Found out that P3D+ isn't always faster with 18" wheels

[cOoTeR]

I went to the drag strip this past weekend and did some bracket racing. There were 3 clubs racing and I entered in 2 of them. I ended up winning one of the clubs events. There was another Tesla Model 3 Performance racing in the 3rd club. His car was identical to mine except he had the Tsportline 18" wheels. Same interior and even door handle wraps. Which kind of rained on my parade when I saw he was racing because I had just done an 11.389 second pass away 119.85 mph which is the second fastest Model 3 pass I've heard of and the fastest pass I know of for a Model 3 on 20" rims.

I didn't get a chance to find out who was driving the Model 3 Performance on the Tsportline wheels early on in the day because I was busy running in 2 race classes. But I saw his dial in was 11.53 while I had mine set at 11.39 early on. About halfway through the day the driver of the other Model 3 Performance came up to me in the staging lanes and asked if I was really running my dial in which I had adjusted to 11.44 at this point. I told him yes and that earlier I had run an 11.38. He was surprised and told me his fastest pass for the day was 11.54 so far. He asked what my state of charge was to start with and what it currently was. I had started at 97% and was currently about 88%. He had started at 91% but was around 88% as well because he had made less passes. We were similar in weight so I don't think that was the difference in our times. The temps were in the low 60s most of the day.

His tires were continental extreme contact all seasons. But we both had 1.7 60ft times so I don't think he was limited by the all seasons off the line. My final pass started at 78% state of charge and even with that I still ran an 11.51 on a 11.50 dial in. My slowest pass of the day was still faster than his fastest pass of the day. Seemed kind of weird. But I think he was runner up in his club so that was pretty cool that 2 Model 3 Performance's made the finals for 2 out of 3 clubs racing that day.

 

[Glamisduner]

the t-sport line wheels kind of heavy though are they not?

 

[Nogasmn]

There are two t-sport line wheels, one set weighs 21 lbs the other 21.75 lbs.
Performance 20's weigh 28.75 lbs. I don't know if that's with or without tires.
On paper the performance on 18's should be faster due to lighter wheels but maybe there is something we are overlooking. Was he in track mode?

 

[cOoTeR]

There are two t-sport line wheels, one set weighs 21 lbs the other 21.75 lbs.
Performance 20's weigh 28.75 lbs. I don't know if that's with or without tires.
On paper the performance on 18's should be faster due to lighter wheels but maybe there is something we are overlooking. Was he in track mode?

He said he was for his first run but turned it off after that. I'm pretty sure the factory 20s are 28lbs without tires and about 51lbs with tires.

 

[animorph]

Slightly different tire radii? That could give a gearing advantage.

 

[kailm]

What is the mileage of your car vs the other guys?

 

[cOoTeR]

What is the mileage of your car vs the other guys?

I can't remember but he said he's owned his for 6 months I've had mine a little over 3.

 

[CrayZ1]

Congrats!
How did the trap speeds compare? That is the measure of power to weight. 119.85 is blazing.

 

[BriansBucketList]

Pretty sure that is the weight without tires. As I understand, and as someone who runs a P3D (minus, stealth, etc.) I am looking at snow tires, and a second set of rims. For straight line performance, 18 inch wheels have a large alloy "barrel" known as the rim, and if the metal barrel weight increases, you begin to have rotating mass issues, but I believe there are some 20 inch forged rims out there that are lighter, or equal to the factory Aeros. That said, I have my eye on some TSportline 19 flow forged as a compromise since I have speed bumps and potholes to deal with.

There are two t-sport line wheels, one set weighs 21 lbs the other 21.75 lbs.
Performance 20's weigh 28.75 lbs. I don't know if that's with or without tires.
On paper the performance on 18's should be faster due to lighter wheels but maybe there is something we are overlooking. Was he in track mode?

 

[cOoTeR]

Congrats!
How did the trap speeds compare? That is the measure of power to weight. 119.85 is blazing.

I'm not sure but o think he was 116-117 range.

 

[CrayZ1]

I'm not sure but o think he was 116-117 range.

You have more horseys or less weight. Probably about 30 rwhp or 300lb advantage, or a combination.

 

[Knightshade]

Both on same firmware version?

