Moving from 20's to 19's

[boogiebot]

Two days ago my wife was driving the 3 and blew both of the tires on the passenger side. My performance 3 is rolling on the 20 inch stock rims. As cool as the car looks, IMO the ride on 235/35/20 is not all its cracked up to be. Im curious if anyone has moved from 2-'s to 19's and ran something like 265/45 square setup, or even 265 in the font and 275 in the rear on 19's.

Thanks in advance guys!

 

[tm1v2]

Agreed about the unreliability and poor ride of the 235/35R20 setup. I downsized all the way to 245/45R18 on 18x8.5" and everything is better (with the right tires) - more grip, better ride, and the power steering even feels better. And I've stopped fearing every pothole.

Sounds like you want to go wider. Lots of folks here have. Up to 9.5" wide wheels seem to be common. 10-10.5" wide has been done but less common and may require a lot of camber & very carefully chosen offset if fitting under the stock bodywork. (Note I'm far from an expert on this, I've no experience at all trying to fit wider-than-stock wheels, this is just what I've observed following some wheel and tire threads here.)

265/45R19 would be much too tall. Even 265/45R18 is probably too tall. The general wisdom I've seen is try to stay at or under 27" in diameter to clear the front upper control arm. That's not an exact cutoff, what you can squeeze in depends on the camber and offset you're wanting/willing to run.

It sounds like you're considering 9.5" wide wheels. I've mostly seen people running and recommending 265/35R19 for 19x9.5", or 265/40R18 for 18x9.5". I've also seen one recommendation for 275/40R18 on 18x9.5" wheels (or 275/35R19 on 19x9.5"), which is wider than typically recommended for 9.5" wide wheels, but does give some extra sidewall and tread.

It's worth noting that tires don't always follow the size spec exactly, e.g. 255/35R20 is supposed to be 27" but apparently some tires in that size consistently measure taller than that (and therefore don't quite fit when normally that size should fit).

The last thing I'll mention is the M3P "stepped hub" or "stepped lip" can be a minor complication in fitting aftermarket wheels. I went with wheels machined specifically for the M3P stepped lip. (Which of course should always come in a good offset for the M3P.) Many wheels not truly made for the M3P only need either a 3mm "step delete" spacer or a centering ring. (And more can fit with deeper spacers but that's another can of worms...I wouldn't bother with that unless you have a very specific goal/wheel in mind that really requires it.)

This long running thread is a good one to browse through:

Aftermarket Wheels on Model 3

Well, like the title says i'm interested in seeing what different wheels people are throwing on their model 3's. If you have some aftermarket wheels, or have seen some in the wild, post a picture of what you got!

teslamotorsclub.com

 

[jackmott]

Two days ago my wife was driving the 3 and blew both of the tires on the passenger side. My performance 3 is rolling on the 20 inch stock rims. As cool as the car looks, IMO the ride on 235/35/20 is not all its cracked up to be. Im curious if anyone has moved from 2-'s to 19's and ran something like 265/45 square setup, or even 265 in the font and 275 in the rear on 19's.

Thanks in advance guys!

I went from 20s to 18s, but kept the 235 width. There is basically no downside to going down in wheel diameter, everything gets better except maybe half a % drop in cornering grip. Going to 265s is great for autocross/track days but will hurt range a lot daily.

 

[Sam1]

Two days ago my wife was driving the 3 and blew both of the tires on the passenger side. My performance 3 is rolling on the 20 inch stock rims. As cool as the car looks, IMO the ride on 235/35/20 is not all its cracked up to be. Im curious if anyone has moved from 2-'s to 19's and ran something like 265/45 square setup, or even 265 in the font and 275 in the rear on 19's.

Thanks in advance guys!

You're not going to be able to run a 265/45 on a 19", that's way too big. Like 7% larger diameter than the OEM 20"s, bigger. 255/40/19 would be about as big as you may be able to go (but don't quote me on that).

 

[Apprunner]

Honestly, I feel the car is so much more pleasant on the 18s than the 20s I had. I went with the same tire setup with PS4S but the thicker sidewall makes all the difference in ride quality. I've hit a couple big potholes and it doesn't seem to crash nearly as bad over them and just absorbs most of it like a champ.

 

[Mash]

Two days ago my wife was driving the 3 and blew both of the tires on the passenger side. My performance 3 is rolling on the 20 inch stock rims. As cool as the car looks, IMO the ride on 235/35/20 is not all its cracked up to be. Im curious if anyone has moved from 2-'s to 19's and ran something like 265/45 square setup, or even 265 in the font and 275 in the rear on 19's.

Thanks in advance guys!

I moved from 20 to 275x35 r19 4s for a long time now. Range is probably lower, everything else is much better - grip, sharpness, pothole absorption.

 

[boogiebot]

I moved from 20 to 275x35 r19 4s for a long time now. Range is probably lower, everything else is much better - grip, sharpness, pothole absorption.

I went from 20s to 18s, but kept the 235 width. There is basically no downside to going down in wheel diameter, everything gets better except maybe half a % drop in cornering grip. Going to 265s is great for autocross/track days but will hurt range a lot daily.

You're not going to be able to run a 265/45 on a 19", that's way too big. Like 7% larger diameter than the OEM 20"s, bigger. 255/40/19 would be about as big as you may be able to go (but don't quote me on that).

Honestly, I feel the car is so much more pleasant on the 18s than the 20s I had. I went with the same tire setup with PS4S but the thicker sidewall makes all the difference in ride quality. I've hit a couple big potholes and it doesn't seem to crash nearly as bad over them and just absorbs most of it like a champ.

I moved from 20 to 275x35 r19 4s for a long time now. Range is probably lower, everything else is much better - grip, sharpness, pothole absorption.

Hey guys thank you all for taking the time to answer my questions. This is what makes communities like this so awesome.

Any chance, for those that have made the switch; you post some after pics for the car on new rims and tires. Thank again all!

 

[rpiotro]

Here in Wisconsin you need to have your head examined or have deep pockets to run with anything less than a /40 profile. /45 even better. Especially during the spring thaw. The roads are brutal.

Thanks to former Governor Doyle for stealing from the transportation fund to buy votes. We are finally starting to catch back up.

 

[Mash]

I have to say that measuring sidewall by percentage of width is not an accurate reference without say width. My 295x35 r18 have much more sidewall than 235x35 r20...

 

[pdx_m3s]

245/40R19 on a 19x8.5 wheel is a good balance of comfort, looks, and range. Fills the 8.5” wheel nicely. Pretty square/straight sidewalls.

 

[Godzboy03]

245/40R19 on a 19x8.5 wheel is a good balance of comfort, looks, and range. Fills the 8.5” wheel nicely. Pretty square/straight sidewalls.

View attachment 769652

This is clean! Qq- did you lower it?

 

[pdx_m3s]

This is clean! Qq- did you lower it?

Yes. Eibach springs.

 

[subieworx]

Definitely have to be on it when it comes to avoiding potholes with 20's. I run 275 30 20 square on 10" wide wheels and am constantly dodging things.