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"Holy cow!!" A P90D Ludicrous test drive report from a P85D owner

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Pete90D -- your 1.1 Gs is fantastic! Do you have the staggered or non-staggered 21"? Also, which brand of tires? And if you have the recent, more compliant suspension, do you think it degrades handling? My early-March P85D has 21" wheels delivered non-staggered with Continentals, which was a disappointment. However, I believe the suspension has the stiff roll bars: body roll is undetectable. I like stiff suspensions and would be dissatisfied if it was more compliant.

I have twisty country roads where I live but have been afraid to push the PD anywhere near what its limit must be (fear of the inertia of 2 1/2 tons of batteries flying off the road). Sounds like I should push harder.

I think the 1.1 was probably a one off. The ramp was slightly banked, but also it could have been very intermittent. When I was seeing numbers in the 0.9s I did see more constant numbers, but the onramp I couldn't watch the meter. Someone said I should take it to a skid pad to test, which I may.

I have staggered 21s with Michelins and my suspension is softer than something like sorka's from the sound of it.

I think you can push the car further than you think, but I'd be careful with it because it is a lot of weight to lose control of. I had pushed it before and taking those same turns I only saw a max of 0.7 so I sped up in the turns. I don't really want to go into details about all that, but I'm sad I lost the PBOX file because I don't really want to do it again... that's how nervous it made me at times. A patch of gravel and I'd be an unhappy camper right now.

Any chance you lost the go-pedal, during your turns? I can consistently have the pedal go almost dead in the (non-arrowed) turn below. I get around the left side, hold it, and get this rush of acceleration after the steering comes close to center. I can be unwinding from 90, to 40 degrees. Almost nothing. Get to ~10, and wham. Your image looks like you may have achieved a speed, or steering angle, where a limiter wouldn't have kicked in. It is tough to tell how steering angle, and speed may be involved. A 90 degree turn is another place where you might notice the "steering acceleration" effect, I'm getting at. I'm beginning to think it isn't consistent among the PD's, since I otherwise cannot believe you wouldn't have encountered it, given what you did. Maybe you weren't trying to exit, going in slow, out fast with more pedal? I think it's time to take mine in. Do I claim "electron starvation"?

-Two (clear) lanes are safer, than one
-If the ramp is banked, which most are, your G-reading may inflate the car's ability to hold the value you are looking at. Banking makes up for grip.
Thanks for sharing your data.

Onramp was a little banked which might explain going over what Tesla said it could do. Flatter turns were taken that were in the 0.9s.

I haven't experienced the dead pedal. If I do a u-turn I have lost traction and had dead pedal, but that's what you normally experience when traction is lost and the car "bogs" down. When I was doing my G test I accelerated in turns and it had tons of power at high speed in turns. I actually have to work harder to avoid going too fast in turns because the power doesn't go away.
 
It was an email to me from the sales person that gave me the test drive, might be an internal message that might eventually make its way out to the public which I hope is sooner rather then later so that everyone is informed.

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It was an email to me from the sales person that gave me the test drive, might be an internal message that might eventually make its way out to the public which I hope is sooner rather then later so that everyone is informed.

Ok, looks like this information is actually on the order page for the P85D pre-order, however it's not clear as to what the quarter mile performance would be.
 
I bought an SL55 the year it came out (2003). It had engine problems the dealer could not fix, so they bought it back for nearly what I paid. I replaced it with a 2004 SL600, which I still have, but now rarely drive thanks to the Tesla. The SL600 has Renntech software, a strengthened transmission, larger intercooler, and Brabus exhaust. 600+ HP and 700 lb-ft. Its traction control is terrible, or more accurately it is not properly programmed for the modifications. At low speeds it is safe to hit the gas only if the wheel is dead straight. When the automatic downshifts to first, and sometimes even to second, there is a moment of wheel spin and fishtailing (should have gotten a limited slip diff) before the traction control kicks in. Then the engine bogs down until the tires hook up. The Tesla traction control is SO much better. Low speed acceleration in that Mercedes is hampered by wheel spin, but the car is great for passing: about 4.5s from 60 to 100. I hope the Ludicrous upgrade will feel as good.

Totally agree, having had many of the V12 TT Benzes; I still keep an SL65 Black Series in the garage. If the midrange power with the Ludicrous upgrade is anything like that boosted 12, it's going to be pretty amazing.

BTW....Kleemann makes a nice add on LSD for the MB V12 cars. I added one to my 2005 CL65, and it made a big difference!