Tires and Wheels again 19 or 21?!

[aptekcom]

New Model S 75 (MSM / Ultrawhite) Owner Here. Very excited. Have had the computer (car!) for 2 weeks now. Very cool experience. Have about 900 miles on it now!

I've seen many posts regarding 19 and 21 inch wheels, but had some questions and wanted some updated answers.
My car came with the 19' slipstreams which i don't feel accentuate the beauty of the car. I really want to upgrade to 21" arachnids, but i am reading so much about how i shouldn't. So...

1. The 19's are comfortable. If i upgrade to the 21's, am i really going to notice a huge difference? I have air suspension if that maters.

2. Some people are claiming the 21's will last 10K miles, and others say they have reached 30K miles. i drive very conservatively. I never peel out at lights, don't take hard turns or corners, and for the most part stay within about 10 mph of the speed limit. My previous car (2016 Lexus GS350 F Sport) had low profile 19" wheels (staggered as well) on it, and i replaced the tires at about 25k miles [i probably could have gotten another 5k out of them] . Can i expect the same or similar in this case?

3. Potholes - I live in Houston, but the roads aren't really 'that' bad. I try to avoid most holes, but of course, all of them cannot be avoided. What is the probability of the tire blowing out and damaging the rim if i hit the pothole just right? How does that compare to the 19"? Now that i say that, i will blow a tire tomorrow! :-(

4. I have thought about the T Sportsline as well, but Tesla says they won't warranty any issues with balancing, alignment, etc, so i feel i should stay away from those.

Thoughts? Comments? Anything i am missing? I just really dislike the look of the slipstreams. Should i look at turbines instead? Those look good as well. I would want silver in either case.

Thanks in advance!

 

[The Duke]

Simply put, the 19's are the sedan wheels. They are more durable, last longer, ride slightly better (I can tell), and are cheaper.

The 21's are the sport tires, noticeably more grip in the dry, more sensitive to alignment, will get a rim cut on large potholes, and LOOK GREAT. I get 25K miles on a set of 21" Michelin Sports driving pretty aggressively, but my alignment is perfect.

Google "Tesla wheel pictures" for the whole gambit of looks.

 

[CalBlue 85D]

After about 22,000 miles of driving on 21's, I just recently mounted 19's for the first time. Frankly, I was surprised at how much of a difference it made for ride quality and road noise. The 19's are smooth and silent. I think the 21" Pilot Super Sport tires are great, but I'm not happy with barely getting 20,000 miles out of them and, even with 5,000 mile rotations, not getting very even wear. I've been told that the 21's are more prone to alignment issues, but I'll see how it goes with the 19's for the next few thousand miles.

Haven't driven enough to see how much effect they have on range, but I know I will get better efficiency with the lighter 19's.

When I got them, I was only planning on using the 19's as a winter set, but now I'm pretty sure they will become the regular tires and wheels.

I picked up a set of Cyclones which, while not as nice looking as the Turbines, have more visual appeal than the Slipstreams. In my opinion....

 

[ForeverFree]

I’ve had the Tsportline 19 pseudo-Turbines from almost three years and have been very pleased.

Original OEM Michelins lasted me 30K miles.

 

[Jeff4155]

I would go for the 19" in a non-standard rim, that way you have the look you want and the comfort your back side needs. If Tesla does come to SA some day in 2030 I would be more inclined to have a bit more cushion between myself and our not so perfect roads. We luckily do not have to worry about winter tires, especially this time of the year, currently it's 41 degrees Celsius outside in my little hometown.

