Poorly Designed Induction Wheels

[Magnetic Flux]

Has anyone else had issues with tire shops and inductions? I just had a tire repaired and they scratched all of the spokes when they were mounting or unmounting the tire

I had to replace a tire already due to a pothole with about 450 miles on the car. I went to my favorite tire shop near me and sat and watched them do everything, including rebalancing all 4 wheels/tires and no wheels were damaged at all. The wheels shouldn't be damaged replacing a tire. There are a bunch of wheels nicer and more difficult than the inductions that work fine on other cars.

My previous car had 18" sport wheels with no tire protection similar to the Y. I never had an issue in 4 years. I can't say the same about my wife the handful of times she borrowed my car...

 

[Blike]

I agree. Here is what I am dealing with right now from the tire shop…

 

[Magnetic Flux]

I agree. Here is what I am dealing with right now from the tire shop…

Yikes, that sucks. Sorry to see that. I would try to bring it up with the shop if you can, but I always feel like that is a losing battle.

 

[Mr X]

What kind of engineer would design an expensive wheel that has it's edge on the same plane as the tire's sidewall? With these wheels, if you touch a cement curb even for one second while barely moving during parking, your wheel's finish is toast. Tires should prevent this. Vey poor design. Very unhappy.

Rant over.

How I read this


"I F'd up and curbed my rim but it's Tesla's fault for designing an aerodynamic 20" rim that is flat with the tire!"


Poorly designed rim? Or poorly designed cement curb?

 

[Brian-MS90D]

I understand the OP's concern, but wanted to note and clarify that it's not unique to Tesla and certainly not related to a poorly designed wheel.

Though on a positive note, I've gathered from many posts on this forum that a Tesla is a first vehicle for quite a few people.

 

[pt19713]

Has anyone else had issues with tire shops and inductions? I just had a tire repaired and they scratched all of the spokes when they were mounting or unmounting the tire

This is true of any wheel, not just the Inductions. I've been using custom 3-piece wheels on my weekend cars for years. You don't take expensive custom wheels to any tire shop because it's easy to damage them if the operators aren't concerned about scuffing them up. You've probably owned previous cars that had the wheels slightly damaged by a tire shop but never noticed the damage since most factory wheels are silver. It's more noticeable when your wheels are black or gray, like the Inductions.

 

[Flybuddy]

This is a byproduct of rim vs tire size. I have the stock 19 inch wheels which use a 9.5 inch wide rim. When I replaced them with aftermarket rims I used an 8.5 inch rim ( acceptable size and load rating) for the same size tire. As you can see in the pictures, the stock rim and tire will have the rim hitting a curb whereas the smaller rim exposes the tire to curb rash first.

 

[mark95476]

I would think a vast majority of Tesla owners have owned other vehicles before. I think it's more a matter of rim rash being more noticeable on a relatively expensive vehicle so owners actually caring.

Though on a positive note, I've gathered from many posts on this forum that a Tesla is a first vehicle for quite a few people.

 

[Hexo09]

I rashed an induction wheel the third week I had the car, it was a huge bummer. A little sharpie later, needless to say I've been extra careful when parallel parking after that. I take full responsibility for hitting the curb, as I clearly came in way too hot, on one of those curbs with a metal piece on it at that.

That being said, it's easy to also only blame the driver, I think there is some shared responsibility. This car obviously isn't the only one with this type of design, but there is a reason for a lot of people scratching them so easily. I also agree that them being black (and expensive) doesn't help either with people's frustration, as it's so noticeable.

 

[TLLMRRJ]

Cars of today are a no-contact sport. You can't touch the car to anything without ugly damage. They're not like my first car which was a 75 Mercury that could take hits to the wheels, body panels, and bumpers without receiving any damage. Translation: You have to be a better driver today, or deal with the damage, but don't blame the car.

 

[Nakk]

I'd rather keep the same tire size and get narrower rims. My "Model 3 only" TSV rims from Tsportline work perfectly well on my Model Y PUP. No more confused speedo with the same tire sidewall protection.

I got the Model 3 TSTs! I agonized over deciding between the TSTs and the TSVs. I ended up going with the TSTs because of the weight difference. How do you like the TSVs? Size? How's the ride?

 

[patnshan]

Just throw some 265’s on.

Any rubbing? Can you give me the full size of these tires? Thinking about getting wider summer tires on my 20’s, as I have winter 18’s that I swap on and off.

 

[MJP.P3D-]

Any rubbing? Can you give me the full size of these tires? Thinking about getting wider summer tires on my 20’s, as I have winter 18’s that I swap on and off.

265/40ZR20, per the photo that was attached.

 

[dinonugget]

Sadly, curbing your wheel is nothing the non-existent 360 bird's eye view wouldn't be able to mostly fix. Come on, Tesla!

 

[patnshan]

265/40ZR20, per the photo that was attached.

Thanks. I saw the 265 part but not the rest.

 

[mark95476]

Look at any turning lane curb or island and I bet you'll see black tire marks. People have been curbing their wheels ever since cars and trucks existed.

Sadly, curbing your wheel is nothing the non-existent 360 bird's eye view wouldn't be able to mostly fix. Come on, Tesla!

 

[Arkbird]

I got the Model 3 TSTs! I agonized over deciding between the TSTs and the TSVs. I ended up going with the TSTs because of the weight difference. How do you like the TSVs? Size? How's the ride?

How do you like the TSTs over gemini/induction wheels? Do you get better range/efficiency with them?

 

[MikeInFL]

Any rubbing? Can you give me the full size of these tires? Thinking about getting wider summer tires on my 20’s, as I have winter 18’s that I swap on and off.

265/40ZR20 - No rubbing.

 

[Koolio46]

How I read this


"I F'd up and curbed my rim but it's Tesla's fault for designing an aerodynamic 20" rim that is flat with the tire!"


Poorly designed rim? Or poorly designed cement curb?

Totally agree. Honestly, I’m surprised by how many people curb their wheels. I get it happens but some people do it multiple times

 

[brinox]

I got the Model 3 TSTs! I agonized over deciding between the TSTs and the TSVs. I ended up going with the TSTs because of the weight difference. How do you like the TSVs? Size? How's the ride?

So far pretty good, outside of some additive resonance happening at ~43mph and ~78mph. I think this is related to my tire choice though. I'm still investigating however.

The slightly increased power efficiency is noticeable though...