Larger Diameter Tires?

[thelastdeadmouse]

Along with a lot of others, I wish there was a little less gap between the tires and the wheel wells. I'd actually prefer not to lower the car as the ride height is perfect for my steep driveway. Also, when lowering the 3 it shrinks the gap above the wheels, but it leaves a large gap in front of and behind the wheels, and to me that inconsistent gap is even worse.

What I'd actually prefer is if there was a way to mount 19" or 20" wheels with an extra .5-1" of sidewall so that it filled the space evenly. The problem with this is that the speedometer and odometer will then read lower than they should.

Is there any provision to correct speedo readings if you put on tires with a larger outer circumference?

 

[KarenRei]

Along with a lot of others, I wish there was a little less gap between the tires and the wheel wells. I'd actually prefer not to lower the car as the ride height is perfect for my steep driveway. Also, when lowering the 3 it shrinks the gap above the wheels, but it leaves a large gap in front of and behind the wheels, and to me that inconsistent gap is even worse.

What I'd actually prefer is if there was a way to mount 19" or 20" wheels with an extra .5-1" of sidewall so that it filled the space evenly. The problem with this is that the speedometer and odometer will then read lower than they should.

Is there any provision to correct speedo readings if you put on tires with a larger outer circumference?

I've been looking into this in order to raise my car in the winter and for bad roads (more than spacers/coilovers would allow for on their own).

First, the good news: at least with other Teslas, the speedometer appears to be GPS-normalized. After driving on unexpected-diameter tires for a bit, most owners report that incorrect speedometer readings go away. Now, we're usually only talking a centimeter or less diameter difference, but I expect it'll normalize for any tire size.

More good news: you should't have any trouble going with larger tires in the rear.

The bad news: the control arms stick out over the front tires, with very little clearance. The obvious solution - mounting the tires further out with hub adapters - would make you likely to hit the fenders when turning even with normal-sized tires, let alone larger ones.

The solution I intend to try: normal rims+large tires in the rear. Narrower rims + hub adapters + large tires up front. The narrower rims would mean that the wheels wouldn't actually stick out any further, thus not messing with aero or risking hitting the fenders. This is, however, needless to say a very unusual driving configuration. Also, it raises issues of matching the front and rear rims of different diameters, and limits the ability to use aero covers (although you probably don't care about that!)

 

[Daniel in SD]

You should move the wheel through its range of steering and travel to check for clearance. I can’t inagine that there’s enough clearance to do what you’re describing.
Also it seems like you’d have to be running very narrow tires (BMW i3?) or crazy offset to clear the upper knuckle. I think the tires also increase in diameter a little bit at speed so don’t cut it too close.

 

[SomeJoe7777]

You should move the wheel through its range of steering and travel to check for clearance. I can’t inagine that there’s enough clearance to do what you’re describing.

Not only steering range, but suspension range as well. With larger tire diameter, it may also hit the upper steering knuckle at the low end of the suspension travel even with the wheels pointed straight.

 

[240W]

There’s a posted pic about front wheel clearance between the stock tire and inner top fork thingy (potential need for aftermarket to make one with more clearance?), def wouldn’t want to increase 1”, but it’s good to know that the speedometer normalizes.

 

[israndy]

Has anyone tried this? Would be smart to have my snow tires provide extra clearance.

-Randy