20" to 18" Wheels

[P3dStealth]

I got 290 on my way home today on 18in aeros. I drove about 60miles 75-80mph mostly from NYC so in the beginning there was stop and go getting out of Manhattan.

You can prob get 250 in a single motor car going slower in hotter weather. It's not warm in NY yet.

 

[iamnid]

I got 290 on my way home today on 18in aeros. I drove about 60miles 75-80mph mostly from NYC so in the beginning there was stop and go getting out of Manhattan.

You can prob get 250 in a single motor car going slower in hotter weather. It's not warm in NY yet.

You can definitely get 250 in a single motor car. In fact, I regularly get lower than 250 in the SR+ and includes driving freeway at 70+ mph. It isn't uncommon to see it dip below 200 in the SR+ on slow, around town, trips. Makes me wish they still had the LR RWD model.

 

[RandomX]

Educate me, please. Skinnier tires are better in snow, you say. That struck me as unexpected. Why is that true? I would have assumed more surface area would give more traction. Is it that a smaller contact area is more likely to "cut through" the snow and find pavement? Interesting.

It is the "cut through" the snow effect which makes skinny tires better in the snow (in most cases). There is more of the vehicles weight per square inch on the contact patch.

 

[jbcarioca]

Same issue as you, went from 20'' wheels down to T sportline 18'' TST, used OEM MXM4 primacy tires, on normal freeway commute, I'm around 240 wh/mi (as opposed to over 300 prior).

I did exactly the same thing, with similar results. The surprise to me was that the ride did not appreciably change nor did the handling. Of course, my car lives in South Florida where the highest point in the entire State is 345 ft so what would I know about cornering?

 

[CharleyBC]

It is the "cut through" the snow effect which makes skinny tires better in the snow (in most cases). There is more of the vehicles weight per square inch on the contact patch.

Given your advice, I just ordered these for next winter:

 

[RandomX]

Given your advice, I just ordered these for next winter:

That looks like a very light wheel your 0-60 times are gonna RIP!!!

 

[jesusbowls]

I have a 2019 Model 3 Performance. I love the car, but I am thinking about switching my wheels and tires to 18" to get better range and maybe a better ride. And after reading some posts re: wheel/tire damage from potholes - I want to go ahead with the switch. I am looking at T Sportline TSS 18" wheels and Martian MW03 8.5" wheels. The T Sportline wheels are "flow forged" and less expensive than the the Martian "fully forged" wheels. I am not sure that spending more really gets me a superior wheel. Does anyone have advice on this wheel/tire switch?
Thanks,
Jim

2020 Model 3 Performance here. I have the stock 20" wheels with the stock tires, and I have a set of 18x7.5" Martian MW03 wheels with Nokian winter tires. I just swapped back to the summer tires yesterday. I didn't weigh the two setups, but the 18" setup was significantly lighter to haul around my driveway while I was doing the swap. The acceleration of the car feels slower with the 20" wheels back on. Tough to compare handling because it's winter tire vs. summer tire.

If I owned this car (rather than leasing), I would get the MW03 18x9.5" wheels for summer driving and sell the stock wheels. The greater pothole resistance and lighter weight make it a no-brainer for me.

 

[Woundman]

2020 Model 3 Performance here. I have the stock 20" wheels with the stock tires, and I have a set of 18x7.5" Martian MW03 wheels with Nokian winter tires. I just swapped back to the summer tires yesterday. I didn't weigh the two setups, but the 18" setup was significantly lighter to haul around my driveway while I was doing the swap. The acceleration of the car feels slower with the 20" wheels back on. Tough to compare handling because it's winter tire vs. summer tire.

If I owned this car (rather than leasing), I would get the MW03 18x9.5" wheels for summer driving and sell the stock wheels. The greater pothole resistance and lighter weight make it a no-brainer for me.

Those MW03 wheels are fantastic. It's a shame more people don't talk about them. Extremely light and look amazing. You probably went from doing a 3.3s with the 20" to 3.0s with the MW03 wheels.

 

[srk67]

2020 Model 3 Performance here. I have the stock 20" wheels with the stock tires, and I have a set of 18x7.5" Martian MW03 wheels with Nokian winter tires. I just swapped back to the summer tires yesterday. I didn't weigh the two setups, but the 18" setup was significantly lighter to haul around my driveway while I was doing the swap. The acceleration of the car feels slower with the 20" wheels back on. Tough to compare handling because it's winter tire vs. summer tire.

If I owned this car (rather than leasing), I would get the MW03 18x9.5" wheels for summer driving and sell the stock wheels. The greater pothole resistance and lighter weight make it a no-brainer for me.

Do you have any pics with the martians. Want to see if the 18s look right on an M3P or if I should go with 19s

 

[twistedskipper]

Also keep in mind your tire is the final “gear” In your drive system. The bigger the tire the more torque it takes to start and roll it. I guess that could have an affect on range, performance and maybe a little more stress on the motor. I like the looks of bigger tires and wheels but I’m sticking with the 18”.

But the 18” OEM tires are about the same diameter as the 20” OEM tires (lower profile), so no impact on effective “ratio”.

