Thank you very much for the detailed answer! I’ll check the wheels that I’am planning to get.
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Will 18" Aero wheel fit a car with Performance big brakes?
- Thread starter EESP
- Start date
Anybody know if this grinding trick works same on a MYP?
I have both a M3P and MYP and to my eyes the brakes front and rear look the same. Looking to get rid of the heavy 21” Uberturbine curb magnets on the MYP. And heck may even consider on my M3P in future.
And bumping this thread for others. Didnt know the stock 18” issue for Performance was a simple grinding matter of rear caliper only.
I have both a M3P and MYP and to my eyes the brakes front and rear look the same. Looking to get rid of the heavy 21” Uberturbine curb magnets on the MYP. And heck may even consider on my M3P in future.
And bumping this thread for others. Didnt know the stock 18” issue for Performance was a simple grinding matter of rear caliper only.
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@DownshiftDre MPP has a good writeup on the various Model 3, Model Y, and Palladium Model S/X brakes. I can't say firsthand how complete it is, but it looks pretty complete...until the next time Tesla quietly changes the brakes on these cars.
https://www.mountainpassperformance.com/tesla-brakes-model-s-3-x-y-brake-calipers-pads-and-rotors/
Per that table, if your MYP PUP was built before 2022-08-15 (approximate? Fremont factory only?), it likely has the same rear brakes as M3P PUP.
The rear rotor is different, but the same size...so I would think the caliper is mounted in the same place relative to the hub, and therefore wheel fitment should be the same. I make no promises, this is just my armchair understanding, I don't have a Model Y.
Since you have both cars, you could take measurements to 100% confirm if the fitment is identical.
Thanks for the info here and I just fitted the 18” aero wheels on my M3 performance as a trial. The rear caliper must be grind by grinder as per photos.
The front caliper has about 1mm clearance only so I also grind the front caliper slightly (~1mm).
The front caliper has about 1mm clearance only so I also grind the front caliper slightly (~1mm).
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Very nice pics! Thank you.
How much depth would you say you grinded the rear? Few mm?
Let's see some pics!I ended up buying a set of your wheels during the Black Friday sale.
Thanks, everyone, for the info added to this thread. I was able to put Aero wheels on my 2019 Model 3 Performance without spacers. I've bent all 4 of my 20in wheels and popped at least 5 tires in the last year, thanks to Atlanta roads. I do average about 30k miles/yr, though, hence 115k miles I have one my 2019 right now.
I got a set of Aero wheels on the marketplace for $500, and tried 5mm cheap spacers, but they didn't seem to help much. If they did, I was going to order ones with better material because an AutoZone rep highly recommend I not use the silver ones, he's had people have them break. Always use high-quality hub-centric spacers. Anyways, I ended up going without spacers and started with an angle grinder and then did finishing with a dremmel. Didn't want to take off more than I needed. I've got about 500 miles on them with Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 4, and the ride is much smoother, bumps feel better, but I haven't noticed much if any, difference in efficiency. But could also just be from new tires, and I know I need an alignment after the last pothole bent 2 of my 20's and popped two tires, so I'm sure my alignment took a hit then.
I got a set of Aero wheels on the marketplace for $500, and tried 5mm cheap spacers, but they didn't seem to help much. If they did, I was going to order ones with better material because an AutoZone rep highly recommend I not use the silver ones, he's had people have them break. Always use high-quality hub-centric spacers. Anyways, I ended up going without spacers and started with an angle grinder and then did finishing with a dremmel. Didn't want to take off more than I needed. I've got about 500 miles on them with Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 4, and the ride is much smoother, bumps feel better, but I haven't noticed much if any, difference in efficiency. But could also just be from new tires, and I know I need an alignment after the last pothole bent 2 of my 20's and popped two tires, so I'm sure my alignment took a hit then.
I put 18" Aeros on my 2019 Model 3 Performance back in 2020 when I got the car. Also been very happy with them.
One thing to keep in mind - when you get them balanced, make sure the person doing the job knows to put any stick-on weights away from the caliper areas. Otherwise the weights might touch the calipers.
One thing to keep in mind - when you get them balanced, make sure the person doing the job knows to put any stick-on weights away from the caliper areas. Otherwise the weights might touch the calipers.
Care to elaborate? You have spacers? Did you grind the caliper? Do you have a full Performance package set of brakes?
Candleflame
Active Member
i was also under the impression that a standard performance cannot fit the oem 18" rims due to brake clearance either on the front or rear without grinding a couple of mm off the calipers....
And if you have to buy rims anyway, might as well buy better looking aftermarket ones...
Yep, my car is a "full" Performance with the big red calipers. You can see a pic here: Some Sunday afternoon fun on the new toy
Yes, gotta "shave" the calipers. The front calipers will clear but BARELY. The rears must be shaved some.
I was at first concerned but apparently caliper "shaving" is a common thing in the greater performance community (all cars, not just Teslas). Before doing it, I read every post on the subject I could find and decided that I could do it safely. Since I don't track my car or drive very aggressively, I figure the chances of overheating my calipers is slim. Yeah, I know, then why did I get a Performance if I don't drive aggressively? I bought it when Tesla was slashing prices on used cars to make the end-of-quarter sales numbers look better. On that early morning the Performance was priced the same as the Long Range versions.
I got a good deal on a full set of 2020 OEM aero wheels with good tires, TPMS, and the covers included. My objective was to improve the ride, reduce the chances of wheel damage, and improve the range. So that's why I went OEM.
There's the issue of the spacers. Something about making the aero wheels clear the hubs on the Performance. I learned that the 2020 and newer aero wheels have additional machining such that spacers are not required to clear the hubs.
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I've been seeing some use 5MM spacers and others use 3MM spacers. Will either work? Are the spacers needed for both front and back wheels?
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