Turbine wheels now mandatory with P85D - intentional change or design studio glitch?

[brianman]

So maybe the "configurator manager" has a goal of getting the number down to 6 figures.

 

[Max*]

So maybe the "configurator manager" has a goal of getting the number down to 6 figures.

That's assuming I didn't screw up the math for the umpteenth time.

 

[HankLloydRight]

• UHFS warns that XM requires the glass roof (not option/$, but configuration difference)

I thought they have since retracted that requirement?

eta: Nevermind, I see it's now back. :/

 

[Law&Disorder]

Just to post "the other side of the coin" here, I've had the 21" rims, and live in the NYC metro area and have put on over 14,000 miles on my car in 1.5 years. I've done round trip trips to Chicago, Columbus OH, Burlington VT, Boston, and dozens of trips to the Phila and DC areas... not to mention the rest of the miles in and around where I live.

While I am extremely careful to avoid big potholes, I have hit a few. In Chester, NY, I hit a massive pothole with a fully loaded car, and the car even bottomed out (it was dusk/dark out, and my passengers were distracting me from watching the road carefully). I thought for sure the wheel and tire was going to be toast. I've hit smaller potholes and destroyed rims/tires in other cars, so I know what it's like. But when we got to our destination, there was *no damage* to either the front or rear rims. No bends, no snakebites on the tires, nothing. I still don't know why they escaped any damage, but the 21" rims aren't as bad as everyone makes them out to be. The can and do survive "more than a few months on Eastern Seaboard roads".

Yes, in the winter, I do swap on 19" rims with A/S tires, but that's just for the bulk of the cold/snow season. The rest of the time, it's 21" rims all the way.

I'm glad to hear you've had no issues with the 21" rims. I love the way they look and would seriously consider buying some aftermarket 21"s and then turning my 19"s into winter wheels if I just had more confidence in their ability to withstand the stuff we're forced to drive on here.

As I've previously posted, I ran a dedicated set of 20" summers and a dedicated set of 20" winters on my M5 and I've blown tires several times here on Long Island. I've got wheel and tire insurance through BMW so my cost each time was only a $100 deductible but it's waiting by the side of the road at night (you know, when you can't see the potholes) for the flatbed that I don't like.

 

[mgboyes]

Definitely not an accident given the change to the main screen of the design studio:

 

[MsElectric]

The irony is that many of us P85D purchasers would have gladly voluntarily spent the extra money on the 21"s if there were a chance they could survive more than a few months on our terrible Eastern Seaboard roads. For some of us, it's not even the costs of the inevitable tire replacements, it's being stranded somewhere for hours while you wait for a flatbed to show up to tow your car to the nearest Tesla facility.

Since the Model S does not come with a spare tire and a thin sidewall tire mounted on a 21" wheel is prone to the type of catastrophic failure that cannot be temporarily fixed with a compressor and sealant when it impacts a deep pothole, this decision by Tesla borders on negligence.

Glad my car is coming with 19"s.

We live in the East Coast also and our streets are horrible, especially in the winter. When the P85D first came out they did this same nonsense and after a big outcry they offered the 19" wheels. I have no idea why they would remove such a popular option that is desirable for so many. There's a thread about this on the Tesla Corporate forum so hopefully they will see that many customers need the 19" wheel option and they will bring it back.

 

[yobigd20]

We live in the East Coast also and our streets are horrible, especially in the winter. When the P85D first came out they did this same nonsense and after a big outcry they offered the 19" wheels. I have no idea why they would remove such a popular option that is desirable for so many. There's a thread about this on the Tesla Corporate forum so hopefully they will see that many customers need the 19" wheel option and they will bring it back.

I personally think they did it to force higher margins. Not only will they get the higher margins on the initial sale but tire and wheel replacements are the service center's biggest sources of income. That's what's paying the bills and keeping the lights on and keeping them employed. Every time I go into a service center all they are doing is repairs 21" tires and wheels and more being hauled in on tow trucks while I'm there. lol seriously it's laughable how many blowouts and rim crack repairs there are. Ask any service tech and they'll tell you hey are always swamped with this. They make so much money on it too with their very very high pricing on the wheels and tires.

 

[Fanatic]

How bad are your roads in USA? Here in Europe they are ****** when you can spot a crack forming.

 

[hobbes]

I personally think they did it to force higher margins. Not only will they get the higher margins on the initial sale but tire and wheel replacements are the service center's biggest sources of income. That's what's paying the bills and keeping the lights on and keeping them employed. Every time I go into a service center all they are doing is repairs 21" tires and wheels and more being hauled in on tow trucks while I'm there. lol seriously it's laughable how many blowouts and rim crack repairs there are. Ask any service tech and they'll tell you hey are always swamped with this. They make so much money on it too with their very very high pricing on the wheels and tires.

