An apology

[Eclectic]

I took the new P85D up highway 1 for the first time yesterday. Somewhere between Jenner and Stewarts Point I did something that I have to apologize for.

I was cruising along in insane mode, testing out the limits of the AWD system (as compared to my old P85, which often got a bit loose in corners on this road) when two cars came out of nowhere and passed me. One was a new BMW M3, the other a murdered out Acura that clearly had been turbocharged to within an inch of its life. I wasn't looking for a race, but if you know the road, especially when it starts getting really twisty, you know that it's basically a race track perched on the edge of the continental US.

So I pulled off to the side of the road, gave the BMW and Acura a 60 second head start, then took off to find them.

It didn't take long and I caught the Acura first. Coming out of a really tight turn, I hit the throttle and it was like the Acura suddenly went into reverse. Seriously, the ability of the P85D to explode out of a tight turn and accelerate to scary speeds is worth the cost of the car.

The BMW was a bit further ahead and I caught him on just as the road straightened. And again, the BMW vanished, quickly, into my rear view mirror, but I heard him beep his horn a few times. I am pretty sure that he was beeping out of respect for what just happened to him...

While I really wish the next gen seats were in the car (especially on these twisties). the AWD truly turns the P85D into a highway 1 racer. No more worries about the rear end flying loose.

Plus, the power usage wasn't more than 10% in excess of what the P85 used in prior trips.

So to the boy racers out there, I apologize. You got blown away by a four door electric car.

 

[Cosmacelf]

Cool story. While I fully respect the D, the slightly loose back end of my P85 just adds to the thrill

 

[AEdennis]

Yeah... But how efficiently were you driving?

Bringing a P85D to that "fight" is like bringing a gun to a fist-fight

 

[NigelM]

It's a beautiful road to drive but a dangerous one also...was only a couple of weeks back we had this thread: Highway-1-fatality

Take it easy out there.

 

[Eclectic]

Cool story. While I fully respect the D, the slightly loose back end of my P85 just adds to the thrill

It can be a lot of fun...I actually wish there was a way to turn off the front wheel drive for some parts of the road. But when you're looking at a steep mountain on one side of the two lane road and a few hundred foot drop to a rocky shore on the other, knowing that you can blast out of a corner with the rear firmly in place is pretty reassuring. And to NigelM's point, it's a really dangerous road, especially when it's wet (like it is today), so having the AWD just allows you to have a margin of error.

But seriously, WOW. I wonder if the Tesla engineers took P85D mules to this stretch of road to dial in the suspension and power dynamics.

 

[sickfox]

those are the times when you need a dash cam or goPros! :tongue:

 

[Txy]

Less evidence, the better

 

[CHG-ON]

Good for you. Show those posers who the real king of the hill is!

 

[Gizmotoy]

It's a beautiful road to drive but a dangerous one also...was only a couple of weeks back we had this thread: Highway-1-fatality

Take it easy out there.

Right, and let's be honest here, the strength of any Model S, even the P85D, is not in navigating the twisties. It's really easy to get caught out on the 1, especially with a car as heavy as the S. Be careful out there.

 

[linkster]

gave the BMW and Acura a 60 second head start, then took off to find them.

It didn't take long and I caught the Acura first. I hit the throttle and it was like the Acura suddenly went into reverse.

The BMW was a bit further ahead and I caught him on just as the road straightened.

You got blown away by a four door electric car.

:biggrin::biggrin: Well executed !

 

[donv]

This post makes me want a P85D!

 

[anxman]

Does anybody know if the airbags deployed on the crashed Tesla from HWY1? Basically, we've seen Teslas that completely die in traffic due to a 12V or related connector failure. In the case of this fatality, airbags should have deployed if the car was still operational when it crashed.

 

[scottm]

I took the new P85D up highway 1 for the first time yesterday. Somewhere between Jenner and Stewarts Point I did something that I have to apologize for.

I was cruising along in insane mode, testing out the limits of the AWD system (as compared to my old P85, which often got a bit loose in corners on this road) when two cars came out of nowhere and passed me. One was a new BMW M3, the other a murdered out Acura that clearly had been turbocharged to within an inch of its life. I wasn't looking for a race, but if you know the road, especially when it starts getting really twisty, you know that it's basically a race track perched on the edge of the continental US.

So I pulled off to the side of the road, gave the BMW and Acura a 60 second head start, then took off to find them.

It didn't take long and I caught the Acura first. Coming out of a really tight turn, I hit the throttle and it was like the Acura suddenly went into reverse. Seriously, the ability of the P85D to explode out of a tight turn and accelerate to scary speeds is worth the cost of the car.

The BMW was a bit further ahead and I caught him on just as the road straightened. And again, the BMW vanished, quickly, into my rear view mirror, but I heard him beep his horn a few times. I am pretty sure that he was beeping out of respect for what just happened to him...

