P85+ with 19" wheels

[lloyds]

I'm onto my 3rd month of ownership on the + and confirm that I am beginning to see some rear inner tire wear. Gotta pay to play I guess.

 

[texex91]

I'm onto my 3rd month of ownership on the + and confirm that I am beginning to see some rear inner tire wear. Gotta pay to play I guess.

Would be curious if you take to SC what they say. Besides you driving too hard.

Wonder if they could check align and can.

But yes, + is the pay to play, and I can't wait

 

[Musterion]

@gtimbers, thanks for the details! Are those the bronze color Nurburgring style and can you indulge us with a wider view photo showing the whole car plus new wheels? Thanks,

 

[100thMonkey]

can anyone with a P85+ with 19's comment on handling and road noise compared to the OEM set up? I'm finding the P85+ with 21's to be quite loud on our concrete highways and the tire wear issues have me considering 19's (pros: longer lasting tire options, less inside wear due to camber, quieter, less bumpy, less prone to wheel damage). like a lot of people, i'm a sucker for the looks of the 21's but I do have my limits on what I'm willing to pay in terms of rough/loud ride and long term cost of ownership. the cyclone 19's would probably fit the bill though they are not as elegant and all seasons won't be as grippy.

 

[bkenchan]

Was waiting for someone to comment on this. Guess I'll have to comment on this when I get my 19's on my P85+. I am also wondering what tire sizes you guys would recommend for 19x8.5 +35 front and 19x9.5 +35 rear? So far looks like 255/45 and 285/40 or 245/45 and 275/40. Feedback from some of the wheel and tire experts would be nice.

 

[Ames]

Just test drove a P85+ in Zurich. It was riding on 19" cyclone rims with winter Tires. Unfortunately I have never driven a P85+ in its normal setup (nor any other Model S). I got to mash the go pedal from 55 to 75 mph and while I enjoyed the immediate response I didn't exactly find myself intimidated by the acceleration (I was expecting more after 2 year of reading these forums). I did find the car became quite noisy above 60 mph - the sound was like a "mechanical whir". I was told this was due to the winter tires and it is actually quieter than that with the regular 21's. Didn't really get to test the handling but the car did feel very planted - very European even with 19's.

 

[mnx]

Try flooring it from anywhere below 60km/h, it really flies!

Just test drove a P85+ in Zurich. It was riding on 19" cyclone rims with winter Tires. Unfortunately I have never driven a P85+ in its normal setup (nor any other Model S). I got to mash the go pedal from 55 to 75 mph and while I enjoyed the immediate response I didn't exactly find myself intimidated by the acceleration (I was expecting more after 2 year of reading these forums). I did find the car became quite noisy above 60 mph - the sound was like a "mechanical whir". I was told this was due to the winter tires and it is actually quieter than that with the regular 21's. Didn't really get to test the handling but the car did feel very planted - very European even with 19's.

 

[brianman]

Just test drove a P85+ in Zurich. ... I got to mash the go pedal from 55 to 75 mph and while I enjoyed the immediate response I didn't exactly find myself intimidated by the acceleration (I was expecting more after 2 year of reading these forums).

This is part of its appeal, IMO. The Model S isn't designed to be a car that makes you freak out by fishtailing (though you can get it to sometimes) or demonstrating other "display of acceleration" drama. It's designed to be one that you safely get where you're going... quickly if you'd like.

 

[Denarius]

I can't accelerate nearly as fast with my 19s and winter tires. Even at 50mph (80km/h) I get wheelspin and TC kicking in.

 

[PaulusdB]

Same here with my MSP+.

Probablly your winter tyres are brand new, like mine.

I expect this behaviour to change after 500 km usage on these tyres.

 

[Ames]

The P+ without its massive rear tires is obviously going to underperform when it comes to acceleration and handling. That being said I was impressed with how easy it was to drive around town and how stable it felt when cornering, accelerating, and braking. It had a nice ride too, it felt well made and expensive. I thought the 5.8 regen was perfectly judged.

 

[Gizmotoy]

I can't accelerate nearly as fast with my 19s and winter tires. Even at 50mph (80km/h) I get wheelspin and TC kicking in.

It's all in the tires. I could spin the wheels on my old 195hp 2006 Civic Si in dry conditions through three gears with its winter tires. With the stock all-seasons I could spin through first and chirp into second. With summer tires the only way I could make them spin was if I dropped the clutch.

Tires make a HUGE difference. Significantly more than the difference between 19"s and 21"s.

 

[Denarius]

It's all in the tires. I could spin the wheels on my old 195hp 2006 Civic Si in dry conditions through three gears with its winter tires. With the stock all-seasons I could spin through first and chirp into second. With summer tires the only way I could make them spin was if I dropped the clutch.

Tires make a HUGE difference. Significantly more than the difference between 19"s and 21"s.

That was my point, he shouldn't gauge the acceleration of the P85+ when it is wearing winter rubber. It simply isn't going to be head snapping because the tires can't deliver that level of grip.

 

[Gizmotoy]

That was my point, he shouldn't gauge the acceleration of the P85+ when it is wearing winter rubber. It simply isn't going to be head snapping because the tires can't deliver that level of grip.

