19" vs 21" Wheel/Tire Swapping Considerations

[PhotoEye]

You also get marginally better cornering precision and grip. But, especially with what you can do on public roads, I really do mean marginal. I think for most people who buy larger wheels, the more aggressive look is the real appeal.

Yep

 

[Paladin732]

Part of the reason I went with the 21" is that they looked much better than the 19". I don't care about the performance.
We originally had the 19", but when we felt the test drive with the 21" we went with them, as it was still sooooo smooth.

If we find we don't like them, we will buy the 19 and just sell the 21. Since the 21 are DE exclusives, we figured we could get a decent amount for them.

 

[borski]

I was trying to decide what wheels to order with my AGT and the DA actually suggested going with the 21" since it was the same price and it would be cheaper to order an extra set of 19's than 21's after the fact. I will give him kudos for making that recommendation. He said he had others doing the exact same thing.

Yeah; both my DA and the studio advisor told me the same thing when I asked as well.

 

[copper]

Part of the reason I went with the 21" is that they looked much better than the 19". I don't care about the performance.
We originally had the 19", but when we felt the test drive with the 21" we went with them, as it was still sooooo smooth.

If we find we don't like them, we will buy the 19 and just sell the 21. Since the 21 are DE exclusives, we figured we could get a decent amount for them.

The 21’s were are stunningly good ride for sure, and I haven’t driven the 19’s. Even though i wanted the longer range, after Tom’s test I might swap for the 21’s.

 

[hmp10]

We have the 21" wheels. Except when my Pilot Screen freezes, I usually drive in Swift mode. When the screen freezes and leaves me stuck in Smooth mode, I'm usually so aggravated that I don't pay careful attention to the car's ride. We have friends from Poland visiting, and we took them to dinner last night in the Air. When we got in the car to go home, the screen was frozen yet again, and I had no choice but to drive in Smooth mode. As we were going down the highway, both friends began talking about how incredibly smooth and quiet the car was. I started paying close attention and also noticed how much quieter and softer the ride was than in our other cars. Admittedly, it was a very good asphalt road surface, but it's the same road I drive almost everyday in our other cars, so it's a fair comparison. It's also the same road on which I often drove our 2015 Model S with 19" wheels and air suspension, and the Lucid -- with 21" wheels and coil spring suspension -- was definitely smoother and quieter.

 

[Lucken]

We have the 21" wheels. Except when my Pilot Screen freezes, I usually drive in Swift mode. When the screen freezes and leaves me stuck in Smooth mode, I'm usually so aggravated that I don't pay careful attention to the car's ride. We have friends from Poland visiting, and we took them to dinner last night in the Air. When we got in the car to go home, the screen was frozen yet again, and I had no choice but to drive in Smooth mode. As we were going down the highway, both friends began talking about how incredibly smooth and quiet the car was. I started paying close attention and also noticed how much quieter and softer the ride was than in our other cars. Admittedly, it was a very good asphalt road surface, but it's the same road I drive almost everyday in our other cars, so it's a fair comparison. It's also the same road on which I often drove our 2015 Model S with 19" wheels and air suspension, and the Lucid -- with 21" wheels and coil spring suspension -- was definitely smoother and quieter.

Did they make any comments about how much you spent for the car and you're already having these issues? Some people would definitely go down that avenue.

 

[PhotoEye]

Did they make any comments about how much you spent for the car and you're already having these issues? Some people would definitely go down that avenue.

They had better not, unless they are close family.

I preempt that with my new riders by telling them the car's performance is outstanding, but a good chunk of the basic software is disabled. That focuses conversation on the ride!

 

[MikeTz]

I am sure that the price to Lucid from the supplier(s) for the 21" forged wheel is considerably higher than for the 19" flow formed wheels. It was probably for marketing purposes that Lucid chose to offer either wheel at the same base price for the car. It's the same approach they took in not charging extra for Zenith Red which, with its tinted clear coat and second application of untinted clear coat is certainly more expensive to produce. Most car manufacturers charge extra for such paint options.

Given the notoriety of Porsche and Mercedes pricing strategies where they start with a moderately high base price and then demand huge upcharges for a slew of things such as rearview cameras, different interior and exterior colors, lighted door sill logos, etc., I think Lucid wanted to carve out a different pricing approach in the luxury space.

However, when customers want things beyond the finished car, such as an extra set of wheels, it seems Lucid will follow the usual industry practice of pricing them according to size and manufacturing method. I think it would be a difficult precedent for them to unwind if, at the outset of aftermarket sales, they sold more expensive wheels at the price of less expensive wheels because of the wheels the customer originally chose. Car manufacturers make a good bit of their profit on aftermarket parts sales, and those parts are priced accordingly. I'm pretty sure Lucid has factored a similar strategy into their earnings projections.

Many years ago one of the car magazines calculated what it would cost to build a car using parts purchased at the counter of a Parts Department. I don't remember the specific figures, but it was on the order of a 4-5 fold increase in the price of the car. Also many years ago when I worked at GE Motors & Industrial Systems, Ford charged $140 at the parts counter for a window lift motor we sold them for $11.

I think Borski was astute in his strategy in inquiring about extra wheels at the time of optioning his car.

