Tesla3 - upgraded motor and battery

[Scottie888]

1 hour ago, alcatraz said:

If you're going to reduce the clearance to nearly nothing, even a small pebble makes a sound. It's not very offroad suited.

I think we all know & its pretty obvious the Tesla (in whichever iteration) is not an offroad wheel per se by virtue of its low pedals & even lower shell. So lets not kid ourselves otherwise. I think EUC Chronicles is more stoked of the 2.5" width than anything else & I can't say I disagree.

That said, I'm not sure the stock 2.125" tire isn't good nor adequate either. Sure there's a difference in handling characteristics but that's it. Its just a difference which doesn't mean one is better. On streets & pavements, I'm still debating if there's any extra benefits to be had to justify the costs in time, effort & money.

If we're gonna be so invested in wider tires, then maybe the better option is to upgrade to a 18x3 wheel or even the 16x3s.

[Scottie888]

Hey guys FYI update. I just ordered this 16x2.5 tire (looks like a CST C-1488 but it doesn't show in the pics) offa Ali. Its definitely street oriented which is what I'm using my Tesla v2 for. The pics with measurements shows a good match for the stock tire except width & the Tesla's shell has enough clearance.

If nothing, I'm thinking the 2.5 will give me more comfort over bumps & perhaps better low speed handling.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001105358944.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.42a74c4dUnF3iG

[EMA]

11 hours ago, Scottie888 said:

Hey guys FYI update. I just ordered this 16x2.5 tire (looks like a CST C-1488 but it doesn't show in the pics) offa Ali. Its definitely street oriented which is what I'm using my Tesla v2 for. The pics with measurements shows a good match for the stock tire except width & the Tesla's shell has enough clearance.

If nothing, I'm thinking the 2.5 will give me more comfort over bumps & perhaps better low speed handling.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001105358944.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.42a74c4dUnF3iG

2.5 is a huge step forward compared 2.1, you'll be love it. let us know how the change goes.

[alcatraz]

It's best to ask the seller for a C1488. The C1488 is one of the cheapest cst tires. If they don't have it in stock it's possible they send you an incompatible "equivalent".

[Scottie888]

2 hours ago, alcatraz said:

It's best to ask the seller for a C1488. The C1488 is one of the cheapest cst tires. If they don't have it in stock it's possible they send you an incompatible "equivalent".

I went thru a bunch of 'em links. Though they all looked pretty similar, I chose the one which show pics with a tape measure showing exact diameter & width of tire. If it conforms to those measurements, it should be an easy fit. If not, I'm SOL. Not the 1st nor would it be the last I bought something online sight unseen that didn't pan out.

Honestly i'm not particularly concerned with equivalents &or imitations or whatever. They're all gonna be cheap tires but I'm pretty confident they'll do a decent job if it fits. I watched @Marty Backe vid on a tire change on the Tesla v2 without yanking any wiring out. Looks to be an hr job at most so I'm itching to try it.

I'm super impressed with how the 14x2.5 tire on the MCM5v2 handles plus its bump absorption comfort. That's what convinced me to do this swap as I've always felt the 2.125 tire to be edgy at very slow speeds & sketchy riding at speed in windy conditions. My S18 with the 2.75 tire does it much better so I'm hoping the swap will solve some of those concerns. 

I'll definitely update this thread + the one on "max tire that'll fit on Tesla" so others can also benefit from my experience, good or bad. Thanks for the heads up though

[Nomis]

On 3/13/2021 at 9:47 PM, Scottie888 said:

Hey guys FYI update. I just ordered this 16x2.5 tire (looks like a CST C-1488 but it doesn't show in the pics) offa Ali. Its definitely street oriented which is what I'm using my Tesla v2 for. The pics with measurements shows a good match for the stock tire except width & the Tesla's shell has enough clearance.

If nothing, I'm thinking the 2.5 will give me more comfort over bumps & perhaps better low speed handling.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001105358944.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.42a74c4dUnF3iG

I ordered the exact same tire for my Tesla V2 1500wh as well. 

Fingers crossed that it fits!

The seller swapped out the inner tube for me with a 2.125 tube with the correct angle as I expect that the tube that comes with the tire will hit the inner shell

Edited March 15, 2021 by Nomis

[damnbiker]

I'm thinking about ordering a 2.5" tire as well. I found a slightly more expensive CST tire that claims to be "puncture resistant" and has a pretty hilarious pic to "prove" it. Has anyone else any experience with one of these:

 

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32822398184.html?spm=a2g0o.cart.0.0.44b53c00ub93jf&mp=1

[alcatraz]

The clearance is literally 0-1mm with the C1488 which is a compact 2.5in tire. Going with anything else is gambling.

