22" wheels can only tow 3,500 lbs?

CTemp222 · Feb 10, 2016

Is it common knowledge that 20" wheels can tow 5,000 lbs and the 22" wheels can only tow 3,500 lbs? according to the guy in this video...

2016 Tesla Model X P90D Signature w/Ludicrous Mode Power Up, Test Drive In Depth Review - YouTube

at around the 16 minute mark he says that the 22's only tow 3,500 lbs. Is this true or is this guy misinformed? I don't see why larger wheels would tow less, I would expect them to tow more.

pvogel · Feb 10, 2016

Yes. On this forum at least, and the info is in the configuration tool on the tow package option.

CTemp222 · Feb 10, 2016

Ok, but I don't understand why having larger wheels will limit your towing.

goneskiian · Feb 10, 2016

CTemp222 said:
Ok, but I don't understand why having larger wheels will limit your towing.

It's not so much the larger wheels as it is the lower profile tires that come on them.

necho · Feb 10, 2016

CTemp222 said:
Ok, but I don't understand why having larger wheels will limit your towing.

I guess it has to do with the tires available ... as far I know the 22" tires are only available with load index of 106 and the 20" with 112

106 is up to 950kg (2090lb) and 112 is up to 1120kg (2470lb), so you have to check with the maximum tongue weight according to the trailer and add that to the axle weight of the Model X ..

CTemp222 · Feb 10, 2016

goneskiian said:
It's not so much the larger wheels as it is the lower profile tires that come on them.

What do you mean by lower profile?

- - - Updated - - -

necho said:
I guess it has to do with the tires available ... as far I know the 22" tires are only available with load index of 106 and the 20" with 112

106 is up to 950kg (2090lb) and 112 is up to 1120kg (2470lb), so you have to check with the maximum tongue weight according to the trailer and add that to the axle weight of the Model X ..

That would make sense.

pvogel · Feb 10, 2016

CTemp222 said:
What do you mean by lower profile?

There's less rubber and air between the outside of the tire and the wheel rim.

Fundamentally the outside diameter of the tires doesn't change, so when you go to 22" wheels you have less rubber and air.

necho · Feb 10, 2016

So the gross rear axle weight is 1720 kg (3792 lb) -> Model X Founder Series - Facts - Page 2

so the 22" would allow 1900kg (2 x 950kg) - 1720kg a maximum tongue weight of 180kg and the 20" 2240kg - 1720kg a tongue weight of 520kg ...

retinaguy · Feb 10, 2016

pvogel said:
There's less rubber and air between the outside of the tire and the wheel rim. Fundamentally the outside diameter of the tires doesn't change, so when you go to 22" wheels you have less rubber and air.

So it's actually the rim diameter that changes?

pvogel · Feb 10, 2016

retinaguy said:
So it's actually the rim diameter that changes?

Exactly. 20" wheels have a rim diameter of 20", 22" wheels have a rim diameter of 22". The Outside diameter of the tires doesn't change (much).

retinaguy · Feb 10, 2016

pvogel said:
Exactly. 20" wheels have a rim diameter of 20", 22" wheels have a rim diameter of 22". The Outside diameter of the tires doesn't change (much).

I've learned so much today. A patient told me he learned patience since he raised daughters; which I thought was a pretty good observation on life!

FarmerDave · Feb 10, 2016

pvogel said:
There's less rubber and air between the outside of the tire and the wheel rim.

Fundamentally the outside diameter of the tires doesn't change, so when you go to 22" wheels you have less rubber and air.

And yet they cost more!:biggrin:

Roamer · Feb 11, 2016

FarmerDave said:
And yet they cost more!:biggrin:

All in how you look at it. You are buying more metal rim and less rubber tire. And with less rubber the rubber has to be better to make up for the fact there is less of it.

- - - Updated - - -

I ordered 20's for the tow rating, ride and lower noise.

My car delivered with two other cars on Dec 31st. All three cars were parked in the delivery area a few feet apart. Mine was in the middle. As I walked around looking at the cars I commented to the other owners, "looks like we all went with 20's". They both informed me they had 22's.

So standing right next to cars with both sizes within several feet of each other it was difficult to see the one inch difference without reading the size printed on the tire.

I hated to give up the higher cost option on a fixed price Sig but so far I am happy with everything about the 20's.

FlasherZ · Feb 11, 2016

When you're in any area where it drops to below freezing, you learn your lesson quickly. Model S came to our family with the 21" wheels. Within 2 months, two tires had split as a result of hitting two very minor potholes on cold days (two separate events). Cold weather turns the tires to brittle rocks. Less sidewall support + heavy car + pothole + cold weather == $$$. Those tires aren't cheap, either.

We now have 19" tires that stay on the car year round (on Rial Lugano wheels). I'm just fine with 20" on the Model X. I'm a bit disappointed that they used staggered configurations on both 20" and 22", the ability to rotate the tires back-to-front on the Model S is what makes them last nearly twice as long.

Monkey · Feb 11, 2016

It an AWD vehicle, rotating tires doesn't buy you much life and if the tires are properly balanced and inflated, they should wear almost evenly to begin with, making tire rotation more an exercise in futility. On RWD vehicles, it's an entirely different story most of the time.

