You dont have to change your model according to the direction of the wheelCollider. Simply make a new gameObject at the same position, attach a wheelCollider to that object, and then rotate that object so that the wheelCollider so that it allignes correctly to your wheel. When that is done, make your model a child of the object with the wheelCollider.
I know you can change your model like you did aswell, but this is a much faster way, so take note and use this method in the future.