The problem is that it takes quite a while to disassemble the wheel. By the time you find out that it fits you're going to invest some sweat equity. It's not a straightforward install as it needs to be perfectly centered and shell bolted as far away from the motor as the bolt holes allow.

Yes the inner tube is important to get right. The cst inner tubes are not that great. They don't appear elastic at all. It means that whatever angle/position the valve has is what you're going to get on the wheel. It's sometimes impossible or very difficult to install. They do seem durable, I give 'em that.

The rolling resistance is probably trash which means you'll waste a lot of power.

The better inner tubes IMO are the ones with more rubber that are elastic and mallable. Try a different brand than cst, or both. It's risky to only have one inner tube upon install. It might not work.

Edited March 15, 2021 by alcatraz

[Scottie888]

3 hours ago, damnbiker said:

I'm thinking about ordering a 2.5" tire as well. I found a slightly more expensive CST tire that claims to be "puncture resistant" and has a pretty hilarious pic to "prove" it. Has anyone else any experience with one of these:

 

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32822398184.html?spm=a2g0o.cart.0.0.44b53c00ub93jf&mp=1

Yaa I saw that & was tempted for sure but a lil' voice deep down says better not. Its not just the width but also the total diameter that determines fit. In that vein, I chose the "safe" (if the measurements on the pic matches the tire in question) option. That said, I muttered a prayer & had my fingers crossed when I clicked on the buy button.

[alcatraz]

The diameter is the critical dimension. Width wise the tesla can take a 3in tire.

Uninflated the C1488 rubs severely. At too high pressure it rubs. There's a goldilocks zone of like 15-25psi. As you wear in the tire you can inflate to higher and higher pressure (as the clearance increases).

For my body weight of 65kg, the wear in was just a few dozen km. Like 20-30. My desired pressure is already in the initial goldilocks zone. If you're a heavy rider it will take longer for you.

Edited March 16, 2021 by alcatraz

[Scottie888]

@alcatraz is absolutely correct. What I ordered wasn't my 1st choice but the pic with the diameter measurement shows 42cm which incredibly works out to 16.5x"! Which is why I had the confidence to say fit wouldn't be an issue...if the tire I get matches what's shown the pics. Can't wait to get it in my hands

[damnbiker]

12 hours ago, Scottie888 said:

@alcatraz is absolutely correct. What I ordered wasn't my 1st choice but the pic with the diameter measurement shows 42cm which incredibly works out to 16.5x"! Which is why I had the confidence to say fit wouldn't be an issue...if the tire I get matches what's shown the pics. Can't wait to get it in my hands

Alright, you guys have convinced me. I think I'll wear out this tire a bit first then go with the CST or the MMG in the video if I can find it. I'm still learning on this thing anyway, so I should probably worry about upgrading it after I get better at actually riding it. If I find I'm riding it a lot, maybe I'll upgrade in a year or two to something like an MSP or RS anyway. For now, I'm loving the Tesla even though it's only the 1080 Wh battery. I love the portability and "grab 'n go" factor.

 

Thanks for helping me again @Scottie888

[Scottie888]

7 hours ago, damnbiker said:

Alright, you guys have convinced me. I think I'll wear out this tire a bit first then go with the CST or the MMG in the video if I can find it. I'm still learning on this thing anyway, so I should probably worry about upgrading it after I get better at actually riding it. If I find I'm riding it a lot, maybe I'll upgrade in a year or two to something like an MSP or RS anyway. For now, I'm loving the Tesla even though it's only the 1080 Wh battery. I love the portability and "grab 'n go" factor.

Nothing wrong with the Tesla. Its a fun ride for wheelin' round the city. Its allowed me to explored alot of the city that I've not known existed.

Now that I have other wheels with different tire sizes & widths, I get the differences in their handling characteristics. For me, the 2.125 is very smooth. However I find its low speed (I'm talking walking spds) a bit too edgy. The 3" is super stable but needs more effort in carving. The 2.5 is just about perfect which is why I'm doing the tire upgrade for my Tesla.

But that's in the context of my riding feel. Taken by itself, there's nothing wrong with the 2.12 on the stock Tesla. You're doing it right. Go & enjoy your Tesla & upgrade the tire when you feel the need. If after that, you're still unsatisfied, then perhaps its time to ponder an wheel upgrade.

[damnbiker]

18 hours ago, Scottie888 said:

Nothing wrong with the Tesla. Its a fun ride for wheelin' round the city. Its allowed me to explored alot of the city that I've not known existed.

