Do you have bent 20" wheels on your Model 3?

[T3SLA3]

I am about to order a Model 3 Performance with performance upgrade.
The 20" rims come with summer Pilot Sport 4s tires so I need to buy a winter wheel set anyway.

I am considering the TSportline 18" TST (silver) with Cooper RS3-G1 245/45R18s.
The diameter should be the same as the 20" + PS4s, but it should be a lot more robust for winter and the daily commute.

With the talk of bent rims, and the tire wear cost, I think I will only refit the 20" + PS4s when I want to show it off at events or track it.

 

[dfwatt]

I am about to order a Model 3 Performance with performance upgrade.
The 20" rims come with summer Pilot Sport 4s tires so I need to buy a winter wheel set anyway.

I am considering the TSportline 18" TST (silver) with Cooper RS3-G1 245/45R18s.
The diameter should be the same as the 20" + PS4s, but it should be a lot more robust for winter and the daily commute.

With the talk of bent rims, and the tire wear cost, I think I will only refit the 20" + PS4s when I want to show it off at events or track it.

You might be potentially misled by all the negative talk. One of the problems with this poll at the beginning of the thread is that there was no option to click zero wheels bent! We have two cars with over 10,000 miles and we drive half the time in New England and around Boston where the roads are horrible. We have zero bent rims. That doesn't mean it'll never happen in fact I'm pretty sure it will at some point, but this thread makes it sound as though you drive out your driveway and hit a modest pothole and your Rim is destroyed. It actually takes a pretty good Wallop to deform the stock rims. If you're reasonably careful and you avoid potholes, our experience shows that your vulnerability while not trivial is still manageable.

It's not as though this issue hasn't been seen on other cars - anybody running 35 series or 30 series tires knows this issue all too well. Unfortunately there are a lot of folks buying performance model 3s who seem to have no experience with radical low profile tires and who don't take a whole lot of caution about potholes. That's a bad combination especially if you live in a Northern climate.

As for tracking the car I wouldn't do it with the PS4s. Get a track tire. See any number of threads about this.

 

[TORQU3]

It's not as though this issue hasn't been seen on other cars - anybody running 35 series or 30 series tires knows this issue all too well. Unfortunately there are a lot of folks buying performance model 3s who seem to have no experience with radical low profile tires and who don't take a whole lot of caution about potholes. That's a bad combination especially if you live in a Northern climate.

See this is where you are wrong. I've had high performance cars for 15+ years. I've had cars with 30 and 35 series tires. I've never had a bent wheel before this one. I'm extremely aware of road conditions and actively avoid potholes and rough areas. I absolutely did not hit any sort of pot hole. The only thing remotely rougher than smooth pavement was pavement repairs or filled asphalt cuts across the road. I believe there was a metallurgy defect in some batches of wheels. There is no way two of my wheels should have bent within days of getting the car, driving on perfectly normal roads. I now have thousands of miles on my forged 19" replacement wheels on the exact same roads and not one issue.

 

[dfwatt]

See this is where you are wrong. I've had high performance cars for 15+ years. I've had cars with 30 and 35 series tires. I've never had a bent wheel before this one. I'm extremely aware of road conditions and actively avoid potholes and rough areas. I absolutely did not hit any sort of pot hole. The only thing remotely rougher than smooth pavement was pavement repairs or filled asphalt cuts across the road. I believe there was a metallurgy defect in some batches of wheels. There is no way two of my wheels should have bent within days of getting the car, driving on perfectly normal roads. I now have thousands of miles on my forged 19" replacement wheels on the exact same roads and not one issue.

That's quite an assertion. I'd take it to Tesla and have them examine it. It's possible of course that there is a manufacturing defect in some wheels. We also have had literally a half-dozen cars with 40 series or more radical tires. Every single one of them eventually gets a bent wheel, but sometimes that takes years if you're reasonably careful. Especially in New England where the roads are legendary bad. I agree that it is highly suspicious if you were the only person driving the car and you recall no impacts to have bent Wheels. Is it possible the wheels were bent before they delivered the car to you?

 

[TORQU3]

That's quite an assertion. I'd take it to Tesla and have them examine it. It's possible of course that there is a manufacturing defect in some wheels. We also have had literally a half-dozen cars with 40 series or more radical tires. Every single one of them eventually gets a bent wheel, but sometimes that takes years if you're reasonably careful. Especially in New England where the roads are legendary bad. I agree that it is highly suspicious if you were the only person driving the car and you recall no impacts to have bent Wheels. Is it possible the wheels were bent before they delivered the car to you?

I did and Tesla replaced two of the wheels without question. I bought the car with 8 miles, zero vibrations. At one point after going over a few patches in the pavement that were not large or abrupt, literally something you wouldn't give a second though to, the car had a minor vibration. Most people wouldn't even be bothered by it. That's when I jacked it up at home and looked at the wheels to find one large flat spot and a few minor ones on both passenger side wheels.

Once the wheels were replaced I didn't drive another mile on them and sold the now perfect set. I've had forged wheels ever since without any issue. I keep this car in the garage for the winter.

Also, this isn't my first rodeo with low profile tires and a high performance car. I've worked on, modified, and been wrenching on cars my entire life. I know it's not uncommon on this forum for a Tesla to literally be someones first time with an enthusiast type vehicle. That is not me. Hell I have an almost $9000 dynamic Hofmann Geodyna wheel balancer in my garage...

