Tesla Model S Plaid With 21s Vs Plaid W/19s, Plus NOS Corvette C3

Both Plaids are stock, though they're wearing different wheels. How much difference does it make?

Steven Loveday

By: Steven Loveday

Sep 20, 2021 at 1:21pm ET

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The Tesla Plaid Channel publishes new races on YouTube every week, and some are quite unique. We certainly look forward to the Tesla Model S Plaid versus Plaid contests, since it allows people to compare two Model S sedans with different drivers, setups, settings, etc. In this case, the channel says both Plaids are 100% stock. They're simply wearing different stock wheels.

Tesla Plaid Channel also makes it clear that there hasn't been any weight removed from either of these cars, though they highlight (Yet). The race took place at the Showtime Dragstrip in Clearwater, Florida for the Street Wars battle on September 11, 2021.

To be clear, the 2021 Model S Plaid comes equipped directly from the Tesla Fremont factory with 19-inch Tempest Wheels. You can opt for the 21-inch Arachnid Wheels for an additional $4,500. While that's a lot of money, when you have the money to buy a $130,000 car, it probably doesn't make much difference to drop some extra cash on the upgraded wheels. However, it does make a difference when it comes to the Model S' range and performance.

Tesla Plaid Channel says all five runs in the Plaid with the 19-inch standard wheels proved faster than both runs in the Plaid wearing 21s, which should come as no surprise if you know anything about how wheel size impacts acceleration. That's a different story for a different day, however, and there are always rare exceptions.

What do you think?

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The Model S Plaid also races an iconic Corvette C3 that's sporting nitrous oxide. The title of the video adds, "Can’t beat em? Join 'em!," so we had to assume that the modified Corvette was able to outrun the Plaid. However, it's never safe to assume.

Check out the Plaid versus Plaid, Plaid versus 'Vette, and other races, including a run against a brilliant green Mustang 5.0 Coyote. Then, drop us a line in the comment section below.

Source: Tesla Plaid Channel (YouTube)