Model 3 LR + Acceleration Boost - 19" wheels

[K009]

Hey all

Been sitting on the fence for a long time regarding Tesla, and finallly looking to make an order.

Looking at the Model 3 LR + Acceleration Boost and have decided I want 19" wheels. Unfortunately, at least here in Australia, you have to pay $2200 extra for the 19" Sports wheels over the 18" Aero. I'm 100% going aftermarket wheels but happy to keep the tyres that come with the car.

In order to go 19" aftermarket wheels, it means I have to pay the $2200 extra for the 19" Sports wheels, which sucks. For those who have gone aftermarket wheels on this car, are you glad you went 19" or do you wish you would have stayed 18" tyres and gone 18" wheels?

Thanks

 

[jjrandorin]

In order to go 19" aftermarket wheels, it means I have to pay the $2200 extra for the 19" Sports wheels,

Why does buying 19s aftermarket mean you have to get the car delivered with 19s?

 

[mswlogo]

I got 19” OEM wheels with non OEM tires that had longer tread life, quieter (without foam) and fantastic efficiency. Pirelli P7+ (version 1). Car came with 18” and I put snow tires on those rims and sold the 18” tires.

 

[K009]

Because then the car would come with 19" tyres, correct?

So to fit 19" wheels I need 19" tyres

 

[K009]

Why does buying 19s aftermarket mean you have to get the car delivered with 19s?

Because then the car would come with 19" tyres, correct?

So to fit 19" wheels I need 19" tyres

 

[Lindenwood]

Because then the car would come with 19" tyres, correct?

So to fit 19" wheels I need 19" tyres

I think he means you could instead spend the $2200, plus whatever you could get from selling the factory Aeros, end up with better wheels and tires.

 

[Lindenwood]

Also doesn’t an LR + 19s + Accel Boost almost put you in Performance pricing?

 

[K009]

I think he means you could instead spend the $2200, plus whatever you could get from selling the factory Aeros, end up with better wheels and tires.

Ahhh ok I get what he means now. Are the stock tyres no good? They are 235/40/19 on front and rear? I think I read somwhere that rear tyre is 265/35/19?

 

[K009]

Also doesn’t an LR + 19s + Accel Boost almost put you in Performance pricing?

No, not here in Australia anyway. 15,000 price difference, subtract 2000 for boost so still 13K price difference

 

[tm1v2]

@K009 Here in the US the 19" wheels+tires are a $1500 USD option. Good 245/40R19 or 235/40R19 tires (good sizes for the stock 19x8.5" wheel size) are cheaper than that, across all normal street car tire categories, and you get to buy exactly the tires you want.

If the pricing comparison is similar for Australia, I don't think it makes sense to option 19" wheels just for the tires. There's no guarantee what tire you'll even get, it might not be what you want.


Edit: Now if you will sell your stock wheels, then it's an intriguing question whether the 19" wheels without tires would fetch more than the OE 18" wheels with like-new tires, enough to make up for the extra cost of the 19" wheel option vs buying 19" tires.

I still wouldn't do it. Tires matter, a lot. Even if the 19" wheel sale value made this a wash, I'd definitely rather pick the exact tires I want, instead of being stuck with whatever Tesla fitted which probably wouldn't be my top choice. (I'm not talking about "good" vs "bad" tires btw. I'm talking about priorities and preferences. Every tire is a set of tradeoffs and compromises. I want tires that match my preferences as closely as possible.)

 

[K009]

@K009 Here in the US the 19" wheels+tires are a $1500 USD option. Good 245/40R19 or 235/40R19 tires (good sizes for the stock 19x8.5" wheel size) are cheaper than that, across all normal street car tire categories, and you get to buy exactly the tires you want.

Thanks very much.

For the M3 LR, is there a preference between 245/40R19 and 235/35R19?

 

[tm1v2]

Thanks very much.

For the M3 LR, is there a preference between 245/40R19 and 235/35R19?

@K009 Did you mean to type 235/40R19? 235/35R19 would be much smaller diameter than any stock Model 3 size, I don't think you want that.

For 8.5" wide wheels I like 245 over 235 width because, well, I'd rather have slightly wider than slightly narrower. 245 also gives you very slightly taller sidewalls (cause the 40 part is a ratio/multiplier). I like that.

Finally those very slightly taller sidewalls give you a very slightly taller outer diameter. That in turn effectively gives you a taller final drive ratio. The difference is really slight, but to me that's also a good thing for these cars (in theory). Since we only have one gear/drive ratio, taller tires should shift our powerband to higher speeds. Again this size difference is really minimal, probably not noticable, but I like the theory of it.

Officially (not specific to the Model 3) either 235 or 245 is a recommended width for 8.5" wide wheels. I doubt you or I could even really tell the difference between 235/40R19 vs 245/40R19 of the same tire, but for all the ways they differ in theory, the slightly wider 245 matches my preferences better. Your preferences may be different!

I'll note my other Tesla came with 245 width tires on 8.5" wheels. So did my last ICE car.

 

[K009]

@K009 Did you mean to type 235/40R19? 235/35R19 would be much smaller diameter than any stock Model 3 size, I don't think you want that.

For 8.5" wide wheels I like 245 over 235 width because, well, I'd rather have slightly wider than slightly narrower. 245 also gives you very slightly taller sidewalls (cause the 40 part is a ratio/multiplier). I like that.

Finally those very slightly taller sidewalls give you a very slightly taller outer diameter. That in turn effectively gives you a taller final drive ratio. The difference is really slight, but to me that's also a good thing for these cars (in theory). Since we only have one gear/drive ratio, taller tires should shift our powerband to higher speeds. Again this size difference is really minimal, probably not noticable, but I like the theory of it.

