Upgrading from 19inch to 21inch in Arachnids - do I need a calibration ?

[ehead]

Hi my first post so be gentle....

I am changing my Model S 19inch slipstreams to 21 inch Arachnids - can I just swap them or do I need to do more. Dealer said I need a Tesla wheel alignment, and a calibration of the air suspension ( and the car reconfigured -I get that so it shows the wheels on the icon) Problem is they can't do it for a month and I would want to regularly swap the wheels as I would put winter tyres on the slipstreams. Do i really have to go to this trouble every time ?

Thank you for your advice and experience...

 

[Ostrichsak]

No. Here's the list of steps you need to take:

1) Change your wheel in your car's service menu.
2) Enjoy pot holes & harsh ride.

The end.

 

[beatle]

Note that wheels never, ever affect the alignment of the car. They just hang off the suspension. This is true for any car.

 

[ehead]

Thank you both - I am aware that I may regret it but hey 'boys and their toys' we never learn

I was surprised that the dealer said they had to recalibrate the air suspension and do a wheel alignment - I hate to go against the advice but I had never heard this before - I assume no one else has ?

 

[serendipitous]

Note that wheels never, ever affect the alignment of the car. They just hang off the suspension. This is true for any car.

True, although they may expose issues in the alignment. I swapped to a slightly wider 21" setup and only realized afterwards that my caster was excessive, causing the front wheels to be a little farther forward in the wheel well and to rub the liner in certain conditions.

The OEM Arachnids are unlikely to have such an issue, though.

 

[David in NC]

not an issue, dealers (all dealers) ALWAYS want to sell you an alignment (easy $)
if the car tracks straight and no abnormal tire wear then fine
I did same swap from 19 to 21, no problem
21s probably bad if you live in a city with potholes, but drive fine in the burbs

 

[Ostrichsak]

not an issue, dealers (all dealers) ALWAYS want to sell you an alignment (easy $)
if the car tracks straight and no abnormal tire wear then fine
I did same swap from 19 to 21, no problem
21s probably bad if you live in a city with potholes, but drive fine in the burbs

But wait, Tesla is disrupting the system of dealerships that take advantage of customers who don't know any better and trust that the experts are looking out for their best interest! How can this be?!

Same ish, different name on the check.

 

[EVortex]

I change between 19s and arachnids annually without alignment and recalibration. Works fine - I just make sure lugs are torqued and re-torqued to 129 ft/lbs.

 

[BrokerDon]

I change between 19s and arachnids annually without alignment and recalibration. Works fine - I just make sure lugs are torqued and re-torqued to 129 ft/lbs.

Same here. I've swapped wheels on my between:

• "square" 21" Turbines that came from the factory around SoCal
• "staggered" 21" Arachnids around SoCal
• "square" 19" Cyclones (for road & snow trips)

America's Tire swaps them for free as part of their free "tire rotation" policy... and our family has been their customers for years

 

[ehead]

Thank you all , very reassuring, I will be doing the swap this weekend.... a bit depressing that Tesla dealers seem to be behaving like all other dealers......

 

[VifferFun]

For what it's worth, I swap between the base 19" wheels and 21" Arachnids seasonally. My 21" Arachnids will rub on the liner a little bit when the steering wheel is cranked in either direction but the 19 wheels don't. I have a spring suspension in case that is part of the explanation. It's not enough rubbing that I'm concerned about it, and the car otherwise drives fine.

 

[BrokerDon]

For what it's worth, I swap between the base 19" wheels and 21" Arachnids seasonally. My 21" Arachnids will rub on the liner a little bit when the steering wheel is cranked in either direction but the 19 wheels don't. I have a spring suspension in case that is part of the explanation. It's not enough rubbing that I'm concerned about it, and the car otherwise drives fine.

HMMMM...

I bought my brand new Arachnid wheels and Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires off a (Craigslist) Tesla Award Recipient and scheduled their installation on my 2015 P85D+ at my Tesla Service Center. They removed my Turbines and Continental tires and installed my Arachnids & Michelin PSS tires at no charge. The only issue was it took them an addtional 30 minutes to figure out how to make my Tesla app and Tesla displays to change its wheels to Arachnid... so they had to contact Fremont for help. (This was BEFORE the current DIY wheel graphics software update).

No charge and I was out in ~ 90 minutes... but my P85D+ already had Smart Air Suspension and 21" Turbines so no alignment required.

 

[Ande]

What a scam ! I would not do business at a place like that.