19's on a P85D or P85+

[andrewket]

P85D only comes with 21''s?

Absolutely. Lessor tires defeat the purpose of getting such a high performance car.

It's been proven on here several times that the lap performance times of a P85 are almost identical between 21 and 19 when fitted with the same quality rubber. In fact, the 19s have the advantage of less inertial mass. If you're only driving your car on a track then let's have this discussion. Otherwise we're talking fractions of a second; so what are we talking about?

However the difference between an 85 and a P85 is much more. So why not give customers a choice?

 

[CarlK]

It's been proven on here several times that the lap performance times of a P85 are almost identical between 21 and 19 when fitted with the same quality rubber. In fact, the 19s have the advantage of less inertial mass. If you're only driving your car on a track then let's have this discussion. Otherwise we're talking fractions of a second; so what are we talking about?

However the difference between an 85 and a P85 is much more. So why not give customers a choice?

Not saying you can't have anything you want, that's the reason why the aftermarket exists, but Tesla should know their cars much better than anyone else. They have reasons to choose this set up, 35 profile staggered, and tuned the car the best for that. To ask them for a lesser choice is not realistic I think. Porsche comes with standard low profile tires for all of their sportier models. The only options you can order for these cars are even softer rubbers that won't last for more than a few thousand miles or a couple track days. They are very strict on tire specs since they got a reputation to protect. Let me put it this way a car enthusiast would never mind the little inconvenience to get that not too small edge. Elon is trying to make P85D Mclaren-like not Lexus-like.

Again I don't think it's reasonable to ask Tesla to offer something that they don't think is the best design for the product. Remember they have to be responsible for the associated performance changes if it is offered as an option. You can always get some aftermarket ones at your own risk which is a pretty simple thing to do nowadays anyway.

 

[Right_Said_Fred]

I'm putting 19" wheels and all season tires on my P85+ for the winter. No issues.

Sure, handling will be a tad different, but so would driving on 21" summer tires in 0 degree temps.

The design center is now offering 21" rims with winter tires as well ($5500). Last winter I bought these Pirelli winter tires for my 21" rims (using the same rims for summer and winter tires) and I'm very happy with them. They are more quiet than the summer tires.

 

[MsElectric]

Want the P85D but definitely not the 21" low profile tires

I have been luring around here for quite a while and I am ecstatic with the AWD announcement! I went to order a p85D but I was extremely disappointed to see that it can only be ordered with the 21" low profile tires. :scared:

I live in the NY area and though some like the look of low profile tires they are absolutely a stupid choice for where I live. The roads are so badly maintained with potholes and all sort of nonsense that when I had low profile tires in my last car I had bent rims and tire failures almost every few months. The last straw was when I was stranded on the side of the road at night twice in the winter because of a moderate pothole that many other cars with regular tires handled just fine. I know because as I was waiting for roadside assistance every else drove right past me. SO I swore to myself that I will never again have low profile tires in a car.

Does anyone know of any way to order a P85D with regular profile tires? I absolutely don't want low profile tires and it is a real shame they are forcing this on customers and I bet some get the car having no clue how unpractical there are for most urban streets.

I wish they had a P85D with regular profile tires and a p85D+ with the low profile tires. As far as I am concerned, especially after harsh winter and poorly maintained roads, low profile tires are an idiotic choice.

Yes, I know I can get a 85D but I'd like a vehicle faster than our current car and the 85D is about the same as our current 550i. Honestly the 4.2 0-60 would have been quite sufficient for us with regular profile tires but there is a big performance gap between the 85D and the P85D. If we do end up getting the P85D, already spending more than what we wanted to pay it is a real shame they seem to be forcing us to also pay for low profile tires we absolutely do not want and would not even have accepted if they were free.

If we get the p85D with the low profile tires can we switch them out with the regular 19" regular profile tires without affecting the AWD system, TMPS, etc.,? Even if we loose about 1/2 second in performance to 60 we still don't care. I do understand some people really like the look of the low profile tires but tire durability is a lot more important to us and I wish Tesla was not trying to force them on customers who live in areas that are not practical for them...

 

[MsElectric]

I sent a letter to Jerome and the general feedback@ alias regarding the lack of a 19" option on the P85D. Like many here, I think the 21's look great, and in many areas of the country the low profile tires are not an issue. But after going through many ties on my plus, I purchased aftermarket 19" wheels and tires. I asked Jerome to consider giving customers the option to make a choice that best fits their individual situation. If you feel strongly about this, I encourage you to let Tesla know.

