20" OEM Sport Wheels vs. Zero-G Wheels

[Rootbeard7]

Aside from the appearance, are there any benefits choosing the zero-g wheels over the standard 20" sport wheels? If the zero-g wheels are truly "forged" would that mean they are less prone to bending? I've read a lot about 20" performance wheels having issues with potholes, and whether or not you think the issue is overblown, I'm curious if the zero-g wheels would fare better.

I know there are aftermarket wheels out there, and of course there are 18" and 19" wheels, but I'd like to keep the discussion centered on the thread title.

I'm looking to make a decision soon and I'm curious about the difference in strength, noise, and efficiency between the two. Thanks in advance for any information you can provide!

 

[Olavxxx]

You have several questions here, but:

Strength
Its impossible for us to know if/how the Zero-G handles potholes better than OEM 20", I havent damanged the OEM 20" either with potholes... I dont think the OEM 20" are weak, its just that you dont have a lot of tire to deflect forces on a very narrow contact path.

Performance
You wont gain any performance going from a heavy wheel to a heavy wheel, to gain performance, braking and range you need to reduce unsprung weight and preferrably rotational mass. So if you want a noticable improvement I think you need to ditch about 4+ Kgs (9+ lbs).
Then also stay with 4S tires and 235 width, dont go staggered.

Noise
If you want less noise, go for 19", so then I recommend 19x8.5, ET30 wheels with 235/40-19.
Positive thing about this is that if you go down to 19", its also much cheaper to lower the weight of the rotational mass.
You can get quite affordable 9 Kg rims in 19" where as they would be quite expensive in 20" with same weight. In comparison the 3P 20" wheels weigh 13,1 Kgs per rim!

 

[Rootbeard7]

If the Zero-G wheels are forged, will that help in preventing tire damage? Since forged wheels are generally stronger, does that have any positive effect on the tires too?

 

[coleAK]

If the Zero-G wheels are forged, will that help in preventing tire damage? Since forged wheels are generally stronger, does that have any positive effect on the tires too?

No, just as likely to pinch flat.

 

[Olavxxx]

I dont have a habit about puncturing car wheels, but on downhill and endur bikes I have broken many wheels - also high end ones.
So there is this factor that when you get a pinch flat, then your wheel often gets a damage as you hit a hard object with a narrow contact area.

The only way to not get a puncture is to not get a flat. And for that to happend you either must have enough volume to "eat" the forces, or you have to up the tire piressure like crazy. But you cant up tire pressure like crazy,neither on a road car or on a bicycle (unless a racing bicycle!), as the hard tire will not grip good..

So if you dont want flat tires, then I would go down to 19".
Going down to 19" will also reduce your noise and you can do it while also reducing unsprung rotational mass.

Reducing the unsprung rotational mass gives you better range, better braking, better accelleration and even better feel of suspension, as it will be easier for the suspension to do its job when it doesent have to work with that much rotational mass. So all in all everything is good there.

Of course if you have unlimited cash, you can get very light 20" wheels, but you will still have same noise level and same potential for punctures. Should be said that even with 19" or 18" you should never try to hit a pothole, hitting a pothhole with such forces is not good for the car either, so try to veer away from potholes if you see them.

I did once for many years ago break a rim in a pothole, but it was because of heavy rain, it was dark and there was road work there, so I was "forced" to drive into a different lane and there were huge potholes there, so it was impossible to see it. The rim was cake, that was back in the days when 17" was a large rim (2000s), but still I had 45 profile tire (225), so height was "ok" of the sidewall.

But I think any wheel would have been damaged in such a hit that I had back then.
Have never had a flat since though or a damaged rim, have driven a lot on low profiles.

I will now go to 19" though, but its more for performance since I use the car for drag strips and street legal racing.

 

[Olavxxx]

PS: I am waiting for the wheels as a refferal price, but I will sell them without using them (in Norway, so this is not an ad of any sorts!).
The reason even though they look nice, is they are too heavy... But I think they will sell for a good price.

