I intellectually respect that packages often include things you may not want. But I can't help feeling that you're right. I mentioned it to a salesrep yesterday and he gave the expected "Well, it's a package!" response.
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I intellectually respect that packages often include things you may not want. But I can't help feeling that you're right. I mentioned it to a salesrep yesterday and he gave the expected "Well, it's a package!" response.
The Model S is an EV but it is also a luxury car. I'd think that looks, comfort, and performance are all features that are prioritized before efficiency. I commend Tesla for achieving as much efficiency as they have. I'm glad they offer the aero wheels for those that want to maximize their efficiency but they probably offer them more for the improved range than the efficiency gain.
The nominal section width is the same, the tread width will be wider on the 21" tire. As profile goes down the tire becomes more "square". The contact patch area will be the same if the tires are run at the same inflation pressure.
Besides the obvious functional shortcomings of the 21" wheels, I'm probably one of the few that actually think they also look worse. The more and more I focus in on them I realize how much I dislike them. They're almost comically big, like something you'd expect to see on a raised car. And I don't even care for the turbine rims. It reminds me of a pinwheel, so it looks more juvenile in some sense. The 19" rims appear more masculine. Just makes the decision an easy one.
I confirm the mileage hit with the 21 inch tires. My sales rep indicated that one should expect a 5% reduction in range using the 21 inch tires instead of the 19 inch tires. He also indicated that using the 19 inch areo rims is expected to raise the distance from 300 miles to 315-320 m iles (i.e., a 5% improvement).
I honestly think this has more to do with Sport/Performance tires versus All Season tires. I bet when I put Summer Sport (for all 4 Atlanta seasons) tires on my car it gets a range hit. I can't imagine my noise makers on my GTI don't drop my car ~1mpg.
Mycroft
Life happens
Tesla is looking at offering snap-on covers of some kind for the 21" wheels. So if you're going on a road trip and want a little more range elbow room, you'd snap on the wheel covers. I think they're in testing. This is good because the best time for road trips would be in the Summer, which is also the best time for the 21" wheels.
Physics is the same regardless of drivetrain. Lighter wheels with less inertia will always accelerate faster and ride better.
Sports cars accelerate fastest in first gear just like any other vehicle. The only time this may not be the case is on a turbo charged car where there isn't enough load/time for the turbo to spool up before you have to shift.
The only reason trucks have huge tires is because they handle the load better than smaller tires.
Not a bad idea - would be useful for all sorts of cars as long as you know you're not going to do any heavy mountain descending or extra spirited driving.
Good to hear. I was thinking of getting a spare pair of aeros for winter and long trips, then I realized I can't be a$$ed to change wheels for something like that
I left the Roadster in cruise control at 55mph for a 7 mile 7% downhill and let the regen do all the work ( no brake pedal at all ) and I regenerated about 120 wh/mile. I think it was using less than half the available regen "braking power". I would bet you there is no paved road anywhere in the United States that is longer than a couple of miles that descends too steeply for the regen to handle it.
Descending from Haleakala on Maui to the beach is a 14000 foot descent over about 32 miles and I bet the Roadster could do it at any reasonable speed you desire without ever touching the brake pedal.
Somebody do some math...