I wasn't disagreeing. :smile:

 

[100thMonkey]

can anyone with a P85+ with 19's comment on handling and road noise compared to the OEM set up? I'm finding the P85+ with 21's to be quite loud on our concrete highways and the tire wear issues have me considering 19's (pros: longer lasting tire options, less inside wear due to camber, quieter, less bumpy, less prone to wheel damage). like a lot of people, i'm a sucker for the looks of the 21's but I do have my limits on what I'm willing to pay in terms of rough/loud ride and long term cost of ownership. the cyclone 19's would probably fit the bill though they are not as elegant and all seasons won't be as grippy.

I'll reiterate what I've concluded on other threads. Other than the super sexy way they look, I'm generally disappointing with the 21" wheel/tire combo. the list has grown long: they are so prone to curbing that even the best efforts, even with alloygators, results in frequent scuffs if anyone but me is driving and from what I hear on line, they are prone to catastrophic failure due to pot holes and such. On top of that the suspension and alignment results in a veritable cheese grater on wheels. If you go with the 21's, expect crazy frequent replacement even with moderate driving and don't forget, it's an expensive barrel of oil per tire you are adding to your consumer foot print. On the P+, they are loud, as in super loud on anything but smooth surfaces and that gets worse as it gets colder. Even with moderate cold and a little rain, the performance plummets to worse than all season by a long shot (especially bad on the P85, leading to a very squarely back end fishtail sensation even with moderate acceleration in cold and damp). Even in the warmer dryer times, the tires have to be allowed to warm up for 10+ miles before you can expect them to have good traction, I'm told that's true of all performance tires. Also they are less conforming, hence the cheese grater effect on the rear insides due to increased negative camber as well as what appears to be a toe out that occurs for many as the back end "breaks in" initially from all that luscious torque (though I hear the initial acceleration torque has been limited with 5.8, presumably for that reason).

I can't say enough about Tire Rack, the guy who owns it owns a Tesla S and has put together a very nice 19" package just for the S, you even get the proper lug nuts for the S thrown in for free if you buy a set of four. They send them to your door, mounted, balanced and inflated. 19 Rial Lugano's with Michelin Primacy MXM4 (same tire as Tesla OEM) look better than either Tesla's standard 19's or the turbine 19's and are a fraction of the price and you get a warranty (no warranty on Tesla OEM's!). They are now well proven to be adequate in terms of load/engineering.

My advice, if you live in warmer areas and or love super high performance tires, have at it, go with the 21's and don't feel guilty about feeding your passion. for the rest of us, I'd highly recommend the P85+ and selling the 21's and getting 19's, the ride is better, less noise, the performance is substantially improved over the P85 with 21's, your impact on the environment is reduced and your long term cost of ownership is substantially reduced. for everyone, keep a close eye on the inside rear, get a wear gauge, if you start to see much of any difference, have the alignment checked! I think much of the benefit of the P85+ carries over even when you switch to the 19's at least up north here. for those looking for the optimum performance that you can get with 19' wheels and an almost as sexy look, the P85+ with Lugano 19's http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/WheelCloseUpServlet?target=runWheelSearch&initialPartNumber=LU85932T720BS&wheelMake=Rial&wheelModel=Lugano&wheelFinish=Bright+Silver+Paint&showRear=no&autoMake=Tesla&autoModel=Model+S&autoYear=2013&autoModClar=&filterFinish=All&filterSize=All&filterBrand=All&filterSpecial=false&filterNew=All&filterWeight=All&sort=Brand is awesome, especially if you live up north where it gets wetter and colder much of the year. I'm liking the prospect of having one set of tires, no seasonal switching hassle and having them wear evenly and last 25K+ miles. It took a while but I think I've found the sweet spot, at least for me.

 

[redi]

@100thMonkey - Did you buy a set of these yet? TPMS?

I am seriously considering this route too - primarily for the noise benefit. I can always put the 21s back on if there's any real world issue, but I cannot see what it might be.

 

[Mayhemm]

I may end up going the 19" route if I go through too many expensive tires.

However, there's no way I can make do with only one set of wheels. Performance summer tires can't handle our autumns, much less our winters. All-seasons won't cut it for winter either, and I wouldn't want to be running them in the summer months.

Nope. I'm stuck with performance tires in the summer and another set of wheels with true winter tires for the cold. At least until I move.

I'm open to the possibility of finding a better summer performance/comfort/quietness combination with 19's, but that's as far as I can go.

 

[PaulusdB]

I've taken this road already.

Sold the complete 21" wheels (tires, TPMS sensors and all) for less than 50 ct/€, cash.

Mounted 19" new winter wheels with new Nokian tyres and non-OEM TPMS Sensors

Will buy 20" staggered setup in spring with UHP tyres (Michelin, Bridgestone or Continental)

 

[Al Sherman]

Has anyone tried the A/S3's yet? They seem like a good compromise over the MXM4. I don't see much difference except the speed rating and the lack of LRR rating. I have all Winter to decide but I'm interested in better energy usage, quietness, and I'd like to not lose much in handling.

 

[mnx]

Search the forums for A/S 3. There was one guy who did it... He was gushing over them, great traction levels etc. They're pretty excellent in the wet from what I've read. 100thmonkey should have got those IMO.

edit: here you go Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 vs Pilot Super Sport - Opinions Please - Page 2

Has anyone tried the A/S3's yet? They seem like a good compromise over the MXM4. I don't see much difference except the speed rating and the lack of LRR rating. I have all Winter to decide but I'm interested in better energy usage, quietness, and I'd like to not lose much in handling.