A while back, we tested the expected real-world highway range of our Tesla Model Y Premium with the larger battery pack, driving at 110, 120, and 130 kilometers per hour. At the time, the car was equipped with its original 20-inch Michelin Pilot Sport EV tires.
But many of you pointed out in the comments that switching to smaller wheels could reduce energy consumption and improve range.
So, we decided to put that theory to the test. We fitted the Model Y with an 18-inch Hankook iON Evo SUV setup and repeated the exact same test to see how much of a difference the smaller wheels would actually make.
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Subjectively, was there a noticable difference in ride quality and/or road noise?
I believe the main R18 advantage comes from having less mass / momentum during acceleration, which steady speed tests do not really demonstrate…
Bit surprised about the results, especially that 18 inch had aero caps on. Comparing 20 inch and 18 inch in Toyota CHR+, well, difference is more substantial.
I think the indicated speed by the vehicle with the 18" wheels is just wrong. It's slightly less in reality, as the car tachometer must have been calibrated with the original 20" wheels. So, a little less speed means a little less aerodynamic drag.
Really useful comparison! I wonder if the reverse test on a Model Y Standard would show a bigger difference. Starting with its efficiency-focused 18” setup and narrower 235 tyres, moving up to 19” or 20” wheels with 255 tyres might mean a larger consumption penalty than we see here. Would be interesting to test!
La diferencia ¿es realmente a causa del tamaño de la rueda o es a causa del neumático, ya que no es el mismo en ambas pruebas?
Ich bin hin und hergerissen Fahre im Winter die 19" gemini und im Sommer die 21" turbine. Ich finde die 2-4%, kann man gerade im Sommer gut verschmerzen 🙂
Habe ein MYLR 2022 und bin diesen Sommer 20k mit den 21" gefahren und hatte Im schnitt 16,8 kWh Verbrauch.
Hey would be cool to have data on speed at 60 and 90 km/h in your tests !
Hi. Now exist a good question, how it works on 100 km/h. Result can be more imposing!
Do not waste our time with your metric nonsense. We are the American Empire!
Hi, could you please tell me which wheels you have installed? And the cover on them? I really like them! And would love to get the same
I see you have front mud flap installed. Can you do test with and without mud flap efficiency comparison?
20 is better all the way. Looks cool
and consuption is like the same its not a difference for me.
It would be interesting to know, what the difference is for winter conditions. Winter spees are lower here where I live and roll resistance of Nordic winter tires is B at best. Would it translate to bigger differene in range?
Very direct and informative video, thanks! I really wonder where would 19" OEM set drop on that chart? According to Tesla WLTP numbers, it would seem that 20" to 19" has more gap in range estimate than what 19" is to 18".
The 20” doesn’t match the car and they have problems with curb rash for some drivers. 19” is the best solution.
for confort i will choose small one 18inh. hello from türkiye. JESUS BLESS YOU FRIENDS.
Not showing the time for both is a mistake. Also we don't know id the 18" tires was the same model as the 20" so we don't know the rolling resistance.
20% ??? What a donkey.
Those CEOs do not have a clue that they are becoming CEOs of Kodak when the digital photos came to mass use.
Eventually, low speed with smaller rims effect more than bigger one. It is same for fuel efficiency on tyre. When your speed is higher, contact surface on tyre get smaller.
Always 18"!
19's are all show and less go…
A bar chart with offset and only two values is a crime.
thank you for the video! Did you test Model Y Premium AWD or RWD?
Wie sieht es im Stadtverkehr mit der kleineren Dimension aus? Hier ist der Rollwiderstand am höchsten und die Rädergröße noch relevanter…
18 inch is way more comfortable on Bulgarian roads although ugly looking
1인치 휠은 얼마나 주행가능거리가 길지 기대됩니다
Remarque idiote car cela diminuera les km et ne changera rien dans le fait que ce vehicule est un tape cul notoire …
Posez vous plutôt la question sur le fait qu' aucune roue ne changera le fait que cette voiture soit un tape cul notoire et se nomme Tesla ..!!
The car comes in 19" so why test in a tyre size you can't get
me hubiera sido interesante ver los promedios de velocidad en cada caso y valorar el tiempo ganado y perdido en recargar……excelente video
You didn’t have any issues with the standard model y rims on the premium?
130 km/h was probably max speed, not average speed.
At 130 km/h average speed, you will not be able to achieve more than 210 miles with a full battery.
That's overteated with a 2022 my lr dm.
I doubt new model have almost 50% larger battery
I choose 19”, it is more balanced
Did you weigh the wheels for comparison? Wouldn't a heavier wheel make a bigger difference? I'm going to assume the 18 inch is just a little bit lighter.
The lighter the wheel, the better the economy.
Chi lo avrebbe mai detto? 😂
According to chatgpt 18" have higher weight than the 20" by about 0,9kg/tyre as the 18" are steel wheels. Unsprung weight has a big impact on consumption. The higher weight eliminates smaller wideness (20mm narrower vs 20") so the efficiencny difference is small.
Driving faster reduces range, 18" wheels increases range, and the faster you go the less effect wheel size has. Thought this was common knowledge? When I bought a new 2023 Model Y Performance the first thing I did was replace the 21" oversized rubber band tires that were wider in the rear with an 18" wheel set all around. Not only does the car get better range I can do an all around rotation with them and the 18" tires have beefier sidewalls that stick out a bit to prevent curb rash, also the ride feels better and there is less of a chance of wheel damage when hitting potholes.
could you compare less speeds also as I see its a trend to use less energy when speed decreases, so maybe it will be 5% or more at lower speeds, in addition could you measure the range for city driving not highway, or just simulate driving at 20 miles per hour as a simulation for city driving to make circumstances as similar as possible, and could you drive the vehicle from 100% until it dies so we can get an exact real number as the computer numbers is not always accurate
Why exactly is it better with the smaller wheel/tire? I assume smaller setup is less unsprung mass at each wheel so there's less weight to move?
The same error as most of internet videos:
You never get whole usable battery capacity at 130km/h, when you have 79kWh usable battery capacity, the max you receive 100%-0 at that speed is is about 70kWh. Rest is heat loses at the battery itself.
So you can't divide 79 by what the tablet says. You can NEVER got that calculated distance in real life.
You should have also noted the weight of the wheel and the tire of an 18-in setup and a 20-in setup
Sehr interessantes Video. 😊
Aber wie wirkt sich das bei niedrigeren Geschwindigkeiten aus?
Bei 30 km/h, bei 50 km/h, bei 60 km/h, bei 70 km/h, bei 80 km/h, bei 90 km/h, bei 100 km/h?
Ich will ja immer möglichst effizient fahren, aber nicht schleichen!
Deshalb immer 18 Zöller, weil auf der Autobahn fahre meistens max. 125 km/h mit Tempomat, äußerst selten schneller😊 und mit 3,0 Reifendruck.
Schneller fahren heißt ja mehr Reifenabrieb und mehr Feinstaubbelastung.
i 18 pollici sono 235 mentre i 20 sono 255. sta li la differenza, non tanto nei pollici
It's not the wheel diameter that matters, it's the wheel width, dummy
I wonder if you selected the 18" wheels in the settings to correct for more range
Thank you for this test. If the 20-inch rims were also fully closed like the 18-inch rims, the difference on the highway wouldn't be worth mentioning. You save energy with 18-inch rims in stop-and-go traffic, but on the highway, it's negligible.
I never get below 20kwh/100km going 130km/h.
I run a set of Hankook Flexclimate R19, could this alone give a nearly 4kwh/100km penalty?
so AI voice…