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I want to upgrade to large DU on my 2021 LR MS - Am I crazy?

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Bull

Chatting is great, just don't shoot the Bull.
Supporting Member
Oct 25, 2020
1,026
2,451
Tucson, AZ
I was leaning toward a performance MS when I ordered last October but my SA said there wasn't that much difference so I went with the Long Range.

I have now decided that I should have ordered the performance version. In doing some research it seems that most of my car already has the correct parts to use the large motor (ASY, P-TRAIN, REMAN, SPORT, LARGE DU, Option Code: DU03 part number 1025598-00-T). I don't care about the carbon fiber trim etc but I would definitely need the firmware flashed to use the performance version features.

I have spoken with a third party service center and they can do it but I'm concerned about losing my warranty and future software update problems. I would prefer to do it officially through Tesla. I have messaged a service tech at my local SC but have not heard back yet.

Am I crazy? Any advice on getting this done? I appreciate all comments and suggestions.
 
Am I crazy? Any advice on getting this done? I appreciate all comments and suggestions.
Yes, the battery pack would need to be configured for ludicrous which involves parts Tesla won't sell to you. Just replacing the driveunit would yield minimal results based on drive unit price and install.
Simply sell yours and purchase a performance model. Crazy trade in and out right sell options right now.
 
Yes, you are crazy, to answer your question.

Without question, best bet is to sell your LR privately and then buy a performance model. If you sell privately right now? With the used market being up by an average of 21% due to the chip shortages, you most likely will have minimal depreciation hit IF you sell yourself and stick with a firm price.

ZERO option of adding a performance drive unit to rear on a 2021 and have it fully functional with zero issues without spending a TON of cash. More than you would trading in your LR to Tesla for a performance.

But your 2021 LR is 0-60 in what, 3.9? And a performance (that hasnt had to take time to warm up the pack, put in launch mode, etc) is going to get you what, 3.1 seconds in non launch mode? And less range?

Not worth it
 
Yes, you are crazy, to answer your question.

Without question, best bet is to sell your LR privately and then buy a performance model. If you sell privately right now? With the used market being up by an average of 21% due to the chip shortages, you most likely will have minimal depreciation hit IF you sell yourself and stick with a firm price.

ZERO option of adding a performance drive unit to rear on a 2021 and have it fully functional with zero issues without spending a TON of cash. More than you would trading in your LR to Tesla for a performance.

But your 2021 LR is 0-60 in what, 3.9? And a performance (that hasnt had to take time to warm up the pack, put in launch mode, etc) is going to get you what, 3.1 seconds in non launch mode? And less range?

Not worth it
Long Range Plus is rated at 3.7 I believe. I always wondered what the 0-60 time was on a Performance by just mashing the throttle in Ludicrous Mode. If it really is 3.1, then, at least to me, the Performance is not worth it.

Another factor: Do you always have to put the acceleration in Ludicrous every time you start a new drive? Or does the car remember the setting?
 
Long Range Plus is rated at 3.7 I believe. I always wondered what the 0-60 time was on a Performance by just mashing the throttle in Ludicrous Mode. If it really is 3.1, then, at least to me, the Performance is not worth it.

Another factor: Do you always have to put the acceleration in Ludicrous every time you start a new drive? Or does the car remember the setting?
The car saves your chosen acceleration modes to your profile with the exception of the + (battery heat) modes. Ludicrous+ reverts to Ludicrous after the car has been shut down and I would presume Insane+ would revert to Insane in non-L cars.
 
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Agree with above.. good idea on an older S that has depreciated, and has 'old tech.'
Bad idea on a 2021.. OP should sell it, take a loss, and buy a used p100dL from a couple years back to break even.
If money no concern, sit down and wait 6 months for the Plaid S
 
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I was hoping that it would come down to evaluating the cost difference.

I could add a large DU and sell the existing one for what I think is a reasonable amount of money (around the $20k cost of upgrading when buying). I would then have a car I'm completely happy with and would drive it a very long time. The downsides would be the need to 'hack' and install performance firmware, problems installing future software updates, and significantly the loss of my warranty. Another possible problem is that my SC says the rear sub frame is different between the LR and Performance models. I'm not convinced though since Gruber did not mention it.

If I sell now I would probably get most of my purchase price back due to low availability. I have roughly $100k in the car now due to wheels, full car PPF, tint and other modifications. I'll take a hit but it won't be as painful as it could be if I sold right now. But now the Plaid version is $40k more that the LR which leads me to think that selling now and buying Plaid would be at least a $60k difference. Should be a significantly nicer car but not worth it just to get more performance.

Most of the advice has been to not do the upgrade on an essentially new car. Still thinking about it but I'm leaning that way now.
 
Having driven both and buying a 2020 performance, I can tell you there is a noticeable difference in acceleration by just mashing the throttle and not using Ludi +. That said, you’ll never be able to do the upgrade unless you sell your car and buy a performance model.
 
Having driven both and buying a 2020 performance, I can tell you there is a noticeable difference in acceleration by just mashing the throttle and not using Ludi +. That said, you’ll never be able to do the upgrade unless you sell your car and buy a performance model.
I agree. I had driven a performance model but not the LR. My SA said that there was not much difference so I got the LR instead. For me, it was a mistake. If the 7 day return policy was still in effect I would have returned it for a performance. It was difficult doing test drives 100 miles away during covid and I was not aware that I could have test driven all cars in Tucson. If I had been more thorough I would not be in this situation.