Aftermarket Wheels on Model 3

[stop7alkin]

Hi all,

Great info in the thread and love the pics. Currently I am having a difficult time choosing new wheels for my new white Model 3 LR RWD.

I am looking for a dark (gunmetal/black)19x8.5 wheel that is NOT convex, priced reasonably, and is lightweight (maybe too many requirements?). A lot of the wheels I like with a 8.5" width are convex or somewhat convex like the Enkei Raijin. Convex wheels just end up looking weird to me. I also feel like there is no need to increase the wheel width or go staggered - most wider widths of the same wheel are more concave.

Current frontrunners:

1. Konig Ampliform - 19x8.5 - 32mm offset. I like the look but I am not sure about the 32mm offset and how that will impact the fitment and stance. My first thought is that less offset will be more aggressive and look good - from what I understand this will push the wheel outward 0.7". Will the offset represent a problem with rubbing or anything?
2. Avant Garde M580 - 19x8.5 - Custom offset? Look really good, and the color can be "customized". They look great in the 20" size on a Model 3 assuming the 19" should look good too.
3. T Sportline TSS - Look good, but something irks me about the fact that there is such a price premium compared to established wheels (Enkei, Konig).
4. Konig Ultraform - 19x8.5 - 35mm offset. Design and color aren't as preferable as the Ampliform but the offset is closer to standard.
5. VMR V710 - 19x8.5 - 35mm offset. Looks good and similar to Raijin and probably also convex.
6. Niche Targa M130 - 19x8.5 - 35mm offset. Looks good as do similar Niche wheels - however, know nothing about the brand or quality.
7. Suggestions?

I have also been trying to understand the best tire size for the wheel to fill out the fender gap, provide some protection for the rim, and avoid rubbing/fit issues. It seems like 245/40/19 is the best option with 255/40/19 being too large? Any thoughts/tips/suggestions would be much appreciated!

 

[gilscales]

So I just did a black powder coat with a pvd chrome over it and a clear powder coat sealer on the stock wheels, I changed out the tires to Continental Extreme Contact DWS06 in a 255/40/19 size, all I can say is what a huge improvement over stock on the rubber, handles like a dream now and rides smoother, losing approx. 10% range but totally worth it, these tires like a little higher pressure and I found 45 psi to be just what they needed, I highly recommend them and they are also reasonably priced as I got them for about $192 at Discount Tire.

I know they are larger than stock but at 27" there is plenty of room and the speedo matches my phone speedo at 80mph perfectly so either it was off before or it uses gps for the speed as well?

 

[dfwatt]

I’ve just read the last 10 pages of this thread, and will take a shot at writing down what I think I have learned (and that I remember, so be gentle). You guys are awesome btw!

Width

• Wheel width vs. tire width decision should be made by looking at the tire manufacturer’s website. They will give you a range of acceptable wheel widths for a specific tire width
• If you get a tire that is a little wider than the wheel, you might get more of a bead to protect from curb rash. Of course, no one here has ever touched a curb with their wheels. Ever. Right?
• “Stretching” tires (within reason) is said to provide a better contact patch (?) and will not anger the gods to a point where your wheels come off and your aunt gets struck by lightning. Just keep wheel width within the range you just found above, and no one gets toasted.
• PRO TIP: tire widths are in millimeters (yes, the correct way to measure things ), so just ask your phone to convert that for you. 225 mm? That is 8.86 inches.
• Now you know the width of your tire thread in American. Compare that to the wheel width. Is it close? Is anyone hearing static?

Offset

• This can be a way to move your wheel edge out to get a more flush look instead of using spacers.
• Just like with spacers, you might be putting more stress on the important bits that keep the wheels attached to the car. But that is likely only an issue for track use.
• A wider wheel can help you get a more flush look while keeping the offset close to original spec. Simple math I guess: a half-inch wider wheel with the same offset means the inside and outside edges of the wheel are a quarter-inch farther out from the center. So that quarter-inch would the equivalent to a bit more than 6mm of spacer. And you have a wider wheel and tire. [EDIT] But don’t do that, you are likely to hit the suspension. You also need offset.
• Offset feels simpler than spacers for the less dedicated amongst us, like me. Unless I am unable to get the flushness I want with just wheel width and offset.
• So some offset combined with a wider wheel might get me what I am looking for. Neither I or my car are at home at the moment (it is getting a tint and chrome delete) so I can’t measure my desired flushness needs.
• I totally forgot what the standard wheel offset is. I guess it should be printed on the inside of the wheels...

19 inch wheel and tires

• Feels a bit like unicorns, less selection it seems.

Try it out!

• Play around with numbers here: Will They Fit - Online Wheel and Tyre Fitment Calculator

Oh, and there are some crazy price differences in the forged wheels out there. Wonder what that is about, and what you lose by paying $2500 instead of $5-6k.
With all of this said, I am personally still undecided. All I know is I want 19 inches! But now I kind of want the sweet tires Tesla worked so hard on (I remember reading about that somewhere that I cannot find right now, and it seemed quite impressive). Oh wait no, I need all-seasons. I guess there is more work to do!

