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Tesla Model Y wheels and its impact on 0-60 acceleration

Credit: YouTube | Brian Jenkins of i1Tesla

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With the Tesla Model Y just beginning first deliveries a few weeks ago, owners are getting their first tastes of how the new all-electric crossover performs. Brian Jenkins from YouTube channel i1Tesla took his experiments a few steps further and recorded the Model Y Performance 0-60 MPH acceleration time based on the factory 21″ Uberturbine wheel size and several aftermarket wheel options.

Brian brought his Model Y Performance to a research center known as NCCAR in Northhampton County, North Carolina, to test acceleration rates from 0-60 MPH. The tests were performed with the 21″ Uberturbine wheels that come standard with the Model Y’s optional performance upgrade, 19″ TSW wheels from EVtuning.com, and 18″ MWO3 Forged rims from Martian Wheels.

The Uberturbine front wheels weigh 64.8 pounds, with the slightly wider rear wheels weighing 68.6 pounds with the tires attached according to a wheel weight test performed by Brian at the NCCAR facility. Meanwhile, the 19″ TSW wheels weigh 47.6 pounds with a tire and 23 pounds on their own. The 18″ Martian MWO3 Forged wheels weigh 40.7 pounds with a tire installed onto the rim. Martian’s website states the rim weighs only 17.3 pounds without a tire attached to them.

The first runs of the vehicle were with the 21″ Uberturbine rims. Brian ran four times with these wheels on the vehicle, utilizing two runs to test its normal 0-60 MPH time, one run using Tesla’s Slip Start feature, and one run using the Model Y’s Off-Road setting. The tests were performed with a battery charge of between 82% and 74%. A Dragy GPS recorded the times.

Tesla Model Y 0-60 mph with 21″ Tesla Uberturbine Wheels (68.6 pounds with tire)

  • Run 1 – Normal: 0-60 MPH in 3.77 seconds
  • Run 2 – Normal: 0-60 MPH in 5.74 seconds
  • Run 3 – Slip Start: 0-60 MPH in 3.81 seconds
  • Run 4 – Off-Road: 0-60 MPH in 3.83 seconds

The next two runs were performed with both the 19″ TSW and 18″ MWO3 Wheels. Because of the lighter weight, the runs with these tires were noticeably faster.

Tesla Model Y 0-60 mph with 19″ TSW Wheels (47.6 pounds with tire, 23 pounds without tire)

  • Run 1 – Normal: 0-60 MPH in 3.45 seconds

 

Tesla Model Y 0-60 mph with 18″ Martian MWO3 Forged Wheels (40.7 pounds with tire, 17.3 pounds without tire)

  • Run 1 – Normal: 0-60 MPH in 3.42 seconds

 

The lighter and smaller TSW wheels shaved .29 seconds off of the Tesla Uberturbine wheels, but the even smaller and lighter 18″ Martian rims managed to trim almost a third of a second off of the quarter-mile time with a .32 second faster 0-60 time.

The size of the wheel also affects the range of the vehicle. The EPA’s current rating of the Model Y Performance states the car offers 315 miles of range, when paired with the 19″ Gemini wheels, and 280 miles of range with the larger and heavier 21″ Uberturbine wheels.

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Comparisons of the Model 3’s different rim sizes affect the range as well, where the 20″ wheels give 299 miles, 19″ wheels offer 304 miles, and 18″ will give the driver 322 miles of driving range.

We’ve embedded Brian’s video below, which shows how Model Y’s 0-60 MPH acceleration varies by wheel and tire sizing.

Joey has been a journalist covering electric mobility at TESLARATI since August 2019. In his spare time, Joey is playing golf, watching MMA, or cheering on any of his favorite sports teams, including the Baltimore Ravens and Orioles, Miami Heat, Washington Capitals, and Penn State Nittany Lions. You can get in touch with joey at joey@teslarati.com. He is also on X @KlenderJoey. If you're looking for great Tesla accessories, check out shop.teslarati.com

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Tesla’s mirrorless Cybercab will give riders a visibility upgrade

Tesla engineer confirms Cybercab update letting riders pull up rear and repeater cameras on demand.

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Tesla Cybercab camera visibility for passengers (Credit: Dan Burkland via X)
Tesla Cybercab camera visibility for passengers (Credit: Dan Burkland via X)

Tesla is working on a Cybercab update that would let passengers pull up the vehicle’s rear and side cameras on demand, and the request came straight from a rider.

The exchange played out on X late Friday. Cybercab rider Dan Burkland shared photos of the two-seater’s cabin screen after an evening ride, praised the UI team’s work, and left one request: let riders open the rear and repeater cameras whenever they want, “especially for peace of mind.” Tesla UI software engineer Evan (@CarCoder) answered with two words: “In development.”

The idea fits a pattern Teslarati has tracked since public rides began. Days after paid Cybercab service opened in Austin, Tesla sent riders a survey that asked them to rate the touchscreen, the app and the cabin, and to pick the features they wanted most. We reported on that survey in September, and a camera view is the kind of small software change Tesla can push quickly if riders keep asking.