 

[cOoTeR]

You have more horseys or less weight. Probably about 30 rwhp or 300lb advantage, or a combination.

I don't know where 300lbs would have been hidden in his car we were both full interior. Unless he had a large body in the trunk he didn't tell me about. I don't know where the 30hp would have come from.

Both on same firmware version?

Yes both on the latest.

 

[MasterC17]

This likely has to do with overall tire diameter if it has anything to do with the wheels/tires. Your 20" are larger (26.7") than his 18's ~(26.4"). This gives him an advantage up to about 60mph but gives you the advantage thereafter. It may also have to do with his battery being colder than yours considering he was doing less runs, which is actually the more likely explanation.

 

[dreamgt]

Maybe it was the all-season tires he was running?

 

[CrayZ1]

Usually your fastest traps will occur with steel radials at higher pressures. But not your best ETs.

I wonder if the Torque Mgmt or traction control is how they stop wheel spin? One method maps out maximum power at lower speeds, the other waits until a wheel slips before it comes on. When I floored a M3P at an apex, it did not spin much or at all, I could not get any oversteer out of it. But they had the Track Mode disabled.

Another EV with AWD and 400hp, you could hang the tail out on exits. And... Some owners cried about it. "OH!! It's out of control!!" I'm guessing they lifted sharp and caught a bit of snap oversteer, but it's still not out of control.

 

[xyxx]

the benefit of the 18" wheel size/weight is negated by its tires. The performance 20s have some of the best tires around. I've noticed an upgrade in handling & grip since switching from 19" to 20" w/ MP4s tires

is anyone running michelin pilot 4s on 18" stock (or lighter) rims on p3d or p3d- software? Interested to see their numbers

 

[PhaseWhite]

I went to the drag strip this past weekend and did some bracket racing. There were 3 clubs racing and I entered in 2 of them. I ended up winning one of the clubs events. There was another Tesla Model 3 Performance racing in the 3rd club. His car was identical to mine except he had the Tsportline 18" wheels. Same interior and even door handle wraps. Which kind of rained on my parade when I saw he was racing because I had just done an 11.389 second pass away 119.85 mph which is the second fastest Model 3 pass I've heard of and the fastest pass I know of for a Model 3 on 20" rims.

I didn't get a chance to find out who was driving the Model 3 Performance on the Tsportline wheels early on in the day because I was busy running in 2 race classes. But I saw his dial in was 11.53 while I had mine set at 11.39 early on. About halfway through the day the driver of the other Model 3 Performance came up to me in the staging lanes and asked if I was really running my dial in which I had adjusted to 11.44 at this point. I told him yes and that earlier I had run an 11.38. He was surprised and told me his fastest pass for the day was 11.54 so far. He asked what my state of charge was to start with and what it currently was. I had started at 97% and was currently about 88%. He had started at 91% but was around 88% as well because he had made less passes. We were similar in weight so I don't think that was the difference in our times. The temps were in the low 60s most of the day.

His tires were continental extreme contact all seasons. But we both had 1.7 60ft times so I don't think he was limited by the all seasons off the line. My final pass started at 78% state of charge and even with that I still ran an 11.51 on a 11.50 dial in. My slowest pass of the day was still faster than his fastest pass of the day. Seemed kind of weird. But I think he was runner up in his club so that was pretty cool that 2 Model 3 Performance's made the finals for 2 out of 3 clubs racing that day. View attachment 500057 View attachment 500057 View attachment 500058

This is the first 119 mph trap I’ve seen from a P3D. Seems like you have a factory freak. No wonder you did so well in those 1/2 mile races.

 

[kbecks13]

Did you Supercharge immediately before the track? If so your battery was likely fairly warm, maybe his was kinda cold?

I've seen my battery get over 120F during supercharging when using ScanMyTesla and it takes a decent bit of time to cool down after that (30+ minutes).

 

[cOoTeR]

Did you Supercharge immediately before the track? If so your battery was likely fairly warm, maybe his was kinda cold?

I've seen my battery get over 120F during supercharging when using ScanMyTesla and it takes a decent bit of time to cool down after that (30+ minutes).

I did charge down the road from the track. It was probably close to a half hour between charging and the first run. I got to the track at about 9:45 the fastest run was at 10:52.