Ludicrous mode vs sport mode

[Bill Price]

I wondered if anyone has tested to see if there is any efficiency difference between the two modes? I.E. does driving in ludicrous mode in a gentle normal driving manner use any more energy than driving the same way in sport mode? It seems that almost everyone I know that has a performance model, drives in sport mode, and when they want to get "ludicrous" they switch modes and then back again. This seems counterintuitive to me. Logic would seem to dictate that if you just left the car in ludicrous mode all the time, you would have the extra power that you might want when you need it instantly, instead of bringing up a menu and then going into ludicrous mode and back. It would seem to me that even if you are in ludicrous mode, but are driving normally, you would use the same amount of energy as sport mode unless you really stepped down on the fun pedal? Of course if you wanted to enjoy FULL POWER, you would still have to initiate "max battery power" and wait for the batteries to warm up. But I'm not sure how much more acceleration you would achieve with max battery power over normal ludicrous mode. I'm sure your butt dyno couldn't tell the difference, and I'm positive you couldn't put a stop watch on it to tell the difference either as your reflexes can't react quick enough. I would think the only way you could tell would be to run either 0-60 or 1/4 mile times with and without max battery power enabled using timing done with electric eyes as it is done on the drag strip?

 

[Dan Baldwin]

I always leave it in ludicrous ..... always.

 

[P85_DA]

I always leave it in ludicrous ..... always.

Well said ...

 

[Derek Kessler]

It only makes a difference when you're pounding the accelerator hard. In day-to-day driving, you can expect the same efficiency.

 

[glide]

Tesla says to expect a range decrease while in Ludicrous mode. Duh.

 

[ewoodrick]

Ludicrous performance = ludicrously bad efficiency. It's a pretty simple equation.

 

[Ande]

Mine is always in Ludicrous mode.

Anyone stating that some other modes save energy should have a scientific explanation that sticks to laws of physics.

Unless very spastic foot, I strongly doubt there is any noticeable difference.

The same amount of energy is required to get from A to B , the watt-pedal data is surely smoothed as-is (otherwise, an uneven road would make the ride less comfortable)

There would be a small efficiency difference between "constant" throttle, and extra energy spent or "more frequent adjustments" , but if we assume that we cruise at a given speed at 20% of the possible power, some jumps to even 25% do not have reason to be significantly less efficient, as the energy is not just spent and wasted, but conserved by the momentum of the car.

 

[Dan Baldwin]

I suspect Ludicrous is just as efficient as Sport or Chill as long as you drive like you were in Sport or Chill. I've taken several road trips in Ludicrous and the efficiency is always very close to what is predicted by the Tesla Go Anywhere site.

 

[Pezpunk]

I drove my family on a lot of multiple-day trips of 600 miles or more, in Ludicrous mode the whole time. Simply being in Ludicrous doesn't use any more energy than Chill. Efficiency is 100% about how aggressively you accelerate, and how good you are at maintaining a constant speed. (speeding up and slowing down are inherently less efficient than maintaining constant speed, even with regenerative braking).

 

[Gridlok]

Always in INSANE mode in my P85D. Efficiency comes completely from your right (in Canada) foot. No reason to stifle the Tesla!

 

[aikisteve]

There is no efficiency change by itself. But the same application of the go-pedal yields different results, resulting in different consumption. I used to drive in in Sport because I found Ludicrous too jumpy. It also made a launch more of an occasion. Now I've learned to feather the pedal more to get the exact same behaviour. No difference in consumption

 

[MikeBur]

I wondered if anyone has tested to see if there is any efficiency difference between the two modes? I.E. does driving in ludicrous mode in a gentle normal driving manner use any more energy than driving the same way in sport mode? It seems that almost everyone I know that has a performance model, drives in sport mode, and when they want to get "ludicrous" they switch modes and then back again. This seems counterintuitive to me. Logic would seem to dictate that if you just left the car in ludicrous mode all the time, you would have the extra power that you might want when you need it instantly, instead of bringing up a menu and then going into ludicrous mode and back. It would seem to me that even if you are in ludicrous mode, but are driving normally, you would use the same amount of energy as sport mode unless you really stepped down on the fun pedal? Of course if you wanted to enjoy FULL POWER, you would still have to initiate "max battery power" and wait for the batteries to warm up. But I'm not sure how much more acceleration you would achieve with max battery power over normal ludicrous mode. I'm sure your butt dyno couldn't tell the difference, and I'm positive you couldn't put a stop watch on it to tell the difference either as your reflexes can't react quick enough. I would think the only way you could tell would be to run either 0-60 or 1/4 mile times with and without max battery power enabled using timing done with electric eyes as it is done on the drag strip?

