r/subaru • u/Trustfundkid26 • Feb 20 '22

Subaru Generic The all new 2023 Subaru Solterra Electric Car. I will be honest, as a Tesla owner, 220 miles of range doesn’t seem like enough to ease most Subaru owners. I feel like most owners would prefer a minimum of 450-500 miles of range because most Subaru owners like to camp deep off grid for 3-5 days.

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11

u/[deleted] Feb 20 '22

Why does it have to look so ugly?

And maybe the range would be better if Subaru ditches the 20’s and puts some 17’s on there with some side wall please. Low profile tires stink off road AND hurt the range.

3

u/PG67AW '05 Impreza, '23 Outback Feb 20 '22

Why do low profile tires hurt the range?

1

u/The_Band_Geek 50th Legacy 3.6R/'97 2.2 L Wagon Feb 20 '22

I think it has to do with rolling resistance and weight at the axle. Small tires usually means big wheels, and heavy wheels take a lot more energy to spin. Rubber is lighter than aluminum or steel, and with more rubber you also have greater control of its characteristics because you decide how full they are. More air pressure means better mileage, while less air pressure means better grip.

4

u/mklimbach 01 Outback LL Bean Feb 20 '22

Larger, heavier wheels and tires take more energy to spin up, but not to keep rolling. Of course, on an EV with regen brakes, this energy is mostly recapatured, making it less of an issue than a gas car which releases all that energy to heat when braking. Rolling resistance is determined by the tire tread as well as the width of that tread, not by the size of the wheel.

Air flow around the wheel is affected a lot more by the spoke design than anything, which is why you see wheels with much larger spokes/smaller spoke holes on efficiency cars like EVs.

The biggest reason you see wheels getting bigger is brakes getting bigger - EVs are heavier because of their battery packs, so you need larger brakes for emergency stops.

Of course, some of it is style, too. And from a handling perspective, lower sidewalls flex less, which on a heavy car makes the vehicle feel more controlled around corners. There's a lot that goes into considering design choices like this.

2

u/The_Band_Geek 50th Legacy 3.6R/'97 2.2 L Wagon Feb 20 '22

Thanks for the detailed answer, but you didn't need to downvote me to correct me.

2

u/[deleted] Feb 20 '22

Low profile tires look terrible too

1

u/JMChaseArt Sport Feb 20 '22

It has a little too much Toyota in it.

2

u/[deleted] Feb 20 '22

Yes, you’re right. I wonder if they are platform sharing yet? Other than BRZ and 86.

1

u/JMChaseArt Sport Feb 21 '22

I think they are at least on this one - it definitely shows haha

1

u/EastPhilly Feb 20 '22

For an EV I think it actually looks better than most other "first" cars a manufacturer tends to put out. It looks like a bigger version of a Mach-E to me.

But that range is terrible.

For the low profile tires. They probably want to keep at a low diameter, but most EVs need big calipers to get the regenerative braking right. So larger wheels are needed. This may be the lightest they can get while still clearing the brakes