Tesla Model Y wheels and its impact on 0-60 acceleration

With the Tesla Model Y just beginning first deliveries a few weeks ago, owners are getting their first tastes of how the new all-electric crossover performs. Brian Jenkins from YouTube channel i1Tesla took his experiments a few steps further and recorded the Model Y Performance 0-60 MPH acceleration time based on the factory 21″ Uberturbine wheel size and several aftermarket wheel options.

Brian brought his Model Y Performance to a research center known as NCCAR in Northhampton County, North Carolina, to test acceleration rates from 0-60 MPH. The tests were performed with the 21″ Uberturbine wheels that come standard with the Model Y’s optional performance upgrade, 19″ TSW wheels from EVtuning.com, and 18″ MWO3 Forged rims from Martian Wheels.

The Uberturbine front wheels weigh 64.8 pounds, with the slightly wider rear wheels weighing 68.6 pounds with the tires attached according to a wheel weight test performed by Brian at the NCCAR facility. Meanwhile, the 19″ TSW wheels weigh 47.6 pounds with a tire and 23 pounds on their own. The 18″ Martian MWO3 Forged wheels weigh 40.7 pounds with a tire installed onto the rim. Martian’s website states the rim weighs only 17.3 pounds without a tire attached to them.

The first runs of the vehicle were with the 21″ Uberturbine rims. Brian ran four times with these wheels on the vehicle, utilizing two runs to test its normal 0-60 MPH time, one run using Tesla’s Slip Start feature, and one run using the Model Y’s Off-Road setting. The tests were performed with a battery charge of between 82% and 74%. A Dragy GPS recorded the times.

Tesla Model Y 0-60 mph with 21″ Tesla Uberturbine Wheels (68.6 pounds with tire)

• Run 1 – Normal: 0-60 MPH in 3.77 seconds
• Run 2 – Normal: 0-60 MPH in 5.74 seconds
• Run 3 – Slip Start: 0-60 MPH in 3.81 seconds
• Run 4 – Off-Road: 0-60 MPH in 3.83 seconds

The next two runs were performed with both the 19″ TSW and 18″ MWO3 Wheels. Because of the lighter weight, the runs with these tires were noticeably faster.

Tesla Model Y 0-60 mph with 19″ TSW Wheels (47.6 pounds with tire, 23 pounds without tire)

• Run 1 – Normal: 0-60 MPH in 3.45 seconds

Tesla Model Y 0-60 mph with 18″ Martian MWO3 Forged Wheels (40.7 pounds with tire, 17.3 pounds without tire)

• Run 1 – Normal: 0-60 MPH in 3.42 seconds

The lighter and smaller TSW wheels shaved .29 seconds off of the Tesla Uberturbine wheels, but the even smaller and lighter 18″ Martian rims managed to trim almost a third of a second off of the quarter-mile time with a .32 second faster 0-60 time.

The size of the wheel also affects the range of the vehicle. The EPA’s current rating of the Model Y Performance states the car offers 315 miles of range, when paired with the 19″ Gemini wheels, and 280 miles of range with the larger and heavier 21″ Uberturbine wheels.

Comparisons of the Model 3’s different rim sizes affect the range as well, where the 20″ wheels give 299 miles, 19″ wheels offer 304 miles, and 18″ will give the driver 322 miles of driving range.

We’ve embedded Brian’s video below, which shows how Model Y’s 0-60 MPH acceleration varies by wheel and tire sizing.

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