At the end of August, ordered a model 3 with the Aero wheels because the we couldn't justify the $1500 upgrade given the stated advantages of the 18" (ride, noise, and wear). Granted, I feel the arrow wheels are truly hideous looking, and we were planning on taking the plastic pipe plates off and putting on the nicer lug nuts and hub cover.
We were told it would take 2 to 4 months for "delivery" (which is a misnomer, because we live in the San Francisco Bay area and were told that we have to go to Fremont to pick it up) then, about a week ago we got a call saying that the car was ready for pickup. A few days later we received an email that confirmed in order change that they had changed the wheels from the arrow to the premium. They also included the additional cost, and it took about an hour phone calls to verify that they would not be charging us extra. (It would be nice if they would've simply stated that in an email…)
So while I definitely like the look of the 19 inch premium wheels better, I'm wondering if it will be worth the trade-off in terms of ride, noise, cost of tires, and faster tire wear. Yes, I hear that the 19 inch "perform" better, but what does that really mean in real life? My wife and I are parents, not testosterone-laden 20-year-olds that have a need to lay a patch at every stop sign.
So of course the question, keep the 19 inch wheels try to get the aero wheels? It may be a non-issue as Tesla may not be able to confirm delivery before the end of the year with the aero wheels, which is the only reason we ordered it now, to take advantage of the federal tax credits. But how hard would it be for them to simply swap wheels? I thought that there may be a whole different speedometer/odometer set up for the different size wheels, but read elsewhere that because of the narrower sidewall on the 19", the two tires are actually the same diameter, so that would suggest the speedometer/
odometer are the same.
Thanks for the thoughts and suggestions.
Reid
