Slipstream vs Arachnid?

[CameronB]

For anybody who has previously replaced the base 19" Slipstream wheels on their Model S with the 21" Arachnid wheels, I am very interested to hear some actual feedback by people who have made this switch (as opposed to ancetotal information that we kind of all know already).

I know many people have 19"s and many people have 21"s. And some people have switched one for the other. I suspect, however, a smaller set of people originally had 19" Slipstreams and moved to 21" Arachnids...but those are the people I am especially hoping will see this thread.

I have acquired a set of 21" Arachnid wheels through the referral program. I love the way they look.

What I already understand to be differences:

• 21" wheels will promote better handling, albeit at the expense of a stiffer ride
• 21", lower-profile tires will likely wear faster
• 21" tires are more expensive than the same-brand 19" tires
• 21" Arachnids are staggered (wider in the back) so no tire rotations.

What I don't know as much about and looking for first-hand feedback for:

1. I know range will almost certainly be affected. But I'd like to understand by how much? My particular car is a 75D with air suspension. I know absolute ranges will vary by configuration and battery size but if someone who has made this switch can tell me at least a percentage lost, that would be great. Is it a 5% hit to range? 10%? More? I know this wheel is less aerodynamic compared to the Slipstreams and a larger tire patch (while helping handling) will increase rolling resistance.
2. Is there any difference in noise level? Is one noticeably quieter than the other, or is it pretty much a wash?
3. How much difference is there in ride quality. Are the Arachnids overly harsh on the highway/freeway with respect to not-great-roads and small potholes?

Thanks in advance. I am debating whether to keep these Arachnids around until my 19" tires need to be replaced and then swap them on the car or put them up for sale...or trade for anyone who has some TSS Wheel - Flow Forged laying around

 

[SilverGS]

Personally I think you're over analyzing this.

Clearly there will be some differences in all the categories you mention, but definitely not enough to make a significant difference to even be of the slightest importance.

The one area where there is a clear difference (and others have said I'm being anal) is that the Z rated 21 inch tires wear much faster than all seasons in 20 or 19 inch. That reason alone was what made me get 20 inch rims.

 

[PhilDavid]

It would depend on how good the roads are where you live.

The first "upgrade" we made to the car was replacing the 21" wheels with 19" wheels. Better range, cheaper tires, more comfortable rides, and you can still have great performance by buying quality high performance tires. The biggest reason for us was less risk of tire damage leaving us stranded on the side of the road.

Given how bad the roads are where we live, the 21" wheels would have been a poor choice.

 

[Shateam]

I went from 19” slipstreams to 21”’archanids on my 90D.

Road noise is definitely louder. Unfortunately, I can’t offer any quantifiable data but you will notice it instantly.

My range hit was noticeable too. I averaged about 290 Wh/Mile on my slipstreams. I average about 315 - 320 on my archanids and I drive like a grandma. (I live in the US NE)

I don’t think I have enough miles to provide feedback on tire wear.

But at the end of the day, I have no regrets. It’s a personal choice and I love the look of the archanids.

 

[2101Guy]

I went this route a couple months ago on my 90D. For me, 90% was for the look. The Arachnids appear to have a lower offset than the slipstreams. The Slipstreams stuck too far inside the wheel well for me, the arachnids fit out a bit more flush and look like they belong. The larger diameter and shorter sidewall tires give it a more sporty look. (to me). Plus I wanted forged, which the arachnids are. The additional strength can easily mean the difference between a bent wheel (non forged) and zero damage after a pothole (Forged). And the arachnids are SOO much easier to keep the inside of the wheels clean. (larger gaps between the spokes).

I'd say my tire noise went up about 10% over the 19's. I honestly havent taken a road trip yet, so cant tell you about any range difference, although I think a loss of about 5% can be expected mainly due to increased rolling resistance of the high performance tires as well as wider contact patch.

I kept my slipstreams. They will go on in the winter (Im on the east coast). Michelin Pilot Sports are NOT an all season tire. Horrible in even the slightest of snow.

Ride quality is about the same? Maybe 5% harsher? Roads here in middle Virginia arent nearly as bad as the DC area, so I'd probably notice a bigger difference up there. My commute here is on a well kept highway back and forth to work. And other roads are in good shape as well.

 

[GWord]

Similar experience as the other posters. Road noise went way up and ride quality is reduced a bit. Driving feels a little more spirited with the lighter wheels. Consumption is up by 10 to 20 wh/mi (I.e. not a bad increase at all).

 

[ons_]

Also went from Slipstreams to Arachnids. The only down for me is that the ride is much stiffer and you'll feel every lane line rumble strip bump when changing lanes. It's a small success if you're able to weave perfectly between and not hit any of them. Everything else is up - energy use, noise, grip, cost of tires, looks, etc.

 

[BigNick]

I would think either the 19” Slipstreams or 21” Arachnids would be more efficient than the heavy 21” Turbines, but I am surprised the Arachnids are that much less efficient than Slipstreams.

Aren’t the Arachnids actually lighter than the Slipstreams? Is it the 9% wider rear staggered tires? The higher rolling resistance of the stickier Pilot Super Sports? Aero differences in the spoke design?

 

[GWord]

I would think either the 19” Slipstreams or 21” Arachnids would be more efficient than the heavy 21” Turbines, but I am surprised the Arachnids are that much less efficient than Slipstreams.

Aren’t the Arachnids actually lighter than the Slipstreams? Is it the 9% wider rear staggered tires? The higher rolling resistance of the stickier Pilot Super Sports? Aero differences in the spoke design?

