Like this ...Tesla Aero Wheel Rim
To my knowledge, the aero rim was neither lighter nor narrower than the base 19's.
I like the i3's approach to a larger diameter, narrower rim/tire...though not quite to that degree.
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To my knowledge, the aero rim was neither lighter nor narrower than the base 19's.
I like the i3's approach to a larger diameter, narrower rim/tire...though not quite to that degree.
I am really intrigued by what a set of i3 equivalent rims would do on an S. When you see the range hit for the larger rims on the S/X, it just seems like 15% is a reasonable estimate going from the 19" to a narrower, lighter, more aero, lower rolling resistance option.
There is no doubt, Tesla is losing range an efficiency on the wheels. There is a lot of missed opportunity. There are many ways to increase efficiency and eliminate losses. Some are complicated and expensive and affect other choices. Other things are very simple and the effect is great.
For example tire pressure makes a significant difference, yet it costs nothing! Aerodynamic wheels don't cost anything more than a different wheel design and has a great effect. Tesla made the choice to go for performance rather than efficiency on the S and X in many ways. I think that was the right decision to sell the car and make it popular. But I think there is room for a more efficient option now. The vast majority of people drive car that are much slower than even the slowest Model S/X and are perfectly fine with it.
Garlan Garner
Banned
jeff mccabe
Member
My disks where held in place with 5 screws. It doesn't take much time to undo them, take the disk off and check the air. Of course it's annoying, but it wasn't a big issue for me. The other issues with disk over wheels are much more problematic.
My disk were custom made by Mooneyes. Just go back in this discussion where I explained it. They require custom lug nuts to attach the disks without drilling into the rims (which was my first solution).
David, what if your disks were instead installed between the rims and the brake rotors, flush with the backside of the spokes?
The discs would have holes that fit the lug patten and just slide over the lugs.
Do you think you could get near the same efficiency gains with none of the problems? You could also paint the discs black to maintain near stock cosmetics.
The discs would have holes that fit the lug patten and just slide over the lugs.
Do you think you could get near the same efficiency gains with none of the problems? You could also paint the discs black to maintain near stock cosmetics.
That's an interesting thought. I doubt the effect would be the same. The smooth surface covering the entire rim enables the air to flow freely. Closing off the rims from the inside would prevent the air to through the rims be the outside airflow would probably not be good. I mean it would be worth a try, but I doubt the effect would be the same.
Efficiency would be better than not, but still nowhere near something like the pizza pans. Part of the aerodynamic improvement of pizza pans is cutting off the airflow through the wheels, but most of it is from the clean(er) airflow across the outside of the wheels.
A while back I started making a mold to do something very similar to what you described. It was basically going to plug the space in between the wheel spokes to retain the look of the wheels-ish but still have a relatively flush-ish outside surface for the airflow. That project fell through.
brucet999
Active Member
Actually, at speed you could tell the difference, because you can see rotors and brake calipers through a spoked wheel.
bkp_duke
Well-Known Member
Covering them on the outside results in less turbulent airflow around the car, thereby reducing the coefficient of drag. Once the air passes the spokes, it becomes turbulent.
Personally I don't like the Aero wheels, but they have been proven time and time again to improve range.
That makes sense. I was thinking of maximizing the efficiency of the wheel only. When I think of the wheel as part of a "system," I realize that the wheel could improve the overall efficiency (the aerodynamics of the wheel spinning through air and also the aerodynamics of the car pushing through the air), two birds..... Thanks bkp.
Evogreen
Member
I have created a wheel cover for the Model S Turbine wheels, they are not cheap to make but they fit on the wheels with no modification to the wheel. Not sure if anyone is still checking this thread so I will be brief for now. If you have any questions please let me know. Here is a picture.
Electricfan
Active Member
Neat. I have the old style 5-spoke 19" rims though. There are a lot of us out here with these so if you make any for this rim please post. How do they attach? I think they look great. Did you do any testing to see what range improvement you expect?
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