Here's what I think would ultimately make you the happiest. If you have to have all seasons there's only one choice the Michelin Pilot Sport AS3+. It's the best performing all-season Tire by a significant margin, but it's not great in snow. Decent but not great. We have a pair. On the wheel front and on the tire size front I think you've got several choices. You could go with a relatively stock 235 / 40 - 19, or up your game and get a wider wheel, 9.5 in, and put on a 265 / 35 - 19. If you've got the budget and you can afford VS forged, they're the best value, and that wheel and tire combination won't weigh anything more than stock but will give you a lot more traction. However again it will not be great in snow particularly if you go to 265 / 35. It will still be way safer in the winter than the Michelin Pilot 4S tires, pretty close to them in dry weather frankly. Of course you're always better off having dedicated winter and summer Tires if you live in a Northern climate. But if you have to have all seasons, the 3 + is the best all-around compromise.

 

[EVS Motors]

Looks killer on a blacked out Model 3. Optional red center caps are a nice touch with the red calipers.

1 set of carbon graphite left and 3 sets of zara gray remaining

 

[ikester]

CCW SP16A 19” x 9”, 35 offset, brushed tinted matte finish. 245/40ZR-19 Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ All around.

 

[dfwatt]

View attachment 391065 View attachment 391066 View attachment 391068 CCW SP16A 19” x 9”, 35 offset, brushed tinted matte finish. 245/40ZR-19 Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ All around.

Those tires give you a great combination of reasonable traction in the winter and almost as good dry and wet weather traction as the Pilot Sport 4S with extremely sharp responses- way better than virtually any other all season in that regard. Plus the little bit of extra sidewall you have mitigates their somewhat firm ride. They are just an amazing Tire.

 

[e-FTW]

Here's what I think would ultimately make you the happiest. If you have to have all seasons there's only one choice the Michelin Pilot Sport AS3+. It's the best performing all-season Tire by a significant margin, but it's not great in snow. Decent but not great. We have a pair. On the wheel front and on the tire size front I think you've got several choices. You could go with a relatively stock 235 / 40 - 19, or up your game and get a wider wheel, 9.5 in, and put on a 265 / 35 - 19. If you've got the budget and you can afford VS forged, they're the best value, and that wheel and tire combination won't weigh anything more than stock but will give you a lot more traction. However again it will not be great in snow particularly if you go to 265 / 35. It will still be way safer in the winter than the Michelin Pilot 4S tires, pretty close to them in dry weather frankly. Of course you're always better off having dedicated winter and summer Tires if you live in a Northern climate. But if you have to have all seasons, the 3 + is the best all-around compromise.

Yes, thanks. I need all-seasons simply because keeping a set of all-seasons or winters just for a yearly weekend up in the mountains (you drive over two hours in summer conditions before you hit the foot of the mountain passes) is overkill for me. Such are the dynamics of California (which also explain why there are chain requirements up there, but let’s not talk about that here please).

Back to shopping for wheels!

 

[EVS Motors]

Love this photoshoot theme.
1 set of carbon graphite left and 3 sets of zara gray left. PM me before they all sell out.

 

[DNorris89]

Ordered a set of TE37s, 6 months out. Feelsbad

 

[CaptainAwesome]

Love this photoshoot theme.
1 set of carbon graphite left and 3 sets of zara gray left. PM me before they all sell out.

You have weight for these?

 

[EVS Motors]

You have weight for these?

 

[jaboki]

Ordered a set of TE37s, 6 months out. Feelsbad

Specs?

 

[DNorris89]

Specs?

20x8.5 +36 in Matte blue

 

[TSportline]

Deep Blue Metallic Performance Model 3 with 19 inch TSS Flow Forged Wheels in Space Gray

 

[e-FTW]

Love this photoshoot theme.
1 set of carbon graphite left and 3 sets of zara gray left. PM me before they all sell out.

Beauty!
Would those come in 19”?

 

[EVS Motors]

Beauty!
Would those come in 19”?

20" staggered currently.

 

[T3SMA]

20x8.5 +36 in Matte blue

Can't wait to see those bad boys!

18s with fatty tires would've been nice too

 

[Ua84vlad]

Hello everyone from Ukraine! Ssory for my English)))
Tell me: can you buy wheels of different widths just for beauty? Range will be less than on disks of the same width?
(Tesla long range dual motor)
How does the car realize that rear wide tires? I saw that in the menu you can choose only the diameter of the wheels
Thanks

 

[e-FTW]

Hello everyone from Ukraine! Ssory for my English)))
Tell me: can you buy wheels of different widths just for beauty? Range will be less than on disks of the same width?
(Tesla long range dual motor)
How does the car realize that rear wide tires? I saw that in the menu you can choose only the diameter of the wheels
Thanks

Welcome to the forums!
The car does not care if you have wider wheels. It is not a problem, aside from a small reduction in range becasue of extra friction and aerodynamic drag.

 

[Ua84vlad]

Welcome to the forums!
The car does not care if you have wider wheels. It is not a problem, aside from a small reduction in range becasue of extra friction and aerodynamic drag.

Thank you for answer!
One more question:
Does the car have a power distribution to the front axle and to the rear? 35:65 or what is it?