Wheel & Tire Size

[donfenn]

I have had deposit on Lucid for more than two years.. Now with the reduced prices I am pulling the trigger on an Air AWD version... Standard set up is the 19" wheels.. Just curious if it makes sense to upgrade to the 20" wheels... I think they look better, but will sacrifice some economy and ride quality...

 

[joec]

I have had deposit on Lucid for more than two years.. Now with the reduced prices I am pulling the trigger on an Air AWD version... Standard set up is the 19" wheels.. Just curious if it makes sense to upgrade to the 20" wheels... I think they look better, but will sacrifice some economy and ride quality...

Where do you live? Can you get away with summer tires all year round? Otherwise, the 20-inch wheels may become an issue. Basically, if it ever drops below 45 or so where you live.

 

[donfenn]

I am in California and have had 20" and 21" summer tires on Panamera and BMW 840.. Seldom travel too far from this climate... Don't think the summer tire class will be an issue, but do wonder about ride and mileage with larger than 19" wheels

 

[Bobby]

I am in California and have had 20" and 21" summer tires on Panamera and BMW 840.. Seldom travel too far from this climate... Don't think the summer tire class will be an issue, but do wonder about ride and mileage with larger than 19" wheels

Test drive both. I did just that and I decided up on the 21s. I like the handling better and the appearance as well. I am willing to take the mileage penalty.

 

[donfenn]

Not really considering 21" because of pot hole blow outs... In the past decade I have had at least 8 blow outs with low profile tires due to lousy roads, mostly Pirellis and a couple of Michelins... The 20's may have this vulnerability too, but 21s are even more vulnerable

 

[Bobby]

Not really considering 21" because of pot hole blow outs... In the past decade I have had at least 8 blow outs with low profile tires due to lousy roads, mostly Pirellis and a couple of Michelins... The 20's may have this vulnerability too, but 21s are even more vulnerable

14,000 miles on mine so far. Roads here are not too bad.

 

[Neurio]

I feel like it's luck of the draw. I had a blowout 700 miles in to ownership on the 21s. Just hit 15k miles the other day and no issues since and I've hit a few potholes that definitely could have done in a tire, especially because my blowout was just from driving on uneven road, not a pothole. Of course, I'm now hyper vigilant too...

 

[RCP]

I've been looking at the many threads on tires on this forum, a number of which have info dating back many months ago. Summing it all up, this is what I've come up with. Would appreciate your comments and corrections.
1. Many owners who comment find that the 21" Pirellis can be problematic (bulges, blowouts, easily damaged), but a few owners have had no trouble with them.
2. The 19" Pirellis generally are problem-free although a few people have had issues.
3. The 20" a/s and summer Michelins have fewer issues.
4. Both the Pirellis and Michelins are rated XL, not HL.

Thanks in advance for your comments.

 

[Worldwide Beagle]

I've been looking at the many threads on tires on this forum, a number of which have info dating back many months ago. Summing it all up, this is what I've come up with. Would appreciate your comments and corrections.
1. Many owners who comment find that the 21" Pirellis can be problematic (bulges, blowouts, easily damaged), but a few owners have had no trouble with them.
2. The 19" Pirellis generally are problem-free although a few people have had issues.
3. The 20" a/s and summer Michelins have fewer issues.
4. Both the Pirellis and Michelins are rated XL, not HL.

Thanks in advance for your comments.

Good summary. Only the 21 Pirellis are HL, but it's a very very new rating class. More will come. The SL, XL and HL are grossly over simplified.

The older rating system gives much more info and is still used by everyone. Two or three numbers and a letter. The higher the number, the higher the load. Such as 102V for Michi Alpine 19". The numbers are the weight load rating per tire, 102, and the letter V is a max sustained speed rating. HL is not required and not inherently better than XL as long as the max load number are high enough.

I think the Lucid weight factor rating requires something like a tire with a minium load rating of 99 or higher. Maybe a tad less. The charts to decode the numbers are easily available. Tire Rack for example, knows our load requirements per wheel and will only show tires the met or exceed it.

IMHO, I believe some of the issues with the fragile Pirelli 21s are due to driving style and failure to keep higher pressure. They do not have much margin for error. No 35 ratio does. Pirellis may have less. I think tire pressure is critical. 42 is a minimum. I use 45 cold psi. I have smacked potholes at speed. No bulges, knock on wood.

 

[Tay Chi]

Here is another bump looking for specifically for help regarding 20 in wheel and how they compare to 21 in terms of durability and driving impressions.

I am leaning towards the 20 just based on available tire options, and loose consensus on quality of Michelin vs Perillis. I read the many reports on tire bubbles. Any reports of bent rims with the thinner tire sidewalls?

My available test drive had the 19, so couldn't test myself. Agree with @RCP that information is scarce.

