Has anyone replaced tires on Lucid Air?

[Leo]

I had to replace both passenger side 21's due to bulge and flat free of charge mobile service at my house. They took to a tire store to be balanced. Question is if this is a defect in the tire or will this be a continuing problem?

I didn't get any service when my tire was bubbled.
I have to pay for a new one in private shop.
Now two more tires sidewall bubbled.

 

[Leo]

Lucid didn’t make those tires. If it’s a bad design, that falls on the shoulders of the tire manufacturer. Where are you located? These are summer tires and if you are using them in cold weather, they will be more prone to problems.

You can insulate yourself from the problem by getting a warranty from Discount Tire. I did so, but have not used it. My car has 16,000 miles on the original 21 inch tires with no issues.

I am in bay area, Northern California, they were originally tires.
When the tire bubbled, Lucid customer services said I need to talk to tire manufacturer to get warranty. However, I purchased car with tires from Lucid, not tire manufacturer.
Good luck if you don't have issue.

 

[Leo]

Thank you for the information and I encourage everyone who had to replace a tire to respond.

You were lucky that Lucid took care of your tires. Lucid didn't want to fix my GT bulged tire.

 

[hydbob]

I am in bay area, Northern California, they were originally tires.
When the tire bubbled, Lucid customer services said I need to talk to tire manufacturer to get warranty. However, I purchased car with tires from Lucid, not tire manufacturer.
Good luck if you don't have issue.

I honestly have never heard of a car manufacturer being responsible for tires after the sale. They aren't covered under warranty, so I'm not fully sure what you were expecting? Plenty of owners had no issues with tire bubbles.

 

[tmwong]

I think it's fair to feel aggrieved about having bubbled tires on what I assume is a relatively new Lucid. I experienced two blowouts and two bubbled tires due to winter-worn roads in both Northern (Bay Area) and Southern (LA) California. Worse, after the first blowout, I was stuck without my car for nearly two weeks because of a backup at the Lucid Service Center, and thus of the first two months of owning a Lucid 25% of that time was spent out of service.

Now having said that tires are a consumable, and I doubt you'll find an auto manufacturer/dealer on the planet that will replace a tire gratis owing to damage. The 2022 Pirellis are unfortunately total garbage in my opinion and Lucid may have erred in selecting them, but I wouldn't expect them to replace a tire under the car warranty. I should add that after the second blowout pothole accident (which was also the bubbling accident) Lucid replaced both front wheel bearings under warranty despite the bearing damage being manifestly a road hazard accident and not a manufacturing problem.

Quite honestly, if you have any tire issues I would just go to an America's/Discount Tire for replacements and a warranty. And I think Michelin now makes tires that fit the Lucid, so steer clear (HA) of Pirelli.

- T

 

[Bobby]

I think it's fair to feel aggrieved about having bubbled tires on what I assume is a relatively new Lucid. I experienced two blowouts and two bubbled tires due to winter-worn roads in both Northern (Bay Area) and Southern (LA) California. Worse, after the first blowout, I was stuck without my car for nearly two weeks because of a backup at the Lucid Service Center, and thus of the first two months of owning a Lucid 25% of that time was spent out of service.

Now having said that tires are a consumable, and I doubt you'll find an auto manufacturer/dealer on the planet that will replace a tire gratis owing to damage. The 2022 Pirellis are unfortunately total garbage in my opinion and Lucid may have erred in selecting them, but I wouldn't expect them to replace a tire under the car warranty. I should add that after the second blowout pothole accident (which was also the bubbling accident) Lucid replaced both front wheel bearings under warranty despite the bearing damage being manifestly a road hazard accident and not a manufacturing problem.

Quite honestly, if you have any tire issues I would just go to an America's/Discount Tire for replacements and a warranty. And I think Michelin now makes tires that fit the Lucid, so steer clear (HA) of Pirelli.

- T

Were you using the 21 inch wheels in the winter?

 

[Bill55]

Were you using the 21 inch wheels in the winter?

Bay Area or San Diego of course you would run same tires year round.

I have replaced the Pirellis with Michelin 4S extra Load on my DE. The Sapphire is 200lbs heavier than the DE and came with 4S extra load.

I have far fewer miles on the Michelins, but no issues so far.

Even though the Pirellis are HL vs XL, the 21s seem very prone to side wall bubbles. I replaced 4 Pirellis for side wall bubbles over ~20k miles.

If I had 2 tires with bubbles I would replace all 4 with Michelins.