 

[Rootbeard7]

It makes sense from a physics perspective why a larger wheel would lead to worse braking and worse acceleration, but that goes against reports like this that state the opposite:
Stopping Distance and Grip With 18- and 19-inch Tires - 2017 Tesla Model 3 Long-Term Road Test

Also why would Tesla advertise the 20” wheels as performance if they were worse in every way but looks? I understand it could just be marketing, but based on the above article it sounds like braking and acceleration may not actually be worse with larger wheel size. Maybe the tire choices are making the difference here.

I’ve heard the Pilot Sport 4S tires on the 20” wheels perform better than the Michelin and Continental tires on the 18” and 19” wheels. You could of course get Pilot Sport 4S tires for smaller wheels, but comparing the OEM configurations, it seems you may still get better results even with the larger 20” wheel size.

It’d be nice to see more tests on Model 3 wheels to get more concrete data on this stuff. If anyone knows of any, feel free to share.

 

[holmgang]

Also why would Tesla advertise the 20” wheels as performance if they were worse in every way but looks? I understand it could just be marketing, but based on the above article it sounds like braking and acceleration may not actually be worse with larger wheel size. Maybe the tire choices are making the difference here.

Absolutely the 18s (Primacy) have the worst compounding of the 3 for performance objectives. The 20s (PS4s) have the best.

Thinner sidewalls on the 20s give better steering response, but no doubt a huge part of the size spec is due to aesthetics.

Personally, I'll switch to 19" wheels (OZ? BBS?) when the tires on OEM 20" wheels wear out. I think it's the best compromise for comfort/looks/performance....nevermind the OEM tires (hakka r3) in 20" size are nearly €500 each !!

 

[holmgang]

Aside from the appearance, are there any benefits choosing the zero-g wheels over the standard 20" sport wheels? If the zero-g wheels are truly "forged" would that mean they are less prone to bending? I've read a lot about 20" performance wheels having issues with potholes, and whether or not you think the issue is overblown, I'm curious if the zero-g wheels would fare better.

...if the 2 wheels were made in millimetrically-identical dimension, then the forged ones would be stronger as alloys are stronger when forged vs casted. but they are different designs so... an engineering simulation might tell.

anecdotally and practically, the cast OEM wheels have fared fine for me in the real world.

 

[Tanis]

This is a good value forged wheel for Tesla's, the 20" weights 9.75 kg. Saving of 3.3kg per wheel. And stronger than the cast wheels.

Tesla Model 3 20

I bought them in 18, for all the above mentioned reasons. They are 8.1kg which is extremely light.

 

[Olavxxx]

It makes sense from a physics perspective why a larger wheel would lead to worse braking and worse acceleration, but that goes against reports like this that state the opposite:
Stopping Distance and Grip With 18- and 19-inch Tires - 2017 Tesla Model 3 Long-Term Road Test

Also why would Tesla advertise the 20” wheels as performance if they were worse in every way but looks? I understand it could just be marketing, but based on the above article it sounds like braking and acceleration may not actually be worse with larger wheel size. Maybe the tire choices are making the difference here.

I’ve heard the Pilot Sport 4S tires on the 20” wheels perform better than the Michelin and Continental tires on the 18” and 19” wheels. You could of course get Pilot Sport 4S tires for smaller wheels, but comparing the OEM configurations, it seems you may still get better results even with the larger 20” wheel size.

It’d be nice to see more tests on Model 3 wheels to get more concrete data on this stuff. If anyone knows of any, feel free to share.

Yes, I am not using the OEM wheels.
I am using aftermarket 19" wheels with 4S tires.

So this means I save about 4 Kg per corner of rotational mass, then i also get more comfort.
With my KW V3 the car handles like a train also on 19", but the 19" gives then less road noise and it gives back some comfort for uneven roads. Still it grips like h* there is no reduced stopping power or accelleration power, as the size of the wheel is the same if you up the profile. SO you do 235/40-19 or 235/45-18 or 235/35-20. But to compare as stated you need the same tire

 

[IraB]

From what I have read, the Zero-G wheels are not truly forged and weigh about the same as the stock 20" wheel. A true forged wheel will be both lighter and stronger than the "flow forged" or other "semi-forged" wheels. While quite expensive, the T-Sportline 20" forged wheel is less than 20 lbs compared to the 28 or 29 lbs stock wheels.