Aero wheels

[AnOutsider]

This makes the most aerodynamic sense.

Two questions:

(1) How attractive can flat plate wheels really be?
(2) Why pay more money for less attractive wheels that only net you a 7% bump in range?

To me it seems like the only people paying up for the wheels would be people who make 301 mile trips on a routine basis.

These don't look bad:

View attachment 3132

View attachment 3132

As for who would buy 'em... *shrug*. I could see someone who has a fairly tight commute (say 110-125 miles one way) who just wants a slight buffer just in case.

 

[malcolm]

I'm not sure what problem the turbine wheel would be trying to solve. Uniform air flow looks very difficult to achieve partly because the flow is partially blocked by the internal structure of the vehicle and partly because the turbine "blades" have to be non-blade-like in order to support the weight of the vehicle and transmit various transient forces.

The only wheel type that might work would be hubless - which rather the defeats the aesthetics - but again, what's the benefit? Is there an advantage gained from creating a cross-flow of air in to or out from the underside of the vehicle?

Air siren effect for high speeds?

http://www.osmoswheel.com/pages/galerie_photo.asp

 

[Mycroft]

Too many spokes to clean on that Audi wheel... Brake dust makes wheels look horrible.

Yeah, tell me about it! Here's my SLK wheel with 6 cyl AMG brakes on the front.

Talk about fun to clean!

The turbine wheels look a little easier to clean but flat wheels would be a piece of cake. We'll need to see the design and see if they would get enough cooling to the brakes on the sport version. I'm not sure how much that matters if the car isn't put on the race track.

 

[neroden]

The flat plate wheels are actually pretty cool (in my humble opinion). I'd probably go for that...

...except they'll probably be accompanied by low-traction tires. Grrr.

 

[Mycroft]

I agree. I'll be going for whatever provides the best performance.

 

[roblab]

I guess any decrease in drag might be worth considering, but you know that you gain 20 miles per charge *simply by slowing down 5 mph !!*. I can't understand why all you long distance drivers haven't figured out that you get more miles by going slower. And the semis are usually doing 10 to 20 miles per hour slower. If you get there without having to stop for a charge, I figure you've saved more time.
But some would rather pay more $ than slow down 5 mph.

 

[richkae]

The flat wheels should be a very low cost option.
So you can get 20 miles range for near zero dollars. Or you can spend $10,000 for 70 miles - $142 per extra mile of range.
I am very tempted to get them.

 

[WhiteKnight]

So you can get 20 miles range for near zero dollars. Or you can spend $10,000 for 70 miles - $142 per extra mile of range.

Yeah, that does make sense when you explain it that way.

Here's hoping they look good!

I know that Elon said "and they're good looking" when describing the wheels so I know that was a consideration on their part.

 

[AnOutsider]

Near zero dollars? I'd imagine the upgrade would be a couple grand

 

[richkae]

You have to buy 4 alloy wheels unique to the Model S of some kind. I would think that the simpler shaped aerodynamic wheels would be cheaper if anything because they would require less machining.
Any additional charge for them is pure profit.

 

[AnOutsider]

Of course it's profit. Take a gander at any configurator online. Add some wheels... Typically 800-1000 base. I can see tesla going a bit higher at say 1200 base (let's say that's for the turbines). Tack on another 5-800 for the "special" wheels. All guesswork of course, but I don't think it will be an insignificant amount.

 

[PopSmith]

These don't look bad:

I actually like those quite a bit although I'd be pretty worried about them getting cracked by a really bad pothole or if a curb was hit hard enough (at least at that size). One thing I'd be worried about with that wheel cover is if the brakes could be properly cooled.

 

[GSP]

...But some would rather pay more $ than slow down 5 mph.

You bet! Speed costs money. How fast do you want to go?

In addition to faster trips at zero extra energy cost, I like the idea of having a "320 mile EV." Better for bragging rights than high top speeds (160-200+ mph), and much more useful. A 300 mile EV is already superb. 320 is really over the top.

I wish Tesla would offer an aero kit option to bump range up even more. 350 miles might be possible. I think they would get several takers for that, even if everyone doesn't prefer the aero "look."

GSP

 

[WhiteKnight]

I wish Tesla would offer an aero kit option to bump range up even more. 350 miles might be possible. I think they would get several takers for that, even if everyone doesn't prefer the aero "look."

If they got rid of the side mirrors and replaced them with cameras and monitors that could probably do as much as the aerodynamic wheels.

 

[Todd Burch]

If they got rid of the side mirrors and replaced them with cameras and monitors that could probably do as much as the aerodynamic wheels.

I always wondered why there was so much emphasis on retractable door handles "to improve aerodynamics" when replacing the side mirrors with cameras would have done so much more. I guess they didn't do that either for regulatory purposes, aesthetic purposes (look at that funny car without side view mirrors!), or because displaying constant video images of left and right sides would just take up too much space on the displays.

 

[jason.auch]

It might be kinda cool if they were just something you could put on over the existing wheels. You could just snap them on for long runs.

Maybe like the Mooneyes they use on on salt flat vehicles.

Mooneyes Online Store - Specialty Equipment Manufacturer, Speed and Custom Parts for Motorcycles and Automobiles

I can't imagine these are good for brake heat dissaptation, (I have always wondered if that was ever a real consideration in wheel design anyway). Perhaps if they added body vents (even underbody) that grabbed a little air and directed on the back side of the disc brakes to help cool them.

 

[richkae]

If they got rid of the side mirrors and replaced them with cameras and monitors that could probably do as much as the aerodynamic wheels.

The government won't let them.

 

[neroden]

If they got rid of the side mirrors and replaced them with cameras and monitors that could probably do as much as the aerodynamic wheels.

There's laws about that. Side mirrors are mandatory and Tesla's not going to mess around with trying to change the law.

I suspect the requirement will be around for a long time; safety features tend to be cumulative, and earlier ones only go away *decades* after a better replacement is *standard*. Nobody is going to get fired for having redundant safety features, but people can and do get fired for not having redundant safety features.

 

[neroden]

I guess any decrease in drag might be worth considering, but you know that you gain 20 miles per charge *simply by slowing down 5 mph !!*.

To drift off topic ....

I prefer to make my long distance trips on country roads, and out here the country road speed limit is 55. With various zones slower than that, of course.

I'm actually rather curious what sort of range I'm going to get. Probably really good.

 

[vfx]

Also OT

At the LA NatPlugin Day EVent ACP had a Luxgen http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luxgen7_MPV protoype EV. It hat little cameras mounted just below the outside mirrors.

http://www.luxgen-motor.com/cars/EV/