Cost(or benefit) of converting from 21" to 19"

[daviddavid]

Hi all:

Brand new to this board as well as a virgin Tesla owner. Just had my 2016 Model S 90D delivered last night. I live in the Chicago area and have been haunted by low profile tires in my past life as a Mercedes owner. With that said, I want to convert to the 19" "normal" profile tires. Wife is also complaining of the noise and hoping the 19's will give some relief so I can get back on her good side after spending a lot of coin. After doing some reading on this, it sounds like the Pirelli P7's are the best option. Now I have to deal with finding new 19" Cyclone (I like the gray/black colors) rims and selling my old 21" tires/rims.

Best way to accomplish this? Any idea of the market value of the 21" set? Also the best place to look for the 19" rims? I am seeing stuff on Ebay, but not sure they are legit or not. Hoping when it is all said and done, I don't have to spend even more than I have already.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Dave

 

[Zishan]

Some people like the 21's, some don't. Personally, I would find someone local (maybe try the regional section) to see if someone wants to swap. If mine came with 19's, I'd probably want the 21's. In fact, I'd even pay a lil to swap too.

 

[Rockster]

We had the 21's for a while on our S. They're way too susceptible to flats and wheel damage for my tastes. Shortly after we got our first S, a pothole that wouldn't phase the 19's caused a flat that was a huge inconvenience on Easter weekend. A couple of episodes of that and we switched to the 19's. Yes, I like the better grip and firmer feel of the 21's but the pragmatist in my couldn't get rid of the 21's fast enough.

 

[ordel]

PM sent

 

[jerry33]

Noise is dependent upon the tread pattern of the tire and the specific pavement. Tires get noisier as they wear down. 19" tires cost much less, are much less prone to pothole damage, and have longer tread life.

 

[daviddavid]

I got several PM's on these 21's. It is clear that the 21" Turbines are worth more than the 19" Cyclones. I have a couple people that want to trade their 19's for my 21's. Assuming rims are all in good shape and the tires are about the same condition, what would be a fair premium to ask for the 21's on a trade?

I have to admit thought that it is going to be really hard getting rid of these 21's.....they look so darn good! Of course until I get that flat tire

 

[S-ALSET]

form over function...

 

[scottm]

19" tires cost much less, are much less prone to pothole damage, and have longer tread life

This.

21" are asking for trouble where I live, potholes

 

[dark cloud]

I got several PM's on these 21's. It is clear that the 21" Turbines are worth more than the 19" Cyclones. I have a couple people that want to trade their 19's for my 21's. Assuming rims are all in good shape and the tires are about the same condition, what would be a fair premium to ask for the 21's on a trade?

I have to admit thought that it is going to be really hard getting rid of these 21's.....they look so darn good! Of course until I get that flat tire

Browse the Tesla parts forum here on TMC and see how much the turbines have sold for vs. the 19's slipstream, cyclones or original 10 spokes to get an idea of current market values. Or you could just buy a used set of 19's with rubber now and keep the turbines for special occasions, or sell them later; I am not sure if you are handy with the rachet/torque wrench.

And I would say most here on TMC would claim the Michelin MXM4's are still the best option for the 19's. But the Goodyears are a little softer, so that may be what you are looking for, they just don't last as long, so nothing wrong with trading for a new set of takeoff slipstreams with the Goodyear touring before testing another tire once they wear out.

 

[linkster]

dd
You are very wise to immediately chuck the damage prone, expensive, heavy, inefficient, costly, alignment sensitive, low performance (20s = real performance), rubber band sidewall, pot hole stranding, Tesla revenue generating, gorgeous, 21 *fail* option. I can attest to all the above with 100% certainty since I have run them for over 6 years and have modified my suspension far more than anyone on the planet to provide a reasonable service life. Few regions of the country have roads well enough maintained where 21s can survive. You have done your homework (A++) well!

Good luck!

 

[DeepBlueDC]

I had the 21" turbines on my old P85+ but got the 19" on my current car. I hit quite a few potholes (its inevitable here in the DC area), bent a couple rims and decided to stick with the 19". The 21s look fantastic, but the looks and slightly increased handling aren't worth the headaches.

 

[docrice]

I just swapped back to my original 19" wheels today (they have Michelin Primacy). I keep two sets of Turbines for the months when I feel like driving around a more beautiful car. As a reference, I purchased both of my 21" sets from local TMC members - $2500 for the gray (square setup) with older Michelin Pilot Sport PS2, virtually unused; $700 for a silver set (staggered) without tires which I ended up paying $600 to get powder coated back to new and another $1300 for Michelin Pilot Super Sports.

The Turbines are great for looking at/taking selfies with/carefully caressing with a moist towel with sensual wash soap/cornering at spirited speeds, but the 19" wheel size really makes the ride comfort more tolerable. The rubber on the 21s last maybe 15k and the road noise becomes steadily rougher after 10k of wear. The Turbines are heavier and increase energy usage a bit, but I ride them purely for cosmetic reasons. I have yet to bend any and only slightly curb-rashed once.

The standard wheels are way more practical and I've gotten about 40k+ miles out of them. For road trips I stick with the smaller diameter, no question.