I don't believe there will be a performance difference between the 18" and 19" wheels
Feel free to disbelieve reality.
and I don't like the fact that they are making us pay an additional 1500 for a nicer wheel.
They're giving you the
option to pay for a
worse wheel. And the aero wheels are standard because they improve the EPA range, which is based on standard equipment.
The lowest energy consumption (and thus longest range, fastest charging, smallest required battery pack size and thus lowest purchase price and mass) is for as small of wheels as possible, fully shrouded. Since most people like you hate the look of wheel skirts, the next best is fully flat caps on as small of wheels as possible so as little air is dragged in as possible. Since people like you hate that look too, the next best is what Tesla is doing - 18" standard with a mostly flat aero cap. Of course, you complain about that too, no shock. So they give you an option to ruin your aero and look more baller with larger turbine wheels. And you complain about having to pay for it, of course.
Large rims are about aesthetics. Of the "performance" characteristics, the only thing it helps is cornering feel on dry ground. They hurt cornering on wet ground, icy ground, loose ground, hurt acceleration in all conditions, braking in all conditions, ride comfort, road noise and essentially everything else. Look at F1 cars. They use
13" wheels. There's a reason for this. Giant rims get put on sports cars because people like you pay more when they see them, not because they're a good thing.
Sidewalls are a good thing.
Having airspace between the tread and the rim is a good thing.
Same thing with spending $1000 for a color. I feel they are nicke and diming us.
Paying for colour is indeed nickel and diming, but unfortunately it's a pretty standard type of nickel and diming in this vehicle class. It's more common for manufacturers to have two base colours (basic black or basic white), but Tesla has fewer colour options period.
