Model 3 AWD Performance 19" or 20" Summer's

[smoro]

I took delivery of my Model 3 last Thursday and installed 19" Winters and I am wondering if I should use 19" for the summer. What are people's thoughts? I know the 20" will look nice but I am reading the 19" would be a bit better for efficiency.

Love the car... It's amazing.

 

[run-the-joules]

The 19s are more efficient, less prone to damage, and the same width, so there's no performance benefit that comes with a wider contact patch. Probably lighter, too. The 20s are masturbatory fashion wheels.

 

[03DSG]

19” summer only Max Performance Michelin Pilot Sport PS4S. Great tires.

 

[zhu-]

Depends on the quality of your roads but definitely 19" over here. With the 20" I'd imagine you'd be paying nearly $1k in damages per pothole at least a few times a year.

 

[Nate977p]

19s.

All 4 of my 20" are bent and in need of repair, and that was with only 2 or so months of driving on them. And I am very cautious of potholes and did not have one flat.

My winter 19s feel solid ~10k miles later, no shake like 20s had, but shop has not swapped get to verify bends.

Also 19" rubber typically is cheaper.

 

[2018M3]

19s.... i don't see any real benefit of using 20s

 

[smmmurf]

18” wheels like the Titan 7’s would be even better!

 

[Nate977p]

I took delivery of my Model 3 last Thursday and installed 19" Winters and I am wondering if I should use 19" for the summer. What are people's thoughts? I know the 20" will look nice but I am reading the 19" would be a bit better for efficiency.

Love the car... It's amazing.

Which rims did you put on?

 

[smoro]

Which rims did you put on?

These are the ones I purchased for the winter.. Braelin BR10.

https://www.braelin.ca/productinfo....ur+(traction+intégrale)+(étriers+rouges)_s_pp

 

[Nate977p]

These are the ones I purchased for the winter.. Braelin BR10.

https://www.braelin.ca/productinfo....ur+(traction+intégrale)+(étriers+rouges)_s_pp

They look great!

 

[devildogDMD]

If just commuting I would use 18s. Even with autocrossing I use 18s with the rival s due to the reduction of unsprung mass. My 20s sit in the basement.

 

[UngaBunga1989]

Mine seems to be the lone dissenting opinion thus far. I have driven the M3P with 20" wheels (mine) and 19" wheels (a good friend's). Have any of you guys ridden on windy roads and pushed the car? You don't feel that the handling is substantially better with the 20's? I definitely noticed a difference and prefer how planted the car feels with 20's. I did this experiment as part of deciding what my second / winter set of wheels/tires would be. I actually use the stock 20" rims for both my winter and summer wheels. The only difference is that I use the Michelin A/S 3+ tires on the winter set (which have been dynamite in up to 5" of fresh, unplowed snow). The roads in the NY Metro area are garbage and I have been driving on 20's since I got the car in late December. Yes, I AM careful to avoid potholes but I have hit a couple by accident with no ill-effects.

I really think that the whole anti-20" wheel bias is a bit of Group Think. If possible drive the M3P hard with both and decide for yourself. From where I sit, if I wanted maximum range and economy (with all wheel drive) I would have bought the Dual Motor LR, not the P. I am not going to diminish the handling of my M3P for risk of damaging a rim or two now and then...but that is just my thinking!

 

[run-the-joules]

Mine seems to be the lone dissenting opinion thus far. I have driven the M3P with 20" wheels (mine) and 19" wheels (a good friend's). Have any of you guys ridden on windy roads and pushed the car? You don't feel that the handling is substantially better with the 20's? I definitely noticed a difference and prefer how planted the car feels with 20's. I did this experiment as part of deciding what my second / winter set of wheels/tires would be. I actually use the stock 20" rims for both my winter and summer wheels. The only difference is that I use the Michelin A/S 3+ tires on the winter set (which have been dynamite in up to 5" of fresh, unplowed snow). The roads in the NY Metro area are garbage and I have been driving on 20's since I got the car in late December. Yes, I AM careful to avoid potholes but I have hit a couple by accident with no ill-effects.

