Hot lap at NOLA Motorsport Park

[Darmie]

Yes, that's right. This Saturday July 21 2018 I'll be doing a Track Day Lite. This will start with a 25 min class followed by two 20 minute track runs. I understand we will be following an instructor in their car. The first few laps will be no faster than approx 70 mph. Then I understand we'll get a bit faster. My wife, family and friends will be at the balcony area marked on the picture with Team Tesla and banners. We're really turning this in to a fun family day and wanted to invite anyone that may want to join them and support Team Tesla. The Go Kart track will be running as well and I understand they are available to ride with admission.

Now for the Tech group. i need some good pointers. I have no experience with driving on a track. I have done my share of SCCA events and can't tell you how many times i've driven 1/4 miles at a time. I'm sure the dynamics of shooting for the apex and breaking and accelerating through the corner will come to me but I'm wanting to last the 20 minutes with out heat saturation of the stater. Track is 2.75 miles and with speed average 70-90, should offer 8-10 laps.
Regen standard or low? S 75 RWD with 28K miles since September 2017. Oh and it's the fast S 75 for it's red in color.

Thanks all for reading. OH BTW, the track management are big Tesla fans with HPWC
PlugShare - Find Electric Vehicle Charging Locations Near You
and one 90 and I believe 100.

Track Day Lite - July 21, 2018 - 1pm-3pm

Who's in?

 

[Lucky_Man]

Seek the guidance of Leilani Münter ;^)

 

[JohnnyG]

Regen Low! This will reduce constant heat, allow a couple seconds of cooling, allow more independent control for acceleration / deceleration.

Set your suspension to be permanently Low.

Adjust tire pressure accordingly. This is a little tougher if you haven't had any track time with this car yet. Max pressure is not always the best (neither is manufacturer pressure).

Steering to Sport for a fast track. Comfort for a tight track. Standard for in-between.

If you really feel ballsy, you could disable the traction control and stability control.

I'm sure you already know, and hopefully they will preach it, but for the love of racing, keep your A/C off.

Empty your car of anything that's not bolted down (they'll check for that, but best to just leave stuff at home, so you aren't piling it somewhere).

I'm sure I'll think of more, but that's all I have off the top.

 

[Darmie]

Regen Low! This
I'm sure I'll think of more, but that's all I have off the top.

Awesome, awesome! perfect, I would have over looked suspension and steering. This is what I need. With the model 3 known as a track car, we rookie racers can benefit from this info.

Also, I may have over looked it but I don't think there is an option for stability off.

YES A/C off!
They already corresponded and mention taking everything out.
We're planing on driving from Lake Charles LA to a local best western for the night. We're hoping their tesla chargers are working so to wake up with a full charge. Everything will be left at the hotel that won't be taken out for team Tesla. Thanks again.

 

[Joelgjr]

I think the AC off thing is kind of a misnomer in our cars because as I understand it the model s utilizes the AC in order to cool the battery coolant. Water on the track no matter what - or am I not understanding this

 

[JohnnyG]

I think the AC off thing is kind of a misnomer in our cars because as I understand it the model s utilizes the AC in order to cool the battery coolant. Water on the track no matter what - or am I not understanding this

hmm.... you make a plausible point... I can't say I've ever noticed water under the car when not running the A/C (not even at a Supercharger), but like you said, as much as we understand it, our cars do use the A/C for cooling the drivetrain/battery. hmm.......

 

[JohnnyG]

Also, I may have over looked it but I don't think there is an option for stability off.
We're planing on driving from Lake Charles LA to a local best western for the night. We're hoping their tesla chargers are working so to wake up with a full charge. Everything will be left at the hotel that won't be taken out for team Tesla. Thanks again.

That sounds like a solid plan!

Stability Control can't be disengaged through the interface; you have to disable it by temporarily removing the fuse for that subsystem. Honestly, with being a rookie, and first time on the track with this car, and the amount of instant torque it can deliver, you'd probably be best to leave it be, at least for the first session. If it's a fast track layout, it probably won't hinder you, and could definitely help you. That said, I would definitely do your homework ahead of time, so that for the second session, you could disable it, if you noticed it impeding you during the first session.

 

[Darmie]

Yes good info. I'm also considering to ensure range mode is off for more active cooling if I understand this correctly. Although,with my lack of track experience I don't think I'll come across the car over heating. Johnny, you did touch on tire pressure. I will be bringing a heat gun but unsure if there will be a way to measure proper temps coming back to the paddock and parking. Hot on the outside, more pressure, Hot on the inside, less pressure, but that was from the SCCA days.

 

[JohnnyG]

Yes good info. I'm also considering to ensure range mode is off for more active cooling if I understand this correctly. Although,with my lack of track experience I don't think I'll come across the car over heating. Johnny, you did touch on tire pressure. I will be bringing a heat gun but unsure if there will be a way to measure proper temps coming back to the paddock and parking. Hot on the outside, more pressure, Hot on the inside, less pressure, but that was from the SCCA days.

hmmm... I had to think about this one for a moment. I'd give a different suggestion for Range Mode, based on RWD vs AWD. You are RWD, so it *might* benefit you to leave it ON. If you were AWD, I'd suggest leaving Range Mode off, due to how the torque distribution is setup between the front/rear motors. But, in your case, you'll have none of that. Sooo, if leaving Range Mode on lets the battery run a little warmer, that will actually increase your performance (theoretically). I have not read that it affects the DU cooling, so, as long as it doesn't, you won't really gain from Range Mode off, but you *might* benefit from Range Mode on.

Tire Pressure: Make sure to mark your sidewalls. If you are rolling onto the sidewalls, you need to up your pressure. Temperature readings are more scientific, but if you can't check as soon as the lap completes, the temps will start to blend.
In general, your temp method is spot-on. Tire pressure too low, you'll be riding on the shoulders of the tire. Too high, and you'll be running on the center rib. That said, with road racing, you're transitioning so often, and hitting the corners so hard, I'm not sure you'll find an even heat reading across the tread. Marking the tires will get you plenty close, and allow you to focus on driving.

 

[Darmie]

hmmm... I had to think about this one for a moment. but you *might* benefit from Range Mode on.

Tire Pressure: Make sure to mark your sidewalls. .

Perfect, perfect! ok. I'll do range mode on and see how the car data looks. Not that I will get a chance to look at it while driving however, i do have scan my tesla and tesla spy to look at battery and stater data.
Oh, Spot on with the chalk. I ask my wife Karen to pick up some on her way home from work today. Perfect! Our resident school teacher here at work didn't have any in her purse for me to borrow. What gives these days..

 

[Darmie]

We had a great time at the NOLA Motorsport Park. It consists of a 25 minute lesson learning the basics of track racing. There were two 20 minute sessions. It was a lead follow event with no passing and it was fun!
Nothing special on the video and nothing technical. Just something fun to watch. I will say I was pushing it about as much as I felt comfortable. The second event was much faster than the first and is shown on the consumption chart. Average between both was 710whr, but the last lap as per teslafi was approx 810. I will say the Model S feels very neutral in handling. You can tell there's a lot of weight for it's a bit floaty. The car only gives you what it can handle. While in some of the long curves, I was accelerating and felt the torque build when the car was straightening out, which to me was an indicator that it's sensing wheel slippage and cutting power. Even with regen set to low, the stator still heated up above 300deg.

Thanks all again for the tips. And Yes, must set the low suspension to always.