 

[hydbob]

Bay Area or San Diego of course you would run same tires year round.

I have replaced the Pirellis with Michelin 4S extra Load on my DE. The Sapphire is 200lbs heavier than the DE and came with 4S extra load.

I have far fewer miles on the Michelins, but no issues so far.

Even though the Pirellis are HL vs XL, the 21s seem very prone to side wall bubbles. I replaced 4 Pirellis for side wall bubbles over ~20k miles.

If I had 2 tires with bubbles I would replace all 4 with Michelins.

Could run into issues in the Bay. I was up there recently and the overnight temp dropped below 40! 21" tires would run the risk of glass transition

 

[Bill55]

Could run into issues in the Bay. I was up there recently and the overnight temp dropped below 40! 21" tires would run the risk of glass transition

Not enough issues to own 2 sets of rims or change out tires 2x a year. At least not for me. I drove summers year round in Dallas.

 

[borski]

Could run into issues in the Bay. I was up there recently and the overnight temp dropped below 40! 21" tires would run the risk of glass transition

Haven’t had the issue, at least in Cupertino. It doesn’t stay low for very long - I know it doesn’t take very long, but I just haven’t seen it yet.

 

[hydbob]

Haven’t had the issue, at least in Cupertino. It doesn’t stay low for very long - I know it doesn’t take very long, but I just haven’t seen it yet.

You also garage your car!

 

[Worldwide Beagle]

Switched out my 21s a few days ago. 19" Michelin Pilot Alpin 5. Just in time. 14" fresh snow, still coming down. Supposed to get down to 5F tomorrow night.

Having winter wheels and quality winter performance tires is a way of life in Colorado.

 

[borski]

You also garage your car!

Yeah, but no drywall, no insulation, just studs. And I forget to close the door regularly lol

The garage temp is not exactly all that different from the outside temp as a result.

 

[Worldwide Beagle]

just studs.

Now you are talking about mine kind of Lucid "drive it like you stole it" owner.

 

[tmwong]

Were you using the 21 inch wheels in the winter?

Yes. We didn't have a particularly cold winter 2022-23, but we had a lot of rain, followed by a lot of potholes. I should really have submitted a claim form to the state (it was a state road) but never got around to it and don't have any photos to prove the damage.

I've considered switching to 22" rims and tires but storing a complete set of wheels is tricky.

- T

 

[tmwong]

That would be a very bad idea for several reasons. You lose the availability of tires that are specially engineered to handle the weight and torque output of a powerful EV such as the Air. You gain nothing in handling, braking, or acceleration and may well lose something in all three. (Race and drag cars use higher-aspect-ratio tires for a reason.) You'll likely increase the unsprung weight of the car. If you try to retain sidewall height by going to a larger rolling diameter tire, you're going to throw off the car's gearing ratio and electronics, assuming the wheel wells would even accommodate it. You're going to compromise ride comfort. You'll be replacing wheels from hitting a lot more things than just potholes.

All this for what? A more gangsta look?

I can't type. I meant in the other direction. I've considered switching to 20" rims. Specifically to give my car more cushioning against potholes.

(facepalm)

- T

 

[Bill55]

I can't type. I meant in the other direction. I've considered switching to 20" rims. Specifically to give my car more cushioning against potholes.

(facepalm)

- T

I’ve been told the 20” sapphire 265 will fit on the front of other airs. You could run a square set up. Would decrease range.

Also the Michelins for the 21s are designed for EV.

 

[hmp10]

I can't type. I meant in the other direction. I've considered switching to 20" rims. Specifically to give my car more cushioning against potholes.

(facepalm)

- T

Got it. Maybe a moderator can remove my post?

 

[xponents]

Got it. Maybe a moderator can remove my post?

I think keeping it would be a better idea as it does show everything that’s wrong if you do get 22 wheels. I think somebody here already did…

 

[Neurio]

I can't type. I meant in the other direction. I've considered switching to 20" rims. Specifically to give my car more cushioning against potholes.

(facepalm)

- T

I switched from the Lucid 21s to the Lucid 20s. I've been meaning to make a full post about it with my full thoughts because I don't think anyone else here has done so. Over the 4k miles on the 20s (vs over 15k on the 21s), I can say I'm quite happy I switched. The ride is slightly cushier/quieter, but the handling is just as good thanks to the summer tires. I also personally like the looks of the 20s better, so I'd switch again in a heartbeat. All my hyper vigilance about avoiding potholes has mostly subsided thanks to the higher sidewall and the Michelin vs Pirelli of name.