 

[AngleTheta]

Thanks for the post, I had the same dilemma with my black 75....back and forth for days!! My wife would tell friends I’ve been hooked on “tesla porn”...fair

For me, the 19” slipstreams just didn’t jive with the aggressive styling of the model S. But the draw backs of the 21” seemed too numerous; ride, price, tire options. The 20” turbines offered by T sportline is what I finally decided on. They ended up being $1500 less than the 21” upgrade and that included an extra wheel, with the Black Friday deal. I went with the full wheel, tire, tire pressure sensor combo. They came to me quickly and well shipped, all I had to do was put them on...and I couldn’t be happier. Plus, now I have an extra set of slipstreams that I can either sell or hold on to. The look is very similar to the 21” offered by Tesla, and most people cannot tell them apart. I actually used the center cap from the grey slip streams with the tesla logo. The ride is very quiet and smooth, feels the same as the 19s. I can't comment on performance, because I don’t have a good comparison, but the car feels like it’s glued to the road. I did the staggered option because I like the look and my MS is rwd, but that means rotation is an issue...I’m willing to make that sacrifice.

Anyway, hope this helps. I’m currently 400 miles into tesla owenership and loving it!! Congrats on the new ride!

 

[davidc18]

I prefer the ride of the 21s on coils but it is at least a 20% range hit. Not a problem for my daily needs but I would swap them for an extended road trip.

 

[Xenius]

My 75D is getting it's second set of tires today. I've currently got 27k miles. Yes that's low for 19" tires, but I didn't rotate often enough, whoops.

I'm hoping for closer to 35-40 for the second set.

 

[aptekcom]

Just for comparison purposes, i am looking at a set of Arachnids including tires for about $3000.
Most of my driving is in city, so the slightly less range of larger wheels shouldn't be too big of a deal, except for when making road trips. Mow much less is the range on 21 vs 19?

 

[aptekcom]

View attachment 272479 View attachment 272480 View attachment 272481 Thanks for the post, I had the same dilemma with my black 75....back and forth for days!! My wife would tell friends I’ve been hooked on “tesla porn”...fair

For me, the 19” slipstreams just didn’t jive with the aggressive styling of the model S. But the draw backs of the 21” seemed too numerous; ride, price, tire options. The 20” turbines offered by T sportline is what I finally decided on. They ended up being $1500 less than the 21” upgrade and that included an extra wheel, with the Black Friday deal. I went with the full wheel, tire, tire pressure sensor combo. They came to me quickly and well shipped, all I had to do was put them on...and I couldn’t be happier. Plus, now I have an extra set of slipstreams that I can either sell or hold on to. The look is very similar to the 21” offered by Tesla, and most people cannot tell them apart. I actually used the center cap from the grey slip streams with the tesla logo. The ride is very quiet and smooth, feels the same as the 19s. I can't comment on performance, because I don’t have a good comparison, but the car feels like it’s glued to the road. I did the staggered option because I like the look and my MS is rwd, but that means rotation is an issue...I’m willing to make that sacrifice.

Anyway, hope this helps. I’m currently 400 miles into tesla owenership and loving it!! Congrats on the new ride!

Tesla Porn! Thats a good one, and i am in the exact same boat!!!

 

[Don TLR]

Nice lift @AngleTheta and I like to color combo of wheels and car..

 

[zacyee]

P85+ originally came with grey 21" turbines. Car has air suspension, single motor, and an "85 kWh" pack (actually 77.5) so it is very similar to your 75.
I admittedly have a bit of a heavy foot and went through my original rear tires in about 6500 miles.
I got some 19" 10-spoke wheels and Michelin pilot sport tires and already my energy consumption has reduced from 365 wh/mi to 360 wh/mi in about 1000 miles (which would mean my energy consumption now is ~328 wh/mi).
Pros: The ride is quieter and a little more comfortable. There is less risk of curbing the wheels. Potholes are less of a worry to me and there are many potholes on the roads here in San Diego.
Cons: Traction is noticeably less, aggressive starts activate the traction control, cornering is less stable.

You'll have to weigh what matters more to you: performance and handling or efficiency/range.

 

[sakimano]

The 21" turbines look fantastic and really make the car. The 19s are good for winters but if I could get a set of winters that gripped and stopped well in 21" I would make the switch.

