Aero wheels or wheel covers

[iridium]

The discussion around the cost of upgrading to the 90kwh battery got me wondering, is that the most cost effective way to increase your range by a few %? I recall aero wheels offered a couple % increase, is that true? Could the same be accomplished with aero wheel covers?

 

[araxara]

I went from 21” Tesla Turbine Wheels with summer tires to Tesla Aero Wheels and Michelin Primacy tires. My Wh/mi was about 292 at 17k mi with the 21” wheels. Now, at about 57k mi with the Aero Wheels, I’m at 289 Wh/mi. That’s about a 1% improvement. I was suppose to get 4% improvement from the Aero Wheels and a further 4% improvement from the Primacy tires. As a matter of fact, my initial few thousand miles on the new “Aero” setup still yielded 292 wh/mi. Of course, there have been several software updates along the way and who knows if the kWh usage displayed has remained consistent.

Maybe Aero wheel improvement is only in high speed highway driving. Most of my miles are driven to the White Mountains at about 55mph average speed, although I do drive between Tucson/Phoenix (75-80mph) and have made several trips to CA and Las Vegas.

Oh, and if I had a choice between a 90D or the P85 that I have now, I would pick the 90D with turbine wheels for the added range. It seems the Tesla Turbine wheels are about as aero efficient as their previous Aero wheels.

 

[sorka]

14 15 Tesla Model s 19x8 Aero Reconditioned Factory Rim 1008796 00 B 8670 | eBay

These are factory Tesla Aero wheels that used to be offered as an option.

 

[scaesare]

Pizza Pans are cheap at Costco... especially in the multi-pack.