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What is the best tire/rim combo (any size) to decrease Wh/mi on a M3P?
- Thread starter PrettyFlyForAY
- Start date
Efficiency: Smaller and lighter is better. Any 18x8.5" wheel will be an easily observable gain over the Uberturbines. I switched to forged 18x8.5" wheels, still running "max performance" category summer tires, and my efficiency went up both on highway and windy roads. Wasn't even expecting that since my new wheels are a very open spoke design, not aerodynamic at all.
The absolute most efficient wheels that fit over M3P PUP brakes are probably these, when fitted with the optional aero covers. They should be equivalent to the base Model 3 18" aero wheels (which reportedly don't quite fit over the PUP brakes).
https://www.aftermarketev.com/produ...l-3-wheels-18-set-of-4?variant=41901064749305
The forged 18x8.5" wheels I have are these.
https://titan-7.com/collections/whe...-domestic-applications?variant=39772931326040
Note, if you go wider that will be less efficient than staying around stock width. Wider will preset a larger frontal profile (worse aerodynamics), and if you use them to put a larger tire patch on the ground (which is the point right?), I think that will harm efficiency as well (I have read some debate on this aspect).
Now for tires, you're looking at some potentially big tradeoffs if you want max efficiency. The Michelin Primacy MXM4 that long been the base tire on Model 3 and S is very efficient, but with very poor performance and road feel, dry and wet. And for a tire with such poor performance, it doesn't last all that long either. Personally I don't feel that tradeoff is worthwhile at all for an M3P - why buy this car if you're going to cripple it with crappy non-performant tires?
So I'm running 300TW "max performance" Bridgestone Potenza Sport tires in 245/45R18 on my 18x8.5" wheels, and I think it's a great setup for street driving in this car. I have better than stock efficiency (smaller lighter wheels), better than stock ride (taller sidewall), better than stock grip (better tires), and better than stock handling (the lighter wheels made a small difference on their own, upgraded suspension is the much bigger factor for this of course). It is NOT a setup I would use for the track, I would get wider 19" wheels and 200-240TW "extreme performance" tires for that, but I don't track my M3P.
The absolute most efficient wheels that fit over M3P PUP brakes are probably these, when fitted with the optional aero covers. They should be equivalent to the base Model 3 18" aero wheels (which reportedly don't quite fit over the PUP brakes).
https://www.aftermarketev.com/produ...l-3-wheels-18-set-of-4?variant=41901064749305
The forged 18x8.5" wheels I have are these.
https://titan-7.com/collections/whe...-domestic-applications?variant=39772931326040
Note, if you go wider that will be less efficient than staying around stock width. Wider will preset a larger frontal profile (worse aerodynamics), and if you use them to put a larger tire patch on the ground (which is the point right?), I think that will harm efficiency as well (I have read some debate on this aspect).
Now for tires, you're looking at some potentially big tradeoffs if you want max efficiency. The Michelin Primacy MXM4 that long been the base tire on Model 3 and S is very efficient, but with very poor performance and road feel, dry and wet. And for a tire with such poor performance, it doesn't last all that long either. Personally I don't feel that tradeoff is worthwhile at all for an M3P - why buy this car if you're going to cripple it with crappy non-performant tires?
So I'm running 300TW "max performance" Bridgestone Potenza Sport tires in 245/45R18 on my 18x8.5" wheels, and I think it's a great setup for street driving in this car. I have better than stock efficiency (smaller lighter wheels), better than stock ride (taller sidewall), better than stock grip (better tires), and better than stock handling (the lighter wheels made a small difference on their own, upgraded suspension is the much bigger factor for this of course). It is NOT a setup I would use for the track, I would get wider 19" wheels and 200-240TW "extreme performance" tires for that, but I don't track my M3P.
My guess is any decent $1k set of flow formed cast 18x8.5" wheels that fit would get you most of the efficiency gains of my $2k set of forged 18x8.5" wheels. I wanted forged for the strength, and "just because." I don't think you need forged wheels for efficiency, even most cast 18x8.5" wheels are way lighter than the Uberturbines.
I also suspect the taller sidewall / shorter spokes of 18" is good for aerodynamics, even if the spoke design isn't aero.
I also suspect the taller sidewall / shorter spokes of 18" is good for aerodynamics, even if the spoke design isn't aero.
From what I've read, there's a pretty direct trade off between grip and efficiency. None of the highly rated grippy tires that'd be a good match for the performance Model 3 is that efficient, and none of the super efficient tires are very grippy (especially in terms of straight line braking performance in the wet).
Definitely go with a lighter set of wheels and tires like @tm1v2 said, as for tires, ask yourself how much you value cornering grip and braking performance for the way you drive and where you live. If you're looking for something that's acceptable for daily driving in a M3P, as in, you can pretty much put all the power down in a straight line on a normal dry road, the Pirelli P Zero AS+ Elect could be an option https://www.tirerack.com/tires/pirelli-p-zero-all-season-plus-elect
Personally speaking I think any non summer tire is too much of a sacrifice and a step down for a M3P.
Definitely go with a lighter set of wheels and tires like @tm1v2 said, as for tires, ask yourself how much you value cornering grip and braking performance for the way you drive and where you live. If you're looking for something that's acceptable for daily driving in a M3P, as in, you can pretty much put all the power down in a straight line on a normal dry road, the Pirelli P Zero AS+ Elect could be an option https://www.tirerack.com/tires/pirelli-p-zero-all-season-plus-elect
Personally speaking I think any non summer tire is too much of a sacrifice and a step down for a M3P.
So another question. If I stick with the uberturbines after having them repaired is there an all season tire that gets better efficiency than the stock summer tire? What about a summer tire other than the stock one?
Zcd1
Active Member
So let me ask a question: Let's say you go with smaller/lighter wheels and a tire with lower rolling resistance, and pick up 20 miles of range, but give up 30% of your overall traction and have significantly longer braking distances, would you consider that a worthwhile tradeoff?
How would 20 miles of additional range benefit you in day-to-day driving? I'm just trying to understand the logic in your thinking....
How you drive the car is what really determines efficiency. If you are concerned about efficiency then drive slower and learn about coasting and drafting.
That being said wheels and tires do make a difference.
You can’t do much better than this without going significantly downhill with a 2022 Tesla Model 3 Performance. This was with T Sportline 18x8.5 wheels and 235/45/18 Michelin PS4S tires.
Here is a longer drive with the PS4S tires.
And an even longer trip.
This is about 355 miles of range in a Tesla Model 3 Performance if you used every bit of the 82(79 usable) KWh battery.
This one is the longest trip I have done. This was with the 20” UberHeavy wheels but it was coming down from the mountains and I was using every trick in the Hypermiling book.
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