It’s not a good deal! Don’t don’t do it!
There’s a better way (that gets you more power and mileage, ANNNND saves money). Trust me!
Why not to buy the Tesla wheel upgrades?
Because they’re low performance and overpriced. The low performance is because they’re OEM stock wheels which are usually made in the cheapest/worst way possible…CAST construction.
You can read here about the different wheel construction (CAST vs FLOW vs FORGED):
- Cast, Flow formed, or Forged? by TURN 14 Distribution
- WHAT ARE FLOW FORMED WHEELS? by Late Model Restoration
- WHEEL TECH: WHEEL CONSTRUCTION by Tire Rack
What do you mean by “low performance”?
- WEAK – easiest to break when hitting potholes or bend under pressure. Usually compensated for by making the wheel even bulkier which leads to the next problem…
- SLOW – so much weight!
How “slow” is a stock Tesla wheel?
- I’d say it’s VERY slow!
Do the math for yourself. Every 1 LB of wheel weight = 10 LBS of sprung weight. Each Tesla stock wheel is anywhere from 5-10 LBS heavier than an aftermarket wheel.
On my car, I upgrade from a 29LB wheel down to 17LB wheel. That’s 12 pounds per wheel, 48 pounds total. Multiply that times 10 and it’s the equivalent of decreasing 480 pounds from your car!
Now consider that the Model 3 weights anywhere from 3600-4000 lbs and I saved 10% of weight. What does that mean in real-world performance?
- I’m guess 10% more speed and acceleration
- 15-20% more miles. I’m not even kidding.
You can read more about my mileage gains here:
“OK, I believe you…where should I buy my wheels?“
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