Tesla model y 19 vs 20 inch wheels

UPDATE (June 25, 2021): I went a whole winter with my Replika near-lookalikes, and now I've done several months back on my 20" Inductions. I'm super happy with both. I love the look of the Inductions a bit better, but dang the curb anxiety is real again. They stick so far out the tire, being max-width of 9.5" for the stock 255 wide tires. With the 8.5" wide Replika rims, the tire was the first thing to touch the curb, and I could park like normal. With my Inductions again, I'm terrified to let the car park itself. I have to watch it like a hawk.

Honestly, I'm happy with my wheel upgrade, but skipping the Inductions and going with just the after-market near-lookalikes would be a great route.

If somebody ever produces actual lookalikes of the 20" Inductions AND makes them in 8.5" wide, I'd definitely consider swapping my stock rims for them. Purely to avoid the potential for curb-rash.

PS: Thanks so much to the folks who spontaneously messaged me for my referral code. That was a happy bonus for writing this mega-post!

UPDATE (October 7, 2020): Still waiting for my Induction lookalikes to arrive, but now TSportline has some lookalike Uberturbines in 19x8.5", which would be a sweet option for folks.

UPDATE (Sept 16, 2020): I've found a set of near-lookalike Induction rims (they are actually lookalikes of the Model S "Turbine" wheels), which I've ordered for my winter tires. Without having them yet, I'm seriously reconsidering what decision I would have made if I had to order again. See the "Lookalikes" section for more details.

UPDATE (Sept 2, 2020): I have my MY now, and I *love* my Inductions. Wouldn't trade them for Geminis if you paid me double the upgrade price. They just 'go' with the black trim. And really finish the car beautifully.


19" Gemini vs 20" Induction. I agonized over this. And last night I updated my order to get the 20". (With the option to switch to the 19s later if I have any doubts.)

Here are my thoughts.

I did a lot of digging and I figured plenty of folks would be in my same boat. I hope my rationale will help others make their own decision.

=== DECISION ANXIETY ===

Read the below, but if you're still not sure which you want, remember that it will be FAR easier to sell the 20" Inductions than it will be to sell your 19" Geminis.

There are already loads of Gemini owners looking to sell/trade/steal. They either picked the Geminis because they ordered 3rd party wheels, or they regret not upgrading to the Inductions when they ordered.

Nobody is selling their Inductions.

So it'll be much, much easier to find somebody to pay you to take their Geminis for your Inductions than it will be to find an Induction owner willing to make that same trade.

Important: See the updated "Lookalikes" section for more on this, because you may not be missing out.


=== TIRES ===

The 20" stock tires are just WAY better than the 19" stock tires. Especially for wet conditions I see up in the PNW.

19: Continental ProContact RX
TireRack User Recommended: 3.8/10
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Continental&tireModel=ProContact+RX

20: Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric All-Season (Definitely Confirmed All-Season, see attached pic)
TireRack User Recommended: 7.8/10
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Goodyear&tireModel=Eagle+F1+Asymmetric+All-Season

See pics for full stats, but according to user reviews the 20" tires offer:

- Better handling
- Same comfort
- Way better wet/snow performance
- Way better treadwear

The tires are the only part of your car that touch the road, and I know how huge a difference good tires has on everyday driving and safety.

No brainer for me. Aside from the looks, this was pretty much the tipping point where I upgraded to the 20".



=== RANGE ===

People in this group and on forums seem to agree that it's about a 10-15mi hit in range. And for my purposes the really the only effect of that isn't range, it's *slightly* longer charging.

Here's why it's a non-factor for me:

1. Almost always you're driving between 20-80% charge. That means the 10-15mi difference is closer to 6-9mi lost during your 80%->20% drive.

2. I never care about that range except for road trips.

3. Road trips I'm limited to charger locations, and I'll be using SCs which are almost 100% never going to be much further apart than 180mi. The 15mi will, in practice, never be the deciding factor on whether or not I skip a SC. Because even with the 19" wheels I'll want to stop at both. It's ALWAYS more efficient to stop at both chargers and get super-fast charging, rather than skip one and have to charge to 100%. (Only exception is if you can skip the first one closest to your starting point, where you start out at 100% before a road trip. For me that'll be never.)

4. So I'll be stopping at the EXACT same superchargers, and the only real effect is that I'll have 6-9mi more to charge before I hit the road for the next charger. That's 1-3min depending on the supercharger.

For me Range is a nothingburger.

(And the range issue might be solved by a small suspension upgrade, see below.)


=== COMFORT ===

The 19" Geminis are going to be the most comfortable tire across Model 3 or Model Y, but somewhat surprisingly the 20" Inductions are going to be more comfortable than any tire on the Model 3.