You noticed the difference in tires. The same tires on both sets of wheels are going to handle identically for almost anyone. If you’re a professional racer you might notice the tiny amount of sidewall difference causing a bit of flex during steering input Nobody else will.

Or, If they had the same tires, you experienced a placebo effect.

 

[Nocturnal]

Mine seems to be the lone dissenting opinion thus far. I have driven the M3P with 20" wheels (mine) and 19" wheels (a good friend's). Have any of you guys ridden on windy roads and pushed the car? You don't feel that the handling is substantially better with the 20's? I definitely noticed a difference and prefer how planted the car feels with 20's. I did this experiment as part of deciding what my second / winter set of wheels/tires would be. I actually use the stock 20" rims for both my winter and summer wheels. The only difference is that I use the Michelin A/S 3+ tires on the winter set (which have been dynamite in up to 5" of fresh, unplowed snow). The roads in the NY Metro area are garbage and I have been driving on 20's since I got the car in late December. Yes, I AM careful to avoid potholes but I have hit a couple by accident with no ill-effects.

I really think that the whole anti-20" wheel bias is a bit of Group Think. If possible drive the M3P hard with both and decide for yourself. From where I sit, if I wanted maximum range and economy (with all wheel drive) I would have bought the Dual Motor LR, not the P. I am not going to diminish the handling of my M3P for risk of damaging a rim or two now and then...but that is just my thinking!

I liked how my stock 20" felt on the track, and how they look. (I'm a racing novice for sure though) But have no frame of reference for what 19"s would feel like on the same car. I did bend 2 of the stock 20" but I think that's partly due to the strength of the stock rims. I'll probably do a set of forged 20"s at some point for summer.

 

[Leifp]

My rule of thumb is get the smallest wheel that clears your brakes for cost, unsprung weight, compliance, damage avoidance. I would have used 18's if could. Mine are TSW Nurburgring via EV Tuning Solutions, 19X9 ET32 with 245/40 PS4s.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/FQTviqrXE3M3wbhU8

 

[UngaBunga1989]

You noticed the difference in tires. The same tires on both sets of wheels are going to handle identically for almost anyone. If you’re a professional racer you might notice the tiny amount of sidewall difference causing a bit of flex during steering input Nobody else will.

Or, If they had the same tires, you experienced a placebo effect.

No, both cars had the same tires (the A/S 3+) at the time -- one in 19" and the other in 20", so that was not a variable.

Have you done this comparison personally? If not, please don't tell me that it was a placebo effect. The car absolutely does NOT feel identical. I am most certainly not a professional race car driver although I definitely know how to push a performance car. As I said in my original post, the car feels more planted on 20's IME.

 

[Glamisduner]

18's do look small on the car, maybe it would help lowering it. I'm going 19's as they seem to be the best well rounded and still look good, give you extra space for rotors etc

 

[jbcarioca]

18” wheels like the Titan 7’s would be even better!

I have T-Sportline 18" on my P3D+ replacing the 20". Two trashed 20" made me choose practicality (lower tire cost, tire longevity, few road hazards. The sexier look just had to yield to practicality for me. In retrospect I should ahve gone with 18" originally and foregone the Brembo brakes.

 

[brianman]

I have T-Sportline 18" on my P3D+ replacing the 20".

I have the same on mine, and with all-seasons. Weather hasn't been warm enough for me to consider switching back to the 20s (and 4S rubber) just yet.

 

[al503]

Have you done this comparison personally? If not, please don't tell me that it was a placebo effect. The car absolutely does NOT feel identical. I am most certainly not a professional race car driver although I definitely know how to push a performance car. As I said in my original post, the car feels more planted on 20's IME.

I did yesterday, swapping out the stock 20"s with 19"s (245/40 PS 4S) and agree with UngaBunga. There is a small but noticeable difference in handling and comfort. I was actually surprised by this as in most of my previous cars, I went up in wheel size and down in aspect ratio. I never noticed that much of a difference in comfort but did notice a little more responsiveness in the past.

With 19's it does feel a little more floaty and soft. Not a huge difference, again, but noticeable. I actually like this as it's my daily. The 20's definitely feel more planted and slightly more responsive.