There is a lot of money to be made selling wheel and tire combos that I would not be surprised to see several wheel tire options available soon. BTW... at GE I&SE we used to buy power transistors from RCA and sell them at 10x to the utilities.

 

[hmp10]

Did they make any comments about how much you spent for the car and you're already having these issues? Some people would definitely go down that avenue.

I didn't discuss price one way or the other, but I did tell them there were some software bugs being worked out. I speak no Polish, and they both speak English, but I have no idea what my partner might have told them about the car when the three of them were chatting in Polish.

 

[EVCar]

Working on the assumption that for each 1-inch increase in wheel diameter, there’ll be a corresponding increase in tire width by 10 millimeters and a decrease sidewall height by 5 to 10 percent, I probably will down size my wheels to 19” for hopefully improved hydroplaning control in the monsoon season, at the expense of cornering stability and visual appearance.

 

[hellolucid]

Working on the assumption that for each 1-inch increase in wheel diameter, there’ll be a corresponding increase in tire width by 10 millimeters and a decrease sidewall height by 5 to 10 percent, I probably will down size my wheels to 19” for hopefully improved hydroplaning control in the monsoon season, at the expense of cornering stability and visual appearance.

my DA said this about 21"
> As for the 21” wheels, yes, it is ok to drive them in the rain. In fact, most performance summer tires actually perform better in wet conditions. The only consideration would be temperature. As stated during your last visit to the studio, summer tires are not intended to be driven in near-freezing temperatures, through snow or on ice.

 

[Mountain Man]

Did they make any comments about how much you spent for the car and you're already having these issues? Some people would definitely go down that avenue.

Ha. I took 3 of my work colleagues out to lunch yesterday. I had forgotten to “wake” the car in advance before we all headed out to the parking garage. Standing there waiting for the car to unlock (it took 45 seconds), they were all giggling about “how much did you pay for this car that keeps locking you out??”

 

[EVCar]

my DA said this about 21"
> As for the 21” wheels, yes, it is ok to drive them in the rain. In fact, most performance summer tires actually perform better in wet conditions. The only consideration would be temperature. As stated during your last visit to the studio, summer tires are not intended to be driven in near-freezing temperatures, through snow or on ice.

Got this from tirerack. com :" wide tires tend to float on loose surfaces and cannot process water as quickly as narrow tires. This reduces snow traction and hydroplaning resistance when driving on water-soaked highways." Not a trained physicist or ME, I don't know how this translates into real life.

 

[PhotoEye]

Working on the assumption that for each 1-inch increase in wheel diameter, there’ll be a corresponding increase in tire width by 10 millimeters and a decrease sidewall height by 5 to 10 percent, I probably will down size my wheels to 19” for hopefully improved hydroplaning control in the monsoon season, at the expense of cornering stability and visual appearance.

I purchased with 19", then installed the 21". Personally, I prefer the 19" ride. More important, though, is anxiety about driving with the 21" wheels in the rain. Found myself being very tentative (35-40 mph) during a moderate rain -- not exactly the sweet spot for the car!

How the heck are you supposed to plan a trip through potential weather changes running the 21" wheels? We don't all live in AZ!

Will likely switch back to the 19" well before the winter.

 

[hmp10]

Working on the assumption that for each 1-inch increase in wheel diameter, there’ll be a corresponding increase in tire width by 10 millimeters and a decrease sidewall height by 5 to 10 percent, I probably will down size my wheels to 19” for hopefully improved hydroplaning control in the monsoon season, at the expense of cornering stability and visual appearance.

It doesn't work this way. Tread width is more a function of wheel width than wheel diameter. The front tire treads on the Lucid Air are 245 mm wide whether on the 19", 20", or 21" wheels. The rear treads are 245 mm wide on the 19" wheels and 265 mm wide on both the 20" and 21" wheels.

What changes more as a function of diameter is usually sidewall height and aspect ratio.

Modern ultra-performance summer tires are engineered to resist hydroplaning quite well, even in relatively wide sizes. As only the back wheels in the Air vary tire width -- and only by 20 mm -- I doubt if you'd see any meaningful difference in hydroplaning susceptibility unless you're driving at insane speeds in heavy rain.

 

[CraZ8]

To those looking for 21s I’ll be taking them my car( two blowouts) and selling a set of Gt rims . I’ll have my guy straighten if need be. I have 4 fronts and two rears. Significantly less then new. I’ll let you all know more as I get everything back

 

[hydbob]

To those looking for 21s I’ll be taking them my car( two blowouts) and selling a set of Gt rims . I’ll have my guy straighten if need be. I have 4 fronts and two rears. Significantly less then new. I’ll let you all know more as I get everything back

Are you replacing them with something after market or the 19s?

 

[CraZ8]

Are you replacing them with something after market or the 19s?

No time right to research and order aftermarket as I need the car for a trip next weekend. so I am going with stock 19s with the aero skirts removed as others have done

 

[Lucid-PA-DE-AZ]

I was explicitly told, before I bought the car, that the 21s would be more expensive than the 19s, which was why I opted to equip with the 21s rather than the 19s, and buy the 19s later. Price with install for the 19s is ~4500 out the door.

I did the same.

 

[CraZ8]

Who has swapped out rims in the reverse? Ordered 19 with the car and then 21s? Is it correct that Lucid is asking 8000 plus out the door for the 21s?