Having 2nd thoughts on ordering 21" wheels for P85D

[breser]

From personal observation/subjective evaluation, the 19" wheel is simply far too small for the MS, leading to what I feel is inadequate braking and acceleration with the Michelin tires, IMHO. (I've never driven on the Goodyear 19" tire.)

Our first MS had the 21" Continentals and I was stunned by the braking and acceleration limits imposed by the 19" Michelin tires on both MS#2 and various service loaners.

Thus, it's not just appearance (although the 19" wheels look way too small for the MS to my eye), but also performance, that differentiates the 21" wheels.

See this for excellent data points on the various advantages/disadvantages of upsized wheels/tires:

Effects of Upsized Wheels and Tires Tested - Tech Dept. - Car and Driver

With the exception of the P85+ and the P85D with the stagged wheels (I presume the P85D still has staggered wheels) I find it hard to believe there's much difference between the wheel size on the Model S. I suspect the difference you noticed is more about the tires than the wheels. Both the 19" and 21" wheels are 245mm wide, while the vehicles with staggered wheels use 245 on the front and 265 on the back. The article you link to was widening the tires as they went up in size.

 

[jerry33]

Pics of the 20" TSW's please! That might be the sweet spot for MS wheel sizes, and it probably should be the base wheel size.

From personal observation/subjective evaluation, the 19" wheel is simply far too small for the MS, leading to what I feel is inadequate braking and acceleration with the Michelin tires, IMHO. (I've never driven on the Goodyear 19" tire.)

Our first MS had the 21" Continentals and I was stunned by the braking and acceleration limits imposed by the 19" Michelin tires on both MS#2 and various service loaners.

Thus, it's not just appearance (although the 19" wheels look way too small for the MS to my eye), but also performance, that differentiates the 21" wheels.

That is almost entirely due to the tread compound difference between the two tires. Get some performance 19" tires and you'll be hard pressed to notice any difference in a blind test.