Tire/Wheel Discussion

[hmp10]

Does the 5 seat have an extra battery, otherwise the rear is flat and I can't imagine the foot well from the 7 seater is just wasted space in the 5 seater

No extra battery modules. It probably just becomes extra cargo space?

 

[borski]

No extra battery modules. It probably just becomes extra cargo space?

Correct. You just get to use both the flat space and the stowage space for cargo.

With the third row you get to use the flat space behind the third row *and* the stowage space, or if the seats are stowed, then you get the full flat area of the seats and behind them.

 

[TahoeMichael]

Correct. You just get to use both the flat space and the stowage space for cargo.

With the third row you get to use the flat space behind the third row *and* the stowage space, or if the seats are stowed, then you get the full flat area of the seats and behind them.

This is my reason for preferring a 2-row configuration. I currently drive a 3-row SUV, and since I bought it in 2018, I've pulled the 3rd row up from the stowed position exactly twice. But cargo capacity? I've regularly decided that I didn't have room for something. Of course, I'm in a two person, two dog household. If I was in a four person household, wanting the third row for a guest might become a frequent enough occurrence to merit the 3-row configuration. That said, it is something I want to see in person before finalizing which configuration I want. If the extra storage from 2 rows seems minimally useful, the 3 row might still make sense. If nothing else, it might retain better resale value.

 

[hmp10]

. . . the 3 row might still make sense. If nothing else, it might retain better resale value.

A real consideration. A lot of people who opt for a full-size SUV need it because of the third row.

Same thing with the towing package. I will never need it, but a subsequent buyer might.

 

[borski]

This is my reason for preferring a 2-row configuration. I currently drive a 3-row SUV, and since I bought it in 2018, I've pulled the 3rd row up from the stowed position exactly twice. But cargo capacity? I've regularly decided that I didn't have room for something. Of course, I'm in a two person, two dog household. If I was in a four person household, wanting the third row for a guest might become a frequent enough occurrence to merit the 3-row configuration. That said, it is something I want to see in person before finalizing which configuration I want. If the extra storage from 2 rows seems minimally useful, the 3 row might still make sense. If nothing else, it might retain better resale value.

All fair points, but I would definitely look at one first; there is much more storage even with the third row stowed than you'd expect.

 

[hmp10]

Jonathan Benson just posted his comparison tests of the new Pirelli P Zero PZ5 that comes on the Gravity's largest wheel set. He pronounced it the best ultra-high-performance tire on the market:

 

[hmp10]

Of course, there's a new Michelin Pilot Sport 5 waiting in the wings (or maybe already out in some European markets?).

I knew the Pirelli PZ5 was already on sale in Europe, but I really didn't know how slow the rollout of new tires could be until I heard Benson say that Pirelli had given him two late prototype PZ5's to test back in late 2023.

And for some reason, Pirelli did not officially unveil the PZ5 until last week, even though it had been on sale in Europe for some time. In fact, Benson posted on Reddit last week that he was holding off on posting this review until today due to waiting for Pirelli to announce the official release.

It was also not until Pirelli made this announcement that the PZ5 LM1 showed up on the Tire Rack website as the sole fitment for the large-wheeled Gravity (although Tire Rack is still showing it as "temporarily unavailable").

 

[TahoeMichael]

Hearing Jason Cammisa talk with Derek Tam-Scott on The Carmudgeon Show about driving the Gravity and extolling the virtues of sidewalls reinforces my decision to go with the 20"/21" wheel combo. I'm not dismissing the performance offered by the Pirelli P Zeros. But for me, the need for that sort of performance reflects my fantasy of how and where I'd like to be driving, and not the reality of how and where I actually drive.

 

[Elfin]

Hearing Jason Cammisa talk with Derek Tam-Scott on The Carmudgeon Show about driving the Gravity and extolling the virtues of sidewalls reinforces my decision to go with the 20"/21" wheel combo. I'm not dismissing the performance offered by the Pirelli P Zeros. But for me, the need for that sort of performance reflects my fantasy of how and where I'd like to be driving, and not the reality of how and where I actually drive.