Thanks so much for reaching out to Tesla about this. I just posted a thread about this very issue because where we live in New York, low profile tires are a stupid and dumb choice for lack of better words to describe it. Our last car had low profile tires and we quickly got sick of bent rims and tire failures every few months, especially right after the winter when the roads are in pretty bad shape. Since the Model S does not have a spare tire the last thing we want is to be stuck by the side of the road due to a moderate pothole. Can you please share the best e-mail address to contact Tesla about the absence of regular profile tires with the P85D?

They really should have had a P85D and a P85D+ -- This way everyone is happy. For those who live in the North East with potholed and badly maintained streets can get the P85D and those who have to have low profile tires can get the P85D+. Rolling the + into the P85 with AWD is a bad choice IMHO as we want AWD, the performance of the P85 and durable tires that can survive badly maintained New York roads.

 

[simonog]

I believe that the P85D has the same asymmetric front/rear wheel layout for the 21's as the P85+, but that is unclear to me at this point. Maybe someone has better info.

I have an early P85 Sig with symmetric (same all around) 21's now and am considering a P85D. On the P85, it is easy to change to 19's with good Hakka snow tires for winter driving.

Is a swap to 19's and snow tires possible and reasonable to do on the P85+ or the P85S with their asymmetric front/rear wheel layout for the 21's?

I have a P85+ and am about to switch to winter tyres (well, 1st November ).

Originally I planned to go to 19" winter wheels and tyres. After wise advice I am going for 21" winter wheels and tyres. Unfortunately, there are no rears available in the fat rear size, so I shall run the front wheel size all round.

i view this as: instead of compromising both wheel size and optimum rear tyre width by going to 19", I shall just compromise on the fat rears.

like many others on the fora, I also fitted Alloy Gators on all wheels. Much needed with low parking kerbs!

 

[wk057]

I'm told the P85D has the same suspension components as the P85+, and thus requires the 21" rims/tires. *shrugs*

 

[HankLloydRight]

Yes, you can swap the 21" for 19" with no adverse effects.

There are a few other active threads about this.

I run 19" TSportline rims and all-season tires on my P85+ in the winter (or, well, at least I will change over to them soon). I am in CT and I'm running with the 21" rims in the summer, but drive very carefully to avoid potholes. I like the look of the 21" too much to give them up all year'round.

 

[andrewket]

I'm told the P85D has the same suspension components as the P85+, and thus requires the 21" rims/tires. *shrugs*

I swapped my staggered 21's for 19's on my plus. It's fine.

 

[CarlK]

One thing you should know is 0-60 times between MS and regular ICE do not tell the whole story. I have P85+ but I found the loaner S85 I got goes MUCH faster off line than my Cayman S. Also you can still get P85 that 19" is offered.

 

[wk057]

I swapped my staggered 21's for 19's on my plus. It's fine.

I'm sure its fine... just what I was told when I um... ordered my P85D... shhhhh

 

[HankLloydRight]

I'm told the P85D has the same suspension components as the P85+, and thus requires the 21" rims/tires. *shrugs*

It's not "required".

19"s are fine on the P85+/P85D.

 

[MsElectric]

Yes, you can swap the 21" for 19" with no adverse effects.

There are a few other active threads about this.

I run 19" TSportline rims and all-season tires on my P85+ in the winter (or, well, at least I will change over to them soon). I am in CT and I'm running with the 21" rims in the summer, but drive very carefully to avoid potholes. I like the look of the 21" too much to give them up all year'round.

Thanks so much! It is great to know we can just install regular profile 19" tires on a P85D. Are the P85D tires staggered or the same size all around?

With our last car with low profile tires we were VERY careful but still managed to have 3 tire/wheel failures when before in our entire lives we've never had any tire failures other that flat tires due to nail punctures and such. On busy city roads when driving 30-40 mph, even if we see a pothole, there really is usually neither the space nor the time to do anything to avoid it without risking an accident. This is why we are so against ever having fragile tires in our cars though I am sure it is a good business for tire manufacturers and I'm sure some people genuinely like the look. I just want the tires in my car to be as fail proof as possible, especially because I know the Model S has no spare tire.

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One thing you should know is 0-60 times between MS and regular ICE do not tell the whole story. I have P85+ but I found the loaner S85 I got goes MUCH faster off line than my Cayman S. Also you can still get P85 that 19" is offered.

I realize the P85 still comes with the more durable regular profile tires but we really have to have AWD. We honestly don't need something as powerful as the P85D but we want something more powerful than a regular 85D so have no other choice...

