M3 Performance - Winter wheel and tyre options

[stonecoldrmw]

I've searched a little through the forum's archives but I can't seem to find a definitive answer so here we are.

I have an M3P. I'm toying with the idea of buying a second set of wheels and tyres for winter. I would like to go for a set of 18's and had the idea of just picking up a set of used rims from ebay and then adding some tyres locally. From what I'm reading, it's not as simple as doing that as I believe that the standard 18s from Tesla aren't compatible with the M3P. Is this correct?

If so, I'm keen to know what other solutions people have gone with, particularly with the 18 inch wheels. The reason for me needing the 18s is that I will likely be doing a lot of travel this coming winter so the range loss during the winter months will hopefully be mitigated a little by going to the smaller tyre.

 

[MrBadger]

From what I'm reading, it's not as simple as doing that as I believe that the standard 18s from Tesla aren't compatible with the M3P. Is this correct?

Correct. But there were some third party group buy offer that was popular. "18" Varro wheels from Gavin of the Facebook group"

 

[Adopado]

The reason for me needing the 18s is that I will likely be doing a lot of travel this coming winter so the range loss during the winter months will hopefully be mitigated a little by going to the smaller tyre.

I was under the impression that the range benefit came from running 18s with the Aero covers. I have not seen much spoken of a worthwhile range benefit simply of changing to the 18 inch size without Aeros ... but I'm not an authority on that! There's a much wider choice and lower price of 18 inch winter tyres, so that is certainly seen as an advantage. The increased resistance to pothole damage will also be a factor... and maybe a slight comfort improvement.

Short journeys are the particular killer in the winter (proportionately) but if your increased winter travel is over longer distances then maybe the impact won't be as severe as you fear.

 

[AMP_it_up]

I used 18* wheels fitted with winter tyres on my M3P last winter from the beginning of December to end of March primarily to avoid pot hole damage to the 20" performance wheels and damage to the PS4 tyres from cold temperatures below -7C deg. Such low temps are not common in England but do happen most winters in the part of rural Oxfordshire where I live. The smaller wheels and winter tyres improve the ride a lot. It's impossible to tell the difference in range because ambient temperatures have a big effect.

It's important to select the right 18* wheels as many will not fit on the Performance including standard Tesla ones due to offset and calliper clearance. I went for Tsportline 18* TST Flow Forged Wheels from the US as they are designed specifically for the M3P and tried and tested. They are also lighter than the standard 20" wheels which will help improve range and look similar to them too. They weren't cheap, but are now on offer at $1160 for a set of 4 with free postage (might not apply to UK as my postage was $300, although they only took 3 days to arrive!). Cheaper wheels will tend to be less strong and heavier.

 

[stonecoldrmw]

Thanks for the info.

I'm aware that I can't just fit the Tesla 18 inch aeros to it which is a shame. I will look in to the above recommendations

 

[MaDProFF]

I swapped my 18'" back to 20" lately and noticed a huge difference in range in cold weather, but once in the warmer weather not quite as bad, but that said I think 18" are a lot more efficient due to weight difference.