While I really wish the next gen seats were in the car (especially on these twisties). the AWD truly turns the P85D into a highway 1 racer. No more worries about the rear end flying loose.

Plus, the power usage wasn't more than 10% in excess of what the P85 used in prior trips.

So to the boy racers out there, I apologize. You got blown away by a four door electric car.

Can you imagine what it would have been like, if the 2nd motor had to kick in? :tongue:

 

[jerry33]

Does anybody know if the airbags deployed on the crashed Tesla from HWY1? Basically, we've seen Teslas that completely die in traffic due to a 12V or related connector failure. In the case of this fatality, airbags should have deployed if the car was still operational when it crashed.

Although this is off topic, there's no reason why it shouldn't have. the contactor is between the 12V and the main battery, not between the 12V and the airbags.

 

[http.com]

What are your charging options on Hwy 1...I see none.

driving the p85d in insane mode on hwy1 seems like you'll be drained of any juice left in no time, and with no supercharger, then what? I want to take a road trip up hwy1 from Socal, but am concerned about the lack of charging options.

 

[grahamsimmonds]

If you think it is OK to drive like that on a public road, all I can say is that I am glad you live in Canada and not the UK.

Do you know the people I have the most respect for? People who drive super cars on the road who do not allow themselves to get wound up by other drivers acting like idiots and ignore them. It gives you some insight into how they managed to afford such a car in the first place.

 

[Eclectic]

If you think it is OK to drive like that on a public road, all I can say is that I am glad you live in Canada and not the UK.

Do you know the people I have the most respect for? People who drive super cars on the road who do not allow themselves to get wound up by other drivers acting like idiots and ignore them. It gives you some insight into how they managed to afford such a car in the first place.

Was this in response to my post? I'm not in Canada...

As for driving on public roads, well, we'll just have to disagree. I'm far less dangerous driving a high performance car the way it was meant to be driven than is the idiot sexting his girlfriend and driving the Honda Civic as he wanders across lanes and goes 10 mph below the speed limit. I would be that for most people here who enjoy driving, it's the same story. The risk on the road isn't the guy pushing his car to its limits; it's the masses who can't be bothered to pay attention whilst driving below the limits.

 

[Shawn Snider]

I think we should all just be glad we don't have to drive on Russian roads/streets.... Watched a few Car-Crash Compilation's last night and 95% of them were Russian, **** is epic-screwy over there, most of their roads don't have lines or lights.... People cross lanes and pull U-turns out of the blue....

And I would GLADLY drive alongside a person ripping around in a tricked out car (should they show they can actually control it) than drive alongside a 'Cell-phone junky texter'.

 

[Yggdrasill]

People are different. Some can handle high-performance cars and others can't. If one manages to uphold the spirit of the law, but not the letter of the law, that's acceptable, in my book. The laws regarding speeding are in place to avoid accidents, but it is possible for a skilled driver to be as safe driving over the speed limit as a less skilled driver driving below the speed limit. You do have people who overestimate their abilities, which is dangerous, but it's impossible to assess whether a person is irresponsibly driving above the speed limit or responsibly driving above the speed limit just knowing that they have been driving above the speed limit.

The only serious car accident I've been in, a lady fell asleep at the wheel in heavy traffic, and weered into my lane, hitting me in the side and causing my car to roll over. That people drive when they are very sleepy, seriously ill or have been drinking or using drugs (or while texting) annoys me to a far greater degree than people who drive above the speed limit. These activities/conditions are incompatible with the safe operation of a vehicle, at any speed.

 

[Canuck]

Was this in response to my post? I'm not in Canada...

As for driving on public roads, well, we'll just have to disagree. I'm far less dangerous driving a high performance car the way it was meant to be driven than is the idiot sexting his girlfriend and driving the Honda Civic as he wanders across lanes and goes 10 mph below the speed limit. I would be that for most people here who enjoy driving, it's the same story. The risk on the road isn't the guy pushing his car to its limits; it's the masses who can't be bothered to pay attention whilst driving below the limits.

I'd prefer if you did no dangerous driving rather than "far less dangerous driving".

I also don't get comparing one form of dangerous driving with another to show that you are not as bad as some others. In my view, driving a high performance car the way it's meant to be driven is for the track. Not for public roads. We have family members we cherish out there and driving on the side of caution, and avoiding provocation from other drivers, is taking the high road and in my opinion makes you look much classier in your car.

I think we should all just be glad we don't have to drive on Russian roads/streets.... Watched a few Car-Crash Compilation's last night and 95% of them were Russian, **** is epic-screwy over there, most of their roads don't have lines or lights.... People cross lanes and pull U-turns out of the blue....

That is true but another reason for so many of these videos is that there's so much fraud in Russia a dash cam is an absolute necessity.