19" vs 21" wheels & tires

[Grinterween]

Hi all 1st post. Planning to buy new Tesla Model S Performance soon. No where near a dealer so I am seeking any members experience or input on Ride & Performance difference between 19" & 21"tires. I like the looks of the 21" (not cost ) but from my experience on GM vehicles is that the 22" wheel & tires ride much harder than the 18" or 20" wheel & tires. Also the 18" seem to perform better on acceleration etc... Also notice some mileage difference in specs on Model S performance.

Thank you for any input.

M

I have the 19s on mine, I honestly think it looks better than the 21's plus I live in chicago and theres alot of potholes

 

[Gadget-X]

Driven around in Cincinnati before bad potholes even on the bypass. Problem in Florida is where I live the roads are asphalt and sometime shell. Slippery as (fill in blank). Also instead of pot holes we get "sink" holes. They are like pot holes on steroids.

M

 

[woody409]

i had 21" on my last model S and i went with the 19s on my newer one. had to do it. the 21`" are like your stripper girlfriend. beautiful and hard to give up but dont get married because they will always screw you over in the end. i had two sets because they kept bending and cracking, tires would lose air. over and over. i drive my 2018 P100D 365 days a year on colorado roads regardless of weather. lots of potholes and debris on the road and the 21" are just not practical. if you want to only take your car out on nice days for a spin around the block then the 21" may work for you but if you need something reliable, stay away from the strippers!

 

[Pismo]

I was in the same boat. Comfortability of 19s was great. Look of 21s was great too. The contrary was 19s look too small on the car and 21s lose too much efficiency.
I went the 20s route. Model X Carbon Sonic 20 x 9/9.5.
Here is some pictures of all 3 for you.

19s

20s

21s

 

[Xenoilphobe]

I was in the same boat. Comfortability of 19s was great. Look of 21s was great too. The contrary was 19s look too small on the car and 21s lose too much efficiency.
I went the 20s route. Model X Carbon Sonic 20 x 9/9.5.
Here is some pictures of all 3 for you.

19s
View attachment 526787

20s
View attachment 526786

21s
View attachment 526783

So which wheel did you pick on the MCU? 21 or 19? Wonder if Tesla could update the firmware with a 20 inch wheel option?

 

[Pismo]

I picked 19" since the rolling diameter is the same.

 

[jbcarioca]

I am not an expert, but both of my Teslae lived in South Florida.
I had 19" slipstreams on the S, mostly because i had been very tired of replacing damaged wheels on Porsche 996, Jaguar XK-8 and Maserati. I ended out with wheel damage on all of them from I-95 sinkhole/divider gaps. never again.

On my P3D+ when I bought it they came only with the 20" and I promptly had two wheels damaged so I switched to T-Sportline 18". At the time I did it T-Sportline was the only option that would fit over the P3 Brembos.

Luckily for Model S you have almost endless options. I'll leave the relative technical merits to others, since i find it impossible to see much difference in Florida driving conditions. Max altitude of 30' does make the only 'hills' actually be overpasses.

if looks count zero question about 21" being better. Other than harsher ride, delicate wheels, high cost, reduced tire life increased energy use and road hazards they're great! So, I sacrifice sex appeal.

 

[XLR82XS]

Pismo beat me to it. I was going to suggest 20".

 

[WillN to Go]

Hi all 1st post. Planning to buy new Tesla Model S Performance soon. No where near a dealer so I am seeking any members experience or input on Ride & Performance difference between 19" & 21"tires. I like the looks of the 21" (not cost ) but from my experience on GM vehicles is that the 22" wheel & tires ride much harder than the 18" or 20" wheel & tires. Also the 18" seem to perform better on acceleration etc... Also notice some mileage difference in specs on Model S performance.

Thank you for any input.

M

I know this question is a few months old, but I wanted to get a definitive answer and didn't find one in the thread.
21" wheels have low profile tires, they cost $2000 more, look great, and corner better than 19" wheels.
19" wheels get slightly better range, the tongue weight for a trailer is 350 lbs (for the 21" only 250 lbs; even if you're not intending to haul a trailer this means the 19" wheels are less affected by load in the car). Basically with 19" wheels, there's more tire between the rim and the road. For rough roads, potholes, the lower profile 21" wheels having less tire will hit these harder, a direct blow like the edge of a 'death pot hole' is more likely to damage the 21" wheels.
Tires for the 19" wheels are also apparently less expensive and last longer. If any of this is incorrect please correct me.
(I have a particular loathing for low profile rims. When I've rented cars and paid for full insurance coverage, it doesn't cover the rims (wheels). The first thing you do (in Scotland and Ireland) after driving out of the rental place is pull over to fiddle with the GPS. The roads are narrow so you responsibly make sure you're not sticking out.... scruchhhs grnd...and instantly you owe at least $150 for grinding out the rims. Then you go on your way, jarring your teeth (low profile = less cushion) on the rough roads of the Scottish Highlands wondering why it is they put low profile tires on rental cars in Scotland. Hope this helps.

 

[Gadget-X]

I opted for the 19" wheels based on cost (+$3k), ride and threads showing pot hole damage to 21" twin turbine. I much prefer the 21" LOOKS! I am satisfied with my decision. I may pickup a set of after market 20" or 21" wheels and tires. Right now because of the virus I am not using any vehicle as much.

