Help Me Decide Between Long Range and Performance

[freeAgent]

I took delivery yesterday! It was sad to see my baby go but after driving the Tesla home I didn’t feel any buyers remorse for getting LR. It feels fast enough I may not even buy the acceleration boost.

Congratulations! Good choice going with the LR, IMO. The LR is already quite fast. I bought AB immediately after purchase (before even driving it off the delivery center parking lot) and I don't regret it. That was my plan all along. The performance delta between the LR+AB and P is so small that the extra efficiency and range plus more practical wheel and tire configuration made the choice easy. The $8k I saved by going with the LR+AB over the P was also nice. I put some of that into full PPF and tint and still saved money vs. getting a P.

Around town, I never push the pedal all the way to the floor unless I'm trying to do something a bit hooligan-like. In normal, sporty street driving (not trying to race, but having fun at stop lights), I probably max the throttle at about 75-80%. I never track my car, so the extra straight-line performance I could theoretically have had with the P doesn't really factor in.

 

[ZapCarM3]

Congratulations! Good choice going with the LR, IMO. The LR is already quite fast. I bought AB immediately after purchase (before even driving it off the delivery center parking lot) and I don't regret it. That was my plan all along. The performance delta between the LR+AB and P is so small that the extra efficiency and range plus more practical wheel and tire configuration made the choice easy. The $8k I saved by going with the LR+AB over the P was also nice. I put some of that into full PPF and tint and still saved money vs. getting a P.

Around town, I never push the pedal all the way to the floor unless I'm trying to do something a bit hooligan-like. In normal, sporty street driving (not trying to race, but having fun at stop lights), I probably max the throttle at about 75-80%. I never track my car, so the extra straight-line performance I could theoretically have had with the P doesn't really factor in.

So what does AB stand for? That's the acceleration boost, right?

Oh, that's probably it right there... No joke just figuring that out right now as I type out loud. Brings it down to 3.7? 3.5¿ I see mixed answers haha.

 

[sroy]

AB = acceleration boost. Shaves off 0.5s (from 4.2 to 3.7) on the 0-60 and increase max speed to closer (or equal to?) P model

 

[Knightshade]

So what does AB stand for? That's the acceleration boost, right?

Oh, that's probably it right there... No joke just figuring that out right now as I type out loud. Brings it down to 3.7? 3.5¿ I see mixed answers haha.

3.5 if you measure the same way Tesla measures the P... (I think 3.46 or 3.47 is about as quick draggy #s I've seen)

3.7 if you measure it the dishonest way Tesla measures everything other than the P.

 

[MikeyC]

I think the 3.5 for the LR+AB and 3.2 for the P are both with 1 foot rollout. As I understand it, that's the way the car magazines measure it.

Mike

 

[rm1626]

So I have a 2021 model 3 performance and my parents have a 2020 model 3 LR with AB:

1) In terms of the speed difference I agree - rarely if ever will you notice a speed difference...its pretty much from 0-20 or 30mph where the M3P is faster and does feel faster...anything after that its the same...and I rarely do 0-60s, mainly just speed up/floor it while I'm already rolling at 20+ mph...so admittedly I don't really use the acceleration advantage but I got some peace of mind knowing I got the fastest Model 3 available.

2) My take on the wheels - the 20 inch uberturbines look reallyyy good and mean, so no regrets on my end getting those...but the drive is definitly not as smooth as with the 18 inches since the tire thickness is very different...that said the 20 inchers are plenty comfortable and I was going for a sporty feel so its a good mix of comfort and getting some road feedback...if you want purely a smoother ride you def want 18/19 inchers instead (but you could sell the uberturbines and buy aftermarket smaller wheels and probably make a profit).

3) The spoiler & bigger and red calipers look great...but you could buy an aftermarket spoiler and paint calipers red for like $500 total.

4) Track mode - I plan on taking the M3P to the track/autocross 3-4 times a year so track mode will come in handy...but using something 3-4 times a year is probably not worth paying much for.

If you can afford it, the M3P leaves you with no regrets/peace of mind...but strictly speaking the price difference probably isn't justified...depends on your opinion of those 4 things

 

[Apprunner]

I think the 3.5 for the LR+AB and 3.2 for the P are both with 1 foot rollout. As I understand it, that's the way the car magazines measure it.

Mike

The 3.2 was with the rollout pre 5% bump. They never changed it. It’s closer to 3 flat with rollout. The M3P is always 0.5s faster by design. It will always be this way.

