Would Wheel Covers really help with Range / Mileage?

[CTSoFL]

Newbie here to all things Tesla.

Would wheel covers impact mileage for our CTs in a meaningful way?

Have they done so with other Tesla models?

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[CyberGus]

Aero covers can account for a 2%-3% range increase at highways speeds.

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a30169467/tesla-model-3s-aero-wheel-covers-efficiency-test/

 

[Beyond]

Aero covers can account for a 2%-3% range increase at highways speeds.

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a30169467/tesla-model-3s-aero-wheel-covers-efficiency-test/

True for most Tesla models but I don't think the original Cybertruck covers helped that much. Maybe someone will make a cover that's more efficient at highway speeds. However they may not match the "theme" of the Cybertruck (for those who care about such things).

 

[CTSoFL]

True for most Tesla models but I don't think the original Cybertruck covers helped that much. Maybe someone will make a cover that's more efficient at highway speeds. However they may not match the "theme" of the Cybertruck (for those who care about such things).

Excellent point.

 

[Woodrick]

Newbie here to all things Tesla.

Would wheel covers impact mileage for our CTs in a meaningful way?

Have they done so with other Tesla models?

Meaningful is a very subjective term.

In general, over the years, owners have often made changes that impact their range by a couple percent, even doing it multiple times, and they are very happy with the results. If you like the look of one wheel over another, 2% degradation isn't going to sway you. And you want a softer ride, switching to softer wheels may drop another 5%. That can be easily acceptable.

How often do you care about range?
Well, for new EV owners with range anxiety, every additional mile of range is important.
As a I've driven EVs exclusively for 8+ years, take 40 miles away and I don't really blink.

I know that the 40 miles doesn't both me daily and that it probably won't even make a difference when road tripping. Even take 80 miles away isn't going to kill me. That's sometimes the difference between Tesla's long range and standard range vehicles.

I believe that on my Model 3, wheel covers made about 5% difference. I kept them on for a long time and maybe after the first year I took them off to clean behind them and realized that I kind of like the look of the wheels. So I decided to leave them off and put them on for long trips, which I did for a year or so and then realized that I was taking long trips and had forgotten to put them on.

From Tesla's view, they fight for every percent. If they can add a percent of range, they will. When you can tune 50 items and get 1% increase out of each of the items, that's a LOT more range. That's why Tesla includes them, it's a relatively significant impact.

When travelling around home, you'll never see the difference.

When on a road trip of 500 miles, you won't see a difference. The worse that can happen is you stop on Supercharger earlier.
It MAY be seen on trips of thousands of miles.


But the reverse of Teslas goal is still true. Leave the wheel covers off, and leave the tonneau cover on. Add some exterior modifications, add a big light bar, change the tires out. It's not necessarily hard to reduce range by 20%. That still may be suitable for you though.

It's personal experience and preference.

 

[CTSoFL]

Meaningful is a very subjective term.

In general, over the years, owners have often made changes that impact their range by a couple percent, even doing it multiple times, and they are very happy with the results. If you like the look of one wheel over another, 2% degradation isn't going to sway you. And you want a softer ride, switching to softer wheels may drop another 5%. That can be easily acceptable.

How often do you care about range?
Well, for new EV owners with range anxiety, every additional mile of range is important.
As a I've driven EVs exclusively for 8+ years, take 40 miles away and I don't really blink.

I know that the 40 miles doesn't both me daily and that it probably won't even make a difference when road tripping. Even take 80 miles away isn't going to kill me. That's sometimes the difference between Tesla's long range and standard range vehicles.

I believe that on my Model 3, wheel covers made about 5% difference. I kept them on for a long time and maybe after the first year I took them off to clean behind them and realized that I kind of like the look of the wheels. So I decided to leave them off and put them on for long trips, which I did for a year or so and then realized that I was taking long trips and had forgotten to put them on.

From Tesla's view, they fight for every percent. If they can add a percent of range, they will. When you can tune 50 items and get 1% increase out of each of the items, that's a LOT more range. That's why Tesla includes them, it's a relatively significant impact.

When travelling around home, you'll never see the difference.

When on a road trip of 500 miles, you won't see a difference. The worse that can happen is you stop on Supercharger earlier.
It MAY be seen on trips of thousands of miles.


But the reverse of Teslas goal is still true. Leave the wheel covers off, and leave the tonneau cover on. Add some exterior modifications, add a big light bar, change the tires out. It's not necessarily hard to reduce range by 20%. That still may be suitable for you though.

It's personal experience and preference.

Great perspective and context.

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