I'm a huge fan of sidewalls too but the 22"/23" sidewalls aren't actually that small. The tires are gigantic, 30.4" diameter front 31" diameter rear. My Model 3 has 18" wheels with 26.3" tires so the 22"/23" Gravity actually has the same amount of sidewall.
My main concern is cost, those tires are expensive!

 

[hmp10]

I'm a huge fan of sidewalls too but the 22"/23" sidewalls aren't actually that small. The tires are gigantic, 30.4" diameter front 31" diameter rear. My Model 3 has 18" wheels with 26.3" tires so the 22"/23" Gravity actually has the same amount of sidewall.
My main concern is cost, those tires are expensive!

Yep, the large Gravity PZ5 tires have a 0.8" taller sidewall and 0.3" taller rear sidewall than the Pirellis on our Air with 21" wheels.

 

[zoomzoom]

Help me understand the tradeoffs.
I'm coming from a Subaru here...

How significant is the ride quality difference vs handling difference between these 3 sets? I'm not as worried about the range.

What are real world implications for a dad with heavy foot and suburban spirited driving when solo but also road tripping with wife and two young kids? Does the driver need to be pushing the car to the limits to even notice or will I be able to tell if I'm coming on or off an exit around a corner with some speed?

Said another way - Which has a wider delta: my relative increase in the driving experience vs the decrease in wife and kids passenger experience? This would be my daily driver and weekend family car.

I'm inclined the choose the middle for balance but feel like I kind of want to be talked into the big wheels if the right person with a moderately enthusiastic post pushes me to.

 

[Elfin]

Help me understand the tradeoffs.
I'm coming from a Subaru here...

How significant is the ride quality difference vs handling difference between these 3 sets? I'm not as worried about the range.

What are real world implications for a dad with heavy foot and suburban spirited driving when solo but also road tripping with wife and two young kids? Does the driver need to be pushing the car to the limits to even notice or will I be able to tell if I'm coming on or off an exit around a corner with some speed?

Said another way - Which has a wider delta: my relative increase in the driving experience vs the decrease in wife and kids passenger experience? This would be my daily driver and weekend family car.

I'm inclined the choose the middle for balance but feel like I kind of want to be talked into the big wheels if the right person with a moderately enthusiastic post pushes me to.

The biggest difference is the 22"/23" PZ5 is a summer tire so it will have WAY more traction than the other options. The downside is that if you drive somewhere where the temperature is below 40F you'll have to swap wheels.
I bet ride quality will be similar for all the options.

 

[hmp10]

Help me understand the tradeoffs.
I'm coming from a Subaru here...

How significant is the ride quality difference vs handling difference between these 3 sets? I'm not as worried about the range.

What are real world implications for a dad with heavy foot and suburban spirited driving when solo but also road tripping with wife and two young kids? Does the driver need to be pushing the car to the limits to even notice or will I be able to tell if I'm coming on or off an exit around a corner with some speed?

Said another way - Which has a wider delta: my relative increase in the driving experience vs the decrease in wife and kids passenger experience? This would be my daily driver and weekend family car.

I'm inclined the choose the middle for balance but feel like I kind of want to be talked into the big wheels if the right person with a moderately enthusiastic post pushes me to.

We've had enough discussions about this on the forum to make your keyboard fingers bleed.

The biggest wheels come with the new Pirelli P Zero PZ5 tires specifically engineered for the Lucid. The first professional review of the generic version of that tire has just today pronounced it the best ultra-high-performance passenger tire now on the market. And driving tests by the likes of Jason Cammisa (a professional stunt driver who works for "Hagerty") have pronounced the Gravity handling with those wheels and tires superb. Cammisa goes so far as to say it threatens to make the sports car category obsolete.

