ESE Carbon E2 Carbon Fiber Wheels for Tesla Model 3 ^Sale

• Industry first full carbon fiber wheels for the Tesla Model 3
• Immensely strong, tremendously lightweight
• Improves vehicle dynamics in many regards: acceleration, braking, handling, ride quality
• Designed, engineered, and manufactured in the USA
• Sold as a set of four wheels
• Free domestic shipping is included
• Wheels ship from Georgia, USA. International delivery is available.
• Wheel offset: ET-35
• Bolt Pattern: 5x114.3
• Center Bore: 64.1
• Available in Clear Gloss, Black Gloss, or Gorged Gloss
• In Stock at Manufacturer

Description

Hybrid carbon fiber/aluminum wheels have been around for a number of years, and are a neat party trick, offering verifible weight savings and honest strength in a world of strong-but-heavy alloy wheels to the world of exotics, supercars, and dedicated race cars. Those wheels are just that - a hybrid, and we are not huge on hybrids around here (get it?).

Enter: ESE Carbon. Much like a real-life video game, ESE Carbon has unlocked an epic boss: immensely strong, tremendously lightweight, (fully) carbon fiber performance wheels for your Tesla. 

Let's nerd out on some of the science behind why these wheels are such a big deal.

Unsprung & Rotational Mass

Heavy wheels contribute in a major way to what is most commonly known as "unsprung mass". Unsprung mass is all of the weight that is on the business end of the suspension: wheels, tires, wheel bearings, lug nuts and studs, control arms, bushings and ball joints collectively equal the unsprung mass found on your Tesla. What makes this such a hot topic is the outsized impact unprung weight has on vehicle dynamics and the driving experience as a whole.

Each pound of unsprung mass has a comparable impact as to several pounds of unsprung mass; rotational mass has an even greater impact (remember playing with gyroscopes as a kid? A spinning object just wants to keep spinning!) on handling, ride quality, acceleration, braking, range & efficiency.

Upgrading to carbon fiber ESE Carbon wheels saves 50 pounds of unsprung mass, which is a tangible reduction you can feel from the driver seat.

The lighter the wheel, the lower the rotational inertia. At only 17 pounds, E2 carbon fiber wheels average a 45% weight reduction per wheel. This translates to a measurable decrease in watt-hours per mile (Wh/mi).

Factory 19" Tesla Wheel: 27-30lbs
Flow Formed 19" Aftermarket Wheel: ~24lbs
ESE Carbon 19" Performance Wheel: 17lbs

Natural habitat

When the boundries of technology are expanded, typically this means bleeding edge applications. For the automotive space, one would expect to find those sort of developments on hypercar concepts, race series-only production, or otherwise relegated to automotive blogs and news sites in a perpetual state of "check out this next generation technology" that simply never seems to materialize. 

ESE Carbon's carbon fiber wheels have, indeed, pushed the boundries of what is possible at the intersection of composites and Tesla products. Yes, they would be noteworthy on an exotic hypercar concept. Yes, they are race-capable. Yes, they are newsworthy  Of paramount importance: they have graduated from coming-soon news to available-now reality. 

All of these accolades all play a part in putting these wheels, rightfully, on a pedestal. Rest assured, they will be blissfully at home on your Tesla. Prepared for curbs, potholes, car-washes, salt, and years of hard use, anything your conventional alloy wheels can endure, it's likely these wheels can handle even better. 

From an industry standards perspective, ESE Carbon has their bases covered. SAE (Societry of Automotive Engineers) International has a number of relevant test standards to determine strength, fatigue life, impact resistance - rest assured not only did ESE Carbon's meet these testing standards, the ESE Carbon engineering team participated with SAE on establishing standards on which to compare alloy and composite wheels. See independent test results here for fatigue testing and here for curb impact testing.

After acing SAE's standards, the wheel needed to pass the European TUV's AKR impact testing, which is often referenced as the gold standard in the automotive space at large and specifically for this wheel. Further to this testing, ESE Carbon went on to test their wheels at the Transportation Research Center in Liberty, Ohio - repeatedly driving a Model S equipped with their wheels over 1.5" and 4" depth without incurring damage (in fact, the wheels continued on to other testing, unphased). This wheel is tolerant of abuse.

Masterpiece of design and manufacturing

ESE Carbon bucks a number of trends and notions with their products:

American made carbon fiber products are too expensive

Have you priced a set of high end alloy wheels? Go ahead - we'll wait. 

Building a set of bespoke multi-piece wheels for your Tesla easily can enter the realm of a 5-figure purchase. ESE Carbon offers a product with tangible benefits above and beyond what is, at the end of the day, just another set of alloy wheels. Manufactured in Georgia, USA, ESE Carbon has designed their manufacturing processes over years of development and in turn has been able to drive efficiencies to allow for their carbon fiber wheels to compete at a price point that will draw the eye of customers shopping comparable high end wheels.

Composite/carbon fiber wheels aren't strong enough for road use

Au contrare: these wheels have endured repeated curb and pot hole impacts, with survivability that is as good or better than a strong alloy wheel. These aren't a look-pretty-but-don't-use-them product. Install them, run them, love them.

