Winter Tire discussion
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Over the years I've used Michelin X-Ice and Blizzaks. My last two tdi's (which i drove 'assertively') had Nokians. They are excellent tires and the definite plan for my Model 3. I have put extensive miles on them on dry pavement (a number of winter trips to Florida from New England) and they are completely acceptable at speed, track true and the handling is firm enough to forget that you're on snows except for that occasional on/off ramp.
They also wear well on dry pavement. In snow, they provide lot's of confidence. On ice, they are as good as the others, though nothing's good on ice. I have extensive experience with Audi AWD and never missed it with these on my FWD VW's. Unfortunately, Tire Rack, which was always my 'go-to', do not carry them. But my local hole-in-the-wall tire shop does. Be forewarned, it seems sometimes they are in short supply (at least in these parts) by late November. It's my experience with the Nokians that allowed me to order RWD Model 3 without looking back. We'll see....One note: I always went minus one (from 17 inch all season to 16" winter rims). I expect to be on the same 18" year round with the Tesla.
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Nokian is not a tire, it's the name of a company that makes tires. They have lots of winter tires suitable for the Model 3 and they vary quite a bit in terms of performance characteristics. All of them are good quality tires, it's just a matter of which qualities are important to you.
In other words, a recommendation for "Nokians" is just as useless as a recommendation for "Goodyears" or "Michelins", it is necessary to specify the tire model. And no recommendation is valid, even if it's for a specific tire model/size if the intended usage is not disclosed.
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LOL No good deed shall go unpunished. Yikes.
PNWMisty how about a recommendation from you?
The OP is in woodbridge, probably NJ or CT. In either case, he will be on dry roads 95% of the time and much of it at higher speeds. The usage was implied and I responded accordingly.
hakkapeliitta r2
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I can't provide a useful recommendation because I'm in the market myself and the last winter tires I purchased were 5 years ago. The available models are always changing.
Actually, you only recommended the brand. The part in bold (above) was missing. Nokian makes three or four tires suitable for the Model 3 depending upon the application. That was my point.
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My recommendation: Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2 or Michelin X-Ice3. I was considering both for my 3 - both are great winter tires, with most reviewers giving the very slim edge to the R2s. However, near me, at least when I was shopping (near the end of last winter), the pricing was far more competitive on the X-Ice3. So I purchased the X-Ice3.
You can't go wrong with either.
You can't go wrong with either.
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Get a set of winter wheels too, and it's just an easy swap.
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My statement was dry and factual. If you found it off-putting maybe it was just because of what it pointed out. And, yes, my response was intended to be helpful to both the original poster as well as others. It's not unusual for someone to recommend a brand of tire as if that was useful in and of itself. It sounds like you just forgot to include the specific model. Not a big deal but I do think it's helpful for people who may be new to winter tires to understand that a brand does not define the broad range of offerings within that brand. And there is hardly a first tier tire maker out there that doesn't put out some very nice tires in most or all of the categories they cover.
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Can you still get the Michelin X-Ice 2's? I thought they moved on to 3's years ago. I tried the original Michelin X-Ice (1) and didn't like them at all (too squirmy). I've heard the 2's were better and the 3's are excellent but I haven't tried them. Really, it's going to be hard to find a "bad" winter tire these days assuming you don't go with some cheap one-off brand you've never heard of.
It's more a matter of whether you want one more focussed on extreme winter performance and don't mind fast wear and more squirm and vagueness on bare pavement or whether you want ones that will still work very well on snow and ice but drive more like a normal tire on bare pavement.
Tesla Model 3 Long Range 1st Production PUP EAP Deep Blue Metallic
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All snow tires will be drastically better in the snow than any all season. You'll be happy with any of them.
But, nothing holds a candle to Hakkapaliittas They are truly amazing in the snow. Up to you if you if that difference is worth the extra cost though.
As a nature of their treads, all snow tires are a bit squirmy (look for interlocking treads to reduce that a bit), and they are definitely much louder than other tire.