The downside, as @Elfin says, is that no all-season tires will fit those wheels currently, so it means this becomes a car for above 45º temperatures only unless you switch the wheels.

The longest range (and probably the marginally softest ride) comes from the smallest wheels, which come fitted with the extraordinarily-efficient Hankook all-seasons. However, those tires have racked up some pretty poor wet handling measurements in testing by Tire Rack and others.

The mid-size wheels seem to be an aero design, like the smallest wheels and unlike the largest, that might contribute to better range, although Lucid's order configurator claims they have no more range than the largest wheel option. (No one here really believes that.). Those wheels come with all-season Michelins that get pretty good test results for the category, particularly in wet and dry braking numbers. They also offer the widest choice of tires ranging from a couple of ultra-high-performance summer tires down through UHP all-seasons and grand touring and touring tire categories. But, as far as I know, the only tires thus far engineered specifically to match the Gravity's suspension and traction tuning are the new Pirelli PZ5s on the biggest wheels.

Eric Bach, Lucid's chief engineer, claims he is going to run the biggest wheels on his personal Gravity for daily driving but mount a set of the smallest wheels for road trips. Lucid seems to have optimized the Gravity for handling with one wheel/tire set and for range with another wheel/tire set, perhaps trying for middle ground only with the middle wheel set.

 

[borski]

Okay, but which tires work best for a minivan?

 

[TahoeMichael]

Okay, but which tires work best for a minivan?

Hey now! You're going to have to block yourself in the forums if you keep that up!

 

[EVCar]

Having had a full blowout on a freeway in the desert on a Super Bowl late Sunday, I really wish the Gravity had the same tire size all around so that I could have peace of mind with a spare tire.
Even at the expense of performance and cosmetics.

 

[borski]

Hey now! You're going to have to block yourself in the forums if you keep that up!

I have PTO days to burn

 

[Elfin]

Having had a full blowout on a freeway in the desert on a Super Bowl late Sunday, I really wish the Gravity had the same tire size all around so that I could have peace of mind with a spare tire.
Even at the expense of performance and cosmetics.

First experiment someone should do is see what happens if you swap a front and rear wheel.
They really should have copied this feature when they were benchmarking the Pacifica (as far as I can tell no one makes a Vredstein space master spare with a 5x120 bolt pattern). I have one for my Model 3 from a Maserati.

 

[TahoeMichael]

Having had a full blowout on a freeway in the desert on a Super Bowl late Sunday, I really wish the Gravity had the same tire size all around so that I could have peace of mind with a spare tire.
Even at the expense of performance and cosmetics.

I can live with requiring a tow truck when I'm in densely populated areas. But with my Highlander I've lost a tire on a rocky unpaved road a good 45 minutes from the nearest town. If I didn't have a spare to swap in, I'd have had to wait, possibly for an hour or two, and hope someone driving by would take me back to cell coverage so I could call for a tow. The lack of a spare drives home to me that the Gravity really isn't an SUV you'd want to get to far from the pavement with. Not unless you were outfitting yourself for an adventure, and prepared to throw an extra wheel or two into the back before you go.

 

[Elfin]

I can live with requiring a tow truck when I'm in densely populated areas. But with my Highlander I've lost a tire on a rocky unpaved road a good 45 minutes from the nearest town. If I didn't have a spare to swap in, I'd have had to wait, possibly for an hour or two, and hope someone driving by would take me back to cell coverage so I could call for a tow. The lack of a spare drives home to me that the Gravity really isn't an SUV you'd want to get to far from the pavement with. Not unless you were outfitting yourself for an adventure, and prepared to throw an extra wheel or two into the back before you go.

There are sidewall repair kits though I've never used one and I've heard you should probably carry an angle grinder and flappy wheel too to prep the sidewall.

GlueTread

GlueTread

www.gluetread.com

Regarding cell reception, iPhones and some android phones come with satellite texting capability. Still, getting towed on a dirt road is not cheap!