19" cyclone costs as much as an entire set of 19" base wheels with winter tires.

[AWDtsla]

Seems arbitrarily high, no? I assume the 19" cyclones are worth it in some way?

 

[mgboyes]

All Tesla options are priced to have large profit margins. None of them is particularly good value for money in absolute terms (well, pano roof is actually not so bad).

Personally I think the car is hugely more handsome with either the cyclones or turbines on it, but it really is a purely aesthetic thing.

 

[SabrToothSqrl]

You can also go aftermarket...

 

[Panu]

They provide a couple of percent lower energy consumption at highway speeds because of better aerodynamics.

 

[MsElectric]

They provide a couple of percent lower energy consumption at highway speeds because of better aerodynamics.

Do you have a source for this? The Cyclones are not direction specific as they are going to appear backwards on the other side. Wouldn't any aerodynamic benefit you get from one side of the car be negated by the opposite happening on the other side?

 

[ArtInCT]

Do you have a source for this? The Cyclones are not direction specific as they are going to appear backwards on the other side. Wouldn't any aerodynamic benefit you get from one side of the car be negated by the opposite happening on the other side?

Check out this Update Blog from Tesla a while back... Driving Range for the Model S Family | Tesla Motors

In the blog there are a few paragraphs on wheels and at the end some Q and A on tires. I think this is the source of the earlier statement regarding the 19" Cyclone wheels?
Also TsportLine and EVannex make and sell a family of cyclone aftermarket wheels which accept the Tesla center cap. These wheels are offered in various color finish treatments.

 

[AWDtsla]

Also TsportLine and EVannex make and sell a family of cyclone aftermarket wheels which accept the Tesla center cap. These wheels are offered in various color finish treatments.

They make clones, but not of the cyclone design, it's of the turbine design. Of course no wheel manufacturer tests how aerodynamic their wheels are. So other than the discontinued aero and the cyclone, we have no idea how efficient a given wheel is.

 

[danni]

Since I'll need winter tires anyway I went ahead and ordered a set of T Sportline TST's. Then I figured I'd put the winter tires on the base 19" rims, and use the TST's with the summer tires. I love the look of the turbine wheels but I don't love the price and I don't really want 21" because it lessens the comfort, increases consumption and has an increased risk of rim damage.