-
Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
Recommendation for 18 inch wheels for Performance
- Thread starter Dads-reward
- Start date
kgoroway
Member
I'm in the same boat. Was thinking tsportline ($1380 shipped - tires not included). But, instead I think I'm going with 20" Michelin Pilot Alpina tires ($1350 from tirerack). They will cost about $100 to swap onto the stock rims, and then back off again in the spring, so $200/year.
The gives my 6ish years to see if I am willing to continue doing this, while also deciding if 20" rims are a reasonable thing to drive around on with the terrible pot-holes we have in New Jersey/Philadelphia.
It does mean I'm on the hook for 20" winter tires which might not be "used up" if I decide I don't want to keep doing this. The 20" summer tires will be used up before I'm faced with this decision again next year, though...
Snow Drift
[Off-Road Assist] Activated
TSportline 18s are the way to go for winter and summer (new tires required).
> Tesla Model 3 Aftermarket Wheels
> Tesla Model 3 Aftermarket Wheels
Dan203
Active Member
So 18' wheels will fit on the bigger breaks?
I'm thinking about getting an M3 Performance but 20" wheels with super low profile tires suck. I'd prefer an 18" wheel with normal tires. If I buy the Tesla this is likely one of the first things I'd want to do.
I'm thinking about getting an M3 Performance but 20" wheels with super low profile tires suck. I'd prefer an 18" wheel with normal tires. If I buy the Tesla this is likely one of the first things I'd want to do.
Dan203
Active Member
One more question... do they require mixed tires? I hate mixed tires. I'd prefer to have the same size tire all the way around if possible so they can be rotated properly.
kgoroway
Member
Certainly 18 foot wheels wouldn't fit. They'd rub against the fenders. But, 18 inch wheels (from certain 3rd parties) can and do fit. ;-)
No, a square setup is factory stock, and there's nothing that says you can't keep it that way if you move to 18" or 19" wheels.
I was going to go with the Michelin A/S 3+ All Season on the 20s with the same 235/35 size... but was thinking the 20s with 35 series tires are soooo prone to pot hole damage. THe 18's with 45 series (or even 50) might be better - especially for the winter.
Tirerack appears to have a number of 18" rims that will fit the perf. calipers ... and can keep the same overall wheel/tire diameter by selecting the right tire.
AlanSubie4Life
Efficiency Obsessed Member
As mentioned, there's several threads on this and if you do the search with the search terms provided you'll find a lot of info.
I got a set of "winter" and "range" wheels and tires (Flow-formed Konig Dekagram 18x8.5 ET35 with Michelin CrossClimate+ 235/45R18) for $1900 total including tax & the road hazard warranty. I'm in California so something less than a pure winter tire was required - I want to be able to use them year round for range reasons (I expect significantly improved range over the stock PS4S). They were out of stock, but should be available shortly.
From what I understand Konigs are good wheels and really are pretty light.
These wheels will clear the brakes with 3-4mm of clearance from the calipers (it's closest in the rear), and there are no other clearance issues.
You need the 35 offset with the P3D+, if you want to maintain the stock offset.
I'm planning to not use hub-centric rings - will just be careful with the wheel nut tightening to get them perfectly centered, but will get them if I need them.
Front clearance:
Rear clearance (it's hard to tell from the picture, but I estimate this to be 3-4mm - incorrectly positioned wheel weights WOULD easily clear):
Couchking
Member
Here are mine. TSportline 18's on Michelin A/S 3+ 245/45/18. They clear they brakes just fine with a very slight decrease in fender gap.
kgoroway
Member
Yep, totally agree. But I decided to defer the spending the 18" wheels until the 20" wheels actually become a problem, if they ever do. I also decided that if I'm going to swap tires, I should go with real winter tires instead of the compromise that all-seasons really are. I'm afraid that I'd get lazy and leave the all-seasons on all year 'round...and I really don't want to give up the stopping distance performance of the summer tires. Locking myself into winter/summer tires means I'll be forced to actually do the swap.
Only issue with that - you hit a pot hole a decent distance away from home/Tesla service, and you could be stuck paying towing to Tesla, and having them charge you about $1300 for new rim/tire/mount/balance so you can use the car until you get your 18" wheels/tires.
Damn - that's nice ... thanks for this info!!Here are mine. TSportline 18's on Michelin A/S 3+ 245/45/18. They clear they brakes just fine with a very slight decrease in fender gap.
Msjulie
Active Member
kgoroway
Member
Fortunately, we have spare cars. If it happens, the model 3 will be down while we wait for new (non 20") rims to arrive.
Last edited:
Cool. The Engineering guy on youtube was about 1000 miles from home, but within 30 miles of a Tesla service center. He blew out two tires on his performance and one of the rims. $2600+.
kgoroway
Member
I switched to the TSportline 18" with Michelin at about 5500 miles, and wended out selling my 20" tires and wheels for almost exactly the same as the TSportline cost. I am very pleased with the decision, which I made within a week of losing two 20" wheels to hazards in New Brunswick. Long story but I would recommend anybody to switch to 18" for winter driving anywhere. Were it for me I'd immediately buy Nokia to fit the 18" wheels.
Although I now live in sunny climes I had a Porsche 911C4 in winter, and never regretted switching to smaller wheels and Nokia for winter. The Model 3 needs that accommodation more than the Porsche did IMHO.
Although I now live in sunny climes I had a Porsche 911C4 in winter, and never regretted switching to smaller wheels and Nokia for winter. The Model 3 needs that accommodation more than the Porsche did IMHO.
Not sure if NJ/Philly is like Pittsburgh PA, but I'd recommend that if you want to drive in winter that you get smaller rims. The stock 3P rims are pretty fragile, and the low profile OEM tires don't do much to protect them. A single small pothole that doesn't bother 99.9% of traffic will cost you $1000s and hours to repair.
The combination of very heavy car (4000 pounds +), fairly narrow tires (for a 4k pound vehicle), and very low profile (about 2" of sidewall) makes the 3p particularly vulnerable to potholes, and winter time just makes the pothole situation that much worse.
Once you do that you could do the 4s tires for the summer, or maybe go for a slightly worse summer performance with the Michilin as3+, but getting dramatically better winter performance. I'm in a similar boat and I"m considering similar, but maybe bumping the width to 245.
Similar threads