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It also speaks to something unique about the vehicle. With no steering wheel, no pedals and no driver, passengers have no mirror to check and no way to see behind them. The hardware is clearly built for camera awareness, from the repeater cameras to the rear camera. Letting a passenger look through those same cameras would give a nervous first time rider a way to confirm what is around the car.

The timing matters because the fleet is growing fast. Tesla’s Robotaxi account said on Saturday that more than 300 Cybercabs are now serving Austin, an eightfold increase in 30 days, and Tesla AI chief Ashok Elluswamy named Dallas as the next city. More cars and more cities mean more people riding in a driverless vehicle for the first time, which is exactly when small trust features carry weight.

For now, the feature is confirmed only as in development. If Tesla follows its usual pattern with Cybercab software, riders could see it appear in a point release without any announcement, and Teslarati will watch for it.

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Elon Musk’s surprise addition to the X Takeover lineup has fans talking

Elon Musk will join Saturday’s X Takeover at Giga Texas for a live virtual interview.

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Credit: Tesla Owners Silicon Valley
Credit: Tesla Owners Silicon Valley

Elon Musk will join X Takeover at Giga Texas on Saturday for a live virtual interview, according to Sawyer Merritt, who shared the news late Thursday. Musk will not be on stage in Austin. The conversation is set to stream for free on the @teslaownersSV account on X.

Organizers had kept expectations in check. In a September update, Tesla Owners Silicon Valley said Musk had appeared at the event twice before but was not promising a third appearance, even as fans hoped he would walk the Giga Texas grounds in person. A virtual spot matches 2024, when Musk gave a surprise interview of about an hour to the crowd in San Luis Obispo, as Teslarati reported at the time.

This year’s edition is a first in several ways. It is the first X Takeover held outside California and the first at a Tesla facility, with tickets selling out in eight days. Tesla provides the venue, but the event is produced independently by Tesla Owners Silicon Valley. The main event runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. CT, followed by a drone and light show at 9 p.m. Maye Musk is the keynote speaker, Franz von Holzhausen is set for a virtual keynote, and Nicki Minaj is the special guest. Joe Tegtmeyer, whose drone footage Teslarati used to track the Optimus factory steel frame at Giga Texas, is also on the speaker list.

Musk’s interview topics have not been revealed, but the backdrop is busy. Tesla doubled its Cybercab fleet in Austin in late September, and last week Musk explained why Robotaxi hours only moved from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m.. Merritt also reported Thursday that Texas DMV records now show 319 registered Cybercabs, up from 169. NHTSA’s deadline for Tesla’s sworn answers on Cybercab certification is October 30, and Tesla reports third quarter earnings on October 21.

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Fans who cannot make it to Austin can watch the livestream on X. Musk tends to say more in unscripted settings than he does in prepared remarks, which is the reason this one is worth having open on Saturday.

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Elon Musk’s Boring Company lands a new Middle East deal, and Nashville is about to get faster

The Boring Company signs Abu Dhabi tunnel agreement while adding more Prufrock machines in Nashville.

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The Boring Company has signed an agreement with Abu Dhabi to study underground transport and utility tunnels across the emirate, adding a second UAE city to its pipeline as it prepares to also scale up tunneling back home in Nashville.

The deal was signed Thursday at the Liveability and Investment Exhibition (LIVEX 2026) by Boring Company President Steve Davis and Maysarah Mahmoud Salim Eid, director general of the Abu Dhabi Projects and Infrastructure Centre (ADPIC), according to the Abu Dhabi Media Office. Mohamed Ali Al Shorafa, chairman of the emirate’s Department of Municipalities and Transport, attended the signing.

Under the agreement, the two sides will assess feasibility, delivery and operating models for tunnels that could carry passengers or utilities. They will also look at Abu Dhabi’s potential as a regional hub for tunneling work. The current phase is exploratory, and no construction commitment or project budget has been announced.

“Abu Dhabi provides an ideal environment to explore the next generation of underground infrastructure solutions, supported by its ambitious growth vision and strong commitment to advanced technologies,”

Davis said. He added that the company wants to assess how tunnels can “expand urban capacity more efficiently, and enable better use of available space.”

The timing lines up with the money, considering last month, The Boring Company closed a $3 billion Series D led by the UAE and affiliated investors, valuing the company at $23 billion, as Teslarati reported. That round came with a commitment to build more than 150 kilometers of tunnel across the UAE, separate from the Dubai Loop pilot already under contract with Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority. That pilot covers 6.4 kilometers and four stations linking DIFC and Dubai Mall at a cost of about $154 million.

Back home, The Boring Company projects in Nashville are also scaling up, with the company telling local NewsChannel 5 that a third Prufrock machine could start digging the Music City Loop in late October. A fourth is also targeted before the end of the year. Two machines are already mining Nashville limestone at the same time, and work is underway on a new launch site for the third.

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The company said it has made more than 300 design and performance upgrades to its original Nashville machine. It is also working with property owners on more than 40 planned stations, with approvals in place for a future Nashville International Airport connection, a downtown station near the Music City Center, and stops at residential towers and the JW Marriott.

Construction on the Music City Loop began the same evening Tennessee and federal regulators approved the project’s lease in February, and the company targeted its first operational segment for late 2026. Back in Las Vegas, The Boring Company has said it plans to double its Vegas Loop station count by year’s end.

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