Tire width appearance

[insaneoctane]

This is purely cosmetic. ..

Both in person and in photos, the width of the M3 tires do not appear very aggressive. I'm honestly surprised because at 245mm they are not narrow tires. Relatively low side walls at 40 or 45 too. Is it because the rim is too wide? It's definitely not a BMW i3, but is anyone else surprised at how meh the tire widths look?

 

[Lloyd]

Related, it would be nice if Tesla sized the tires/rims to help protect the rims against curb rash. It would protect my wife against my !

 

[DarthPierce]

I think that both of those issues are related to maximizing aero. Any part of the tire that extends past the rim will adversely affect aero. You can put on a wider tire or one with a protruding lip, but it will adversely affect range (at highway speeds)

 

[PoitNarf]

That’s 10mm wider than the tires on my Mustang which I think looks pretty aggressive tire size wise.

 

[novox77]

Both 18" and 19" wheels on the model 3 are 235mm.

 

[insaneoctane]

My bad, I meant 235mm. Nonetheless, no one has agreed with my opinion that they don't look very wide, so maybe my expectations are too great...

 

[DarthPierce]

My bad, I meant 235mm. Nonetheless, no one has agreed with my opinion that they don't look very wide, so maybe my expectations are too great...

Oh I do agree they don't look wide. They're 235s on an 8.5" wheel. it makes them look stretched, especially with the aero cover. For comparison, my STI runs 245-40s on an 8" wheel, so the tire protrudes past the wheel. This flush/stretched thing is all in the name of aerodynamics.

 

[Snow Drift]

Oh I do agree they don't look wide. They're 235s on an 8.5" wheel. it makes them look stretched, especially with the aero cover. For comparison, my STI runs 245-40s on an 8" wheel, so the tire protrudes past the wheel. This flush/stretched thing is all in the name of aerodynamics.

STI here too. 245/35/19 stock on 19x8.5.

The Model 3 also has a wide rear so the tires doesn’t look that big from 3/4 view.

From the back, down low, it looks nice

 

[suwaneedad]

The one thing I'm grateful for from the BMW i3, is that ALL TIRES LOOK WIDE TO ME NOW.
That BMW let that thing get produced with shopping cart tire widths is still unbelievable to me...screams compliance car.
It makes my LEAF tires look positively sinisterrrrr by comparison.

 

[suwaneedad]

STI here too. 245/35/19 stock on 19x8.5.

The Model 3 also has a wide rear so the tires doesn’t look that big from 3/4 view.

From the back, down low, it looks nice

View attachment 284572

By the way, gorgeous image of a silver Model 3. Eagerly awaiting mine this month.

 

[Tdave]

I’ve put 265 in the rear, on 19x9.5 rims, the staggered configuration as specified in the manual.

 

[Uncle Paul]

Model 3 tires do not look too wide because they are tucked inside the wheel wells, and the wheels themselves have little lip.

They are designed to enhance the aero of the car, and the meaty stylishment is diminished.

 

[FlyNavy01]

STI here too. 245/35/19 stock on 19x8.5.

The Model 3 also has a wide rear so the tires doesn’t look that big from 3/4 view.

From the back, down low, it looks nice

View attachment 284572

Those are 275's in that picture. The alpha prototypes had a staggered setup of 235/35/20 and 275/30/20.

 

[willa1975]

I am not a fan of the stretched look.

Will be swapping to 255s once I run down the factory tires.

 

[EVnut]

Has anybody tried narrower rims with the factory tires?

 

[Shizzrock]

I think they need more negative camber, it will make the tires look more aggressive. They also could have gone 245, but wanted to maximize efficiency. My S4 came with 8" wheels and 245 wide tires, so the model 3s are definitely more stretched, also probably for efficiency.

 

[EVnut]

I'm trying to think of how to make better aesthetics without incurring loss of efficiency or wear. Camber needs to be set where it makes the most practical sense, IMO. Tilting the tires is gonna make them wear poorly. But reducing the width of the rim while using the factory tire width would likely make the tire look better, will *decrease* the system weight, would protect the rim better from curb damage, and... would it reduce aero or rolling efficiency? :shrug:

 

[Shizzrock]

I'm trying to think of how to make better aesthetics without incurring loss of efficiency or wear. Camber needs to be set where it makes the most practical sense, IMO. Tilting the tires is gonna make them wear poorly. But reducing the width of the rim while using the factory tire width would likely make the tire look better, will *decrease* the system weight, would protect the rim better from curb damage, and... would it reduce aero or rolling efficiency? :shrug:

Just a little bit as you'd have more contact patch. But there's not enough camber in the factory spec, at least on the fronts. The fronts are at -.5 and the rears are at -.9 (from an owner on twitter who got an alignment). For a sports sedan that's very conservative, so I disagree that camber won't help.

Edit: The biggest change you could make looks wise is a different offset that would push the wheels out. But I would still go bigger with the tire rather than smaller with the wheel for looks and performance. I know people are concerned with efficiency, but that's not my number one concern. My number one concern would be performance and handling, but that's just me.

 

[EVnut]

Just a little bit as you'd have more contact patch. But there's not enough camber in the factory spec, at least on the fronts. The fronts are at -.5 and the rears are at -.9 (from an owner on twitter who got an alignment). For a sports sedan that's very conservative, so I disagree that camber won't help.

We'd have to agree on what "help" means in this case. If just aesthetics, I agree. But what's the reason that they went so conservative on the factory specs for camber? Purely for efficiency? Tire wear? clearly not max handling or aesthetics!

Edit: The biggest change you could make looks wise is a different offset that would push the wheels out. But I would still go bigger with the tire rather than smaller with the wheel for looks and performance. I know people are concerned with efficiency, but that's not my number one concern. My number one concern would be performance and handling, but that's just me.

Yeah, I get it. Wider rims and even wider tires on the rear would of course help aesthetics AND performance. At the expense of efficiency of course.

I'm just trying to figure out the best balance of everything. I'd like two things improved: Protection of the rims with a bit of extra rubber, and the aesthetics. I'm not willing to take a big range hit for either of those, however. Performance for my non-performance vehicle is "good enough."

As time goes on, I'm sure there will be plenty of experimentation and photographs (and data) for different wheel/tire combos.

 

[Shizzrock]

We'd have to agree on what "help" means in this case. If just aesthetics, I agree. But what's the reason that they went so conservative on the factory specs for camber? Purely for efficiency? Tire wear? clearly not max handling or aesthetics!


Yeah, I get it. Wider rims and even wider tires on the rear would of course help aesthetics AND performance. At the expense of efficiency of course.

I'm just trying to figure out the best balance of everything. I'd like two things improved: Protection of the rims with a bit of extra rubber, and the aesthetics. I'm not willing to take a big range hit for either of those, however. Performance for my non-performance vehicle is "good enough."

As time goes on, I'm sure there will be plenty of experimentation and photographs (and data) for different wheel/tire combos.

I mean, the single best thing for efficiency would be to never floor it or drive above 70, but there's always tradeoffs. My guess is a wider tire with the same exact compound wouldn't even be noticed, unless you're trying to maximize efficiency.