But, nothing holds a candle to Hakkapaliittas
They are truly amazing in the snow. Up to you if you if that difference is worth the extra cost though.As a nature of their treads, all snow tires are a bit squirmy (look for interlocking treads to reduce that a bit), and they are definitely much louder than other tire.
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That was the case just a few years ago but it's no longer true (squirmy and loudness). I ran a set of Goodyear IceGrip WRT's on my ski car the last few years and they were equally quiet and less squirmy than the OEM all-season Geolanders that came on the car. These things could really rip up the twisties on cold wet pavement and were more than adequate on snow and ice.
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They have the Pirelli on Tire Rack here. They are more expensive than the X-Ice Xi3 here. The X-Ice is rated better and is cheaper. The Pirelli's aren't that much cheaper if you get wheels, tires mounted, pressure sensors, and installed than Tesla depending on what you get. I noticed that the OEM all season tires appear to be special on the Model 3 found here. There are different versions of the same name and size. Not sure if the winter tire is special as well. Doesn't anyone else know?
I was thinking about buying snow tires and put them on the aero wheels that came with the Tesla and then finding different rims I like more to put the all seasons on but the aeros without the covers is growing on me.
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What are people's thoughts on run flats. I'm coming from a BMW 335I that had run flats and I ran them in the winter as well. I never had a problem with them other than them functioning as designed to allow me to drive with a nail in the tire
Tirerack has some but slightly different size, but within the accepable limits. I think the package from Tesla is a decent price but I'm leaning to a package (tires, wheels sensors) off tire rack for a little less and with the run flats. Thoughts? I'm in Toronto Canada BTW
Found the tirerack tire that would fit close enough to the stock m3 tires, same ones(brand model) I ran on my 2012 335i, and I found them great in the winter.
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tire...10SZ2RFT&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes
Tirerack has some but slightly different size, but within the accepable limits. I think the package from Tesla is a decent price but I'm leaning to a package (tires, wheels sensors) off tire rack for a little less and with the run flats. Thoughts? I'm in Toronto Canada BTW
Found the tirerack tire that would fit close enough to the stock m3 tires, same ones(brand model) I ran on my 2012 335i, and I found them great in the winter.
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tire...10SZ2RFT&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes
Tesla Model 3 Long Range 1st Production PUP EAP Deep Blue Metallic
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Runflats are a bit heavier and conduct more road noise in general, but they are unbeatable for peace of mind and certainly beat pulling over immediately on the highway to patch or change a tire. I wish there was a better selection of them the 3's wheel sizes.What are people's thoughts on run flats. I'm coming from a BMW 335I that had run flats and I ran them in the winter as well. I never had a problem with them other than them functioning as designed to allow me to drive with a nail in the tire
Tirerack has some but slightly different size, but within the accepable limits. I think the package from Tesla is a decent price but I'm leaning to a package (tires, wheels sensors) off tire rack for a little less and with the run flats. Thoughts? I'm in Toronto Canada BTW
Found the tirerack tire that would fit close enough to the stock m3 tires, same ones(brand model) I ran on my 2012 335i, and I found them great in the winter.
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tire...10SZ2RFT&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes
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I agree with that (weight and noise) except I don't worry too much about flats because I've only had one flat car tire in the previous 25 years. And most flats can be dealt with using an inexpensive "sticky worm" tire plug and inflator. Punctures are more likely to happen with under-inflation. Properly inflated tires are more likely to roll over the offending nail/screw/staple etc. without picking it up. Of course, if the offender is sticking up vertically (like through a board), then the situation is the other way around but it's probably going to puncture. My point is, you will get more punctures overall if you let your tires get too low on air pressure.
Motorcycles pick up fasteners more easily too, at least with the softer Sport-Touring tires with fat rain grooves I run. I wouldn't use run flat tires unless I had specific critical needs that swayed the equation.
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That's correct. Of course "it's never happened to me" is not good reasoning for "it won't happen."
I'm perfectly confident in myself pulling over and patching a tire on the side of the road in decent weather. But I don't expect my wife to be able to do it. And it's an entirely different question if it's pouring rain or 10 degrees outside. That's where runflats are well worth their extra cost.
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