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Last night, after I went through a pothole in Jersey City, NJ. That metal clunk sound doesn't sound good and I knew from the 1st time that it was likely a dented rim. I got TPMS sensor warning after 2 minutes I knew most likely another dented rim.
To my surprise not 1 but 2 dented rims on the same passenger side. I immediately hit Road side assistance for Tesla. It took them 15min to respond by text and told me 90mins wait time. I kept texting back and forth and they kept telling me they are delayed.
I ended up taking an Uber home and coming back out with my spare wheels and tires. Luckily I had a full set of 18" aero wheels and tires waiting at home. I grabbed 2 wheels just in case I need to swap the front with the 18"
Brought all the tools and inflator with me. Got back to my Model 3 and tried to inflate the front tire and noticed it wouldn't go past 5 psi then I knew it's a big dent. I also noticed the back tire was also deflated, that one only go to 21psi and no more. I ended up swapping both passenger side wheels and drove home.
I'm officially done with these 19" sport wheels, that is my 3rd dented wheel. I'm swapping out the set and putting on the rest of the 18" aero wheels.
I'm convinced the 19" - 20" are not suitable for cities with bad road conditions. Having both rims dented at the same time shows the weight of the car is very even and heavy that causes the wheels to both dent at the same time over the same pothole.
My tire pressure is 42-44psi much higher than recommended
I agree- one of very few things that I don't like about Teslas are the giant brakes, and therefore the giant wheels. I wish I could fit 17" wheels on my Model S- would like more rubber between me and the road.
I have a better solution. Don't drive through potholes. I've managed to avoid them in 40 years of driving on both coasts. If someone is constantly hitting potholes, they're not paying attention while driving. Once or twice in a long span I can see. But regularly? I have 20" forged wheels on my Volt with 225/35-20 tires and don't have a problem.
I'm convinced the 19" - 20" are not suitable for cities with bad road conditions. Having both rims dented at the same time shows the weight of the car is very even and heavy that causes the wheels to both dent at the same time over the same pothole.
My tire pressure is 42-44psi much higher than recommended
I have a better solution. Don't drive through potholes. I've managed to avoid them in 40 years of driving on both coasts. If someone is constantly hitting potholes, they're not paying attention while driving. Once or twice in a long span I can see. But regularly? I have 20" forged wheels on my Volt with 225/35-20 tires and don't have a problem.
Perhaps OP lives in a place with worse roads than you. It's different when you're visiting somewhere with bad roads vs. living somewhere with bad roads. The odds just aren't in your favor if you live there.
Trust me, I autocross for years and I drive a lot of low cars. My other cars that dent a lot are ones with 18" and summer tires. But the Tesla dent so easy because of the weight distribution.
Since I swapped to the 18" wheels I haven't had any issues. I also got some Bridgestones instead of the Michelin Primacy that are quite slippery on hard cornering.
The area where I dented the rim it wasn't like a typical pothole it was more like a manhole type square covering that had a gap.
Tesla recommends those high pressures to maximize range.
But they're not paying for your damaged rims!! That much air pressure reduces the amount of "cushion" in the tires, and transfers the shock to the rims.....
If you all think aluminum wheels cost a lot, wait until you price some carbon-fibre wheels....
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I've managed to avoid them in 40 years of driving on both coasts. If someone is constantly hitting potholes, they're not paying attention while driving. Once or twice in a long span I can see. But regularly? I have 20" forged wheels on my Volt with 225/35-20 tires and don't have a problem.
