19 inch vs 20 inch wheels ride quality

[blueice89]

So I keep researching on how to improve ride quality, I feel the suspension or ride quality on the 2023 Model Y is still pretty bumpy. I come from Model S Plaid and on occasion drive our Model Y. We currently have 20 inch Inductions which I love the look of just hate the ride quality.

I keep thinking 19inch is likely the answer I am looking for, but it requires some capital to figure that out and backing out of that decision is not the easiest.

Is there any way to make the 20in ride quality as smooth as 19inch?
I read some threads about people saying go 270 on the 20inch and that makes little more smooth, does that make it more smooth than going for 19s?
What type of ride quality do you have in your 2023 model Y? I feel like I got stuck with inductions cause I ordered the inventory stock car to get a car much faster. I think though I would like the 19s better. I don't care about looks too much just want comfortable ride.

What would you suggest?
I have one friend offering to sell some Forged 19inch wheels but I also can't back out of that if I don't like it, so trying to gather some more information.

 

[nencmeister]

I ride on 19" winter tires in the winter, and the ride is smoother than the 21" uberturbine wheels on my 22MYP. I'd honestly go 18" and a thick as tire as possible for "comfort" tbh in my opinion, no matter what wheel setup you have an a Tesla MY, the suspension still way under preforms. I am currently looking to upgrade my suspension, same as 1000s of other MY owners. If you want to be smart, get whatever wheels you want, and shell out another 3-4k on a suspension is the truth no one wants to hear.

 

[blueice89]

The theory is 2023 has improved suspension are people still doing coilover on 2023 ?

 

[nencmeister]

Yes the 2023 model Y has been reported to have a "much better" suspension however tbh my brother's 2023 Kia Sorrento still has a smoother more luxurious suspension than a 2023 Model Y lol. There's always room for improvement. I don't know how they screwed up the MY's suspension so badly, I just don't get it. But to Tesla's credit, my neighbors 2023 MYLR on 20" wheels is a league and a half more comfortable suspension than my MYP.

 

[blueice89]

Yes the 2023 model Y has been reported to have a "much better" suspension however tbh my brother's 2023 Kia Sorrento still has a smoother more luxurious suspension than a 2023 Model Y lol. There's always room for improvement. I don't know how they screwed up the MY's suspension so badly, I just don't get it. But to Tesla's credit, my neighbors 2023 MYLR on 20" wheels is a league and a half more comfortable suspension than my MYP.

Man I can’t even imagine

 

[blueice89]

So I decided to go for 18 inch :

 

[redgsrguy]

I swapped from 21" to 19"(@ 42PSI) it got better, but the ride is still quite poor in my 2023 MYP compared to my econobucket Hondas.

 

[FatherTo1]

So I decided to go for 18 inch :

Those look nice. Please report back and let us know how much of a difference it makes for ride quality. Are you also going with the same 18" Michelin PS4 AS in the video?

 

[gt2690b]

Yes the 2023 model Y has been reported to have a "much better" suspension however tbh my brother's 2023 Kia Sorrento still has a smoother more luxurious suspension than a 2023 Model Y lol. There's always room for improvement. I don't know how they screwed up the MY's suspension so badly, I just don't get it. But to Tesla's credit, my neighbors 2023 MYLR on 20" wheels is a league and a half more comfortable suspension than my MYP.

i assumed it had something to do with a really heavy car that they are trying to make as nimble as a miata but maybe just a lack of car experience i have no idea

 

[TomB985]

I’m that weirdo with three sets of wheels for my Y. An 18” winter set, 19” Gemini, and a 21” MYP set. I’ve mounted all three over the last few weeks because of the funny weather, and I haven’t noticed much of a difference.

I noticed a much bigger difference adjusting tire pressure to 36 PSI than I did stepping down from the heavy 21” Überturbines to the Gemini wheels. My light, skinny 18” wheels never rode much better than either of them.

If you’re looking to improve your ride, I don’t think the improvement is worth the cost of another set of wheels and tires. You’re better off adjusting your pressures and/or mounting a softer set of coil overs.

i assumed it had something to do with a really heavy car that they are trying to make as nimble as a miata but maybe just a lack of car experience i have no idea

It’s not really a heavy car. The Model Y weighs about the same as a Ford Edge. And the Edge rides a lot better.

 

[blueice89]

Those look nice. Please report back and let us know how much of a difference it makes for ride quality. Are you also going with the same 18" Michelin PS4 AS in the video

Yup 18s Michelin like the video:

TST 18" Tesla Model Y Wheel and Tire Package (Set of 4)

Tesla Model Y 18" TST Flow Forged Wheel & Tire Package. Tesla Model Y 18" TST turbine style flow forged wheel is manufactured exclusively for the Tesla Model Y. Get Tesla Model Y wheels now! Order lightweight flow forged wheels for your Tesla Model Y at T Sportline home for Tesla Accessories...

tsportline.com

 

[gt2690b]

I’m that weirdo with three sets of wheels for my Y. An 18” winter set, 19” Gemini, and a 21” MYP set. I’ve mounted all three over the last few weeks because of the funny weather, and I haven’t noticed much of a difference.

I noticed a much bigger difference adjusting tire pressure to 36 PSI than I did stepping down from the heavy 21” Überturbines to the Gemini wheels. My light, skinny 18” wheels never rode much better than either of them.

If you’re looking to improve your ride, I don’t think the improvement is worth the cost of another set of wheels and tires. You’re better off adjusting your pressures and/or mounting a softer set of coil overs.



It’s not really a heavy car. The Model Y weighs about the same as a Ford Edge. And the Edge rides a lot better.

I have 18" wheels I find they ride considerably softer than the 19s .. so you have 3 sets of tpms as well??