If they really do it on purpose that would go completely against the "best service is no service (needed)" philosophy.

 

[andrewket]

I personally think they did it to force higher margins. Not only will they get the higher margins on the initial sale but tire and wheel replacements are the service center's biggest sources of income. That's what's paying the bills and keeping the lights on and keeping them employed. Every time I go into a service center all they are doing is repairs 21" tires and wheels and more being hauled in on tow trucks while I'm there. lol seriously it's laughable how many blowouts and rim crack repairs there are. Ask any service tech and they'll tell you hey are always swamped with this. They make so much money on it too with their very very high pricing on the wheels and tires.

Elon has said the goal of tesla's service center is to run neutral, or at cost. They make money selling cars.

 

[Panu]

Elon has said the goal of tesla's service center is to run neutral, or at cost. They make money selling cars.

For me this looks like "neutral" means that money coming in must cover the warranty repairs. Service Center hourly rate in Finland (and whole Europe?) is 140 EUR. I have never seen a car service charge that much.

 

[anticitizen13.7]

Turbine wheels now mandatory with P85D - intentional change or design studio ...

I personally think they did it to force higher margins. Not only will they get the higher margins on the initial sale but tire and wheel replacements are the service center's biggest sources of income. That's what's paying the bills and keeping the lights on and keeping them employed. Every time I go into a service center all they are doing is repairs 21" tires and wheels and more being hauled in on tow trucks while I'm there. lol seriously it's laughable how many blowouts and rim crack repairs there are. Ask any service tech and they'll tell you hey are always swamped with this. They make so much money on it too with their very very high pricing on the wheels and tires.

This would be disappointing if true.

If Tesla wanted to increase margins with a wheel change, then making the 19" Cyclones standard/required (+$2500 option) would have been more reasonable than the 21" Turbines.

 

[yobigd20]

This would be disappointing if true.

If Tesla wanted to increase margins with a wheel change, then making the 19" Cyclones standard/required (+$2500 option) would have been more reasonable than the 21" Turbines.

They already increased margin a few times. They used to be $3000 or $3500 the. Upped it to $4500 if ordered with the car and at one point when ordering from the tesla store they upped it to $8000 but have since dropped it a tad bit.

 

[Fanatic]

	70D/85/85D	P85D
Motor/Battery	3	1
Paint	8	8
Roof	2	2
Wheels	4	2
Seats	7	7
Dash Trim	4	4
AutoPilot	2	2
SAS	2	2
UHF	2	2
Rear Seats/Cold Weather + Premium/Headliner	14	14
Calipers		2
Spoiler		2
Possibilities:	602,112	401,408
Total:		1,003,520

So I get 1M configurations, and only 501k hardware combinations.

Black Alcantara requiers premium interior package now. That said you can still have the interior package but with the white Alcantara this gets the calculation even harder. So white is now standard and if you select interior package you can choose between white and black.

 

[Max*]

Black Alcantara requiers premium interior package now. That said you can still have the interior package but with the white Alcantara this gets the calculation even harder. So white is now standard and if you select interior package you can choose between white and black.

I accounted for all that.

Hopefully, correctly...

 

[ecarfan]

I have to wonder if black Alcantara costs Tesla more to purchase than white Alcantara. Why would they be a different cost to the company? Maybe the whitish color is what results from the manufacturing process and anything else requires the material to be dyed.

 

[gg_got_a_tesla]

Turbine wheels now mandatory with P85D - intentional change or design studio ...

I'd be surprised if there's a significant cost difference though. I think the Black has proven to be very popular and Tesla has bundled it up to drive margins. Nothing particularly wrong with that for the business.

 

[Riprazor]

It is really a shame if they continue to force the 21" option. The turbines are not worth the uplift charge compared to a large number of aftermarket rims that are lighter and less expensive, and IMHO, look just as good or better. I ordered my P85D with the 19" wheels and replaced them immediately with staggered aftermarket rims that I prefer to the turbines and cost $4200 including the TPMS and tires. I still have a set of brand new 19" Tesla wheels as well. A considerably better deal.

 

[matbl]

WHY CAN'T THEY JUST STOP WITH THE BUNDLING!?!
(Yes I'm screaming)
Just let the customers chose each indovidual option like bmw/merc/audi does (in europe at least).
Sure, they can still have packages but selecting a package should then result in a discount compared to selecting each individual item.
I have '14 MS but if Tesla continues to screw things up, I will probably not get another Tesla when this lease expires in '17...

 

[thegruf]

now the headliner "defaults" to white alcantara - does that mean you get the black alcantara insert piece on the dash too?
I can definitely see that not being to everyones taste.