 

[Star Platinum]

thanks to dogecoin the price is justified. but seriously just get the P. There’s a difference in G forces between LR with boost and P so I am losing 15k in total with tax and everything to trade up LR for P. I never felt the rush in my head with the LR so instant regret. IMO a noticeable difference with the P.

 

[Mahamilto]

Braking.... anyone? 0-100-0. Period.

 

[Mahamilto]

That said, it only really matters if you have the disposable income to get the P. It’s basic microeconomics: opportunity cost. The P was still under what I was willing to spend on my new car, so I got it. The difference in price was justifiable to me on the basis of having the top tier model; specifically the most HP and best brakes available. The suspension is also a bit different. The wheels I knew were coming off; I need all seasons and our roads suck, but I wasn’t going to stick with the touring level rubber on the LR either and would have swapped wheels and tires there too... so that’s a push.

If you can justify and swing the cost, I don’t see why you wouldn’t get the P. If you can’t, or you can but it stretches your finances, then the LR is an amazing car; arguably the most car you can buy for that price point. Add in AB and it’s a real winner. The two aren’t that different, but if you can afford the top tier without concerns, then I think the answer is pretty simple. The range difference is almost entirely due to the wheels and tires... if you take the LR and put wider summer 20s on it... it’s basically a performance minus the extra juice, slightly different springs, and the brakes...

Can’t go wrong either way. Let’s remember we’re all on the same team here. I tip my cap to all the mode 3 drivers... I think the car and platform is exceptional.

 

[NinjaFoot]

That said, it only really matters if you have the disposable income to get the P. It’s basic microeconomics: opportunity cost. The P was still under what I was willing to spend on my new car, so I got it. The difference in price was justifiable to me on the basis of having the top tier model; specifically the most HP and best brakes available. The suspension is also a bit different. The wheels I knew were coming off; I need all seasons and our roads suck, but I wasn’t going to stick with the touring level rubber on the LR either and would have swapped wheels and tires there too... so that’s a push.

If you can justify and swing the cost, I don’t see why you wouldn’t get the P. If you can’t, or you can but it stretches your finances, then the LR is an amazing car; arguably the most car you can buy for that price point. Add in AB and it’s a real winner. The two aren’t that different, but if you can afford the top tier without concerns, then I think the answer is pretty simple. The range difference is almost entirely due to the wheels and tires... if you take the LR and put wider summer 20s on it... it’s basically a performance minus the extra juice, slightly different springs, and the brakes...

Can’t go wrong either way. Let’s remember we’re all on the same team here. I tip my cap to all the mode 3 drivers... I think the car and platform is exceptional.

As much as I would love to get a P, my budget would have been stretched a little bit. After all one of the reasons I traded the Camaro in is to save some money.
Maybe in the future with more savings and a better paying job I can swing a P version without thinking too much. Or maybe a Taycan

 

[Mahamilto]

Taycan is awesome, but value it isn’t. Road in a friends. Sick car. Balanced. Beautiful.

But like most porsches, the base is slow for the money and you get utterly dismantled on options. Like crazy so. You can easily make a base taycan over 100k...

So similar to this convo, if the money is irrelevant you may be able to justify it, but man are they pricy for what you get.

 

[Mahamilto]

As much as I would love to get a P, my budget would have been stretched a little bit. After all one of the reasons I traded the Camaro in is to save some money.
Maybe in the future with more savings and a better paying job I can swing a P version without thinking too much. Or maybe a Taycan

I’m sure you will love the LR. I came from a CTSV; don’t miss the LS engine one, it is a great V8. I’m saving so much on gas and oil changes

 

[Ofarlig]

As much as I would love to get a P, my budget would have been stretched a little bit. After all one of the reasons I traded the Camaro in is to save some money.
Maybe in the future with more savings and a better paying job I can swing a P version without thinking too much. Or maybe a Taycan

I’d say that is a good choice anyway. I chose the LR over the P both times I got a 3 because of the comfort difference, with the acceleration boost the LR is plenty fast.

 

[Mattopotamus]

So I have a 2021 model 3 performance and my parents have a 2020 model 3 LR with AB:

1) In terms of the speed difference I agree - rarely if ever will you notice a speed difference...its pretty much from 0-20 or 30mph where the M3P is faster and does feel faster...anything after that its the same...and I rarely do 0-60s, mainly just speed up/floor it while I'm already rolling at 20+ mph...so admittedly I don't really use the acceleration advantage but I got some peace of mind knowing I got the fastest Model 3 available.