The sidewall of the M3 18" Aero is 1/8" (3.5%) bigger, which is within the margin of treadwear, but the extra 1.7" of tire diameter is going to make a MUCH bigger impact on comfort. Larger diameter tires roll over bumps (of all sizes) much, much smoother.

Worth noting of course that tire pressure makes a HUGE difference! Inflating your tires to the 42psi recommended on the door jamb will result in slightly better range, but quite a bit thumpier ride. Drop it down to 40 or even 38 (cold), and you'll feel like you're driving on unicorn feathers.

Tire pressure is one of the biggest factors in ride comfort. When I inflated to the door pressure on my old squishy Subaru Outback, I'd feel every sharp edge on every bump and pebble.

Of course, if you're still concerned with ride softness, the best thing you can do for your MY comfort is to add cushier suspension. For $2500 you can put in a suspension kit from Unplugged Performance, and have a WAY more comfortable ride than the stock with 19" Geminis (you also get adjustable height, which might make up for the range...?)

Here's the Unplugged Performance suspension kit: (Tesla Model Y Luxury Coilover Suspension Kit by Unplugged Performance)

So I've got options. If I feel it's too rough, I can switch to the 19s or even better, just get the kit.

Important: See the updated "Lookalikes" section for more on this because you can get 19" rims that look like the inductions.



=== POTHOLES ===

Tires with 4" sidewall (the 20" Inductions) aren't exactly low profile. You will see many M3 owners crying doom that the M3 20" tires can't survive a pothole. But keep in mind that the M3 20" Sport wheels have by far the smallest sidewall of any tire on the 3 or Y.

The Model Y 20" Inductions have about the exact same sidewall as the Model 3 base 18" wheels, PLUS a bigger diameter, so they will DEFINITELY survive potholes better than the Model 3 18" wheels. And you certainly don't hear about a ton of those getting damaged.

And I've looked around the internet and a lot of people say 4" of sidewall more than adequate to protect against unexpected pothole damage. No amount of sidewall will give you 100%, but that should be enough to avoid significant added risk.

Though the Tesla is a heavier car. Really though it's the weight of the wheel that'll make a lot of the difference. They're pretty much exactly the same weight so that's a push.

Wheel + Tire Weight (not including TPMS and air):
Gemini: 29.60lbs wheel + 28.30lbs tire = 56.90lbs (unclear if this includes the covers)
Induction: 31.55lbs wheel + 25.26 tire = 56.81.lbs

Overall, potholes aren't much of a concern for me.

Important: See the updated "Lookalikes" section for more on this, because you can get 19" Induction lookalikes.


=== CURB RASH ===

As for curb rash, the Inductions will definitely be more susceptible than the Geminis. But there's a great post on the Model Y FB forum showing how well it can be fixed (without removing the wheel from the car even). I googled and it looks like price to fix one wheel's curb rash is around $75. Bigger damage from pothole will cost more of course (for either tire).

FB repair post: Facebook Groups

The repair they did is absolutely stunning (did it for free because she was getting some PPF done). She confirmed they didn't take the tire off or even jack the car up, and the spot they fixed looks literally brand new.

This eased a LOT of curb-rash anxiety for me. Just look at the before damage and after fix:

Important: See the updated "Lookalikes" section for more on this, because you can get some Induction lookalikes with less risk of curbing.



=== TOWING ===

There is currently a lot of confusion about towing. And truthfully it is a bit confusing!

All Model Y wheels can have the same 3,500lb towing capacity and 350lb tongue weight with 3 or fewer passengers, BUT, with 4 or more passengers the 20" Inductions are only rated at 2,300lb towing capacity and 230lb tongue weight.

These figures have changed several times already. And it certainly seems odd that they use the passengers measurement, and not total weight in the car. It seems Tesla is saying that you can tow the full 3,500lbs if you have 3 people and max cargo, but not if you have 4 people and are well under cargo. Doesn't make sense from an engineering perspective. (Or from a liability perspective.) There seems to be more to the story. So stay tuned?

Latest figures (as of Sept 2, 2020) only seem to be available from the manual available on the display in-car by accessing: 'T' menu -> Owner's Manual -> Towing and Accessories (see pic below).

As of right now, if you need to tow, and you need 4 or more passengers, the Inductions have a strike against here.

Important: See the updated "Lookalikes" section for more on this, because you can get a higher load rating with Induction lookalikes.

=== LOOK ===

Who are we kidding. The only reason I did all that research is because the 20" Inductions are just so dang sexy.