Provably negligible efficiency difference. Years ago, tested on cruise at same speed, same piece of road, etc etc. for sport, insane and ludicrous. There is significant difference with range mode due to motor selection. There is difference on throttle responsiveness curve.

Lots of fun comparisons here: Chassis CAN Logging To ASCII Text Plus Graphing post 449 is range mode.

Of course this is before nerfing of absolute energy availability, though that shouldn’t modify efficiency as it’s similarly unavailable for each acceleration mode

 

[MikeBur]

Always in INSANE mode in my P85D. Efficiency comes completely from your right (in Canada) foot. No reason to stifle the Tesla!

1) Get ludicrous upgrade if you still can. It’s a lot better handling for p85d. Launch... meh... it’s about overtaking energy available between 40 and 80 mph
2) The accelerator is always on the right...

 

[MikeBur]

Ludicrous performance = ludicrously bad efficiency. It's a pretty simple equation.

More accurate to say Ludicrous mode enables easier ability to be less efficient. Takes a subtler right foot to compensate for the increased responsiveness of the throttle.

I drive on ludicrous all the time. Primarily for over taking safety, though I’ve personally missed one rear-end collision due to additional availability of ludicrous power. No way would I have been able to move so quickly out of the way if I’d been on chill; that 8 feet in an instant scared my passengers though saved a collision.

 

[Gridlok]

1) Get ludicrous upgrade if you still can. It’s a lot better handling for p85d. Launch... meh... it’s about overtaking energy available between 40 and 80 mph
2) The accelerator is always on the right...

Haha! Thanks! Of course the go pedal is always on the right! I didn't think that one all the way through! And I didn't know I had the option of Ludicrous. I really can't imagine having more acceleration. I have taken it to the drags and it beat (nearly) everything there! So I think I'm good-but thanks!

 

[Venkateshwara]

I wondered if anyone has tested to see if there is any efficiency difference between the two modes? I.E. does driving in ludicrous mode in a gentle normal driving manner use any more energy than driving the same way in sport mode? It seems that almost everyone I know that has a performance model, drives in sport mode, and when they want to get "ludicrous" they switch modes and then back again. This seems counterintuitive to me. Logic would seem to dictate that if you just left the car in ludicrous mode all the time, you would have the extra power that you might want when you need it instantly, instead of bringing up a menu and then going into ludicrous mode and back. It would seem to me that even if you are in ludicrous mode, but are driving normally, you would use the same amount of energy as sport mode unless you really stepped down on the fun pedal? Of course if you wanted to enjoy FULL POWER, you would still have to initiate "max battery power" and wait for the batteries to warm up. But I'm not sure how much more acceleration you would achieve with max battery power over normal ludicrous mode. I'm sure your butt dyno couldn't tell the difference, and I'm positive you couldn't put a stop watch on it to tell the difference either as your reflexes can't react quick enough. I would think the only way you could tell would be to run either 0-60 or 1/4 mile times with and without max battery power enabled using timing done with electric eyes as it is done on the drag strip?

I wondered if anyone has tested to see if there is any efficiency difference between the two modes? I.E. does driving in ludicrous mode in a gentle normal driving manner use any more energy than driving the same way in sport mode? It seems that almost everyone I know that has a performance model, drives in sport mode, and when they want to get "ludicrous" they switch modes and then back again. This seems counterintuitive to me. Logic would seem to dictate that if you just left the car in ludicrous mode all the time, you would have the extra power that you might want when you need it instantly, instead of bringing up a menu and then going into ludicrous mode and back. It would seem to me that even if you are in ludicrous mode, but are driving normally, you would use the same amount of energy as sport mode unless you really stepped down on the fun pedal? Of course if you wanted to enjoy FULL POWER, you would still have to initiate "max battery power" and wait for the batteries to warm up. But I'm not sure how much more acceleration you would achieve with max battery power over normal ludicrous mode. I'm sure your butt dyno couldn't tell the difference, and I'm positive you couldn't put a stop watch on it to tell the difference either as your reflexes can't react quick enough. I would think the only way you could tell would be to run either 0-60 or 1/4 mile times with and without max battery power enabled using timing done with electric eyes as it is done on the drag strip?

if only myludicrious rear motors would last

 

[PDX-JP]

Isn’t there a difference in TACC?

 

[Derek Kessler]

Isn’t there a difference in TACC?

What does the go-fast pedal have to do with cruise control?

 

[dark cloud]

Tesla says to expect a range decrease while in Ludicrous mode. Duh.

Is that the same as my jar of peanuts claiming "may contain nuts" ?

 

[IslandHydro]

I wish that they offered the option of manipulating drive mode (chill, sport, insane, lud) with the right steering wheel knob.