self made aero wheels

[Evogreen]

They attach using a bracket that I designed. The bracket bolts on when you put your tire on. Then you can attach the clear cover and the aluminium retention plate with 5 bolts. To check your tire pressure and clean your rim you don't have to take off the bracket, just the plate and clear cover. I am currently working on the 19" slipstream wheel cover that will look the same as this. The bracket works on the 19" slipstream wheels. Not sure about the 5 spoke wheels yet, I have to get my hands on a spare 5 spoke that is not mounted to a car and test my bracket on it. It should be possible but may require slight modification to the bracket. I did testing with these on the 21" turbines and I saw 7% better energy efficiency at 110 km/h vs not having them on. So about 30 kilometers of range can be gained.

 

[skilly]

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.

At the risk of getting hate mail, I have to ask why? I look at a Prius or even that new Hydrogen car built on a similar platform as the ultimate example of my statement - why does efficiency have to be ugly?? Other than being 'en vogue', the Prius, or Leaf aren't going to ever win any beauty contests - I see aero wheels the same way.

What I mean is, there has to be a graph with the range increase vs the rate of ugliness where they cross over and the rate of ugliness increases beyond what a reasonable return might be. Most other EVs start with this graph disproportionately high on the side of ugliness in favor of range (my earlier example of Toyota and Nissan products). Tesla seems to maximize range while adding another graph line for beauty....something every other car manufacture (for now) continues to miss.

Is an extra 20 miles of range (or even 50) worth taking these beautiful cars and making them less beautiful. Just paying attention to my lead foot seems to be the best way for me so far to find miles that would otherwise been spent making me smile from ear to ear.

 

[Evogreen]

At the risk of getting hate mail, I have to ask why? I look at a Prius or even that new Hydrogen car built on a similar platform as the ultimate example of my statement - why does efficiency have to be ugly?? Other than being 'en vogue', the Prius, or Leaf aren't going to ever win any beauty contests - I see aero wheels the same way.

What I mean is, there has to be a graph with the range increase vs the rate of ugliness where they cross over and the rate of ugliness increases beyond what a reasonable return might be. Most other EVs start with this graph disproportionately high on the side of ugliness in favor of range (my earlier example of Toyota and Nissan products). Tesla seems to maximize range while adding another graph line for beauty....something every other car manufacture (for now) continues to miss.

Is an extra 20 miles of range (or even 50) worth taking these beautiful cars and making them less beautiful. Just paying attention to my lead foot seems to be the best way for me so far to find miles that would otherwise been spent making me smile from ear to ear.

I believe what i have made takes very little away from the asthetics of the tesla model s, that was one of my main goals.

 

[skilly]

I believe what i have made takes very little away from the asthetics of the tesla model s, that was one of my main goals.View attachment 256923

its clearly (see what I did there?) the best version on the web, BY FAR. If I were inclined to go down this path, the only one that I would consider is your design. My thoughts were broader than that though...more towards the push and pull between range vs. beauty. The question still begs in my mind.

 

[Evogreen]

its clearly (see what I did there?) the best version on the web, BY FAR. If I were inclined to go down this path, the only one that I would consider is your design. My thoughts were broader than that though...more towards the push and pull between range vs. beauty. The question still begs in my mind.

Thanks for the compliment!

 

[Seawind300]

I believe what i have made takes very little away from the asthetics of the tesla model s, that was one of my main goals.View attachment 256923

Do you have a ballpark price on these?

Thanks, Mike

 

[Evogreen]

Do you have a ballpark price on these?

Thanks, Mike

I could make you a set for $1200.

 

[JRP3]

Is an extra 20 miles of range (or even 50) worth taking these beautiful cars and making them less beautiful.

Areo does not have to be ugly. Model S is more aerodynamic than a Prius or a LEAF for example. I think the new aero covers on the Model 3 can be made to look really good with the proper color treatment, i.e. more chrome or polished aluminum look instead of all black. In any case no one is forcing you to use aerodynamic wheel covers if you don't like them.

 

[scottm]

Nifty!

What are the dots at every spoke? Silicon pads.. ?

Is it perfectly flat or domed?

Material? Polycarbonate... or plexi?

Did you consider solid color (silver) instead of clear.. for dirt hiding?

Topping up air... car washes... how fast do these come off / go on again?

Notice any balance issue? How fast have you gone with them on?

etc..

Take more pictures of mounting bits please!

