Aftermarket Aero Covers for factory wheels??

[Roger tobin]

Are there any after-market Aero Covers for the standard factory-supplied wheels (for a Premium?)

Thanks!

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[GrumblesTheDog]

Bumping this up because I've wondered about this too. I wonder as non-Tesla EVs (beyond the MME) become more prolific, will these show up on the aftermarket? What if you put Ca Rt 1 wheels and covers on a premium spec car? Would you run into brake heating issues, or are all the braking systems between models essentially the same?

 

[SnBGC]

Bumping this up because I've wondered about this too. I wonder as non-Tesla EVs (beyond the MME) become more prolific, will these show up on the aftermarket? What if you put Ca Rt 1 wheels and covers on a premium spec car? Would you run into brake heating issues, or are all the braking systems between models essentially the same?

Brakes appear to be the same.
I believe the CR1 has 18" wheels.
There is a 19" wheel option with aero covers. My brother's car has them so maybe you can pick up a set if any come available in your area?

 

[RedDragon]

Does anyone know how much the range pick up would be by using aero covers on a premium extended range?

 

[Socalsp3]

Does anyone know how much the range pick up would be by using aero covers on a premium extended range?

Maybe take the difference in real world range between CAr1 and premium rwd ER?

 

[RedDragon]

Maybe take the difference in real world range between CAr1 and premium rwd ER?

Thanks, but There are too many differences btwn the trims to just use that. Wheel size, weight due to different components, etc

 

[tannerk89]

Does anyone know how much the range pick up would be by using aero covers on a premium extended range?

Looking through some comparison threads of the rt1 vs premium ext range the range improvement is somewhere around 1-2% with the only real difference impacting range being the wheels. So you might get 1-2% max range improvement if you swapped wheels maybe a little less than 1% improvement tacking on just wheel covers.

 

[mkhuffman]

Looking through some comparison threads of the rt1 vs premium ext range the range improvement is somewhere around 1-2% with the only real difference impacting range being the wheels. So you might get 1-2% max range improvement if you swapped wheels maybe a little less than 1% improvement tacking on just wheel covers.

It really depends on the "type" of range we are referring to. Personally I am mainly concerned with highway range, because long trips are when range matters the most. Short trips around town with mixed highway/city driving are usually well within all the MME model's range, so it becomes less important, almost irrelevant. At least to me, anyway.

As others have said, the weight difference between the Rt 1 and Premium wheels have an impact, but that impact will only be when accelerating. At a steady state highway speed, wheel weight has measurably no impact. Aerodynamics have minimal impact below 25 mph, but at highway speeds it is significant.

I think at highway speeds 1-2% improvement with the Rt 1 wheels over the Premium is probably a pretty good estimate. If you look closely at the Premium wheels, they are designed for better aerodynamics. Obviously they are not as aerodynamic as the Rt 1 wheels, but they are better than typical aftermarket wheels. The difference might be more than 2% compared to the Rt 1, but I would be surprised if it is more than 5%. Aftermarket wheels could decrease Premium range by 10% pretty easily, depending on the tires used (the difference in rolling resistance). My guess is the highway range improvement for the Rt 1 wheels is 2-5%, but closer to 2%.

I was wondering if the GT wheels have better aerodynamics than the Premium wheels, and visually they look like they do. My guess is at highway speeds, the GT wheels are only slightly worse than the Rt 1 wheels, but better than the Premium wheels. The GTPE wheels look like they are the worst of all the wheels as far as aero goes, which probably explains most of the range difference between the GT and GTPE.

If only someone would do a scientific comparison. That is hard because so many factors impact range. The best test to compare differences would be in a wind tunnel on a dyno. There you could isolate the impact the wheels make. I am sure Ford did it.

 

[tuminatr]

It really depends on the "type" of range we are referring to. Personally I am mainly concerned with highway range, because long trips are when range matters the most. Short trips around town with mixed highway/city driving are usually well within all the MME model's range, so it becomes less important, almost irrelevant. At least to me, anyway.

As others have said, the weight difference between the Rt 1 and Premium wheels have an impact, but that impact will only be when accelerating. At a steady state highway speed, wheel weight has measurably no impact. Aerodynamics have minimal impact below 25 mph, but at highway speeds it is significant.

I think at highway speeds 1-2% improvement with the Rt 1 wheels over the Premium is probably a pretty good estimate. If you look closely at the Premium wheels, they are designed for better aerodynamics. Obviously they are not as aerodynamic as the Rt 1 wheels, but they are better than typical aftermarket wheels. The difference might be more than 2% compared to the Rt 1, but I would be surprised if it is more than 5%. Aftermarket wheels could decrease Premium range by 10% pretty easily, depending on the tires used (the difference in rolling resistance). My guess is the highway range improvement for the Rt 1 wheels is 2-5%, but closer to 2%.

I was wondering if the GT wheels have better aerodynamics than the Premium wheels, and visually they look like they do. My guess is at highway speeds, the GT wheels are only slightly worse than the Rt 1 wheels, but better than the Premium wheels. The GTPE wheels look like they are the worst of all the wheels as far as aero goes, which probably explains most of the range difference between the GT and GTPE.

If only someone would do a scientific comparison. That is hard because so many factors impact range. The best test to compare differences would be in a wind tunnel on a dyno. There you could isolate the impact the wheels make. I am sure Ford did it.

I think you are on to something here.

Highway range is where my focus is at it seems that wheel aero and rolling resistance are key. I bought a set of CR1 wheels to test this theory. With Low rolling resistance tires, my premium mirrors the efficiency of the CR1 AWD. I think it should too because there are no mechanical differences between the cars.

Visually the CR1 and 19" select aero wheels look the most efficient. and Then the standard GT does look good to possibly more aero than the 19" premium wheels. I have read that smaller rim diameter tires are more efficient mainly because a larger sidewall is better aero.

I did install very light TSW wheels and could feel a difference in acceleration and they were very efficient in town. My conclusion wheel weight is only a factor in stop-and-go city driving and does have a small effect on handling.

I am close to being able to do an actual comparison because I own a set of CR1 wheels, Standard GT wheels, and a couple of aftermarket wheels. What's holding me back is I don't have identical tires

 

[HuntingPudel]

<SNIP>
I have read that smaller rim diameter tires are more efficient mainly because a larger sidewall is better aero.
<SNIP>

This is totally dependent on the wheel design and the sidewall profile. A larger wheel that has very few turbulence-inducing features (openings, protrusions) that has a slightly convex profile will likely have the same or better drag as a smaller wheel with a taller tire sidewall that has a slightly larger set of turbulence-inducing features. Of course, comparing a more or less standard type of aftermarket wheel design in two different sizes will show improvement in going to a smaller OD wheel simply because the design of the current crop of aftermarket wheels is simply crap from an aero standpoint.

 

[mkhuffman]

I am close to being able to do an actual comparison because I own a set of CR1 wheels, Standard GT wheels, and a couple of aftermarket wheels. What's holding me back is I don't have identical tires

That is very cool. If you can get the same tires on all the rims, what a great way to see the differences. Of course it will be a lot of work, testing at different speeds and for sufficient time to measure a difference. But also taking into account the exterior factors like the weather, terrain and traffic. Hard to control some of those things.

Hope you can do it though!

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