Tesla Plaid - How much benefit are 19" Aero wheels? 

I was between the 19" Tempest Wheels and the 21" Arachnid Wheels. After this video, I just purchased my Tesla Model S plaid with 19" wheels! thank you so much!

Dude, this in depth analysis is incredible! I know how much work went into this, and it paid off for sure. I learned so many new words haha

Just ordered a 2024 S Plaid with 19" wheels. Well, I ordered one with 21" wheels and then Tesla lost the car somewhere on a dock in Baltimore, so they picked an inventory one with 19" wheels for me instead. I'm not complaining, actually. Apart from saving me over 4.000 euro, the 19" wheels are also less vulnerable to pothole and kerb damage, they provide a smoother ride, they are quieter (less road noise) and it is easier to find winter tires (which are mandatory in some EU countries during winter season). The little extra range is a bonus, but I come from an S 100D so I'm improving in that field either way. If I get tired of the look, I can always put on some (aftermarket) 20 or 21" wheels later on and keep the 19 ones for winter tires.

Just picked up my S Plaid with 21’s. It’s amazing! Thanks for the informative video.

Man I love you these videos =) But please have a few easter eggs or memez in your slides. Keep up the awesome work!

Keep the videos coming! I'm glad I went with the 21's to be honest! I take delivery next week!

Great video! I wasn't aware of the EPA documents disclosing road load data, so I'm exited to use it as a resource going forward. Maybe we could collaborate on a video soon :)

Freakin love your channel. Impressive content. Hidden gem. Im liking, commenting, and forwarding your videos to help with that RU-vid algorithm 💯

Hey, could you do an alaysis video why the Model 3 Performance seems to be slower than a Model 3 Long Range at higher speeds? I had a Long Range and now have an M3P and can verify this, although I dont know why. Maybe the motors have a different power curve or something, I doubt wheels make a significant impact at speeds over 150 km/h.

Well done, this channel had been a good find. Thank you.

You are awesome thanks for bringing it down to my level

why do the best channels have the lowest viewers?

Amazing info, but I have a question. If I installed 20" wheels that are about 2 lbs lighter than the 19's, would my car have range identical/better than the 19's? 275/35/20 all around.

Great information however, on YT there are some video's showing Plaids on 21's against 19s and the 19s win. Love my Plaid!

The rotational inertia definitely affects EV acceleration more the ICE acceleration because the ICE vehicles have a fly wheel. Therefore, changing the weight and size of those wheels doesn’t overcome the fact that you still have the flywheel. With EVs the lack of a flywheel means changing the rotational inertia of the wheels and tires has a much greater affect.

If one has staggered (275's in the rear & 255's in the front) 21" Uberturbine wheels on a Model Y Performance and swapped them for 19" T-Sportline TSR wheels with NO aero cover what would you surmise based on the fact that the 19-in (255's) wheels are significantly lighter than the Uberturbine wheels. AND also the fact of moving from a staggered configuration to all 4 being the same 255's?

I didn't see any discussion about the effect of tire compound and tread types. Rolling resistance is going to be the major contributor to road load at steady speeds. The 21" wheel comes with Pilot Sport 4S summer tires, which are not optimized for rolling resistance. What tires are shipped with the 19" wheels? While accelerating, the greater mass of the 21" wheels (with mass distribution further from center) requires more force to reach a given rotational speed vs. the 19". But at steady state, due to conservation of momentum, there should be little difference assuming both 19" and 21" wheels have tires with the same rubber compound and rolling resistance. For example, on my '16 Model S, I got better average efficiency from my staggered 21" wheels with Pilot Super Sports than square 19" wheels with Pilot Sport All Season 3+. I attributed that to the busy tread pattern on the AS 3+ and the UHP rubber compound.

These numbers agree with real-world measurements I have come across. On another note, is this channel still active?

Good analysis !, good job ! 👍🏼

Whats the real range between 19" and 21" by riding 70-100kmh per hour? 5, 10%? Also is it noticable difference in range between plaid and LR on same wheels?

First of all, awesome job explaining the size impact. What I have not been able to find is real data explaining the impact wheel weight has on performance (0-60) and range. So many manufacturers selling aftermarket wheels touting how much lighter they are than stock teases wheels. Saying improved performance and range but none have real data. Thoughts?? Saving 5-10 pounds per wheel, what’s the real impact?

21" The New Aero Wheel compared to the OEM Tesla Wheels?

Great video! Thanks for doing the work on this. One question, possibly a dumb one: can we extrapolate this data to the (non-plaid) refreshed 2021 LR Model S?

Wait a minute! Good analysis, but your final statement was messed up. You should have said the 19 inch are good for range and only lose a maximum of 2 horsepower at 70 mph. You made it look like the 21s are better for Speed when the difference is negligible. Plus you left out that the 19s are more comfortable and less prone to rim damage from potholes.

The efficiency is not replacing rear tires every 5k miles 💀

Nice video….I wonder if someone purchased forged 21 inch wheels, that were equal in weight to the 19 inch….. how would that affect the results? 🤔

S tier channel

That was so well done, I'm actually left speechless. And if you ask my Wife, that's a real feat! ;)

btw i dont really remember from what channel but i remember frantz saying to them that the battery limits the plaid to 1020 hp the motors (i dont really remember the exact number) are capable of 1100-1300 hp

Great research

I just can’t believe ppl would buy a 100K+ car with hud caps. Aero are hideous. Range not a dramatic difference

hello. on teslas website if you click on 21inch wheels on US language, you see a 48 mile decrease when you do it on UK though, its only 6 miles difference. WTF? i tried talking to US live chat support about it and they just left the chat both times. stupid and aggressive support.

This is a glimpse of what the Internetz could have been. * sigh *

So, I have both the 21" and 19" wheels -- is there a simple way to figure out the polar moment of interia that mere mortals can handle?

That's nothing! In Thailand, even the so called "VIP" overland buses have SQUARE TIRES!! I bet you think I am joking. Travel on one and get back to me.

model x please~~

What is your favorite Tesla?

Comeback bro

Ah the joy of using imperial units in physics ...

elecricity is allready much cheaper than gasolin so whole video pointles