Tesla has just switched stock 18″ tires for the Model 3 from Michelin Primacy MXM4 to the new Hankook Kinergy GT H436 ones. The tire width, aspect ratio, and rim diameter are the same as before i.e. 235/45/R18 (refer to the visual guide below).
The only thing that has changed in the new tire specifications is the Load Index or Carrying Capacity which has been altered from 98 XL to 94 LI. The load index of 98 refers to 1,653 lbs of carrying capacity and 94 equals 1,477 lbs of capacity (chart below).
This change in Tesla Model 3 stock tires has been first noticed and reported by none other than the tire guru and my friend Ian Pavelko who lives in Montreal Canada. And the specific Model 3 he saw and took pictures of was delivered from the Tesla store in Montreal, Canada — produced at the Fremont factory.
According to Ian, a load index (LI) of 94 is standard for the size and weight capacity of a car like the Tesla Model 3 and 98 XL was not absolutely necessary. Not all tires in 235/45R18 are available with the higher XL load index, but Pavelko has said for years that the 94 Standard Load Index versions still had more than enough capacity to do the job for any version of Model 3, and interestingly Tesla has now officially installed tires with the 94 LI
Some questions popped up about these new tires that I asked and other Tesla Community members asked in the discussion thread on Twitter that you can read below. This discussion reveals some interesting information about the weight rating of the front and rear axles of a Tesla Model 3 as well.
Q: So what does this mean? The Tesla is lighter or the Tesla has a lower payload capacity?
A: The lower max load capacity of this tire at 42 PSI – 1477 lbs – still exceeds the highest Gross Axle Weight Rating of any Model 3 built, which is 2839 lbs. So each tire need only carry 1419.5 lbs.
Q: 1419.5 x 4 is the total capacity?
A: No, that’s only for the rear axle on the few 3’s in 2018/19 that had that higher rating (most are 2771 lbs, so only 1385.5 required per rear wheel/tire).
The front axle rating on all Model 3s to date is 2447 lbs, so each front wheel/tire needs to have 1223.5 lbs rating or higher.
Q: So, all 4 of these tires are the same on the new Model 3, right?
A: Correct
Ian Pavelko via Twitter.
The new Tesla Model 3 Hankook Kinergy GT tire is an all-season tire, the price of which I found was $156.63 on Amazon vs. $197.99 Edward found on a website he mentioned in the tweet above.
However, tires shipped with cars from the Tesla factory are equipped with noise-canceling foam which is not available from a third-party tire dealer.
It is not confirmed that this change has also been implemented at Giga Shanghai as well which is the only other factory after Fremont where Tesla is producing Model 3 cars. The Hankook Kinergy GT tires are Made in Korea, therefore ideally it is easier and cost-effective to import Korean-made tires to China rather than Michelin Primacy MXM4s that are made in North America.
Tesla has most probably resolved a part of its supply chain issues by switching to Hankook tires for the Tesla Model 3 from Michelin. We might perhaps see the same change for Model Y Standard and Long Range AWD variants in the near future.
Let us know your thoughts about this change by Tesla in the comments section below.
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 tires from Michelin Primacy MXM4 for the Model 3 (18-inch aero wheels, size: 235/45/R18).){kind=link}
Not all 225 or 235s are same width. Both sizes are mentioned in the blog. These 235s at first glance look skinnier.
Less tire. Cheaper tire. We know where this is going.
Which blog?
Michelin is a renowned as the best tyre at present but probably the most expensive, Hancook is a cheap budget tyre which is adequate rather than good. Poorer wet grip, longer braking distances and shorter life so this is a clear cost-saving exercise.
Hankook is one of the largest tire manufacturers on the planet, and they have supplied tires to LeMans, Formula 3, and just signed up to take over from Michelin for Formula E.
While it’s absolutely a cost savings/supply chain measure, it’s not a shift to a lesser quality tire.
Well that sucks, looks like a downgrade for sure. Michelin produces a much better tire than Hankook. Someone’s cutting an important corner, tire hits the pavement before all that tech does.
You guys need to whine at Musk!
While I can’t comment on the specific tire that Tesla’s using, my Kia EV6 came with Kumho “Krugen” model tires which also carry a specific “EV” designation on the sidewall. I have been totally pleased with them. They are very smooth riding, indicative of excellent uniformity, quiet during both normal driving and exuberant cornering, and handle well on both dry and wet roads. A check on Tire Rack shows a Kumho “Krugen” model tire in my size and speed rating with a foam (noise reducing) liner. That feature common for EV specific tires, although TR doesn’t call it out as EV specific. Its price is within a few dollars of a several Michelin models in its size and class, and not necessarily less than.
I wouldn’t worry about the name on the tires’ sidewall unless their performance is noticeably worse.
As it is on my car–WORSE.
Hankook makes excellent tires. I have run most of their high-end tires from the S series up to the RS3 and the RS4 and the Z214 slicks. All these tires performed well. At the time the RS3 was by far the fastest 200 TW tire available on the market. Across the board, every single Hankook tire was substantially cheaper than a competitive Michelin tire (I’ve also run a lot of those). This is a cost-saving measure and it should be passed along to the customer
I just put Hankook Noble S2 tires on my Model Y a couple of months ago out of necessity (I needed tires and that’s all I could get in the right size). I was skeptical of the “budget” reputation of the brand and the “premium” price (>$250/tire). But they’ve been good so far.