FlasherZ · Feb 11, 2016

Monkey said:
It an AWD vehicle, rotating tires doesn't buy you much life and if the tires are properly balanced and inflated, they should wear almost evenly to begin with, making tire rotation more an exercise in futility. On RWD vehicles, it's an entirely different story most of the time.

Thanks for that reminder. I'm living in my RWD Tesla world.

That said, we do know that Tesla modulates the motors during acceleration - not sure about regen - such that it's still a chance you can end up with different wear.

Would love to hear from anyone who's gone through extensive miles on their Model S with "D"... do the fronts wear evenly compared to rears?

ABCCBA · Feb 11, 2016

There are a number of things that add to the towing capacity of your wheel/tire set. The biggest is the tire. Let me explain this first, then I'll get to the load capacity. Every car has the speedometer calibrated for a certain circumference wheel/tire setup. Circumference is defined a Pi * diameter. Since Pi is constant, then in the diameter of the wheel/tire setup must be kept constant to keep the speedometer reading correctly. So, let's say that the diameter of a Model X wheel/tire set is 27". With 19" wheels, the tire side wall is then 4" (19" + 4" top + 4" bottom). For a 22" wheel, the tire sidewall is just 2.5". How does this affect load rating (towing capacity)? Well, the sidewall of the tire is what provides the stability. It is like a spring. So, as the sidewall gets smaller, the load index of the tire generally gets less. Now, you can shop and buy tires with all sorts of load and speed ratings, but assume that the tires in my example have the same 'spring rating' of the side wall at say 5000 lbs/inch of compression. If you load the 4" sidewall tire with 5,000 lbs (car and add'l load), the sidewall will deflect approximately 1" or 1/4. However, if you loaded the 2.5" sidewall with the same load, it would deflect the same 1" but it would be 40% of the sidewall and most definitely blowout. I know this is a layman's example and that there are a lot more technical terms and formulas that I could have used, but for the basic answer of why does a larger wheel have a lower load rating, I hope this helps. Mike

CTemp222 said:
Ok, but I don't understand why having larger wheels will limit your towing.

jackbowers · Feb 11, 2016

The manual says that if you tow with the 22" tires, you must raise them to the maximum psi of 50 lbs, so it sounds like even doing class II is a bit of a push with these tires. On the plus side, they are Pirellis with a treadwear rating of 420, so they might last twice as long as the Model S 21" Michelin tires, which have a treadwear rating of 220. They also seem to do better in snow than the Michelins.

CTemp222 · Feb 12, 2016

MikeJr74 said:
There are a number of things that add to the towing capacity of your wheel/tire set. The biggest is the tire. Let me explain this first, then I'll get to the load capacity. Every car has the speedometer calibrated for a certain circumference wheel/tire setup. Circumference is defined a Pi * diameter. Since Pi is constant, then in the diameter of the wheel/tire setup must be kept constant to keep the speedometer reading correctly. So, let's say that the diameter of a Model X wheel/tire set is 27". With 19" wheels, the tire side wall is then 4" (19" + 4" top + 4" bottom). For a 22" wheel, the tire sidewall is just 2.5". How does this affect load rating (towing capacity)? Well, the sidewall of the tire is what provides the stability. It is like a spring. So, as the sidewall gets smaller, the load index of the tire generally gets less. Now, you can shop and buy tires with all sorts of load and speed ratings, but assume that the tires in my example have the same 'spring rating' of the side wall at say 5000 lbs/inch of compression. If you load the 4" sidewall tire with 5,000 lbs (car and add'l load), the sidewall will deflect approximately 1" or 1/4. However, if you loaded the 2.5" sidewall with the same load, it would deflect the same 1" but it would be 40% of the sidewall and most definitely blowout. I know this is a layman's example and that there are a lot more technical terms and formulas that I could have used, but for the basic answer of why does a larger wheel have a lower load rating, I hope this helps. Mike

Yes thanks for explaining.

- - - Updated - - -

jackbowers said:
On the plus side, they are Pirellis with a treadwear rating of 420

That rating tho, I wonder if Elon thought it would be funny to go with those :wink:

Ethan_976 · May 18, 2021

CTemp222 said:
Is it common knowledge that 20" wheels can tow 5,000 lbs and the 22" wheels can only tow 3,500 lbs? according to the guy in this video...

2016 Tesla Model X P90D Signature w/Ludicrous Mode Power Up, Test Drive In Depth Review - YouTube

at around the 16 minute mark he says that the 22's only tow 3,500 lbs. Is this true or is this guy misinformed? I don't see why larger wheels would tow less, I would expect them to tow more.

I got a 2019 Model X Dual Motor with 22’s. I just towed my 2008 Malibu Wakesetter 21 VLX (3600lb) over 70 miles and over two mountain ranges with zero issue. I’m not saying that anyone should go against the suggested 3500 lb towing capacity, but I had no other options to tow my boat to my vacation home and it pulled the boat like a champ. I had no issues launching the boat and picking it up on a 15-20 degree ramp. The ride was smooth and I didn’t even feel like there was a boat behind me.

22" wheels can only tow 3,500 lbs?

Member

Member

Member

Active Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Sig Model S + Sig Model X + Model 3 Resv

Member

Sig Model S + Sig Model X + Model 3 Resv

Member

Jack Bowers

Member

New Member

Attachments

Similar threads