 

[rcc]

Not saying you can't have anything you want, that's the reason why the aftermarket exists, but Tesla should know their cars much better than anyone else. They have reasons to choose this set up, 35 profile staggered, and tuned the car the best for that. To ask them for a lesser choice is not realistic I think. Porsche comes with standard low profile tires for all of their sportier models. The only options you can order for these cars are even softer rubbers that won't last for more than a few thousand miles or a couple track days. They are very strict on tire specs since they got a reputation to protect. Let me put it this way a car enthusiast would never mind the little inconvenience to get that not too small edge. Elon is trying to make P85D Mclaren-like not Lexus-like.

Again I don't think it's reasonable to ask Tesla to offer something that they don't think is the best design for the product. Remember they have to be responsible for the associated performance changes if it is offered as an option. You can always get some aftermarket ones at your own risk which is a pretty simple thing to do nowadays anyway.

This is absolutely correct. There's a difference between what you as a customer can do with the car once you buy it and what Tesla as the manufacturer is willing to do to its high-end flagship product. The P85D is Tesla's flagship high-performance car. Superior to the M5. Maybe close to or on par with a top-of-the-line Ferrari or McLaren. The quality and performance of the tires should match the rest of the car. Doing otherwise reflects poorly on the company and product.

So yes, you can put 19" tires on it if you want. They will work. And in severe winter conditions where traction in the snow matter more than dry cornering performance, that's a very reasonable thing to do.

In summer, anyone who knows cars and sees your car will know you bought a high-performance vehicle and then compromised it. If you're ok with that, go for it.

 

[Raffy.Roma]

It's not "required".

19"s are fine on the P85+/P85D.

Agree. In fact (at least on the Italian site) Tesla is offering 19"s as winter tires for the Model S D meaning that you can use 21"s or 19"s for the Model S D. Actually it looks like the choice is up to us.

 

[CalDreamin]

You might consider buying a P85D, buying a set of 19 inch wheels and tires, and then selling the 21s.

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Agree. In fact (at least on the Italian site) Tesla is offering 19"s as winter tires for the Model S D meaning that you can use 21"s or 19"s for the Model S D. Actually it looks like the choice is up to us.

The US site also allows the P85D to be optioned with a set of winter tires on either 21s or 19s.

 

[HankLloydRight]

In summer, anyone who knows cars and sees your car will know you bought a high-performance vehicle and then compromised it. If you're ok with that, go for it.

Who cares what other people think?

It's hardly a compromise... As discussed here or any of the other 10 threads, the difference in performance is only at the extreme limits of handling. So go ahead, put on 19s and don't worry about what other people may think.

 

[andrewket]

You might consider buying a P85D, buying a set of 19 inch wheels and tires, and then selling the 21s.

I tried to do this with my P85+, but so far my 21" wheels are still sitting in my garage. They seem to immediately loose at least 50% of their value.

 

[Akikiki]

Any insight as to why the P85D only comes with the 21s? I have 21s for my current S85 and after going through 4 21" rims/tires in the months of May - July up here in Boston, I just put my 19s on and will probably keep it that way. Would love a P85D, but 21s won't do even in the summer....nevermind the snow!

Thoughts?

EK, I am thinking exactly the same. For me the 21's are a deal breaker. Might get the D but would wind up swapping out the 21's for 19's after, if they won't.

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Because if you have a car with 0-60 times that are only 10% slower than the latest top-of-the-line Ferrari or McLaren and throttle response that's faster, the sidewall flex of the 19" tires makes a real difference. Putting 19" tires on it in the summer would be like DaVinci painting the Mona Lisa on velvet. If you're going to do that, I would think seriously about getting the 85D instead.

If we have the 19's on a D, maybe we need to just punch it enough to win or keep it at 3.4 seconds and under 145 top end?

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Well one clue that it is possible is that the Tesla Web order page will let you select a set of 19" snow tires as an option for the P85D.

@Cottonwood, if it did let you pick snow 19's, it was quickly corrected. Won't let you know.

 

[Denarius]

EK, I am thinking exactly the same. For me the 21's are a deal breaker. Might get the D but would wind up swapping out the 21's for 19's after, if they won't.

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If we have the 19's on a D, maybe we need to just punch it enough to win or keep it at 3.4 seconds and under 145 top end?

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@Cottonwood, if it did let you pick snow 19's, it was quickly corrected. Won't let you know.

I just tested and was able to select 19" snows on a P85D. I currently run 19" snows on my P85+ with no issues.