Aftermarket wheels and range decrease?

nwills

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I've seen a few threads mention this but none really discuss this in great detail.

All the wheels offered from Porsche have a closed design for minimum drag to improve the range. This is a choice Porsche has made and it seems logical. On the other hand the signature Mission E wheel is a very open design which goes against that entire concept?

I'm not an engineer so I assume there may be something with the Mission E design that somehow reduces drag even with an open concept? The larger brakes that are part of the option?

I guess going aftermarket is a personal decision and the ultimate outcome with potential reduced range is a risk that needs to be considered. I just find it a little confusing that Porsche still offers an open wheel design if that is in fact an issue.

Any thoughts?
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TAYC4S

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I've seen a few threads mention this but none really discuss this in great detail.

All the wheels offered from Porsche have a closed design for minimum drag to improve the range. This is a choice Porsche has made and it seems logical. On the other hand the signature Mission E wheel is a very open design which goes against that entire concept?

I'm not an engineer so I assume there may be something with the Mission E design that somehow reduces drag even with an open concept? The larger breaks that are part of the option?

I guess going aftermarket is a personal decision and the ultimate outcome with potential reduced range is a risk that needs to be considered. I just find it a little confusing that Porsche still offers an open wheel design if that is in fact an issue.

Any thoughts?
In just my opinion, long time Porsche drivers/fans rarely care about range. My 911 with a full tank of fuel gave me about 250 miles of range under normal driving conditions - less when pushed. It is probably also why when Tesla fans say double the price/half the range, they are missing the key point about why people buy Porsche.

That being said the configurator allows you to gauge the impact of different wheels and whilst there is an impact, its negligible (a few miles less) for the Mission E style wheels - but the cost is considerable as you need the uprated brakes. My understanding is even the updated brakes are moving from 10 piston to 6 piston in MY21 so might be the around the same size as the normal brakes anyway - so in essence no aero consideration for the bigger ones, if anything they are probably a little heavier. Just my opinion of course...
 
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nwills

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In just my opinion, long time Porsche drivers/fans rarely care about range. My 911 with a full tank of fuel gave me about 250 miles of range under normal driving conditions - less when pushed. It is probably also why when Tesla fans say double the price/half the range, they are missing the key point about why people buy Porsche.

That being said the configurator allows you to gauge the impact of different wheels and whilst there is an impact, its negligible (a few miles less) for the Mission E style wheels - but the cost is considerable as you need the uprated brakes. My understanding is even the updated brakes are moving from 10 piston to 6 piston in MY21 so might be the around the same size as the normal brakes anyway - so in essence no aero consideration for the bigger ones, if anything they are probably a little heavier. Just my opinion of course...
Good points. I agree. As pointed out by my salesperson, Porsche will always design to maximum efficiency so even if the range were to be impacted in the slightest way this would be a design consideration.

For the end user the minute details such as drag coefficient to the decimal point probably doesn't have any real life consequences that would be noticeable.
 

Miwa

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Your choice in tires will matter a lot more than choice in wheels, IMO.

Ultimately, you don't buy a Porsche to worry about the gas mileage (or range). Customize the p-car the way you want.
 

TAYC4S

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Good points. I agree. As pointed out by my salesperson, Porsche will always design to maximum efficiency so even if the range were to be impacted in the slightest way this would be a design consideration.

For the end user the minute details such as drag coefficient to the decimal point probably doesn't have any real life consequences that would be noticeable.
Yes agreed - without sounding obtuse the only thing that put me off the Mission E wheels was the longer term cost of replacing the pads/rotors which compared to the standard 4S were crazily expensive for apparently little to no discernable braking benefit (Note: I haven't driven these brakes so going by other reviews). Now you could argue that with Porsche stating you will get over 6 years use of the brakes, would it matter, well if you still have the car then Yes but if you have changed it already it is probably not a consideration. I had the 911 for almost 9 years ( I loved it that much) so I guess I am looking at a long game :)

For me and also my dealer, we preferred the look of the 21 Aero wheels painted black - which is what I went with. Good luck with what you decide.
 

jimithing

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Yes agreed - without sounding obtuse the only thing that put me off the Mission E wheels was the longer term cost of replacing the pads/rotors which compared to the standard 4S were crazily expensive for apparently little to no discernable braking benefit (Note: I haven't driven these brakes so going by other reviews). Now you could argue that with Porsche stating you will get over 6 years use of the brakes, would it matter, well if you still have the car then Yes but if you have changed it already it is probably not a consideration. I had the 911 for almost 9 years ( I loved it that much) so I guess I am looking at a long game :)

For me and also my dealer, we preferred the look of the 21 Aero wheels painted black - which is what I went with. Good luck with what you decide.
If you're playing the long game, get PCCBs. Given how little the Taycan uses them, they'll likely last 200,000+ miles.
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