I cant tell you how many times ive been burnt by these door handles. So do you think that they should be body colored instead of the chrome that burns the crap out of your hands when its hot out....
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They look kind of silly body colored, IMO.
My wife's P85 had them done yellow when she had her yellow wrap done. (Thread here: Glossy Yellow Wrap Completed ) Wasn't long before they were changed back to chrome. They were also still hot after sitting in the sun.
I also don't think the chrome color is the cause the heat anyway. Chrome is super reflective. It's that they're metal and transfer heat to your hand quickly. Maybe a layer of paint would add a little buffer, but not much.
My wife's P85 had them done yellow when she had her yellow wrap done. (Thread here: Glossy Yellow Wrap Completed ) Wasn't long before they were changed back to chrome. They were also still hot after sitting in the sun.
I also don't think the chrome color is the cause the heat anyway. Chrome is super reflective. It's that they're metal and transfer heat to your hand quickly. Maybe a layer of paint would add a little buffer, but not much.
mspohr
Well-Known Member
Chrome is highly reflective (0.7). Any color would absorb more sun and be hotter to the touch.
The S door handles are solid metal. If they are exposed to intense sun and high air temps for hours, that mass of metal can absorb a lot of heat. They are then very hot to the touch. Covering them with a wrap is unlikely to mitigate that.
Sasmania
Member
How about a 3rd poll option: Tesla should address the issue with a simple fix?
Living in AZ this is a huge issue. About a year ago I got some black foam sheeting from Michaels craft store. It's about a mm thick. Cut to size, glued in with waterproof glue and it's worked great. Good as the day I installed, and completely cool to the touch no matter how hot the handle is. Hope this helps!
Living in AZ this is a huge issue. About a year ago I got some black foam sheeting from Michaels craft store. It's about a mm thick. Cut to size, glued in with waterproof glue and it's worked great. Good as the day I installed, and completely cool to the touch no matter how hot the handle is. Hope this helps!
Interesting that this subject comes up in the middle of December. However, I have the solution for this which should be in the TMC classifieds and my Etsy store later this week. I don't want my girls and wife burning their hands getting into the car, in a few months and I know there are other Tesla owners that have the same concerns.
cbin97
Member
IMO the biggest design flaw of the model S is way too much chrome. I de-chromed mine within a month of owning and it looks so much cleaner and better. Again this is my opinion, but I am not alone as most exotic cars have little to no chrome anymore. The more expensive a Porsche gets the less chrome it has. GTS's have absolutely zero. Again I am not trying to start anything but as far as car design I think chrome is severely outdated.
Sasmania
Member
I can't argue with you. I guess I don't mind it too much look wise, but I will say the reflection off of the rear view mirror mounts etc, can be blinding when the sun hits them the wrong way. For this alone, I'd go for less chrome...
My understanding is that, everything else being equal, there are three primary factors that determine how hot a surface feels in the sun:
1) Solar Reflectance: the fraction of incident solar energy which is reflected by the surface
2) Thermal Emittance: the ability of a hot material to shed its heat in the form of infrared radiation
3) Thermal Conductivity: the ability of a material to transfer heat through direct contact
Polished chrome and polished aluminum have high reflectance, but also have very low emittance and high thermal conductivity. So, even though they do not absorb as much energy from the sun per second compared to other materials, they cannot shed the heat energy and eventually become very hot. Furthermore, their high thermal conductivity causes the heat to transfer quickly to your hand.
Painting or adding a coat of plastic will reduce the thermal conductivity so that door handles at the same temperature will feel less hot to the touch. And adding a coat of paint to the polished metal will typically reduce the reflectance but will also significantly increase the emittance so, depending on the scenario, the overall temperature may actually be reduced (c.f., white painted metal roofs are often significantly cooler than bare metal roofs).
1) Solar Reflectance: the fraction of incident solar energy which is reflected by the surface
2) Thermal Emittance: the ability of a hot material to shed its heat in the form of infrared radiation
3) Thermal Conductivity: the ability of a material to transfer heat through direct contact
Polished chrome and polished aluminum have high reflectance, but also have very low emittance and high thermal conductivity. So, even though they do not absorb as much energy from the sun per second compared to other materials, they cannot shed the heat energy and eventually become very hot. Furthermore, their high thermal conductivity causes the heat to transfer quickly to your hand.
Painting or adding a coat of plastic will reduce the thermal conductivity so that door handles at the same temperature will feel less hot to the touch. And adding a coat of paint to the polished metal will typically reduce the reflectance but will also significantly increase the emittance so, depending on the scenario, the overall temperature may actually be reduced (c.f., white painted metal roofs are often significantly cooler than bare metal roofs).
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