HRE p101sc aftermarket wheels

[Demosthenes]

I replaced the OEM aeroblade 21's on my AGT with the HRE p101sc's and kept the original pirelli tires. I personally prefer the look of the HRE's. But aesthetics is a very personal choice, so to each their own. I weighed both the OEM and HRE wheels without tires:

OEM: 37.2 lbs front, 38.2 lbs rear for a total of 150.8 lbs
HRE: 22 lbs front, 23.4 lbs rear for a total of 90.8 lbs

The difference therefore ended up being 60 pounds of unsprung mass. I felt a major difference right away in terms of steering and ride comfort. The car felt much more agile and absorbed bumps in the road noticeably better. Overall, I was actually quite surprised at how much "better" things felt with the new wheels. That being said, I'm not a performance car driver or have extensive track experience etc like some of our esteemed members so might not be noticing some of the finer details or differences. I'm just an average joe who drives his car to and from work and takes it on the occasional road tip.

I was most curious about what the impact of the HRE wheels would be on range. Although they are significantly lighter, they are not aero designed. So far, my results suggest minimal if any impact on range. The first 1750 miles I drove with the GT, I averaged 2.9 mi/kWh. The next 1350 miles, my average rose to 3.2 mi/kWh which I attributed to passing through this mysterious "break in period". Since the wheel replacement, I've driven an additional 2100 miles and my average has stayed the same at 3.2 mi/kWh. I was prepared to take a range hit with the new wheels, but am actually quite pleased to find that hasn't been the case.

Photos are comparison from 100% stock picture I took at the service center on the day I picked it up (in studio lighting) versus after exterior mods including new wheels (in afternoon sunlight). I honestly love the stock unmodified look too, but ultimately prefer the modified aesthetic.

 

[Bunnylebowski]

I wonder if the range effect of lack of aero covers on the HREs are offset by the reduction in weight. I’d think not since aero has way more to do with range than weight does. That’s great it makes such a difference in the feel of handling though, which was already excellent. I don’t know what I’m gonna do with my 19s once they’re ready to be replaced. I think the Pirelli have too much road noise on certain types of surfaces, it’s an irritating resonant tone that almost sounds like a musical note, but then my mobile service guy said someone who had swapped for Michelins said they were noisier than the Pirellis (on asphalt the Pirelli are damn quiet, but on other roads I don’t like them).

 

[duc900]

I replaced the OEM aeroblade 21's on my AGT with the HRE p101sc's and kept the original pirelli tires. I personally prefer the look of the HRE's. But aesthetics is a very personal choice, so to each their own. I weighed both the OEM and HRE wheels without tires:

OEM: 37.2 lbs front, 38.2 lbs rear for a total of 150.8 lbs
HRE: 22 lbs front, 23.4 lbs rear for a total of 90.8 lbs

The difference therefore ended up being 60 pounds of unsprung mass. I felt a major difference right away in terms of steering and ride comfort. The car felt much more agile and absorbed bumps in the road noticeably better. Overall, I was actually quite surprised at how much "better" things felt with the new wheels. That being said, I'm not a performance car driver or have extensive track experience etc like some of our esteemed members so might not be noticing some of the finer details or differences. I'm just an average joe who drives his car to and from work and takes it on the occasional road tip.

I was most curious about what the impact of the HRE wheels would be on range. Although they are significantly lighter, they are not aero designed. So far, my results suggest minimal if any impact on range. The first 1750 miles I drove with the GT, I averaged 2.9 mi/kWh. The next 1350 miles, my average rose to 3.2 mi/kWh which I attributed to passing through this mysterious "break in period". Since the wheel replacement, I've driven an additional 2100 miles and my average has stayed the same at 3.2 mi/kWh. I was prepared to take a range hit with the new wheels, but am actually quite pleased to find that hasn't been the case.

Photos are comparison from 100% stock picture I took at the service center on the day I picked it up (in studio lighting) versus after exterior mods including new wheels (in afternoon sunlight). I honestly love the stock unmodified look too, but ultimately prefer the modified aesthetic.

View attachment 3663

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They look good!

 

[Tesla2.0]

Someone told me these 21” Pirelli tires only last 7500 miles? Is that true?

@Demosthenes Have you tried to go 90+ miles on freeway to compare ride stability with the OEM and HRE?

 

[Demosthenes]

I wonder if the range effect of lack of aero covers on the HREs are offset by the reduction in weight. I’d think not since aero has way more to do with range than weight does. That’s great it makes such a difference in the feel of handling though, which was already excellent. I don’t know what I’m gonna do with my 19s once they’re ready to be replaced. I think the Pirelli have too much road noise on certain types of surfaces, it’s an irritating resonant tone that almost sounds like a musical note, but then my mobile service guy said someone who had swapped for Michelins said they were noisier than the Pirellis (on asphalt the Pirelli are damn quiet, but on other roads I don’t like them).