The problem with all of the wheels they offer are they weigh as much as the moon. The turbines are in the 35-37 pound range while even the 19" 5 double spoke wheels weigh about 30 lbs. That's outrageous. My previous car came with 9x19" ET29 wheels that only weighed 26 lbs. The tesla 19s are 8.5" and offset is in the 40s.

People really underestimate the peppier handling and improved efficiency that comes with a loss of even 10 lbs of rotating mass at each corner. it's a pretty significant performance improvement and helps your range as a by product.

The Arachnids should be the answer but for some reason people find them worse than the 19s for range etc. I'd have thought the weight savings (they weigh less than the 19s) would offset the tire width for efficiency but I guess not.

19" 5 double spoke
19x8.5 ET40
29.5 lbs
_______________________

21" turbine fronts for staggered setups and fronts/rears for square setups
21x8.5 ET40
35.2 lbs

21" turbine rears on staggered cars
21x9.0 ET40
38.0 lbs (!!!!)
_______________________

21" arachnids fronts
21x8.5 ET40
27 lbs

21" arachnid rears
21x9.0 ET40
28.0 lbs

 

[ILLCOMM]

Not sure if this is helpful, but I have stock 21s and use Tsportine 20s for the winter (with winter tires). Picture below, stock on top, Tsportline on bottom. It is not captured in this picture, but the front offset on the Tsportline's are more aggressive than Tesla OEM and IMO much better aesthetically.

If you have the cash buy a forged wheel from Tsportline to materially decrease weight and have a positive impact on range.

 

[aptekcom]

Being in Houston, i would not need to change wheels for summer and winter. One set would cover me year round. As i stated before, my concern with the T Sportsline is that Tesla will not fix any issues that they deem are caused by the wheels. They even said they wouldnt align it, which is why i was leaning towards the Arachnids. Now, i have gotten two reports of mileage. One at 25k and one at 6500 miles. Quite the stark contrast. I wish Tesla would offer the Arachnids in a 19"!

 

[ILLCOMM]

I know you don't need a winter set. Was just showing you OEM vs Tsportline, 21 vs 20, as a point of reference.

Tesla will not fix any issues that they deem are caused by the wheels.

I highly doubt that would hold up if you pressed them. It's a ridiculous position. That said, if you are worried and have an issue just slap the OEM wheels back on and bring it to the dealer. If the wheel itself needs to be balanced - that's not expensive at pretty much any tire place.

 

[bishoppeak]

(The Arachnids should be the answer but for some reason people find them worse than the 19s for range etc. I'd have thought the weight savings (they weigh less than the 19s) would offset the tire width for efficiency but I guess not.)

Lighter wheels will make little or no difference in efficiency. Once you are rolling it's all the same. Perhaps a slight difference in town where you slow down and speed up often, but no effect on the highway.

 

[phaduman]

I powder coated my 19in slipstreams as I wanted to stay OEM and the black on white car always looked good to me. I am getting 21arachnids on referral (up for sale, but not at $3K ) and while I love them, I think they are really meant for performance drivers - who need the extra grip for spirited driving (& can live with harsher rides and less mileage). Teslas are great cars for spirited driving, but I ain't one of them!

 

[Joshnickell]

I had the same struggle. I agonized over it. I had the stock 19” and option for 21” Arachnids.

I decided to go with the Arachnids. My wife and passengers couldn’t notice the difference in ride quality and noise, but I did... for the first hour. The road feel and cornering feels much better. The grip is immensely better. It comes down to whether you want comfort and cheaper tires or sporty handling and great looks.

The efficiency change seems to be negligible. I’m guessing the lighter wheels make the difference.

I’m in GA with good roads and no snow (usually) and also have a 75 RWD. While I haven’t tested 0-60, I would expect improvement (at least on average). Traction control kicked in frequently with 19”. It’s rare with 21”.

I would not go back.

 

[aptekcom]

Thanks for everyone's suggestions. I think after agonizing over and analyzing everyone's posts, i am going to try the Arachnids out. Worst thing that could happen is that i don't like them, and i will sell them.

Thanks!