18” aero vs 20” alloys

[asherwood]

Hi

For a while now I’ve been planning on purchasing an m3 performance and the main reason being the alloys and the lowered suspension which I’d expect to result in better handling / more enjoyable drive.

However I’ve just been reading that the 20 inch wheels are more commonly going to have issues with potholes and generally cause me more pain. now given we have a young child, the last thing I want to be messing around with is with punctures and blown tyres in the middle of long journeys.

Does any one have any comments or had any issues with 20” alloys in the UK?

Thanks
Scott

 

[pow216]

About 2000 miles in...

I’d love a set of aeros on right now!

 

[elecTED]

Sheesh kebab... do all 20” alloys behave this way or just the Tesla ones?

Looks like they’re made out of tin.

 

[WattDaF]

Im in the same boat, pretty stuck between the m3p and LR I prefer the look of the P but comfort and easier to kerb is making me think twice (especially with my mrs's parking).
Also how many miles are people getting out of the m3p tyres?

 

[Dangerous Fish]

No, they're made of alloy but you need to avoid large potholes, just like any car fitted with alloys and low profile tyres.

 

[Cherub77]

I don’t think they are particularly weak, I’ve had other alloys with low profile tyres buckle, have you considered the 19” wheel if that’s still an option? It looks like the 20” but a bit more tyre which combined with the softer suspension might be what you are looking for?
I posted in another thread the crap job Tesla did on painting my Grey 20” wheels, the backs of the spokes are silver in places, they also scratched the back of the rims fitting the tyres!
The tyres on the 20” wheels are magic though, when they wear out I will definitely replace like for like, I’m not sure what tyres you get on the 19’s.

 

[spon88]

My 20" OEM alloys are in the garage in storage. I've fitted 18" rims with Michelin Cross Climate+ tyres specifically because the chances are high of hitting a big pothole which would likely trash the 20s. This is a big risk for any low profile sports wheels, not just Tesla. Lots of examples unfortunately. The 20s aren't really suitable for when the weather gets hairy too.

I will put the 20s back on for summer when most of the potholes have been repaired but the 18s will go back on when we drive down through France next year. Like the OP I don't fancy being stranded with a fragile alloy 1000 miles from home.

Not a cheap solution but the 18s are much more practical and the car still drives well. I'd be on tenterhooks, especially in winter, if I just had to rely on the 20s.

 

[mswlogo]

19" is the perfect compromise.

Tesla 20" have been a problem for folks where ever they live (even in the summer).
You do have road construction in the summer, right? Sometimes that can be worse than some potholes.
You can get stronger 20" rims but I think 19" is better.

You also have the widest choice of tires on 19" rims.

 

[spon88]

19" is the perfect compromise.

Tesla 20" have been a problem for folks where ever they live. You can get stronger 20" but I think 19" is better.

You also have the widest choice of tires on 19" rims.

There are a few examples of broken 19s as well unfortunately. Better than 20s but still not much rubber there. You can get a couple of types of all season tyres for 19s but the choice is wider for 18s. The 19s look a bit better but it's a balance between practicality and aesthetics

 

[MaDProFF]

Just go out and get a performance and then a set of 18" wheels, like a few others have, just not Tesla ones

 

[mswlogo]

There are a few examples of broken 19s as well unfortunately. Better than 20s but still not much rubber there. You can get a couple of types of all season tyres for 19s but the choice is wider for 18s. The 19s look a bit better but it's a balance between practicality and aesthetics

Well you can damage 18" too. Statistically 19" is way better than 20".
I survived Pot Hole Haven/Road Construction never ending New England with 19" OEM

Nope 18" restricts you from a lot of choices normally in that profile due to the extra high Load Rating on the 18".

As you increase rim size the load rating goes down.
But as you increase the rim the profile also goes wider and into the higher performance tires.

The 19" is the happy medium (lower load requirements, but not the crazy low profile tires).

Two nice tires you can't get in 18" or 20" are the Bridgestone QuietTrack and the Pirelli P7+ that you can get in 19".

 

[Avendit]

Its not the wheel thats the problem, its the tire profile, essentially the depth of the tire from road to alloy to make up the right size overall wheel. The 18's are 45 profile, which is pretty generous on a fast car, but lower than many SUV's these days. The 19's are 40 profile, and the 20's 35 profile.

I've never gone below 40 on my cars before, but I've never had a problem. Previous car was a Seat Leon FR (golf GTI with a different body) on 18's, but at 40 profile, no issues in 8+ years. Same before, 40 profile but wrapped around 17's on a Celica for 7 years. I wouldn't want to go to 35's , I test drove the faster Leon on 19's and 35 profile wheels and it wasn't good, tho suspension has come a long way since.

