Efficiency difference between 19" sport and 18" Aero?

[theothertom]

I'm considering a used M3 and it has the 19" sport wheels. How much efficiency loss can I expect between those and 18" aeros?

 

[hcdavis3]

Can’t really say, but my previous M3 had 19 inch sport wheels and my new car has 18 in Aero wheels. I can say the ride is smoother and much more quieter with the 18 inch wheels. I only have 200 miles on the new car, but based on my experience I’d recommend the Aero wheels.

 

[I<3URANUS]

Iirc there's an 8% loss with the 19'.


Someone made a chart showing all the configs and how far they'd go.

I have the 19s. Honestly, it's worth it.

 

[MasterC17]

The efficiency differences with any setup are primarily due to the tire, not the wheel. The wheel itself accounts for a minimal difference (~1% no aero cover, ~4% with aero cover) assuming the tires are the same.

That being said, assuming OEM tires, this link will answer your question: Teslike.com

In short, OEM 18's with Aero Covers can travel ~7% further than OEM 19's.

 

[dhrivnak]

Several studies have shown 5%. I have the 18” and would definitely do it again. The 18” are also cheaper and I hear they last longer as well.

 

[MasterC17]

Several studies have shown 5%. I have the 18” and would definitely do it again. The 18” are also cheaper and I hear they last longer as well.

The 19" OEM tires last longer and it is not even close. That being said, replacement 18" wheels and tires are cheaper.

 

[dhrivnak]

How long do your 19” last? I got 33,000 on my 18” tires.

 

[MasterC17]

How long do your 19” last? I got 33,000 on my 18” tires.

Average for a set of the 19"s is ~40,000. How much life do your tires have left?

 

[dhrivnak]

The first set lasted 33,000 the second set looks great after 8. Note that is on the Model 3 NOT the tire manufacturer’s claim. The Model 3 eats tires compared to most cars. Circle back when you have driven your 19” 40,000 actual miles on your Model 3.

 

[MasterC17]

The first set lasted 33,000 the second set looks great after 8. Note that is on the Model 3 NOT the tire manufacturer’s claim. The Model 3 eats tires compared to most cars. Circle back when you have driven your 19” 40,000 actual miles on your Model 3.

I'm just speaking from personal experience. I own three Model 3's and have 7 sets of mounted tires and wheels. The OEM 19" Continental's are holding up significantly better than the OEM 18" Michelin's.

It is especially important to rotate the tires on the RWD's or they will eat the rear tires. Nonetheless, tires on the Model 3 don't last terribly long.

 

[theothertom]

The efficiency differences with any setup are primarily due to the tire, not the wheel. The wheel itself accounts for a minimal difference (~1% no aero cover, ~4% with aero cover) assuming the tires are the same.

That being said, assuming OEM tires, this link will answer your question: Teslike.com

In short, OEM 18's with Aero Covers can travel ~7% further than OEM 19's.

Wow! That's a great chart. Thanks for the info.

 

[Dolemite]

I'm at ~7K miles in my P3D- and my OEM MXM4s are down to ~4.5/32.

 

[PNWLeccy]

To give you some reference w/ my LR RWD w/ 19" I've gotten a lifetime 288 wh/mi over ~11k miles.

That seems to be a bit higher than most other LR RWD for some reason but that comes out to roughly a range of 257 miles. On much of my longer highway trips I usually average closer to 250-60 wh/mi which comes to 285 - 296 miles range.

 

[1.21GW]

19s look so much better, glad to hear they last longer as well. My 19s are still doing great at 18k miles. And I do launch from most stoplights when possible.

efficiency is impacted by weather to a much greater degree than wheels. But, I would believe 5% sounds reasonable

 

[PNWLeccy]

19s look so much better, glad to hear they last longer as well. My 19s are still doing great at 18k miles. And I do launch from most stoplights when possible.

efficiency is impacted by weather to a much greater degree than wheels. But, I would believe 5% sounds reasonable

Yea I've been surprised how well the 19" have held up. With all this talk of how RWD's REALLY need to be rotated, I've been vigilant about checking the treads but at 11k miles they are all at 7/32 still.

 

[TyH2009]

19s look so much better, glad to hear they last longer as well. My 19s are still doing great at 18k miles. And I do launch from most stoplights when possible.

efficiency is impacted by weather to a much greater degree than wheels. But, I would believe 5% sounds reasonable

This. The visual different between the 19's and 18's is worth the range loss.

The 18's are gross IMO.

 

[Watts_Up]

I'm considering a used M3 and it has the 19" sport wheels.
How much efficiency loss can I expect between those and 18" aeros?

Keep the 19" Sport Wheel, It's a $1,500 option, they look so much nicer than the 18" wheel with or without the plastic cover.

About range, electricity is very cheap, even if it was 5% loss, on a 200 miles, a 10 extra miles would be less than 1 kWh or $0.10.

 

[hcdavis3]

This. The visual different between the 19's and 18's is worth the range loss.

The 18's are gross IMO.

I’ve gotten used to them. For me range is king. I had 19s on my last 3.The ride was awful. Really rough. The 18s with aero wheels are fine. The ride is orders of magnitude better than the the 19s. My 2 cents.

 

[XLR82XS]

I have the 19s. Honestly, it's worth it.

100%

 

[Dolemite]

Keep the 19" Sport Wheel, It's a $1,500 option, they look so much nicer than the 18" wheel with or without the plastic cover.

About range, electricity is very cheap, even if it was 5% loss, on a 200 miles, a 10 extra miles would be less than 1 kWh or $0.10.

Only concern of mine is that it would increase battery wear & tear for the same amount of driving... but for range anxiety, I'll be keeping my MXM4s.