 

[dfwatt]

Also, this isn't my first rodeo with low profile tires and a high performance car. I've worked on, modified, and been wrenching on cars my entire life. I know it's not uncommon on this forum for a Tesla to literally be someones first time with an enthusiast type vehicle. That is not me. Hell I have an almost $9000 dynamic Hofmann Geodyna wheel balancer in my garage...

Nice!

 

[BYE FOSL]

I just replaced two bent 20 inch rims.

 

[Zcd1]

Forums responses do not reflect reality when it comes to this type of poll.

 

[Venomized]

How much did Tesla charge? I have two bent performance wheels as well.

 

[ZoomsansVroom]

20" rims are a testament to the stupidity of vanity. I haven't bent/cracked mine yet, but I know they will, and when they do, I will go buy 18" aftermarket ones.

Its an oddly stupid thing for Tesla to do, given how well thought out the rest of the car seems to be.

 

[WilliamG]

20" rims are a testament to the stupidity of vanity. I haven't bent/cracked mine yet, but I know they will, and when they do, I will go buy 18" aftermarket ones.

Its an oddly stupid thing for Tesla to do, given how well thought out the rest of the car seems to be.

I happen to really like them (thus far).

 

[67King]

20" rims are a testament to the stupidity of vanity. I haven't bent/cracked mine yet, but I know they will, and when they do, I will go buy 18" aftermarket ones.

Its an oddly stupid thing for Tesla to do, given how well thought out the rest of the car seems to be.

And Porsche, and BMW, and Ferrari, and Audi, and Chevrolet (Vette and Camaro) and Ford (Shelby). Hey, I was at Ford when the 2000 Cobra R came out.......without any kind of warranty. You gotta pay to play. Most folks get that.

It is a PERFORMANCE version. It comes with PERFORMANCE tires.

The more I read this, the more brilliant I think Musk is. Obviously a LOT of Performance owners do not realize that they spent a premium for a Performance vehicle.

 

[TORQU3]

There's nothing wrong with 20" wheels, they just should have been forged like many (not all) other high performance cars with very low profile tires.

 

[ZoomsansVroom]

20" wheels weigh more than 18" wheels, ergo they're slower. If you go racing, you always want the lightest wheel/tire you can get, which means the smallest wheel which will fit over the brakes.

There's no good argument for heavier wheels. If you think 20" wheels are pretty, that's fine. Perfectly reasonable position to take - but its choosing aesthetics over performance.

 

[TORQU3]

20" wheels weigh more than 18" wheels, ergo they're slower. If you go racing, you always want the lightest wheel/tire you can get, which means the smallest wheel which will fit over the brakes.

There's no good argument for heavier wheels. If you think 20" wheels are pretty, that's fine. Perfectly reasonable position to take - but its choosing aesthetics over performance.

I went with 19" forged wheels to get what I feel is the best balance of performance and durability for this particular car. 5lb's lighter per corner and zero issues with around 3k miles on the same roads I was driving before when my OEM's 20" wheels bent. I've hit plenty of rough pavement in those miles as well, zero issues to report. They look great too, I love my CCW wheels!

 

[wenkan]

20" wheels weigh more than 18" wheels, ergo they're slower. If you go racing, you always want the lightest wheel/tire you can get, which means the smallest wheel which will fit over the brakes.

There's no good argument for heavier wheels. If you think 20" wheels are pretty, that's fine. Perfectly reasonable position to take - but its choosing aesthetics over performance.

Aluminum is stronger compared to rubber which means less mass to support the same weight. So it's wiser to leave most of the support structure to wheels instead of tires, considering you cannot reduce the total size.

 

[ZoomsansVroom]

Aluminum is stronger compared to rubber which means less mass to support the same weight. So it's wiser to leave most of the support structure to wheels instead of tires, considering you cannot reduce the total size.

That's not how things work, with current technology, if I follow you. The OD is the same, whether 18" or 20" wheel, but the 20" wheel set up will weigh more than the 18".

 

[lbowroom]

Perhaps in some cases, but 20" tire should weigh less than an 18" equivalent tire, no? How far that mass radius is from the center matters too! This applies to rotational inertia. Static mass affects spring rate and damping.

 

[67King]

Perhaps in some cases, but 20" tire should weigh less than an 18" equivalent tire, no? How far that mass radius is from the center matters too! This applies to rotational inertia. Static mass affects spring rate and damping.

But the wheel weighs more. Usually a LOT more. Keep in mind that as you gain 2" in diameter, you gain 6.3" in circumference. And the length of the spokes. So you are replacing a little bit of rubber (sidewall) with a lot of bit of aluminum. So the wheel/tire combo will be heavier. And the center of inertia will also be further out.

 

[67King]

20" wheels weigh more than 18" wheels, ergo they're slower. If you go racing, you always want the lightest wheel/tire you can get, which means the smallest wheel which will fit over the brakes.

There's no good argument for heavier wheels. If you think 20" wheels are pretty, that's fine. Perfectly reasonable position to take - but its choosing aesthetics over performance.

Depends on the KIND of racing. Drag racing, absolutely. Road racing, not usually. You lose contact patch with a taller sidewall, as it gives more. In cornering, you want all the contact patch you can get. Bigger wheels and smaller sidewalls are almost always superior.