What I would say tho, as a P- owner (all the go of the P, but no wheels, suspension, brakes or spoiler upgrades) is that its very easy in mine to overwhelm the combination of taller suspension and floppier tyres (thats what the thinner profiles give you - less flex in the sidewalls. Both insulates and removes you from the road. Good for comfort, bad for pressing on). I'm not sure what or if I will change anything, but I'm pretty sure if I was as into moding as I used to be I would be looking at bigger wheels, stronger sway bars and lower suspension. I also couldn't afford the 2cm lowering of the full P due to my drive :/

Given complete cart-blanch, £££ no issue, I'd choose my ride height via a P or P-, then fit the 19's. or steal some of the made in china 19's for uniqueness.

 

[spon88]

Well you can damage 18" too. Statistically 19" is way better than 20".
I survived Pot Hole Haven/Road Construction never ending New England with 19" OEM

Nope 18" restricts you from a lot of choices normally in that profile due to the extra high Load Rating on the 18".

As you increase rim size the load rating goes down.
But as you increase the rim the profile also goes wider and into the higher performance tires.

The 19" is the happy medium (lower load requirements, but not the crazy low profile tires).

Two nice tires you can't get in 18" or 20" are the Bridgestone QuietTrack and the Pirelli P7+ that you can get in 19".

A lot of people in the UK are looking for a good all season tyre. Perhaps the best at the moment is the Cross Climate+ from Michelin. It performs well in summer and also very well in winter. I moved from 19s to 18s to be able to access this particular tyre and additional resilience from that particular tyre/rim combo. The 18" rim with that particular tyre seems to be the sweet spot at the moment for UK users. I think Michelin are bringing that tyre out in 19" but with the winter potholes round where I live, I'll stick with the 18s for most of the year

 

[J0hn.r]

Has anybody researched tyre+wheel insurance protection? I think there are some that will pay out in situations like the one described above, or where the tyre needs replacing (in pairs) when a flat occurs.

l.e.: just done a quote, Motoreasy offers tyre (up to £250) and alloy protection, 3 years up to 6 claims, for £386

 

[asherwood]

Thanks for all the feedback, it sounds like 19" are the best compromise between looks and practicality.

Does anyone know if they still offer the long range version with these? I often see them on the existing inventory sales list (there's one there now, but I'm not sure how old the actual car is and if it has all the latest updates) but it's not possible to choose it when ordering a new one.

Thanks

 

[Avendit]

Not sure there are much in the way of physical differences with most of the UK stock (could be wrong). Its mostly software, which you will get anyway. Certainly my one which must have been put together towards the end of June seems solidly put together, no excessive wind noise on the motorway etc. I think most drastic improvements have been had now.

 

[Adopado]

Sheesh kebab... do all 20” alloys behave this way or just the Tesla ones?

Looks like they’re made out of tin.

Unfortunately any large diameter rim with practically no flex in the sidewall is going to suffer in exactly the same way. It's not a Tesla thing. Put it on a smooth racing circuit (which doesn't even have normal road camber) and you will benefit from an extra precision of handling. There are so few flat, smooth, twisty roads to drive in the real world that this kind of setup has only one factor in its favour: style.

Anyway, if you whack a pothole maybe it's better to bend a wheel than to break the car suspension, which is probably what would happen if you managed to transmit all the the force with no "damping" from the wheel/tyre combination.

 

[Bernard_S]

What I would say tho, as a P- owner (all the go of the P, but no wheels, suspension, brakes or spoiler upgrades) is that its very easy in mine to overwhelm the combination of taller suspension and floppier tyres (thats what the thinner profiles give you - less flex in the sidewalls. Both insulates and removes you from the road. Good for comfort, bad for pressing on). I'm not sure what or if I will change anything, but I'm pretty sure if I was as into moding as I used to be I would be looking at bigger wheels, stronger sway bars and lower suspension. I also couldn't afford the 2cm lowering of the full P due to my drive :/

Are you sure that the P+ is 2 cm lower than the P- ? I've only seen figures of 0.5 cm which is within measurement error anyway. Has it really got stiffer springs and dampers ? Again this does not seem to be clear. Anybody got any definitive data ?
I've got a P- and having driven the P+ I could not feel any significant difference in the handling that could be attributed solely to the dampers/springs/ride height and not the tyres/wheels.

 

[Avendit]

Are you sure that the P+ is 2 cm lower than the P- ? I've only seen figures of 0.5 cm which is within measurement error anyway. Has it really got stiffer springs and dampers ? Again this does not seem to be clear. Anybody got any definitive data ?
I've got a P- and having driven the P+ I could not feel any significant difference in the handling that could be attributed solely to the dampers/springs/ride height and not the tyres/wheels.

I thought it was 0.5 inches? But I would go seat of the pants as a metric over internet rumours.

Time spent on the parts catalogue might clarify if anyone wants to?

 

[mswlogo]

I thought it was 0.5 inches? But I would go seat of the pants as a metric over internet rumours.

Time spent on the parts catalogue might clarify if anyone wants to?

You might save yourself some time looking at the main forums on Model 3. It's been beaten to death for well over a year.

It's 10mm (0.39") lower and one of the more significant differences is beefier sway bars in the Performance.