We’re tire experts, testers, and fanatics here at Torque News. However, this one has us stumped. A Cybertruck owner has had just one of the four tires wear out, down to the core. And that tire did not wear evenly. It is worn much more on about half its circumference. The other four tires are more or less normal, and the fronts are not even fully worn yet.
Background
We had to know more, so we reached out to this owner, who shared a lot of details with us via phone. Let’s make one thing clear before we go further. This owner LOVES her Cybertruck. She’s also not unhappy with the three good Pirellis. This is not a story intended to throw shade on either brand. We’re simply intrigued and must know how this happened.
Miles and Years of Use
The Pirelli tires came with the Cybertruck when purchased new. They are not aftermarket tires. This Cybertruck was purchased new in March of last year, so it’s about 16 months old. There are 17K miles on the odometer. So far, no clues. However, this is not the first time we've heard of a Pirelli Cybertruck tire wearing out before 20K miles.
Overpressure Ruled Out
Overpressure can cause premature wear at the center tread section. This couple verified that the Tesla pressure monitoring system didn't miss anything. They used a pressure gauge to check the tire, and its pressure was at the correct setting.
Yes, This Truck Was Recently Inspected Three Times
Before you jump to conclusions, let us fill you in on three facts as presented by the owner. She tells us that this vehicle was serviced by a Tesla Service Center less than two weeks ago. The Tesla Service center repaired an issue related to the computers of the truck and returned it to her without saying anything about the tires. There are two feasible possibilities here.
1) Tesla’s service center did not perform even a rudimentary multi-point inspection.
2) Tesla’s service team looked the truck over and didn't see any cause for concern related to its obviously unsafe tire.
We’re not saying the Service Center did anything wrong. The second fact is that this Tesla passed its annual state safety inspection in April this year, according to the owner. Obviously, tires are part of that inspection. We verified this by looking at the state’s website. There is no way that the wear we see here now was showing just two months ago. The mystery deepens.
Finally, the third check was done by the owner’s husband. No stranger to performance vehicles, this couple has owned cars such as modern Corvettes. His most recent check of the tires was just weeks ago.
No, the Tires Were Never Rotated
Accustomed to owning performance vehicles with directional tires and staggered tire sizes, coupled with the fact that this owner never ignored a Tesla Service Center reminder, the owner says she never went out of her way to specifically have the tires rotated. She suspects they may never have been, given the wear evidence. She says it’s “Her bad.” While rotations are always a good idea, not rotating tires is not a death sentence, as this story about an owner who got 44,000 miles out of a set of Cybertruck tires without ever rotating them proves.
Yes, the Unsafe Tires Have Been Removed
We spoke to the owner of this Cybertruck by phone, and she was in the vehicle. We almost panicked. Rest assured, she has already been to Discount Tire and purchased two new Michelin Defender LTX Platinum tires for the rear at $500 a piece. Two more for the front are on order and being installed this week. The owner says she plans to rotate the tires. We consulted the Cybermanual and found that Tesla says this about rotations:
Tesla recommends rotating the tires every 6,250 miles (10,000 km) or if the tread depth difference is 2/32 in (1.5 mm) or greater since the last rotation, whichever comes first.
Some Circumstances
Our Cybertruck owner offers these possible clues as to how just one of her tires, which were inspected three times in the past few months, could have gotten to this sorry state. She tells us that she lives in the Southeast, and it has been unusually hot outside recently. Her daily route takes her over many paved, but torn-up and lousy roads. She also says she almost never brakes, but relies on regenerative braking as much as practical. She likes to enjoy the truck, but hard launches are not her thing. She doesn't beat on the truck.
How This Dangerous Situation Was Uncovered
As we mentioned, this AWD Cybertruck was at a Tesla Service Center recently. While it was there all day, the owner was given a loaner Cyberbeast to drive. She noted that it was “much smoother on the road.” That prompted her to ask her son to take hers out for a spin. He confirmed the truck felt rougher than he remembered it being, and he looked it over. It was his inspection that revealed the crazy looking right rear tire.
Torque News Presents a Theory
Certainly, a bad tire with a defective compound or curing could have caused this. However, why just one? This was a factory tire. It’s very unlikely that the other three were from a separate production run.
We think that this truck is using regen braking and favoring the right rear tire when doing so. We would also look closely at the brake disc wiping feature. Finally, we’d look to see if the right rear wheel bearing is bad. One previously reported issue with Cybertruck rear tires has to do with the rear steering system, as we detailed in a spotlight story.
Tell us your theories. Sure, proper, frequent tire rotations would have spread the wear around to all four tires better, but that does not explain why the left rear tire was not as worn as this one was. And how did a recent Tesla Service Center Visit, a state inspection, and a husband’s inspection all miss this obvious problem? The comments section awaits your theories.
Note: We've reached out to Pirelli and invited the team to offer any insights they wish to provide. Also, more images are pending, so check back later for views of the other three tires.
About the Author:
John Goreham is a 14-year veteran of Torque News. An accomplished writer and a long-time expert in vehicle testing, Goreham also serves as the Vice President of the New England Motor Press Association and has a growing social media presence. He’s also a 10-year staff writer and community moderator for Car Talk. Goreham holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and an undergraduate Certificate in Marketing. In addition to vehicle and tire content, he offers deep dives into market trends and opinion pieces. You can follow John Goreham on X and TikTok, and connect with him on LinkedIn.
Images used with the permission of the owner we interviewed.
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