Elie Rothstein, VP Sales and Marketing, and Oliver, Shop Foreman and Master Tech, with T Sportline answer the question: Will a 19” wheel and tire fit a performance Tesla Model Y?

While the answer may seem obvious, it really isn’t because the Model Y Performance has very large performance brake calipers compared to the non-performance Model Y. The calipers are red in color which is how we identify a performance car from a non-performance car. The performance calipers are much larger than the non-performance model Y. Today we’ll put the question about whether 19” wheels fit the Testa Model Y Performance to rest. We will also talk about the benefits of 19” over 21”.

We start by removing the 21” Uberturbine wheels. The first step is to remove the center caps (also known as the center cap assembly) from the wheels if your vehicle is so equipped. The caps pull straight off the wheels. The center cap assembly is a design element that covers the lug nuts. Once the center cap assembly has been removed, loosen (but do not remove) the lug nuts and lift the car. Oliver used a QuickJack that makes a great accessory for your home shop. It plugs into a 110-volt wall socket and makes easy work for those of you that swap out wheels and tires. With the car lifted, Oliver removed the 21” wheels and tires.

Once the front and rear wheels and tires are off, you can see the red performance front brake caliper. The great part about the Model Y is that no adapters, spacers or hub-centric rings are required to install a set of 19” T Sportline wheel and tires. You want wheels that are Tesla hub-centric like the T Sportline TS5, that go on with no clearance issues, no spacers, no adapters or aftermarket hardware. And, we’re actually using the original Tesla lug nuts which is best for fitment.

As you can see, the 19” wheels and tires fit perfectly on this car. Next step is to lower the car, hand torque the lug nuts to 130 ft-lbs and clean it up with some black lug nut covers. The T Sportline black lug nut covers work with all different wheel colors. The covers pressure fit on and if you ever need to access the lug nuts again, it comes with a little tool to remove the covers. Quick side note: whenever you take your car to a local wheel and tire store chain, make sure that they hand-torque your wheels and not just use the impact wrench to tighten.

Now, let’s talk about benefits of 19” vs 21” wheels and tires.

The original tires on this vehicle were Pirelli high-performance summer tires. Tire sizes: 255/35-21 in the front and 275/35-21 in the rear. The new wheels and tires are T Sportline TS5, size 255/45-19 for both front and rear.

Several benefits of the 19” wheels and tires. The first benefit is that you can now rotate your front and rear tires to ensure long tire life and maximum usage. The second benefit is that you have more tire options. We installed an all-season tire, but you can also get snow or winter tires which are not available in the 21” option. If you own a performance Model Y and you live in a state that gets heavy winter heavy snow or even mild snow, your high-performance summer tires that came with your car won’t be safe to drive on. It’s common for owners to own a second set of wheels and tires so that and they can safely enjoy their vehicle all year long.

The 19” tire has a taller sidewall which will give you a little softer ride. We often hear from customers that they want a softer, smoother ride than you would get from a 20” or 21”.

Another benefit of the 19” T Sportline wheel is weight savings. The stock OEM 19” Tesla Gemini wheel that comes standard weighs 29.6 lbs. The 20” upgraded OEM Tesla Induction wheel weighs 31.5 lbs. The OEM Tesla 21” Uberturbine wheel is a staggered wheel meaning the front wheel weighs 38 lbs and rear wheel weighs 39 lbs. The 19” T Sportline TS5 that we installed only weighs 26 lbs. The savings in unsprung weight by having a wheel that weighs less will help you increase range and performance. And all Tesla owners would love to have more range and more performance.

Thanks for reading! We love hearing from you, contact T Sportline customer support for more details about 19" wheels.