my 2018 Model 3 LR RWD with 18” wheels and 87,121 miles on the ODO. With that said, I also keep a set of dedicate winter wheels and tires. Winter set has about 30k miles on them and have one more season, about 10K of tread left, before I will replace them (I replace early, don’t let my tread get too low). Factoring in life left on my all-seasons, I’m averaging about 40k miles between tire changes. This is in line with my Chevy Volt tire needs as well.

 

[Gshenderson]

The main reason? Battery pack are very heavy. The R1T is a portly truck at over 7100 pounds.

The second main reason…. 0-60 in 3 seconds and awesome cornering abilities. The thing just begs you to drive it aggressively.

 

[Davethadog]

Depends on how you drive. My ram 2500 gets 35kish out of a set of Toyo AT2s. It is a similar weight.

 

[hilld]

I am wondering if the tire mfg's that offer 60 or even 80k mile warranties on their tires have exclusions for EV's.

 

[Zoidz]

IMO there are way too many variables to make a blanket statement about tire life - on EVs or ICE vehicles. If you doubt that, go to Tire Rack and look at reviews for any tire. Super easy to find examples like this. One person praises a tire for great life, the very next review says they got terrible life and will never buy again. Here are two TireRack recent reviews for Pirelli Scorpion AT Plus tires.

As far as price goes, that's the current price. It's possible that as additional manufacturers come to market, the price will be driven down by competition.

 

[Cactus]

I am wondering if the tire mfg's that offer 60 or even 80k mile warranties on their tires have exclusions for EV's.

Continental doesn't have an exclusion for EVs through Discount Tire. I got a credit after 30K miles on my Conti DWS (Tesla Model S) when the tread hit 2/32" wear marks on the 50K tire. I am very cognizant of the few microns of tire rubber you leave on the pavement after rapid acceleration with an EV. Very easy to do. Remember that old song by the Eagles: Take it easy.

 

[SANZC02]

IMO there are way too many variables to make a blanket statement about tire life - on EVs or ICE vehicles. If you doubt that, go to Tire Rack and look at reviews for any tire. Super easy to find examples like this. One person praises a tire for great life, the very next review says they got terrible life and will never buy again. Here are two TireRack recent reviews for Pirelli Scorpion AT Plus tires.

This is very true which is why I said YMMV.

I am basing my opinion on decades of driving various ICE vehicles and 6 years driving a Model S.

With the ICE vehicles, I would get 90% plus of the rated miles on various tires. With the 2 sets I have on the Model S less than 70%. It will be interesting to see how this 3rd set goes. I gave the car to my wife when I put this set on, I probably drive it 10% to her 90%, I’m guessing she will do better than I was.

Not trying to dissuade people from going with an EV just setting the expectation that some of the fuel and maintenance savings may go towards new shoes.

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