 

[donfenn]

I went with 20" inch as compromise... I like the way it feels, and like the Michelins. Test drove the 19" and was looking for a bit more handling feel.. I assume the 21" will be firmer, but with higher risk of sidewall failure, I decided against them.. BTW, my past experience with 20" and 21" Pirellis on performance sedans was not good from a durability standpoint

 

[Worldwide Beagle]

I went with 20" inch as compromise... I like the way it feels, and like the Michelins. Test drove the 19" and was looking for a bit more handling feel.. I assume the 21" will be firmer, but with higher risk of sidewall failure, I decided against them.. BTW, my past experience with 20" and 21" Pirellis on performance sedans was not good from a durability standpoint

Make sure you keep on top of TP even with 20. The Lucid recommended 42 is a bit low, IMHO, especially for low profile. Those of us that use 45 or 46 for 20/21s have far less problems with sidewall damage. I have 21s. I have hit some big ass potholes in CO that I could swear would cause problems - but none, I believe due to using 46psi.

Agreed with the issues of Pirellis - but those of us with 21s have no choice right now. I have had them swapped out at the dealer in years gone by.

I drove 20 and 21 and they are very similar, the 21 is not harsher. Big difference through from 20/21 to the 19s.

 

[Tay Chi]

Make sure you keep on top of TP even with 20. The Lucid recommended 42 is a bit low, IMHO, especially for low profile. Those of us that use 45 or 46 for 20/21s have far less problems with sidewall damage. I have 21s. I have hit some big ass potholes in CO that I could swear would cause problems - but none, I believe due to using 46psi.

Agreed with the issues of Pirellis - but those of us with 21s have no choice right now. I have had them swapped out at the dealer in years gone by.

I drove 20 and 21 and they are very similar, the 21 is not harsher. Big difference through from 20/21 to the 19s.

My test drive with 19" was good but still felt some bumps and road vibration. I took a turn at a stop light l, and the tail spun out a little.

When you say there is a bid difference, do you mean in car handling or ride comfort?

 

[Worldwide Beagle]

My test drive with 19" was good but still felt some bumps and road vibration. I took a turn at a stop light l, and the tail spun out a little.

When you say there is a bid difference, do you mean in car handling or ride comfort?

Car handling. Much Less oversteer,precise turn in, with the 21. I have an old bum, so ride comfort is lost on me.

 

[Tay Chi]

Truly appreciate your responsiveness and insights throughoutmany threads. A bit surprised you found 20 and 21 similar, no?

 

[HackSaw]

Truly appreciate your responsiveness and insights throughoutmany threads. A bit surprised you found 20 and 21 similar, no?

They probably feel similar because the Lucid recommended tire spec is 42 psi on both tires.

Make sure you keep on top of TP even with 20. The Lucid recommended 42 is a bit low, IMHO, especially for low profile. Those of us that use 45 or 46 for 20/21s have far less problems with sidewall damage. I have 21s. I have hit some big ass potholes in CO that I could swear would cause problems - but none, I believe due to using 46psi.

Agreed with the issues of Pirellis - but those of us with 21s have no choice right now. I have had them swapped out at the dealer in years gone by.

I drove 20 and 21 and they are very similar, the 21 is not harsher. Big difference through from 20/21 to the 19s.

I have heard this be successful from quite a few owners in the SoCal area.

46 minimum!

 

[Worldwide Beagle]

Truly appreciate your responsiveness and insights throughoutmany threads. A bit surprised you found 20 and 21 similar, no?

Not really. Too many variables. By similar, I don't mean the same. I could tell a different feel, but difference does not mean better or worse. I think I liked the 21 Pirelli better because of it's very precise handling in traffic. I have had a huge dislike for Pirelli over the decades, so that takes a lot for me to admit. Also, I have now had months with the Pirellis at 45/46 psi and, god forgive me, I like them for my Lucid.

Remember , Our cars do not have tuned sport suspensions. I did not know the tire pressures on the test cars. And the Mich summer vs Pirelli are different. And perhaps I just perceived the 21 lower profile tire handled better. Had the cars been an RS6, I probably could tell more.....

 

[Tay Chi]

Many tnanks. This maybe the only 20 vs 21 post on this forum! I am still undecided what to get for my car.

Funny story, because of your immense emphasis on psi. I checked the pressures on my test car 19" (49psi recommended) and found them to be 42. I inflated them to a proper pressure andll sure enough the car efficiency improved from 3.5 to 3.8 on the return trip to the studio.

 

[HackSaw]

Many tnanks. This maybe the only 20 vs 21 post on this forum! I am still undecided what to get for my car.

Funny story, because of your immense emphasis on psi. I checked the pressures on my test car 19" (49psi recommended) and found them to be 42. I inflated them to a proper pressure andll sure enough the car efficiency improved from 3.5 to 3.8 on the return trip to the studio.

Unfortunately the threshold at which the TPMS light turns on is a lot lower than it should be.

 

[Worldwide Beagle]

Many tnanks. This maybe the only 20 vs 21 post on this forum! I am still undecided what to get for my car.

Funny story, because of your immense emphasis on psi. I checked the pressures on my test car 19" (49psi recommended) and found them to be 42. I inflated them to a proper pressure andll sure enough the car efficiency improved from 3.5 to 3.8 on the return trip to the studio.

Thanks, hopefully others will check their psi
Climate change will make it worse with Temp fluctuations. I loose 1 a week. if you start at 42, you will be below spec instantly . Low profile tires just do not have the air cushion or sidewall too spare. More really is better!