Have there been any tests on how significantly the 2021 wheels & tires affect range?

[Brettka7]

There are plenty of tests in the 2018-2020 wheel designs on the forums and on YouTube.

However, the 2021 wheels across the entire lineup are clearly designed for range. The sport wheels are much flatter, the Uberturbines look to have way less drag, the Arachnids are flatter with a huge aero lip at the edge. These have to make a difference in range, right?

Not to mention the low rolling-resistance Pirelli P Zero Elect (designed for Taycan, Lucid Air, and other EVs) on the 3 20”, Y 21”, and S 19” wheels.

Has anyone seen any testing done on these new wheels showing whether or not they’re making a significant improvement over the 2020 wheels that didn’t appear to be as aerodynamic?

 

[ysaliens]

Not that I know of.

And probably for does it make a difference. The uberturbiness are definitely aerodynamic (evacuation if super heavy). And pzero elects also have a narrower contact patch for a 235-wide tire, that likely affects the LRR a lot.

 

[UncertainTimes]

However, the 2021 wheels across the entire lineup are clearly designed for range.

If this were true the Uberturbines wouldn’t be wider and heavier than the pre-refresh 20” wheels.

 

[NSFW]

The uberturbiness are definitely aerodynamic (evacuation if super heavy).

I think the aerodynamic effects of the turbine wheels might be overstated, given that they're not directional. When the wheels on one side of the car are "evacuating" air, the wheels on the other side are trying to blow air in.

 

[Candleflame]

ueberturbines can be as efficient as they want - having a tire with no sidewall just isnt very efficient and aerodynamics is just a small part of that.

The old rule of thumb was

no aeros +4% consumption
19 inch tires +8-10% consumption
20 inch tires +15-20% consumption

 

[MasterC17]

On the same wheels and tires a 2021 vs a 2018 (in my experience) is quite a bit more efficient (in the realm of 20-30Wh/Mi), even with all else being equal. So, it's kind of difficult to compare unless you can try all these wheel and tire combos on the same car.

That being said, I have to imagine the 20" Uberturbines with the Pirelli's are a bit more efficient that the 20" Sport Wheels with the PS4S.

 

[Brettka7]

An update.

I installed Uberturbines with Pirelli P Zero Elect tires in place of my original 18” Aero wheels with MXM4. Wh/mi has gone from about 210 on MXM4 with 5k miles to 230 on brand new Pirelli. This represents roughly an 8-9% change. I’ll be ecstatic is this drops closer to 220 wh/mi as tires break in, but I’m not counting on it. Either way I’m happy!

 

[MasterC17]

View attachment 722467An update.

I installed Uberturbines with Pirelli P Zero Elect tires in place of my original 18” Aero wheels with MXM4. Wh/mi has gone from about 210 on MXM4 with 5k miles to 230 on brand new Pirelli. This represents roughly an 8-9% change. I’ll be ecstatic is this drops closer to 220 wh/mi as tires break in, but I’m not counting on it. Either way I’m happy!

Good data point, but, did you also lower it at the same time? That should have improved efficiency a little bit (a few percent).

 

[Brettka7]

Good data point, but, did you also lower it at the same time? That should have improved efficiency a little bit (a few percent).

It was lowered about 4,000 miles prior to installing wheels.

 

[Cappa.lv426]

View attachment 722467An update.

I installed Uberturbines with Pirelli P Zero Elect tires in place of my original 18” Aero wheels with MXM4. Wh/mi has gone from about 210 on MXM4 with 5k miles to 230 on brand new Pirelli. This represents roughly an 8-9% change. I’ll be ecstatic is this drops closer to 220 wh/mi as tires break in, but I’m not counting on it. Either way I’m happy!

@Brettka7 can you tell me what the max range is out of the M3 with the 20" wheels. I'm having a nightmare deciding on some 19" 9Kg wheels or the stunning arachnid 20" at 13Kg. Every few weeks I do a 300 mile trip to see family but I have a supercharger on route.

 

[Sam1]

@Brettka7 can you tell me what the max range is out of the M3 with the 20" wheels. I'm having a nightmare deciding on some 19" 9Kg wheels or the stunning arachnid 20" at 13Kg. Every few weeks I do a 300 mile trip to see family but I have a supercharger on route.

Wheel weight will have almost zero effect on efficiency. it's the wheel aerodynamics and tire patch size/softness that make up most of that metric. The 20's will probably have less of a sidewall between the tire and wheel, and a bigger contact patch, both negatives for efficiency.