Officially (not specific to the Model 3) either 235 or 245 is a recommended width for 8.5" wide wheels. I doubt you or I could even really tell the difference between 235/40R19 vs 245/40R19 of the same tire, but for all the ways they differ in theory, the slightly wider 245 matches my preferences better. Your preferences may be different!

I'll note my other Tesla came with 245 width tires on 8.5" wheels. So did my last ICE car.

Thanks so much!!! Great response! And yes, I meant 235/40R19 sorry.

Based on that, 245/40/R19 seems like the pick. These are around 300-400 each in Australia. Lets say worse case is $1600 for 4. And the wheels are the same cost. So around $3000-3200 for aftermarket tyres and wheels. Based on that, I may just get the 18" Aeros and save the $2200 and then try and tell the Aeros and tyres after handover.

Thanks!

 

[jjrandorin]

I think he means you could instead spend the $2200, plus whatever you could get from selling the factory Aeros, end up with better wheels and tires.

Thats pretty much what I was asking / getting at. Seems like the OP was only looking at replacing tires (tires) but was going to spend 2k more in their local dollars to keep the factory rims, and then put aftermarket tires on them.

I was wondering why not just get aftermarket wheels and tires, and take the car stock and sell those stock wheels (rims + tires), because that is common here for people going down that road. Perhaps its less common where OP is, though.

 

[K009]

Thats pretty much what I was asking / getting at. Seems like the OP was only looking at replacing tires (tires) but was going to spend 2k more in their local dollars to keep the factory rims, and then put aftermarket tires on them.

I was wondering why not just get aftermarket wheels and tires, and take the car stock and sell those stock wheels (rims + tires), because that is common here for people going down that road. Perhaps its less common where OP is, though.

Cheers.

I was going to do the opposite. Keep OME tyres but replace 19" Sport wheels.

My other option is getting 19" sport wheels and then powdercoating them.

One other question...as I've read different comments on here (and this is offtopic now)...is the suspension is M3P the same as M3LR? Some are saying they are the same and others are saying M3P has sports supsension and others are saying suspension on LR is better? So I'm a little confused.

The only other thing I would like on M3P is the better brakes. Not sure if they can be put on aftermarket.

 

[tm1v2]

One other question...as I've read different comments on here (and this is offtopic now)...is the suspension is M3P the same as M3LR? Some are saying they are the same and others are saying M3P has sports supsension and others are saying suspension on LR is better? So I'm a little confused.

The only other thing I would like on M3P is the better brakes. Not sure if they can be put on aftermarket.

@K009 Suspension is something that can vary regionally for different markets, and also by which factory made the car, and by when the car was made.

For the US, as of earlier this year Tesla no longer lists any suspension difference between LR and P on the order page. That doesn't mean the suspensions are identical now...but it is a sign towards that. (Tesla doesn't publish many hard specs for these cars, they give themselves a lot of leeway to quietly make changes and parts substitutions.)

Previously, like when I bought my 2021 M3P, Tesla listed the Performance Upgrade Package (PUP) - which is standard since 2021 on all M3P - as having "lowered suspension." Note how they didn't call it better, they didn't call it higher performance...they merely called it lower. I believe they were being very honest and truthful with that description.

I test drove October 2021 Fremont built M3LR and M3P on the same roads, two days apart, and I drove them hard, including over a twisty back road that I'm very familiar with. To me, the handling and ride difference felt exactly in line with the wheel+tire difference, nothing more. I've changed wheel sizes and tire categories on multiple cars so I think I have decent judgement about the difference they can make. My judgement was they made virtually all the difference here, not the suspension change.

Visually you can see a 2021 M3P is slightly lower than a 2021 M3LR if parked side by side, least for US models. Just slightly, not a lot. But in terms of performance they both handle pretty much the same. (Which to be honest is very poorly if you drive them really hard, but that's another topic. ) And sitting behind the wheel I don't think I'd notice the minor height difference either.

So to summarize, there may or may not be any suspension difference between M3LR and M3P in your market right now, but even if there is a difference, it's so minor as to not really matter.

 

[tm1v2]

@K009 Btw something I've seen reported many times here, is that older Model 3 had stiffer suspension tuning than 2021+, at least for US market. The difference isn't LR vs P, it's older vs newer. For example, owners of older LR who upgraded to a 2021+ P have reported the new P feels softer.

I'm mentioning this in case you have experience with older Model 3 and are expecting a new one to feel the same - it might not.

Some people are focused more on the ride quality, some on handling. My impression from these owner reports is older Model 3 had sharper handling but correspondingly harsher ride. Their ride vs handing trade-off probably wasn't better, just different, skewed more towards sharper handling. That's my guess at least.



I did once drive an early Model 3, very briefly many years ago when the 3 was very new. It was much too long ago and too brief to make any real comparison with my 2021 M3P, however I do remember being surprised at the time how sporty that early Model 3 felt, vs my expectations from having driven many Model S. I also remember being surprised how harsh and bad the ride quality was.

Fast forward to my 2021 test drives and I had no complaints about the ride, objectively it wasn't great but it was acceptable to me. Yet from a handling perspective the 2021 cars were soft and poorly dampened.

So I'd say my vague memory of that early Model 3 drive fits with all the reports here of earlier cars having stiffer suspension tuning.

 

[K009]

Thanks tm1v2.

I think I'm pretty sold on LR + Boost. Now to place an order woohoo!

Will be at least an 8 month wait...I wonder what other Mode 3 physical changes will happen between now and then

 

[K009]

*model 3

 

[K009]

Does anyone know the load rating on the 19" sport wheels? I assume aftermarket wheels can't be less than that?