My experience is that the Arachnids are pretty close to the slipstreams in terms of efficiency.

 

[viper2ko]

My efficiency went up over 300. Prolly lose about 10% range. But worth it imo. Car looks way better. I keep 19s in the winter and switch over to the arachnids during warmer months.

 

[MorrisonHiker]

We went with the TSS Flow wheels on the S. Best of both worlds.

Putting a set on the Y this week as well.

 

[CameronB]

It would depend on how good the roads are where you live. Given how bad the roads are where we live, the 21" wheels would have been a poor choice.

I'm in California. The roads here are pretty crappy...but kind of "average" since it seems roads in a lot of the states (especially with large populations) are also poor. So the roads seem "normal" even though they are bad. There typically aren't a lot of large potholes. But lots of small ones and cracks and general surface wear. Perhaps the fact that the Arachnids are forged may negate the tendency of other 21" wheels with thinner sidewall tires getting flats and having the rim bent...maybe.

 

[CameronB]

My experience is that the Arachnids are pretty close to the slipstreams in terms of efficiency.

Similar experience as the other posters. Road noise went way up and ride quality is reduced a bit. Driving feels a little more spirited with the lighter wheels. Consumption is up by 10 to 20 wh/mi (I.e. not a bad increase at all).

10 to 20 wh/mi isn't too bad. I do see you have a P100D. So your total range is a lot more than mine - in theory, I get 259 miles at 100% SOC but after 2.5 years of degradation and/or Tesla playing around with range numbers, I now only get about 240. Several times I year, I make 400+ mile (each way) road trip and those are the trips where further decreases in range will kind of get amplified and reduce my flexibility in timing for charging. Though...one or two more superchargers (perpetually "Coming Soon") on my route would make that a complete non-issue. So maybe it's only a short term issue. Certainly day-to-day for commute and whatnot would make zero difference already.

Thanks for your feedback!

 

[GWord]

10 to 20 wh/mi isn't too bad. I do see you have a P100D. So your total range is a lot more than mine - in theory, I get 259 miles at 100% SOC but after 2.5 years of degradation and/or Tesla playing around with range numbers, I now only get about 240. Several times I year, I make 400+ mile (each way) road trip and those are the trips where further decreases in range will kind of get amplified and reduce my flexibility in timing for charging. Though...one or two more superchargers (perpetually "Coming Soon") on my route would make that a complete non-issue. So maybe it's only a short term issue. Certainly day-to-day for commute and whatnot would make zero difference already.

Thanks for your feedback!

Being totally honest here, I have noticed no practical difference in my ability to take trips. Maybe a few extra minutes at each supercharger, if that. There is only one particular route that I take occasionally that I could just eke out with the 19s, without stopping, that I might need to supercharge on now. At one point I actually had 22" wheels with 295 width tires. My consumption with those was at least 100wh/mi over my average and that did produce a lot of inconvenience.

 

[EVortex]

My experience is that the Arachnids are pretty close to the slipstreams in terms of efficiency.

I agree, efficiency is very close between arachnids and slipstreams, but much better than turbines. Turbines are still my favorites from an appearance perspective, but arachnids are a close second. I run arachnids most of the year and switch to 19” for winter.

 

[SSedan]

I would think either the 19” Slipstreams or 21” Arachnids would be more efficient than the heavy 21” Turbines, but I am surprised the Arachnids are that much less efficient than Slipstreams.

Aren’t the Arachnids actually lighter than the Slipstreams? Is it the 9% wider rear staggered tires? The higher rolling resistance of the stickier Pilot Super Sports? Aero differences in the spoke design?

People here place far too much faith in the idea lighter equals range, they basically ignore the fact Regen captures more energy. Not like an ice where all acceleration energy is gone once expended.

Tires tires tires, and tires are the biggest factor in range difference with different wheels. Yes aerodynamics have an effect AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, but tires are a constant change it n efficiency.

If you drill down I bet you find those saying arachnids didn't change things much probably average a slower speed so they aren't seeing the combination of the stickier tire losses and the aero losses.

I know that sounds contrary to what I said about the tires being the main factor, but a person might shrug off a 5% loss from the tire change but then if you add 3% for aero loss might see the 8% loss as worth noting.

 

[F@kegman]

I have a 2017 MS 75D with air suspension. I went from the 19"s to 21" arachnid. I noticed a stiffer more sporty ride and handling performance was much snappier with the lower profile tires. My performance impact was 3-5% in the city and 8-12% highway. I have driven it about 10K miles on the new setup and even put on lowering links to remove a little more wheel gap. I am used to a stiff performance ride and have no issues but I would not describe it a harsh by any means. Noise did go up a bit.

 

[SSedan]

I have a 2017 MS 75D with air suspension. I went from the 19"s to 21" arachnid. I noticed a stiffer more sporty ride and handling performance was much snappier with the lower profile tires. My performance impact was 3-5% in the city and 8-12% highway. I have driven it about 10K miles on the new setup and even put on lowering links to remove a little more wheel gap. I am used to a stiff performance ride and have no issues but I would not describe it a harsh by any means. Noise did go up a bit.

Thank you for listing city efficiency difference vs. highway. I hope that really clarifies things for some folks.

 

[terryna]

I don't have personal experience with them, but I was considering them when I was looking

 

[dk10438]

re: range and efficiency see my prior thread
Mileage hit not as bad as I expected changing from 19's to 21's

as previously noted, tire width and stickiness have a larger effect on mileage/efficiency than weight
it's settled into 374 Wh/mi on 245 fronts and 285 rears