 

[Seawind300]

I could make you a set for $1200.

nice

 

[Sharpgt]

The captured brake heat could be used to bake pizzas. Maybe Pappa Johns or Dominos would,order a fleet of Tesla's for quicker, fresher delivery!

 

[Evogreen]

The dots are clear plastic bumpers so the rim does not get scratched, the material is polycarbonate. The design is flat and i wanted it to be clear so as to not hide the nice rims and painted brake calipers. In my opinion the opaque disks are not good looking. The clear cover comes off with 5 small bolts, so it's easy to take them on and off for cleaning and checking air pressure. No balance issues and I have gone up 150 km/h with them on.

 

[Evogreen]

Nifty!

What are the dots at every spoke? Silicon pads.. ?

Is it perfectly flat or domed?

Material? Polycarbonate... or plexi?

Did you consider solid color (silver) instead of clear.. for dirt hiding?

Topping up air... car washes... how fast do these come off / go on again?

Notice any balance issue? How fast have you gone with them on?

etc..

Take more pictures of mounting bits please!

See previous post (forgot to quote)

 

[scottm]

See previous post (forgot to quote)

Dude...!

You rock. I love your idea and follow-through in doing it.

These appear to be the most solid "hub caps" ever made.

I don't care what anybody says... just know that you rock.

 

[Evogreen]

Thanks! I put a lot of work into them and it took a lot of time and money. It seems like they are too expensive for most people's tastes though so I am working on a new idea for a simpler and easier to install version. Not sure if it will work at this point though, have to get them made and do some testing. These ones that I have made are on my car right now and definitely work. They even protect against curb rash.

Where abouts in Canada are you Scott? Maybe we could meet up one day and I can show you my covers. I am near Toronto, Ontario.

 

[Bluechip]

I too don't see this or any aero wheel being cost beneficial. Even if it only cost $100 per wheel, how long would it take to make up the costs in aero savings? Could it be done in the life of the car?

 

[JRP3]

I think it's more about providing extra range than cost reduction.

 

[Evogreen]

Yes it is more about providing extra range and better efficiency. The cost of these covers would take a long time to recoup, thanks to the fact that the car is already so efficient. Being powered by electricity cuts the cost by about 1/5th vs ICE cars. That does not leave a lot of room for improvement as far as charging costs are concerned. However name one other modification that you could easily add to the car and improve the efficiency by 5 to 10% at highway speeds? Not very easy to do, so this modification is not about saving money, just about making the car more efficient. Also about extending your range for your longer road trips. Another benefit is that there is less demand on your battery thus extending the life of the battery by keeping it in an ideal state of charge more of the time. The cost benefit of that extended life of the battery I do not know the value of, however it's definitely a plus! Did I mention these covers protect your rims from curb rash and stone chips as well?

 

[FlatSix911]

Interesting reading on the dramatic range difference... Tesla Model S and Model X: Here’s how wheel size can affect efficiency
Wheels and tires can affect the efficiency of any car regardless of the powertrain, but since there’s already so much concern (most of it unnecessary) around electric car range, it might be worth to look into the actual measurable impact. Some newly released documents about Tesla’s Model S and Model X to the EPA help us better understand the impact of Tesla’s wheel options on the efficiency of those EVs. expand full story

The tests date back to December of last year, but they were recently released by the EPA and analyzed by Teslike on Tesla’s Subreddit to compare the energy consumption of 19″ and 21″ Model S wheels or 20″ and 22″ Model X wheels. Here are the results:

• 4.9% more consumption for Model S P100D with 21″ vs 19″ wheels.
• 5.2% more consumption for Model S P90D with 21″ vs 19″ wheels.
• 11.6% more consumption for Model S 60/75 with 21″ vs 19″ wheels.
• 11.8% more consumption for Model S 60D/75D/90D with 21″ vs 19″ wheels.

• 22.2% more consumption for Model X P90D with 22″ vs 20″ wheels.
• 22.5% more consumption for Model X 60D/75D/90D with 22″ vs 20″ wheels.
• 23.3% more consumption for Model X P100D with 22″ vs 20″ wheels.

 

[Evogreen]

Yes changing the wheel size affects the energy use as well. I still have to do testing with the 19" Wheel to see what kind of improvement I can get with them covered. The 19" wheels are the most efficient you can get from the factory, combine that with a cover and you will have the highest level of efficiency that you can achieve with just adding a wheel cover to the stock car. I expect to see about 4 to 5% improvement by adding the covers to the 19" wheel. I will post my results once I do the tests.