book.book Page 4 Friday, July 19, 2013 12:53 PM Tire Care and Maintenance Tire Care and Maintenance Inspecting and Maintaining Tires Punctured Tires Regularly inspect the tread and side walls for A puncture eventually causes the tire to lose any sign of distortion (bulges), cuts or wear. pressure, which is why it is important to check WARNING: Do not drive Model S if a tire tire pressures frequently. Permanently repair or is damaged, excessively worn, or inflated replace punctured or damaged tires as soon as to an incorrect pressure. Check tires regularly possible. Do not drive with a punctured tire, for wear, and ensure there are no cuts, bulges or even if the puncture has not caused the tire to exposure of the ply/cord structure. deflate. A punctured tire can deflate suddenly at any time. Tire Wear Your tubeless tires may not leak when Model S is originally fitted with tires that have penetrated, provided the object remains in the wear indicators molded into the tread pattern. tire. If, however, you feel a sudden vibration or When the tread has been worn down to 1.6 mm, ride disturbance while driving, or you suspect a the indicators start to appear at the surface of tire is damaged, immediately reduce your the tread pattern, producing the effect of a speed. Drive slowly, while avoiding heavy continuous band of rubber across the width of braking or sharp steering and, when safe to do the tire. so, stop the vehicle. Arrange to have Model S transported to Tesla or to a nearby tire repair Replace a tire as soon as an indicator band center. becomes visible or the tread depth reaches the In some cases, you can temporarily repair small minimum permitted by law. tire punctures (under 6 mm) using an optional Tire Rotation, Balance, and Wheel tire repair kit available from Tesla. This allows Alignment you to slowly drive Model S to Tesla or to a Tesla recommends rotating the tires every nearby tire repair facility (see page 7.8). 8000 kms. After rotating, always check and WARNING: Do not drive Model S with a adjust tire pressures. punctured tire. Even if the punctured tire NOTE: Do not rotate tires on the Performance has not deflated, it can suddenly deflate at any Plus models. time. Flat Spots If Model S is stationary for a long period in high temperatures, tires can form flat spots. When Model S is driven, these flat spots cause a vibration which gradually disappears as the tires get warm and regain their original shape. To minimize the flat spots during storage, inflate tires to the maximum pressure indicated on the tire wall, then, before driving, release air Unbalanced wheels (sometimes noticeable as to adjust tire pressure to the recommended vibration through the steering wheel) affect levels. vehicle handling and tire life. Even with regular use, wheels can get out of balance. Therefore, Driving in Low Ambient Temperatures they should be balanced as required. Tire performance reduces in low ambient If tire wear is uneven (on one side of the tire temperatures, resulting in reduced grip and an only) or becomes abnormally excessive, check increased susceptibility to damage from the alignment of wheels. impacts. Performance tires can temporarily harden when cold, causing you to hear rotational noise for the first few miles until the tires warm up. Contact Tesla for winter tire recommendations. 7.4 MODEL S OWNERS MANUAL