M

 

[ngng]

I know this question is a few months old, but I wanted to get a definitive answer and didn't find one in the thread.
21" wheels have low profile tires, they cost $2000 more, look great, and corner better than 19" wheels.
19" wheels get slightly better range, the tongue weight for a trailer is 350 lbs (for the 21" only 250 lbs; even if you're not intending to haul a trailer this means the 19" wheels are less affected by load in the car). Basically with 19" wheels, there's more tire between the rim and the road. For rough roads, potholes, the lower profile 21" wheels having less tire will hit these harder, a direct blow like the edge of a 'death pot hole' is more likely to damage the 21" wheels.
Tires for the 19" wheels are also apparently less expensive and last longer. If any of this is incorrect please correct me.
(I have a particular loathing for low profile rims. When I've rented cars and paid for full insurance coverage, it doesn't cover the rims (wheels). The first thing you do (in Scotland and Ireland) after driving out of the rental place is pull over to fiddle with the GPS. The roads are narrow so you responsibly make sure you're not sticking out.... scruchhhs grnd...and instantly you owe at least $150 for grinding out the rims. Then you go on your way, jarring your teeth (low profile = less cushion) on the rough roads of the Scottish Highlands wondering why it is they put low profile tires on rental cars in Scotland. Hope this helps.

a tire that fits a 19" should not last any longer than a different size tire of a similar compound. but you are correct that generally, a smaller dia/width tire will cost less than a larger dia/wider tire

 

[SSedan]

a tire that fits a 19" should not last any longer than a different size tire of a similar compound. but you are correct that generally, a smaller dia/width tire will cost less than a larger dia/wider tire

But lower profile tires are generally made with a softer higher performance compound, even if the same model tires

 

[ngng]

But lower profile tires are generally made with a softer higher performance compound, even if the same model tires

that's also not true. tire profile only describes, well, the tire profile. you can have low profile all season or highway tires which will be different than a high performance, low profile tire

think about this, you can have super sticky drag radials with a huge sidewall. obviously much stickier than say, a super low profile 21" street tire (high performance or not)

 

[SSedan]

that's also not true. tire profile only describes, well, the tire profile. you can have low profile all season or highway tires which will be different than a high performance, low profile tire

think about this, you can have super sticky drag radials with a huge sidewall. obviously much stickier than say, a super low profile 21" street tire (high performance or not)

Look at the treadwear rating on a given tire model and compare the 19-21" offerings, the 21" are often a softer compound.

 

[ngng]

Look at the treadwear rating on a given tire model and compare the 19-21" offerings, the 21" are often a softer compound.

... yes, different compounds wear differently...this is a function of the compound, not the tire profile.

 

[Catbiscuits]

Are there any places in the US with good roads? I had thought Florida but obviously I was wrong. FWIW I once asked a professional race car driver what size rims I should use on my BMW 335xi, 18”, 19” or 20”. He said 17”. Pretty much what other posters have said here...

 

[Prowler]

Advantages of 19" wheels:
- All things being equal, they are more efficient than 21" wheels
- They have more sidewall to cushion the rims against potholes and other road hazards, so are by far the better choice for poor road conditions
- The wheels themselves and tires are cheaper
- An argument can be made that they confer better performance/acceleration because of decreased unsprung mass
- Generally quieter

Advantages of 21" wheels:
- Appearance
- Appearance
- Appearance pretty much only
- An argument can be made that they confer better handling characteristics (exclusively in racing/high-performance driving) because of decreased aspect ratio/sidewall and less sidewall flex at the extremes of traction encountered only by high-level racing/autocross
- Generally much better selection of ultra high performance or racing tires for the Model S total wheel/tire diameter (not specific to 21" wheels, just to 21" wheels on the Model S specifically).

Thank You for info.

 

[einnocent]

I've owned a 2019 Model S Performance with staggered Twin Turbines for a few months. I thought I'd just be careful with the 21" rims, but in the last few weeks I mangled a sidewall and then cracked a rim in separate incidents. I'll be getting 19's ASAP. Looking at TSTs with Michelin PS AS4s.

It's amazing to me because my last car had big rims (18") with low profile tires, and I never had any issue like this driving on the same roads. I hope this move solves the problem, because there's no way I'm going to pop for a new rim and tire every couple thousand miles. I'm disappointed that Tesla didn't use at least flow forming on rims that were an expensive upgrade.

 

[Ostrichsak]

I've owned a 2019 Model S Performance with staggered Twin Turbines for a few months. I thought I'd just be careful with the 21" rims, but in the last few weeks I mangled a sidewall and then cracked a rim in separate incidents. I'll be getting 19's ASAP. Looking at TSTs with Michelin PS AS4s.

It's amazing to me because my last car had big rims (18") with low profile tires, and I never had any issue like this driving on the same roads. I hope this move solves the problem, because there's no way I'm going to pop for a new rim and tire every couple thousand miles. I'm disappointed that Tesla didn't use at least flow forming on rims that were an expensive upgrade.

18" sidewalls and 3,500lbs is a night and day difference from 21" sidewalls and 5,000lbs in terms of physics.

 

[einnocent]

I've been rolling the TSportline 19" TST with Michelin PS AS4 and so far I'm very pleased. I'll do a thread on my experience with it later, but tl;dr: TSportline was awesome, if you didn't know I swapped rims you wouldn't notice (going on looks), the energy usage hasn't changed, and the PS AS4 has lower (but still great) limits than the PS Super Sport.