I was going to paint the aero covers of the 19s and powdercoat the rims both in satin black to match the inductions. Attached are some pics of the covers painted in matte.

Without painting/coating the rims, I really don't like the look of the silver rims showing through. I photoshopped the pic to show what black rims would look like and it's a lot better. (Note the pic of the painted covers is matte, not the shinier satin black I'd use to match the inductions. And if you look closely I reversed the image of the painted covers pics to show a better comparison with the picture of the 20" Inductions.)



=== LOOKALIKES ===

One company in Canada already has near-lookalike Induction rims (they are actually lookalikes of the Model S "Turbine" wheels", another company has smaller lookalikes of the Model Y's Uberturbines, and there are many reasons to consider one of those instead of the stock Inductions.

Replika R241 Induction Near-Lookalikes

Product Page: https://www.replika.ca/productinfo.aspx?wn=r241&fn=satin+black

I've ordered these for my winter tires (with some Michelin Pilot Alpin PA4s) and will update with a review once I get them.

Interestingly they have the exact replica 20" rims at 9.5" wide, but they also have different sizes as well. The size I ordered is 19"x8.5". For three reasons I think I'll like these better.

1. 255/45R19 tires are easier to find (more tire models carry that size), and MUCH cheaper than the stock tire size on the Inductions of 255/40R20.

2. The 8.5" width is narrower than the 9.5" on all the stock rims. But 255 width tires fit great on 8.5" rims (much better than on 9.5"), and in fact they have WAY less risk of curbing, because the rims don't stick out further than the tires. They have a 19x9.5 version, but I really see no point in that unless you are *really* worried about towing weight with 4 passengers (see below).

The 8.5" wide rims also have 5mm less offset. Which means the outer edge of the 255 tires on the 8.5" wide rims will stick out toward the outside of the car 5mm (0.2in) more than the stock tires, so there's *slightly* more road grit and grime being thrown onto the vehicle. Though the R241 19x9.5 and 20x8.5 both have a 35mm offset, so they’ll stick out 0.4in further than the stock tires.

3. The load rating on all these Replika rims is greater than the rear Gross Axle Weight Rating of the Inductions, which are less than the other two stock wheels. The Goodyears on the inductions are rated at 1,819lbs each (3,638lbs for a pair), but the rear GAWR of the Inductions is only 3,307lbs (Geminis: 3,607 and Uberturbines: 3,505). That indicates to me that the Induction rims are the limiting factor.

The Replika rim load ratings are:

• 19x8.5": 1,698lbs, for a total of 3,396lbs
• 19x9.5": 1,808lbs, for a total of 3,616lbs
• 20x8.5": 1,940lbs, for a total of 3,880lbs (though the stock Goodyears limit that to 3,638)

So, for both the 19x9.5 and the 20x8.5 (limited by the Goodyears even) provide a load rating higher than the Geminis and Uberturbines, which are not limited in towing at any passenger load rating.

The 19x8.5 that I got, get almost all the way to the full GAWR of the vehicle. 89lbs more than the stock Inductions, and only 111lbs less than the rear Uberturbines.

Personally for me, I won't be concerned with towing the full weight with 4 passengers (stock Inductions can tow full weight with 3 or fewer passengers on stock Inductions).

Note: Replika confirmed to me that the 19x8.5" fit all Model Y trims. They will clear the Model Y Performance callipers.


T-Sportline Uberturbine Lookalikes

Product Page: Tesla Model Y 19" TSV Flow Forged Tesla Wheel (Set of 4) - T Sportline - Tesla Model S, 3, X & Y Accessories

These are gorgeous wheels too, and are 19", so you have that same benefits as described with the R241s above of more tire options, cheaper tire options, smoother ride, and less risk of pothole damage.

However they come only in the same 9.5" width as the stock tires, so you'll still have that risk of curbing. They are flow-forged with a rating of 1980lbs each, so WAY above what the Model Y axle limit is (no worry about towing).

Here's the Model Y axle limit information:

=== VERDICT ===

I was very pleasantly surprised that there just doesn't look to be that much of a range or comfort hit. I'm very, very glad I switched to the 20" Inductions.

I figure if I keep wishing I had a *tiny* bit more range. I'll swap to the 19" and paint them. If I want a fair bit more comfort, I'll get the suspension kit.

If you are in the same boat I was and are trying to make this same decision, I hope the above rationale helps.

Update: With the new lookalikes, I'm seriously wondering if it's not better to have gotten the Geminis and put the cash toward the lookalikes. I'm still waiting for my lookalikes for me snow tires to arrive, and will update when I can review.

What do you think? Anything I should add to this post?