Skeptical? ESE has done thieir homework. Read their whitepaper here.

You can't improve on Tesla's design

Like just about everything in life, Tesla designs and manufactures their product to achieve a set of goals. In order to do so, compromises must be made. For wheels, this is usually a triangle of weight-strength-cost. These wheels expand that triangle, resulting in a wheel with comparable or better stength, at a higher cost. We are big fans of a mentality of capitalizing on a desire to modify with an opportunity to upgrade, and these wheels are a prime example of that. Offering major weight savings paired with exotic construction and a super unique look, it's unlikely you will find many Teslas with this wheel at your next meetup or supercharging station.

Tangible benefits

Carrying excess weight is - quite literally - a burden under any circumstance. Ask anyone who has lost a considerable amount of weight themselves and they will likely advise how much easier it is to go about the world without that excess bulk. 

Continuing with this analogy - imagine carrying a backpack with an extra 10lbs: takes a minute to get used to, and while you will feel it, it likely won't break your stride. Now: imagine taking that 10lbs out of the backpack and splitting it between two shoes. Walking around with a brick strapped to each shoe is a different (exhausting!) experience altogether. No thank you, hard pass, no heavy shoes for me. 

Silly as this analogy may be, the throughline to your Tesla is clear: an extra 40 or 50 pounds in the trunk offers only a minor or negligible impact to performance. Take that same weight and add it (or in our case, subtract it!) from your wheels, and the impact on driving dynamics will be immediate and profound:

• Improved ride quality - unsprung weight and ride quality have a direct correlation
• Improved acceleration - less mass to spin up means more power goes directly toward forward thrust
• Improved braking - testing has shown stops from 60mph are reduced by as much as 3.6%
• Improved handling - much like a gyroscope, a spinning wheel requires more force to redirect, or turn - less spinning mass makes turning easier
• Range & efficiency - repeated acceleration with lightweight wheels requires less energy in stop-and-go traffic

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Specifications

With initial production in a 19 x 8.5 aftermarket wheel size, the E2 is ideal for Tesla Model S and Tesla Model 3 vehicles.

ESE Tesla custom aftermarket wheels are pre-built with the bolt pattern, diameter and offsets to match Tesla mounting and installation specifications.

- Wheel offset: ET-35
- Bolt Pattern: 5x120
- Center Bore: 64.1

Installation Guide 

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FAQ

How much does the E2 carbon fiber wheel weigh? 

17 pounds. In many cases this is 40-45% less than a comparably-sized alloy wheel.

What is your return policy?

In addition to valid warranty claims, wheels may be returned within 14 days after delivery for a full refund, less a 20% restocking fee, provided that the wheels are in new and unused condition and returned in unopened packaging. Otherwise, all sales are final.

How do I handle curb rash or damage?

“Curb-Rash” is defined as damage caused by the wheel being rubbed along a curb or other stationary surface. Minor surface damage may be repairable and should be addressed by a member of ESE’s technical service group. Damage that has impacted layers below the clear coat may render the wheel irreparable. If this is determined to be the case, the wheel should be taken out of service and replaced immediately to avoid possible damage to the vehicle or passenger injury. For information regarding wheel damage coverage, please consult your ESE warranty.

100% carbon fiber wheels? Really?

E2 wheels are entirely composed of carbon fiber composite, excluding an aluminum adapter to connect the axle to the wheel.

Where are these are these wheels manufactured?

ESE Carbon's E2 wheels are manufactured in the USA, just ouside Atlanta, Georgia.

What gross vehicle weight is the E2 wheel rated for?

ESE’s wheel is designed to a 3,850-pound axle rating, making it capable of supporting vehicles up to a 6,800-pound gross vehicle weight rating.

How do I clean and care for my wheels?

Use of a hose and a soft cloth along with a mild soap is recommended when cleaning your E2 wheels. Hard or coarse brushes, chemical-based cleaners or acidic sprays is not recommended and may cause damage to the wheel’s clear coat, voiding the warranty. Note that many drive through and self-serve car washed offer wheel cleaner options that rely on acid wash chemicals that are very damaging to wheel finishes and should be avoided entirely.

Why are carbon fiber wheels so expensive?

Carbon fiber wheel production is an extremely technical process that necessitates skilled technicians, specialized engineers, and highly advanced technologies and materials. All of these factors result in a product that tends to be quite expensive. ESE has circumvented these issues by providing the highest quality carbon fiber composites at a competitive price due to our high rate of production. Their tailored fiber placement (TFP) and high-pressure resin infusion processes result in the highest quality carbon fiber wheels on the market at price comparable with many forged aluminum wheels.

Do I need to worry about carbon fiber wheels shattering or breaking?

The amount of energy necessary for carbon fiber composites to shatter or break is several times higher than that of a steel or aluminum wheel of equal weight and mass. Yes, carbon fiber wheels can shatter and break—but only at a stress level that far surpasses any other wheel on the market.

If you worry about your current wheels breaking - worry less about these.

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Installation

For most considerations, the E2 carbon fiber wheel installs just like any other. Specific instructions can be found here. These wheels do require replacement of factory wheel studs; instructions to do so are located at this link.

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