Agree about the edge (or any Ford for that matter)

 

[TomB985]

I have 18" wheels I find they ride considerably softer than the 19s .. so you have 3 sets of tpms as well??

Yup. Two of the three sets are OEM, so I only had to buy one set of sensors from eBay. I was originally thinking of selling my Geminis, but they’re worth more to me than they are on the market.



My winter set of 18s are riding on skinny 225/60R18 WinterCommand Ultra tires. They’re great in snow, but I inflate them to 46 PSI because they’re significantly narrower than the factory tires. I could probably get by with a bit less, but this puts me comfortably over max GAWR on the load inflation table. Those same tables are why I aired the factory tire sets down to 36 PSI, and the ride was noticeably better.

In my opinion, when it comes to ride quality, tire pressure > wheel size.

 

[gx9901]

I’m that weirdo with three sets of wheels for my Y. An 18” winter set, 19” Gemini, and a 21” MYP set. I’ve mounted all three over the last few weeks because of the funny weather, and I haven’t noticed much of a difference.

Are you going to be utilizing all 3 sets throughout the year? I have my stock Ubers with all-season tires and a set of 19" with winter tires. Over this past winter I got a set of 20" Martian Wheels with the intention of putting on some summer performance tires (waiting for a sale at the moment). I think I will use the Ubers w/all-season tires for the transition periods in spring and fall where the weather fluctuates between 35F~50F and the other two sets for winter/summer. Hopefully I don't get tired of swapping wheels 4 times per year.

As for ride quality, I don't notice that much of a difference between the 19" and 21" sets. I think the 19" set is maybe a touch softer, but they are noisier with the winter tires. After a couple of drives I couldn't tell the difference going either way between the 19" and 21" wheels.

 

[TomB985]

Are you going to be utilizing all 3 sets throughout the year? I have my stock Ubers with all-season tires and a set of 19" with winter tires. Over this past winter I got a set of 20" Martian Wheels with the intention of putting on some summer performance tires (waiting for a sale at the moment). I think I will use the Ubers w/all-season tires for the transition periods in spring and fall where the weather fluctuates between 35F~50F and the other two sets for winter/summer. Hopefully I don't get tired of swapping wheels 4 times per year.

As for ride quality, I don't notice that much of a difference between the 19" and 21" sets. I think the 19" set is maybe a touch softer, but they are noisier with the winter tires. After a couple of drives I couldn't tell the difference going either way between the 19" and 21" wheels.

I find the difference in handling to be really striking.

My Ubers have stock Pirelli summer tires, and they make the car handle like it's on razor blades. Extremely sharp turn-in, and it sticks to the road much better than the others. The polar opposite is the tall, skinny set of winter tires that feel much more "mushy." They do a fine job, but take longer to react to steering inputs and hit their traction limit earlier than the others. The Continental all-seasons on the 19" wheels are somewhere in between the two. Surprisingly, I haven't noticed much of a noise difference between the winter tires and the 19" and 21" Tesla-spec tires with acoustic foam. The car is pretty quiet with all of them.

I tend to install my winter tires later than most, and I get them off as soon as the snow is gone. That gives me a fair amount of time where it's too cold to use the summer tires, and the risk of ice makes the all-seasons a better fit. The 19's also may be useful for road trips when I'm trying to stretch my range, but I haven't noticed a huge difference between them. I figure they're only worth ~$1,000 with practically new tires to a sale, which makes them worth keeping.

 

[JohnB007]

So for someone like me, who finds 19" Cross Climate 2 razor sharp already but feels ride is a bit too stiff, what options do I have? This tire feels a bit softer than the OEM already.

I have tried down to 39psi and it didn't make a noticeable difference. I'm back to 42psi and I am almost used to it

 

[Konicom04]

Yes the 2023 model Y has been reported to have a "much better" suspension however tbh my brother's 2023 Kia Sorrento still has a smoother more luxurious suspension than a 2023 Model Y lol. There's always room for improvement. I don't know how they screwed up the MY's suspension so badly, I just don't get it. But to Tesla's credit, my neighbors 2023 MYLR on 20" wheels is a league and a half more comfortable suspension than my MYP.

Teslas are high performance vehicles,
Cant compare the ride to slowboats like Kia or Hondas,
The only improvement i see here - is if Tesla buys magneride from GM

 

[TomB985]

So for someone like me, who finds 19" Cross Climate 2 razor sharp already but feels ride is a bit too stiff, what options do I have? This tire feels a bit softer than the OEM already.

I have tried down to 39psi and it didn't make a noticeable difference. I'm back to 42psi and I am almost used to it

I would suggest lowering further.

The highest GAWR is 3,306 lbs for the rear axle. Based on the load inflation table for the factory 255/45R19, inflating to 35 PSI is adequate for more than 1,700 lbs per tire, or 3,400 lbs for the axle. That's more than sufficient and will noticeably improve your ride in my experience.

 

[JohnB007]

I would suggest lowering further.

The highest GAWR is 3,306 lbs for the rear axle. Based on the load inflation table for the factory 255/45R19, inflating to 35 PSI is adequate for more than 1,700 lbs per tire, or 3,400 lbs for the axle. That's more than sufficient and will noticeably improve your ride in my experience.

I'm no tire expert.

So in a nut shell, there is no safety issue by lowering the tire to 35psi?

Also, what about the tire wear?

Thanks much!

 

[bpon89]

I have a 2020 MYLR with MPP coilovers. I put 255/45/20 tires on my 20" inductions. The higher sidewall (45 instead of 40) was much more comfortable, but messes with the Speedometer probably 3-4%. Considering they were $70 cheaper per tire, I'll live with that.

I drove a 2023 MYLR and it felt pretty comfortable! The person driving my car reported it to feel similar to his except can handle better but still a bit of body roll.