Now that I have other wheels with different tire sizes & widths, I get the differences in their handling characteristics. For me, the 2.125 is very smooth. However I find its low speed (I'm talking walking spds) a bit too edgy. The 3" is super stable but needs more effort in carving. The 2.5 is just about perfect which is why I'm doing the tire upgrade for my Tesla.

But that's in the context of my riding feel. Taken by itself, there's nothing wrong with the 2.12 on the stock Tesla. You're doing it right. Go & enjoy your Tesla & upgrade the tire when you feel the need. If after that, you're still unsatisfied, then perhaps its time to ponder an wheel upgrade.

For sure, even if I upgrade to a bigger wheel, I'll still like the size factor of the Tesla and probably keep it. Aside from the tire upgrade, the only other thing I'd want to upgrade are the foot plates; they're a bit small for my size 13s. That said, I'm still happy with the Tesla and am glad I went with it over the MCM5.

[Ericnfla]

On 3/11/2021 at 5:27 AM, alcatraz said:

Because the shell covers over 180deg of the motor assembly, simply raising it isn't enough. It would only provide clearance at the handle and zero added clearance at the front and rear.

You'd need to make deep cuts in the front and rear of the shell, opening up the contol board compartment to the elements. The greater the clearance, the higher you need to cut.

This is why a slight redesign of the tesla wheel well, to make it a greater radius internally, would be great to fit a 3in tire.

The GAs might have better discharge rate but the cell count is usually kept the same going to 21700 so the max discharge is more or less the same. (unless you're comparing with high discharge cells like vtc which have like 30A discharge rate, there are no 21700 cells that can match that to my knowledge).

 

On 3/11/2021 at 4:55 AM, DavidB said:

You could raise the shell with a spacer b/w the top of the pedal hangers and the plastic shell and re drill either the plastic or hangers to align the screws if you wanted a larger diameter tire. Saw Flip's 2.5 conversion on YT. Looked like he ended up with 1mm clearance.

Hollow motor seems retrograde step. Weight, waterproofing, wear, cost and heat dissipation appear to be inferior at first glance. Hopefully this will be proved wrong. I have read the 21700 batteries have less discharge amps than the T2 GAs. 

It will be interesting to see the reviews

Molicel P42a 21700 cells are 4200Mah and up to  45a discharge current.

Samsung 40t's are 4000Mah and 35a discharge current.

Samsung 30T's are 3000Mah and also 35a discharge current.

[EUC Sharkman]

Hi all! I've commented on Tesla threads since I recently purchased a Tesla v2 with the great advice of folks on here. Really great light wheel for a beginner to grow into.

 

I purchased the tire from the EUC Chronicles video (MMG All Terrain 16 x 2.5" on ebay), and with the help of PEV Works in SF (Highly recommended if you are in the Bay Area and need PEV service work but don't want to mistakenly destroy your wheel) I have it on my Tesla now and just came back from a quick 15 mile ride.

 

The stability of a 2.5" tire compared to the stock 2.125" is noticeable, even to a pretty novice rider such as myself. The wider tire and low pedal height makes it especially attractive to asphalt riding beginners. During my ride, it was pretty stable both going slow behind a couple pushing their stroller, but also opening it up in empty areas. My 25 mph alarm sounded off quite a bit, but I didn't notice I was getting to that speed. Carving over cracks and small bumps also was smoother as well.

 

I do get squeaks here and there while I ride though, which may be a combination of my riding weight (~230 lbs / 105 kg geared) and tire pressure (35ish psi) so I will play around with it a bit. I hope it doesn't turn out to be a long term issue though other than just being noisy. The stability though really makes for a nice riding experience.

 

 

Edited March 20, 2021 by TheSlyGiraffEV

[Scottie888]

@TheSlyGiraffEV Thanks the update on the 2.5 tire. I was expecting the more linear slow speed handling & additional comfort but am somewhat stumped with the squeaks. The only explanation I can conjure is that (as noted by @alcatraz), its the noise caused by the tire rubbing against the shell as its wearing in. Other than that, I've not heard squeaks in any of my wheels.

I get lots of grinding noises as the wheel goes over gravel &or small pebbles that gets caught btwn tire & shell. My city uses that instead of salting the pathways so there's lots until spring clean up. 

Do keep monitoring the squeaks but I have suspicion it'll clear out once the tires wears down. Also don't hesitate to post more updates on the tire ride & handling vs stock as you put more miles on it. 

[EUC Sharkman]

On 3/18/2021 at 6:26 AM, damnbiker said:

For sure, even if I upgrade to a bigger wheel, I'll still like the size factor of the Tesla and probably keep it. Aside from the tire upgrade, the only other thing I'd want to upgrade are the foot plates; they're a bit small for my size 13s. That said, I'm still happy with the Tesla and am glad I went with it over the MCM5.

