Factory OEM Wheels & Tires Specs

[AZFox]

What I want to know are the specifications of the tires and, more importantly, the wheels.

Tires:

• 17" Standard Tire
• 17" All-Terrain Tire
• 20" Standard Tire
• 20" All-Terrain Tire
• 20" Low-Profile Tire

Wheels:

• 17" Steel Wheel
• 17" Alloy Wheel
• 20" Alloy Wheel

Wheel specifications should be whatever you'd need to know for aftermarket wheel shopping.

• Width
• Bolt Pattern
• Backspacing / Offset
• Center Bore Diameter
• Lug Nut Specs (seat style, thread pitch, ???)
• ???

Knowing the wheels' weights would be helpful.

 

[cvollers]

What I want to know are the specifications of the tires and, more importantly, the wheels.

Tires:

• 17" Standard Tire
• 17" All-Terrain Tire
• 20" Standard Tire
• 20" All-Terrain Tire
• 20" Low-Profile Tire

Wheels:

• 17" Steel Wheel
• 17" Alloy Wheel
• 20" Alloy Wheel

Wheel specifications should be whatever you'd need to know for aftermarket wheel shopping.

• Width
• Bolt Pattern
• Backspacing / Offset
• Center Bore Diameter
• Lug Nut Specs (seat style, thread pitch, ???)
• ???

Knowing the wheels' weights would be helpful.

I think a 145/65R17 (maybe 70R17?) will fit with the lift.

 

[metroshot]

I would love 17" wheels & tires - best uneven terrain absorber.

Can even upsize +1 or +2 on the tire to get more cushion.

20" might look better, but is not good for pothole strewn streets.

 

[AZFox]

The configurator claims it's possible to "include 32 tires" with the Lift Kit option. I have my doubts about how that would work out. Anyone who tries that is likely to be disappointed what effects that will have on performance, range, suspension wear, etc. due to heavy unsprung weight and lots of extra rotational mass (bigger, heavier "flywheel" on all four corners).

 

[AZFox]

I would love 17" wheels & tires - best uneven terrain absorber.

I did some investigating and determined 16" wheels would be even better. I intend to start a thread about what I discovered.

I submitted a question to Slate and will include that in the new thread. (The reply said fitting 16" wheels is possible.)

 

[AZFox]

I think a 145/65R17 (maybe 70R17?) will fit with the lift.

145? could that be a typo?

According to the configurator's rendering 245/65R17 is the default tire size.

That's a 29.5" x 9.6" tire.

 

[Swinefuzz]

Question(s) for those with experience w/ EVs: how much does wheel weight/size really affect range or general performance? Does the EV vs ICE difference really matter in this area at all? Am I overthinking this?

For those who are not informed:
Steel: much heavier, can be nearly double the weight of aluminum (hurts range), but cheaper and much more durable (just $marter).
Aluminum: lighter, about half the weight of steel (improves range), but prone to damage (dents, cracks if used roughly), but also generally more aesthetically ornate styles available (trivial, but fun).

Choosing btwn steel and aluminum can be a challenge. It really depends on your unique needs. I wonder if the 17" steel wheel would nearly equal the weight of the 20" aluminum wheel. I also wonder how much it even matters.

FWIW: Opinions are like a**holes, everyone has them and they all stink! That being said, my opinion is that aluminum rims kinda suck. I would not recommend alloy (aluminum) wheels to anyone. I had them many yrs ago and one cracked despite the fact I wasn't doing any heavy off-roading (in fact I was about 99.9% on pavement) and I had a persistent air leak which worsened over time and had me airing up that one tire 2-3X/per week. I was forced into an expensive upgrade to steel (not because steel is more expensive, but because I just did not want that bill at that time). But just because this happened to me doesn't mean it would happen to you.

I like bigger wheels. I just do. But, Slate's only 20" wheels are aluminum (I think the industry chooses to use the word "alloy" because it sounds less cheap and crappy than "aluminum"), and they're lighter and they're more rad lookin', but they simply are not the wiser option when durability is your main concern. I live in Calilfornia. There are lots of benefits to living in CA, but the roads here are absolute SH!T. After the experience I had with aluminum rims (which happened when I lived in Las Vegas, which has far better roads in general), I would never use aluminum rims in CA.

If I do pull the trigger and get a Slate down the road, as their options sit now, I would go with the 17" steel w/ All Terrain tires (ATs get you more rubber, so more weight, but also get you more tread life) and maybe upgrade to a larger steel wheel later on. I do like the larger, rugged wheel look. Smaller size wheels are more appropriate in terms of vehicle engineering (suspension, handling, fuel economy, etc), but just look "wrong" to me, even on cars. My personal compromise in this area, truck wheels, is large, steel rims w/ AT tires (more durability), that gets me lower fuel economy and potentially more bills down the road on the suspension wear and tear.

This raises ANOTHER question: SA has said their only factory option is the larger battery set. So, if that's true, what are they doing offering the option of 20" wheels? Are 20" rims+tires a post-factory option shipped separately for the customer to upgrade or are they actually installing a 20" wheelset at the factory? Are they just showing the more rad-looking 20" aluminum rims because it's fun to look at and swoon while using their configurator? Is there official word from SA on this? The idea of getting a truck shipped with 17" stock rims+tires and then receiving a shipment of 20" rims+tires just sounds like an astronomical waste of money. So, of course, some people would do that.

Sorry for the long post.