Tesla Referral winners start getting Model 3 Forged Performance Wheels

Tesla Model 3 Performance Forged Wheels have reached the first referral winner in California. These much-anticipated wheels were part of an earlier version of the Tesla Referral program. Checking out the photos that @Pooshd shared on Twitter, these look sharp!  

Twitter: @Pooshd

The new Tesla Referral Program that the automaker started last year does not include these wheels. Instead, it has 1,000 miles of free Supercharging and existing owners can win a Model Y each month and the next-gen Tesla Roadster every quarter if they have enough qualifying referrals.

Twitter: @Pooshd

If a Tesla Model 3 Performance owner wants to own these wheels, they're part of the $5,500 Track Package — but looking a bit closer (and digging deeper), although both forged rims have the same design, they're slightly different.

The ones Tesla is offering as part of the track package are a little wider and come with the 245/35ZR20 XL Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires while the Tesla Referral Forged Wheels come with the 235/35ZR20 Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires.

Source: Tesla

Also, the Tesla Referral Program Wheels don't come with the extras like the red, larger brake calipers and brake pads, customized for the track including Tesla brake oil and lug nut covers.

When a Tesla owner gets notification that their wheels are available, Tesla ships them to the recipient's nearest Service Center and the team over there installs the wheels for the lucky winner. Or, if you're the DIY type (like Trevor Page from Tesla Owners Online) you can install them on your own.

YouTube: Tesla Owners Online

The Referral Program Wheels can be installed on all the variants of the Tesla Model 3 but the Track Package wheels (sold separately) are only meant for the Model 3 Performance with the Performance Upgrade Package already loaded on the car.

Recently, Tesla offered some YouTubers and influencers the chance to test drive the Tesla Model 3 Performance with the Track Package + Track Mode V2 at the Thunderbolt Race Track in New Jersey. It turns out they loved experiencing the car while accelerating (and drifting) to the vehicle's max potential.

YouTube: EverythingApplePro

Track Package or not, we love the design of these new Model 3 wheels. That said, some owners have a different opinion. For instance, Andy Slye from YouTube doesn't like them as much and he's willing to sell them to anyone interested once he gets a hold of them.

Twitter: @Pooshd

For a nuanced look at style choices, @Pooshd also posted side-by-side photos of the Model 3 Forged Performance Wheels with and without the lug nut covers—I like the raw look of the lug nuts while many like it clean with the covers.

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Written by: Iqtidar Ali. An earlier version of this article was originally published on Tesla Oracle.