2) My take on the wheels - the 20 inch uberturbines look reallyyy good and mean, so no regrets on my end getting those...but the drive is definitly not as smooth as with the 18 inches since the tire thickness is very different...that said the 20 inchers are plenty comfortable and I was going for a sporty feel so its a good mix of comfort and getting some road feedback...if you want purely a smoother ride you def want 18/19 inchers instead (but you could sell the uberturbines and buy aftermarket smaller wheels and probably make a profit).

3) The spoiler & bigger and red calipers look great...but you could buy an aftermarket spoiler and paint calipers red for like $500 total.

4) Track mode - I plan on taking the M3P to the track/autocross 3-4 times a year so track mode will come in handy...but using something 3-4 times a year is probably not worth paying much for.

If you can afford it, the M3P leaves you with no regrets/peace of mind...but strictly speaking the price difference probably isn't justified...depends on your opinion of those 4 things

That's true across their entire line. Once you get over 30mph the SR+, LR, and P all feel the same. A full throttle press above those speeds will result in you being kicked back in your seat on all of them. Some evidence even suggest the SR+ launches faster above those speeds because it is lighter.

 

[Knightshade]

I think the 3.5 for the LR+AB and 3.2 for the P are both with 1 foot rollout. As I understand it, that's the way the car magazines measure it.

Mike

American car mags include rollout (EU ones often do not)- and have clocked the AWD+ at 3.5 and the P at 3.0-3.1. Tesla lists 3.7 and 3.1 respectively though on the website.

Pre-AB same mags clocked the AWD at 3.9-4.0. Though Tesla still lists it on the website at 4.2, because unlike the P they do NOT use rollout for non-P car times.

That's the dishonest part.

Car mags measure both the same way- every other car company I'm aware of advertises using the same measurement for all their cars.

Only Tesla uses the "better looking" measurement for P, and the less-good-looking one for everything else.

This isn't new, folks have been complaining about this since they began doing it with the P85 years ago.

 

[Knightshade]

Braking.... anyone? 0-100-0. Period.

On public roads braking would be exactly the same, if they're on the same tires.

The brakes don't stop the car- the tires do. Slap PS4S tires on the regular 18s on a non-P and the car stops in the same distance as the P does.

The only time the "big" brakes do anything useful is maintaining that same stopping distance on repeated stops from go-to-jail speeds back to back to back on a race track (or evading police pursuit I suppose)... and based on reports from various folks who do track, and the existence of significantly better BBKs for even the P, they're better than stock, but not THAT much better, at this task.

 

[Stranger Dings]

On public roads braking would be exactly the same, if they're on the same tires.

The brakes don't stop the car- the tires do.

Upon reading this, I immediately rushed outside and sledge hammered the brake discs and callipers off of my car, making sure to replace the old tyres with brand new ones to ensure safe stopping.

I am, of course, purposely misinterpreting your comment for cheap comedic effect. Sorry.

 

[Phlier]

I am, of course, purposely misinterpreting your comment for cheap comedic effect. Sorry

LoL, no worries... some cheap comedic effect regarding this subject is much needed at this point.

There was a huge discussion about how tires and brakes affect braking distance here a few months ago, and it devolved into pretty much "your mother is ugly" kind of garbage.

Anyone who suffered through that thread will appreciate the attempt to lighten up the subject a bit.

In fact, I should probably find and post a link to that thread to help prevent this thread from devolving in the same way. No sense in repeating the same argument again here when it's already been said, said again, said one more time, then beaten into the bloody ground. Anyone that wants to continue down that ugly road can just click and post in the appropriate thread...

Concerns over Model 3 Performance brakes efficiency. How good is it? After market brakes?

 

[Pyre]

LoL, no worries... some cheap comedic effect regarding this subject is much needed at this point.

There was a huge discussion about how tires and brakes affect braking distance here a few months ago, and it devolved into pretty much "your mother is ugly" kind of garbage.

Anyone who suffered through that thread will appreciate the attempt to lighten up the subject a bit.

In fact, I should probably find and post a link to that thread to help prevent this thread from devolving in the same way. No sense in repeating the same argument again here when it's already been said, said again, said one more time, then beaten into the bloody ground. Anyone that wants to continue down that ugly road can just click and post in the appropriate thread...

Concerns over Model 3 Performance brakes efficiency. How good is it? After market brakes?

My mother is a beautiful woman. The ground stops the car. Or the wall!