Dan Detweiler
Active Member
Can anyone tell the exact tire size from this picture? I would love to know what size we are looking at for comparison purposes.
Dan
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Dan
BluestarE3
Active Member
Just to add credence to the theory that the aero wheel is just a wheel cover: Vehicle wheel face
US Patent for "Vehicle Wheel Face", granted June 6, 2017, which may explain why the aero wheel started showing up on RC vehicles at about the same time.
US Patent for "Vehicle Wheel Face", granted June 6, 2017, which may explain why the aero wheel started showing up on RC vehicles at about the same time.
stopcrazypp
Well-Known Member
"Vehicle Wheel Face" seems to just be a generic name for the wheel design.
The 19 inch wheel (which obviously isn't a cover) also is called "Vehicle Wheel Face":
Vehicle wheel face
Concept aero wheel also:
Vehicle wheel face
Completely off topic, but now that I look at this picture again do those beards look fake to anyone else? If so, I wonder who those guys are or if a couple of employees put them on as a joke since they were driving a Model 3 around!
Sam and Dean really don't want people to know they've ditched the Impala.
BluestarE3
Active Member
I see what you mean. When I read the description, "The portions of the vehicle wheel shown in a lighter gray scale represent environmental subject matter and forms no part of the claimed design", I thought they meant the wheel face was a discrete item (i.e., a cover). However, on second thought, they may just be saying that only the fascia portion of the rim is being patented as a unique design; the rest of the rim is generic and not covered by the patent.
Zaphod
Galaxy President (former)
Parzival
Member
I had no idea one could patent essentially a wheel face design.
Design patent - Wikipedia
Kind of ridiculous...
This 11-min video does a good job of outlining the differences seen between three wheel and tire combinations on a sporty car with performance tires. The three combinations have sidewall ratios that match the tires we've seen on the Model 3 (35 for 20", 40 for 19" and 45 for 18").
It's important to realize the tire diameter on the Model 3 is ~1.4" larger than the GTI tested. This means that when considering the presenters comments, you can add 1" to the wheel size for context about how the Model 3 could behave (17 becomes 18", 18 becomes 19", 19 becomes 20").
What is probably most important comes at the end of the video, where he states that the TIRE SELECTION has more impact on wheel/tire characteristics than the wheel diameter. This is nothing new but frequently gets lost in the conversation. So I'll emphasize it again, with the exception of styling differences between wheel options, and likely efficiency benefits with aero wheels, the most important determinator of wheel/tire characteristics is the tire, not the wheel size.
It's important to realize the tire diameter on the Model 3 is ~1.4" larger than the GTI tested. This means that when considering the presenters comments, you can add 1" to the wheel size for context about how the Model 3 could behave (17 becomes 18", 18 becomes 19", 19 becomes 20").
What is probably most important comes at the end of the video, where he states that the TIRE SELECTION has more impact on wheel/tire characteristics than the wheel diameter. This is nothing new but frequently gets lost in the conversation. So I'll emphasize it again, with the exception of styling differences between wheel options, and likely efficiency benefits with aero wheels, the most important determinator of wheel/tire characteristics is the tire, not the wheel size.
FlatSix911
Porsche 918 Hybrid
Saw this set of custom painted Tesla Aero wheels at the TMC conference this weekend in Monterey.
These would look great on a Model 3...
These would look great on a Model 3...
BluestarE3
Active Member
stopcrazypp
Well-Known Member
Are there similar high resolution pictures of the base wheel (direct link to source picture preferred, not a cropped version that may be processed and recompressed).
There are a couple of the aero wheel that shows the valve stem very clearly and that can be a way to differentiate the theory of if the aeros are just a cap or if it is an entirely different wheel.
There are a couple of the aero wheel that shows the valve stem very clearly and that can be a way to differentiate the theory of if the aeros are just a cap or if it is an entirely different wheel.
FlatSix911
Porsche 918 Hybrid
3Victoria
Active Member
No, those are the plastic tabs that generate the 'motor' sounds.The masking tape is a nice touch ...
T34ME
Active Member
Those chintzy tabs make the sound of buzzing bees. I like playing cards instead that make the sound of a Harley!No, those are the plastic tabs that generate the 'motor' sounds.
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