Tesla Referral Winners Start Getting Model 3 Forged Performance Wheels

An earlier version of this article was originally published on EV Annex and Tesla Oracle.

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.

Badass pic.twitter.com/y7SyRV83lM

— Pooshd (@Pooshd) May 2, 2020

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

@marc_benton @BLKMDL3 Hey guys, I just installed the Model 3 Referral wheels! What do you guys think? They look amazing in person. pic.twitter.com/u68ZJInjF8

— Pooshd (@Pooshd) April 16, 2020

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 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.

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.

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.

Hey guys, so I just picked up and installed the lug nut covers for the Model 3 Referral Wheels. I want your opinion whether you like the wheels with or without the lug nut covers. Thanks!!!@BLKMDL3 @marc_benton @Model3Owners @i1Tesla @teslainventory @getjeda @teslabros @TesLatino pic.twitter.com/pGE6QpB30t

— Pooshd (@Pooshd) April 17, 2020

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.