Yeah I was wondering about that too but all the reading I've done suggests, like you said, that aero effects are much more important than just weight. So I was a bit surprised that I didn't seem to take any range hit, but will continue to monitor the situation long term. I'm leaning towards replacing the Pirelli's next but I wanted to wait until the Michelin EV's come in 21 cuz I think that's the one version of Michelin tire that also has the foam noise reduction system? I could be wrong.

 

[Demosthenes]

They look good!

Thank you for alerting me to the possible hub rust issue!! I had my guy do a high heat ceramic paint on that area prior to installing the new wheels because mine were also discolored.

 

[Demosthenes]

Someone told me these 21” Pirelli tires only last 7500 miles? Is that true?

@Demosthenes Have you tried to go 90+ miles on freeway to compare ride stability with the OEM and HRE?

I'm not a performance driver by any means, so take my opinion with a grain of salt, but at speeds of up to 120 both OEM and HRE wheels have felt to me smooth as butter and rock steady. I don't think there's a huge difference (at least not that I can detect). Beyond 120 I'm not sure.

 

[hydbob]

Someone told me these 21” Pirelli tires only last 7500 miles? Is that true?

@Demosthenes Have you tried to go 90+ miles on freeway to compare ride stability with the OEM and HRE?

I don't think so, I'm at 8100 miles and still have decent tread on my OEM tires

 

[duc900]

Thank you for alerting me to the possible hub rust issue!! I had my guy do a high heat ceramic paint on that area prior to installing the new wheels because mine were also discolored.

Good move. That's what this forum is for; no need for all of us to learn all things the hard way.

 

[martinmeyer]

Can expensive after market wheels like these be repaired any more easily than other aluminum wheels? My understanding is that most of the time an aluminum wheel will crack if you try to repair it. I'd be very hesitant to spend spend this much money for wheels knowing they'll be used on Massachusetts roads. I've been fortunate not to have destroyed any of the 21" wheels on my Model S over 4 years, but even if I did, these are only about $450 each whereas those are... enough to make me want to cry.

 

[Demosthenes]

My understanding is that for a forged monoblock wheel (like the ones I chose), there's not really a way to repair them if they get bent or broken. Basically just have to be replaced. But I would hope that the HRE's are engineered to a standard that would make breaking them with routine driving on any regular American road unlikely. But then again, who knows. I'll be sure to be extra cautious if I ever find myself driving through Massachusetts!!

 

[ShinyThings0323]

Very cool. I was looking at HRE's as well and was wondering if they'd cause a range hit (or improvement). Good to know there doesn't seem to be any hit at all.

 

[changinator]

hi @Demosthenes, just wanted to see if you could update us on any difference in range after having the HRE's on for almost a year?

 

[Demosthenes]

hi @Demosthenes, just wanted to see if you could update us on any difference in range after having the HRE's on for almost a year?

Honestly, no major range reduction noted. When I first got them, they seemed to even increase my range but I think that evened out and it’s basically been no different than the OEM 21in aero blades.

 

[Demosthenes]

Can expensive after market wheels like these be repaired any more easily than other aluminum wheels? My understanding is that most of the time an aluminum wheel will crack if you try to repair it. I'd be very hesitant to spend spend this much money for wheels knowing they'll be used on Massachusetts roads. I've been fortunate not to have destroyed any of the 21" wheels on my Model S over 4 years, but even if I did, these are only about $450 each whereas those are... enough to make me want to cry.

Minor update here - I accidentally hit a glancing blow into some sort of concrete bannister at moderate speed and kind of bounced off of it. Thought my car was screwed but when I checked the damage only my rim was slightly bent and the rest of the car was saved. So I guess the rim absorbed all the impact and mostly survived but at least saved the body of the car.

As to the update, the minor bent rim needs to be completely replaced. No repair possible according to HRE

 

[Steveinarizona]

Minor update here - I accidentally hit a glancing blow into some sort of concrete bannister at moderate speed and kind of bounced off of it. Thought my car was screwed but when I checked the damage only my rim was slightly bent and the rest of the car was saved. So I guess the rim absorbed all the impact and mostly survived but at least saved the body of the car.

As to the update, the minor bent rim needs to be completely replaced. No repair possible according to HRE

Still, if it saved the car it is well worth replacing the wheel.

 

[Rogue]

How did you prevent the rust on the car? I see some with the infamous Rust Belt at play...

If the plans are to drive the car long term, should I be concerned with the rust? By long term, I mean 300k miles if the motor and battery hold out.

 

[borski]

How did you prevent the rust on the car? I see some with the infamous Rust Belt at play...

If the plans are to drive the car long term, should I be concerned with the rust? By long term, I mean 300k miles if the motor and battery hold out.

Rust where? If it’s on the brakes just go take it on the highway and hit the brakes hard a few times. It will wipe that rust right off.