Why the 19" Aero Rims will Never Sell

[Alexander]

First off, they're ugly... the only car color those rims look even remotely cool with is black. Opinion, I know... but hey go on Tesla's website and check it out for yourself. You'll see what I mean

Second, they're too expensive for what they do - which is be efficient and save moola.

If they were a second option of standard available rims that are included with the car, I would actually consider getting them. But $2,500 for a rim that only gives you a 3% increase in mileage?! Who are you kidding? It would take you years to break even on that investment.

But in all seriousness... I would consider spec'ing my car with them if they were a standard option and not $2,500. And that's only because they would be my daily commenting/work horse rims. I plan to buy a set of Turbines for when I'm not working.

Idk ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ what do you guys think? am I right or am I missing something?

 

[bareyb]

I think they look silly. Like those long recumbent bikes with windshields that engineers like to ride around here.

 

[richkae]

Extending EPA range by 3% could easily extend real highway range by more. EPA range is city/highway combined. City range is meaningless. Real highway range is mostly about aerodynamics. Throwing out the city start/stop component could bump the boost from the aero wheels higher than 3%, lets say 4% or 5%. But that's still mostly at 55mph. At 80mph the aerodynamic component is much more important - at 80mph the difference might be 6% or 7%
Now you have a difference that matters. Only testing will tell. Testing at 80mph - the speed people really want to drive.

The purpose of the aerodynamic wheels isn't to save money - it is to save time. Better efficiency/more range means fewer stops, less time stopped on a long trip.
If you are going somewhere without superchargers it matters a lot.

I agree the price is steep and I don't like the way they look.

 

[texex91]

If they paid ME $2500, I wouldn't put them on a beautiful car like the S.

Wonder who the focus groups were they used to say "yep those look great".

 

[Zythryn]

If they paid ME $2500, I wouldn't put them on a beautiful car like the S.

They are just about the ugliest set of rims I've ever seen.

I like the looks of them far more than the standard 19" wheels. I also very much appreciate the extra range as the will be going on our "traveling" Model S.

 

[liuping]

If they paid ME $2500, I wouldn't put them on a beautiful car like the S.

Wonder who the focus groups was they used to say "yep those look great".

-$2500 might be asking a bit much

I'd consider them if they were a $0 cost replacement for the standard wheels (really how much more can they cost than the default wheels?), but only if I could figure out how to make them look nicer. Maybe powder coating them black or something?

 

[Alexander]

I also very much appreciate the extra range as the will be going on our "traveling" Model S.

From a practical stand point I love them! I drive a lot, so I need as much range as I can eek out of those little batteries... so if they were included I would take those over the standard 19" rims, but for $2,500 more its a big no.

 

[liuping]

Quick and dirty Photophop of powder coated Areos. Maybe not on pearl, but maybe okay on other colors...

 

[Kipernicus]

I saw a car with aero wheels on Sunday. Looked good at freeway speeds.

 

[evme]

As I mentioned before, those wheels only work on dark colors. White is not a good choice for those wheels. Obviously they could look better but I'd put them at acceptable if you pick a dark color. Anyone see these on a blue car?

All that is missing is some real life results. But it would be awesome if Tesla lowers their price to 1k-1.5k at the very least.

 

[Dave EV]

Quick and dirty Photophop of powder coated Areos. Maybe not on pearl, but maybe okay on other colors...

Not bad!

I think if they were more brushed aluminum they might look better, too - kinda like Honda Civic Hybrid wheels. They don't look great like the turbine wheels, but the aero wheels just kind of look cheap with their painted surface.

Someone could probably pretty easily come up with something more appealing...

 

[brianman]

Quick and dirty Photophop of powder coated Areos. Maybe not on pearl, but maybe okay on other colors...
View attachment 30410

How about a snow trooper edition: powdercoated aeros in white.

 

[Tacket]

Black actually doesn't look half bad. Less plasticky.

 

[dhanson865]

I think they look OK with the dark blue paint but I'm not sure if I'm the one to decide what price is appropriate. The whole car is out of my price range so my opinion on the price of an option may not be relevant.

 

[liuping]

I think with a little work they could be made to look interesting. :

 

[dsm363]

I think with a little work they could be made to look interesting. :
View attachment 30426

Very interesting look. They definitely could make them look better.

 

[texex91]

 

[bareyb]

I think with a little work they could be made to look interesting. :
View attachment 30426View attachment 30427

Yeah, but now they look like Hub Caps...

Side note: They don't allow as much cooling for the Disc brakes too... That could potentially be an issue for the Rotors warping.

 

[Ocelot]

just not a 'fan'.

 

[SwedishAdvocate]

Very interesting look. They definitely could make them look better.

Is it possible to remove the black (?) paint?

Otherwise, perhaps it’s possible to order them from the Italian (?) manufacturer (via Tesla) without the paint. Then one could give them an optional finish or perhaps leave them as is in aluminum. (Or are all aluminum wheels coated in something, even if they look unvarnished?)