4 flat/damaged tires in 2800 miles

They have 19s that look very much like the 21s.

I'd definitely settle on those .....

Model TST 19x8.5â€￾ Front + 19x8.5â€￾ Rear Aftermarket Wheels | Aftermarket Accessories for Tesla Model S

steve841 said:

They have 19s that look very much like the 21s.

I'd definitely settle on those .....

Model TST 19x8.5â€￾ Front + 19x8.5â€￾ Rear Aftermarket Wheels | Aftermarket Accessories for Tesla Model S

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^^^Agree. The wheels above look great. Definitely go with the 19's. The performance is not the same but it's still awesome. The peace of mind not worrying as much about bad roads is worth it. Your energy use will be significantly lower as well.

Get a set of 19's and upgrade to real performance tires (not the stock Primacy MXM4) if you care about performance. Just be aware that you will want snows for winter if you don't run all-seasons (you're in that boat now with the 21" PSS).

Al Sherman said:

The performance is not the same but it's still awesome.

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I don't agree with this. With the stock 19" and 21" setups, you will get better performance with the 21", but most (if not all) of the improvement will be due to the better tires on the 21's.

The 19" come with an all-season grand touring tire: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Michelin&tireModel=Primacy+MXM4
The 21" come with a summer-only, high performance tire: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Michelin&tireModel=Pilot+Super+Sport

There's a huge performance difference between these tires. Check the "Surveys" tab.

With equivalent tires for a true apples to apples comparision, I doubt most (all?) people will notice a performance difference between 19" and 21"

I switched from the 21 inch Tesla Wheels with Michelin Pilot tires to the 19 inch TSportline wheels with Michelin Pilot A/S 3 tires and am happy with the wheel/tire combination. The low profile of the 21 inch tire is slightly better IMO, but the 19 inch tire deals with the road imperfections (potholes) better at a minimal trade-off in performance.

I drive in and out of manhattan daily and I hit those potholes really hard every day with 19s. I've never had an issue. 48k miles on my original OEM 19s before I replaced them as they were down to 3-4/32" tread. I highly recommend you switch away from 21s to 19s. I also have the TST turbines linked above and I now run 255/45ZR19 Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3 tires.

Los Angeles has been identified as having the worst road conditions in California. 10k miles driving here with 19 inch wheels and no problems at all so far. Even hit a curb once badly. After reading all the experiences with 21 inch wheels here I'm so happy I went with the 19.

19" is the way to go. You won't regret it.

Having both had problems with my 21s and experienced driving in NYC, I'd definitely chose 19s there. Just too many potholes!

I have the 19" TST silver turbine wheels and they are great. Highly recommend them.

Ross S said:

No thoughts on 20 vs 19? Will the 20 not be a big enough improvement in durability?

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I don't have numbers to give you but if you're spending extra money for new rims and the roads are that bad probably worth just going to 19" rims. Many more options in tires as well than 20" and especially 21" rims.

MajesticSound said:

How many miles should I expect to get with the Michelin Primacy 19" OEM tire?

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Ive got 18k miles on my primacys. I have my local tire place rotate them every month for me. (I put about 3k miles every month on my car) and at last check they said there was barely any wear on the tires and they expect me to get at least 50k out of the tires.

4 rims and 4 tires replaced in Boston over the last 8 weeks. I am getting in line for the aftermarket rims posted earlier in this thread! I wish I lived somewhere warm where the plows don't damage the road so severely. I LOVE everything about the 21s. 4 (like new) rims going on the market soon!

EKnight47 said:

4 rims and 4 tires replaced in Boston over the last 8 weeks.

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ouch. that had to hurt. that alone is way more than the cost of gas that you would have paid for a year in an ICE vehicle. the only thing "not green" about the Model S are the 21" rims and tires. I honestly think Tesla should stop offering these as an option. It's really bad for their image. Stick to 19s. Save your bank account. Save barrels of oil.

Dont you know the deal?


Unless you have money to blow or/and dont care about efficiency you get the standard 19's, then swap them out for the TSportline 19' turbines. Best thing you can do... but the standard 19's are nice as is though. And 19's ride so much better. 19's are like driving a levitating mattress, while 21's are like driving a piece of dry wood with nails sticking out hitting every crevice on the asphalt :tongue:

I'm on 21s right now, but really considering 20s
I can get Pilot Super Sport for my P85+ and I already have 19-inch winter setup
It's really sad to see the + on 19s
20 is a good compromise

Look at one of the members car
Show off your aftermarket wheels.

Completely disagree on the drive. Love the 21s for driving, you can actually feel the road much better than with the 19s. I drove a 19 air loaner and felt like I was floating on the freeway.

Mr X said:

Dont you know the deal?


Unless you have money to blow or/and dont care about efficiency you get the standard 19's, then swap them out for the TSportline 19' turbines. Best thing you can do... but the standard 19's are nice as is though. And 19's ride so much better. 19's are like driving a levitating mattress, while 21's are like driving a piece of dry wood with nails sticking out hitting every crevice on the asphalt :tongue:

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