Tesla last month changed its tire supplier for the Model 3 18″ Aero wheels from Michelin to Hankook. This month Tesla has also made a change to the tires that come on the Model S 19″ Tempest wheels.
According to an internal email sent to employees this week, a copy of which was obtained by Drive Tesla, the 19″ wheels are now wrapped in summer tires, instead of the Continental ProContact RX all-season tires that were previously included.
The email says that all Model S cars with the 19″ Tempest wheels made on or after July 2, 2022 will be fitted with the summer times, and that it applies to cars destined for both the United States and Canada.
As for the reason, Tesla says this is being done to “provide the best tires for Model S customers for the current season.” The email doesn’t say what the new summer tires will be, but they will likely be Pirelli P-Zero tires.
Additionally, although the email doesn’t explicitly state it, we believe that Tesla will revert back to the all-season tires some time in the fall based on the use of “for the current season” in the email.