Tires Tesla or DUNLOP
Everyone I know that has used these tires has absolutely loved them, and I see tons of positive reviews for them online, but despite all that I just can't get over how they look.
Here's the reality, it really really works on the road 6 tires and on the Dunlop Elite 4s. I had all the road versions on my ST1300 and these are the best in the wet so far. The Elite 4s on my wing were phenomenal even on sketchy mountain roads with it pissing rain on us.
But I remember back in the day (PS4s are ancient now) when I swapped from Dunlop SportMaxx RT2s to PS4s and two things stood out - how much mechanical grip they have, and how long they take to warm up.
On cold mornings, they genuinely felt like track slicks. The Dunlops would be "warmed up" and gripping fine by the time I reached the main road - maybe half a mile.
The PS4s, on the other hand, would still feel twitchy and unpredictable halfway to work (~18 miles). It took a good 8-9 miles before they came in. And before they warm up, they are very on/off - loads of mechanical grip, but almost no compound grip, so they can suddenly let go.
I don't think savings should be the main driver to get a Tesla. A lot of things can influence if you save money or not compared to an ICE car. In my case...yes. Insurance costs vary by a ton of factors. Where I live insurance is paid annually and mine is $1500 for a full cover, which is like $125 a month. More than your average ICE car, that pays about $800 yearly. However I've saved money in every other aspect. I have solar so I charge for free. And the only maintenance I've paid were $15 to a local tire shop to rotate my tires and 2 gallons of wiper fluid.
The tire and wheel protection already paid for itself. I got a bolt in my tire and they placed a loaner on my vehicle within the hour I call them. Set up a service appointment and had to pay a $25 deductible. Worth it for me.
But what about other maintenance costs, such as brakes and tires? Obviously EVs don’t have fluid changes. But don’t the tires cost more and wear out quicker on the Tesla due to the extra weight and power?
An easy performance mod is lighter wheels with track tires, the stock dunlops are alright but pretty underwhelming for being a 200treadwear tire. If you want better ride quality, switch to a high performance all season.
The tires are uncomfortable rocks at any temperature under about 55 degrees, and will actually fail at temperatures around 40 degrees. They are just-barely-road-safe competition tires essentially designed for use in warm ambient temperatures only.
I had an STI with the stock tires for a long time and they were terrible in the cold weather.
At around 40-45 degrees, stock Dunlops start to slip around corners with these tires in a bad way. 30's, you'll definitely lose control easily and slide with any hard braking.
Write your review
Help others - share your experience with this part.