 

[SWFlaM3]

Tewistedskipper: you are absolutely correct if the 18 and 20 are the same overall diameter. The “gear” is the same. I wasn’t aware that the overall dia of both were the same.

 

[EmOne]

It is the "cut through" the snow effect which makes skinny tires better in the snow (in most cases). There is more of the vehicles weight per square inch on the contact patch.

Please refrain from confusing people when you are confused! The only thing that determines the "size of the contact patch" is the weight born by that tire, the air pressure in the tire and the amount of open area in the tread pattern when the tire is fully compressed. Wide tires do not necessarily have a bigger contact patch, just wider and shorter. Now the exact configuration of that patch and such will have a lot to do with the tire size and design. In general, a tire intended to deal with water or snow will do better with a narrower profile and open tread pattern, but there is a lot more to it than that!

 

[Gasaraki]

Educate me, please. Skinnier tires are better in snow, you say. That struck me as unexpected. Why is that true? I would have assumed more surface area would give more traction. Is it that a smaller contact area is more likely to "cut through" the snow and find pavement? Interesting.

You don't want to be riding on top of snow. Skinner tires are better in the snow because they can dig in to the snow instead of riding on top with the wide tires.

 

[jesusbowls]

Do you have any pics with the martians. Want to see if the 18s look right on an M3P or if I should go with 19s

This is the only photo I have, sorry it doesn't show much.

Imgur

 

[srk67]

This is the only photo I have, sorry it doesn't show much.

Imgur

Thanks for that. Let me know if you end up taking more pics

 

[MX108]

I have a 2019 Model 3 Performance. I love the car, but I am thinking about switching my wheels and tires to 18" to get better range and maybe a better ride. And after reading some posts re: wheel/tire damage from potholes - I want to go ahead with the switch. I am looking at T Sportline TSS 18" wheels and Martian MW03 8.5" wheels. The T Sportline wheels are "flow forged" and less expensive than the the Martian "fully forged" wheels. I am not sure that spending more really gets me a superior wheel. Does anyone have advice on this wheel/tire switch?
Thanks,
Jim

Thank you, I'm considering a similar change to my M3P, probably the Martians. Looking at the data recorded by TeslaFi's temperature efficiency (for drives over one mile) and dropping it into an excel sheet, my average for the the last 5300 miles is 258 Wh/Mile with the 20" wheels. It doesn't seem like I drive it easy!

I like the idea of a little more sidewall but the 18's just seem too small. Personal preference I guess so maybe the 19's which probably won't be that big of a difference.

Thanks for the OP.

-Brandt

 

[MagnusMako]

This poor couple. Tesla really needs to bring back the P3D-.

 

[aspec818]

just to chime in on my specific particular experience in more detail for anyone who may find this useful;

went from (over 300wh/mi)
• 20'' OEM wheels / Tires (Pilot Sport 4S)

to (249 wh/mi)
• tsportline 18'' wheels / OEM 18'' tires (Primacy MXM4)

this was as similar as can be normal freeway commute (90% of the driving was on the freeway, similar times, similar traffic situations, and not excessively running the heater or at major speeds above the rest of moving traffic), california / bay area winter and summers

it's a single data point for standard normal behavior, I'd also say likely in AP for over 50% of the time if that makes a difference

overall - it was the combo of the 18'' wheel and the OEM primacy tire that got me the 249 over the life of the car with the 18'' wheel set up, pic attached, no change in driving behavior (IE - extreme lead footing)

YMMV (also correction to my 240wh/mi above, 249wh/mi is what I'm averaging over 20K+ miles)

You went from high performance summer tires to some economy tires. That probably had a sizeable effect on wh/mi. An apple to apple comparison would be a bit more accurate.

 

[Samharding]

just to chime in on my specific particular experience in more detail for anyone who may find this useful;

went from (over 300wh/mi)
• 20'' OEM wheels / Tires (Pilot Sport 4S)

to (249 wh/mi)
• tsportline 18'' wheels / OEM 18'' tires (Primacy MXM4)

this was as similar as can be normal freeway commute (90% of the driving was on the freeway, similar times, similar traffic situations, and not excessively running the heater or at major speeds above the rest of moving traffic), california / bay area winter and summers

it's a single data point for standard normal behavior, I'd also say likely in AP for over 50% of the time if that makes a difference

overall - it was the combo of the 18'' wheel and the OEM primacy tire that got me the 249 over the life of the car with the 18'' wheel set up, pic attached, no change in driving behavior (IE - extreme lead footing)

YMMV (also correction to my 240wh/mi above, 249wh/mi is what I'm averaging over 20K+ miles)

I went from 20” OEM wheels / Tires (Pilot Sport 4S) to Martian 18 “ wheels 7.5 with 225 45R/18 (Primacy MXM4) and got increased range and a more comfortable ride. Just depends on what you want. Comfort and increased range or less range and a better performance tire.

 

[EmOne]

It is the "cut through" the snow effect which makes skinny tires better in the snow (in most cases). There is more of the vehicles weight per square inch on the contact patch.

No, more nuanced than that! If you have the same tire pressure the "contact patch" on first estimate is the same for any tire shape, but has a different shape. "Skinnier" tire will have greater length, less width in contact; such a configuration does work better in snow, but not sure precisely why...