If you’re looking for bigger pedals, the Nikola pedals are great. I too have size 13 feet and was lucky to have mine upgraded by eWheels to the Nikola’s pedals.

[EUC Sharkman]

Went on a 24 mile ride, and I think you are right in that the squeaks were really scrapes as the tire gets broken in. Towards the end of the ride, the squeaks weren't as prominent and frequent. Other than being noisy though, I didn't feel anything odd about the riding performance. 

 

This tire change came at a good time. I haven't been riding for that long, but with the added stability of this tire, my confidence has been growing. I took on some dirt and gravel trails (pretty flat, mild bike trails) today and it felt great chomping over it, even in some parts of the ride where the wind was pretty gusty. I just trusted the tire to keep me nice and level as long as I kept a safe speed. So, pretty happy so far! Hopefully with a bit more wear, the noises will all but go away.

 

Edited March 21, 2021 by TheSlyGiraffEV

[alcatraz]

7 hours ago, TheSlyGiraffEV said:

Went on a 24 mile ride, and I think you are right in that the squeaks were really scrapes as the tire gets broken in. Towards the end of the ride, the squeaks weren't as prominent and frequent. Other than being noisy though, I didn't feel anything odd about the riding performance. 

 

This tire change came at a good time. I haven't been riding for that long, but with the added stability of this tire, my confidence has been growing. I took on some dirt and gravel trails (pretty flat, mild bike trails) today and it felt great chomping over it, even in some parts of the ride where the wind was pretty gusty. I just trusted the tire to keep me nice and level as long as I kept a safe speed. So, pretty happy so far! Hopefully with a bit more wear, the noises will all but go away.

 

Don't worry. It will go silent soon.

If you want to help reach silence earlier you can try to reduce the pressure a little. It's ok to ride a slightly lower pressure as long as you take it easy over bumps/obstacles etc. Just don't damage the rim.

You might only need to ride at this reduced pressure for like 100km and then you can bring it back up.

Also try to figure out your new favorite pressure. Every tire has a different optimal pressure. A wider tire can ride a much lower pressure than a narrower tire. We're not talking 3psi less, but actually ~30% less. That's a lot.

Edited March 21, 2021 by alcatraz

[EUC Sharkman]

9 hours ago, alcatraz said:

Don't worry. It will go silent soon.

If you want to help reach silence earlier you can try to reduce the pressure a little. It's ok to ride a slightly lower pressure as long as you take it easy over bumps/obstacles etc. Just don't damage the rim.

You might only need to ride at this reduced pressure for like 100km and then you can bring it back up.

Also try to figure out your new favorite pressure. Every tire has a different optimal pressure. A wider tire can ride a much lower pressure than a narrower tire. We're not talking 3psi less, but actually ~30% less. That's a lot.

Went exactly as you said. I started playing around with tire pressure this morning before a ride. The tire itself said “36 cold” so I figured I’d try it out and see how it goes.

On my 10 mile ride this morning, other than a few scrapes when initially going up or down down slopes, it has been quiet, on flat asphalt especially. Will continue to monitor tire pressure to find the sweet spot with my riding weight, but I’m honestly just really glad it has worked out this well so far. I feel like I can ride looser with this wider tire and maintain good stability, which has made riding more intuitive and enjoyable.

[Carl Svanfelt]

I have to admit that I was a little worried that my new Tesla V3 has blocked the Suez channel. 
The seller sent a message today and told that the new Tesla is coming by train. I still have 15-20 days to wait. But when it comes, shall I make an unboxing video about it (narrated in English with Swedish and Finnish subtitles).
Image: BBC News.

[Scottie888]

@Carl ViktorAwesome. Hope you get it soon. Being that my Tesla v2 is my 1st wheel, I didn't enjoy as much as I do now. Took mine out for a 45km ride from winter hibernation day before yesterday & loved it. Took it out yesterday too despite forecasts of rain & cooler weather. Glad they were wrong on the rain.

If you like to carve ala skiing, you'll love the Tesla. It's also very zippy & fast. No need for powerpads IMHO. My v2 1480wh easily gets 80kms with change to spare.

[RetroThruster]

Anyone know if the V2's are no longer available in the US?  I reckon I could email eWheels and find out what version they're expecting in May, I'm guessing it'll be the V3, I was really wanting the old (non hollow) motor. 

[Mantraguy]

While there might be some V2s around still, they would most likely have the smaller 1020Wh battery, which is probably only good for about 60km of range (depending on terrain, rider weight etc.). I believe there was only one supplier of the 'modified' 1480 / 1500Wh batteries, and they were in China. They have long since sold out of these versions, so the T3 is the only way to get a Tesla with the larger battery now.