To begin with, the Model 3 is a decent HPDE/Track Day car out of the box. However, there are some concerns if you are planning multiple events a year or participating competitively. There's also a lot of options for making your car faster. I wanted to create this guide to shed some light on the aftermarket options currently available and provide my feedback and experience.
To me, the first concern to address is the brakes. While not needed for a leisurely day out at the track, or your first event, they quickly become a weak-point if you are pushing it. That being said, I personally would not recommend BBK’s, as they are generally expensive and overkill. Regenerative braking in my experience does help with heat dissipation and brake component life significantly. A nice set of rotors, and (in particular) pads in combination with high performance brake fluid is more than suffice for most people. For Performance Model 3’s the stock rotors are enough if you don’t want to spend money on the upgraded rotors, and they are cheap to replace.
The next item to tackle is the Model 3’s lack of camber adjustment. Unless you are willing to buy tires every ~3 events, you will need to address the camber. Fortunately, we now have adjustable front upper control arms and rear upper control arms available to solve this problem. I have had decent tire wear running -3 degrees of camber in the front and -2.5 in the rear.
Once those items are addressed, the remaining is honestly optional and will depend on your budget and (if racing competitively) class. I’m not going to get into tires and wheels in this thread, considering there are just so many options, but I would recommend a set of dedicated wheels and 200TW tires. I personally went with the 18” APEX ARC-8’s for wheels and am currently running Federal 595RS-PRO tires. There's a great thread in this Forum discussing the many tire and wheel options available.
One point I want to make; while the stock suspension sits high and is a little soft, aftermarket coilovers will not make you drastically faster. I shaved about 2 seconds on a 3.27 mile course (VIR). To be frank, I was rather impressed with the well-balanced stock suspension. My point being you can run fast times on stock struts (i.e. you don’t have to spend thousands on coilovers).
I am going to list my final modifications in the post below this one to highlight why I went the route(s) I did.
Brake Pads:
Racing Brake: Racing Brake has two options for brake pad compounds, both being a street/track hybrid. The XT970 is more track-oriented and the XT910 is more street oriented.
XT910 (Street/Track Compound)
XT970 (Track Only Compound)
Unplugged Performance: UP has two different compounds available. I don’t have the particulars on pad characteristics, and personally I think there are better options available now but to each their own. I would be curios to get more information on them.
UP Street/Track Compound
UP Track Only Compound
Carbotech: A newcomer to the Model 3 game, I am excited to see this entry. Carbotech has a great reputation among fellow track geeks, and they are reasonably priced. I would suggest the RP2 compound for longevity sake.
All Compounds (Stock Sizes)
Brake Rotors:
Racing Brake: Racing Brake actually has tons of options available to the Model 3. I would contact them directly if you are looking for something specific, but they have a good reputation and their products are quality, albeit a hair on the expensive side.
Performance Front Rotors
Base Front Rotors (w/ Pads)
Base Front Rotors (BBK Upgrade Kit)
Performance Rear Rotors
Base Rear Rotors (w/ Pads)
Mountain Pass Performance (Made by GiroDisc): GiroDisc is a well-respected manufacturer of aftermarket brake components, and these rotors are both well designed and relatively affordable. Like all MPP products, expect easy, bolt-on installation.
Performance Front Rotors
Base Front Rotors (BBK Upgrade Kit)
Performance Rear Rotors
Base Rear Rotors
Brake Fluid:
Motul RBF600: My go-to brake fluid; this should only need to be flushed every 6 months and is affordable.
Castrol SRF: If you really want to ball-out and don’t plan on changing the calipers anytime soon Castrol SRF is the pinnacle of brake fluid. This should only need to be flushed once a year.
Brake Lines:
MPP Page Mill Stainless Steel Brake Lines: Affordable, quality components.
UP Stainless Steel Brake Lines: A bit more money, should offer similar performance to MPP.
Front Adjustable Upper Control Arms:
MPP Corkscrew Model 3 Front Upper Control Arms: These are the only arms available “in the wild” and they look great. Reasonably priced, allow for tons of adjustment, these are definitely my go-to for right now.
UP Billet Adjustable Front Upper Control Arms (Release Date TBD)
SPL Front Upper Control Arms (Release Date TBD)
Rear Adjustable Upper Control Arms:
MPP Rear Camber Arms: A good, stock-feel replacement. Well-designed and easy adjustment.
UP Rear Camber Arms (Release Date TBD)
SPL Rear Camber Arms: A good, stiffer bushing replacement option. Also well-designed, also easy to adjust. Will likely wear quicker than the MPP in favor of performance.
Sway Bars:
UP Sway Bars: Affordable, easy to install, tons of adjustment, great option.
Eibach Sway Bars: Well-respected name in the industry. Assume they will be comparable to the UP’s but currently not available.
Whiteline End Links: These are not necessary, but for the ultimate in corner balancing and adjustment you can add some adjustable end links. The Fronts are KLC180-295’s and the Rears are KLC102’s.
Coilovers:
MCS:
Motion Control Suspension Dampers (Several Options): If you are racing competitively, these are simply your premier option. MCS is a well-respected, US-based company who manufacturers some of the best dampers in Motorsports. However, these are not as street-friendly as other options may be. They have solid bushings (no rubber), so expect some additional NVH.
Unplugged Performance (Ohlin’s): UP uses Ohlin’s components for their coilover kits. Ohlin’s has a reputation for manufacturing nice dual-purpose dampers. There is a thread on this forum comparing MPP and UP Coilovers. Either way, you can’t go wrong.
Basic Coilover Kit (AWD or RWD)
“Pro” Coilover Kit (AWD or RWD)
Mountain Pass Performance (KW): MPP partnered with KW to develop their coilover kits. My understanding is that the “Comfort” Coilovers are comparable to KW V1/V2 and the “Sports” is more like a V2/V3. The Sports coilovers have compression and rebound adjustment, and would be the favored option for people tracking their Model 3 (compared to the Comfort with no adjustment). These are an easy installation, no-hassle option I would recommend.
Comfort or Sports AWD Coilovers
Comfort or Sports RWD Coilovers
Aerodynamics:
Unplugged Performance: I would consider UP really the only competitor in this game right now as they are the only company with data to back up their claims. Nonchalantly slapping spoilers, lips, etc on the car without any research is not a good strategy. If you own a Non-PUP 3 this stock rear spoiler is a good option to increase downforce and increase efficiency. I really feel no need to put a big wing and giant canards on the car. It is quite heavy and I haven’t felt it get floaty or loose at high speeds.
UP Front Lip Spoiler: I put one on my car and one on my wife’s car. It will need to be painted for that ‘finished’ look but I did find efficiency improvements in my testing, backing up UP’s claims.
UP High Downforce Trunk Spoiler: I have two on order but have yet to receive one. These should be shipping soon and they look like they will work nicely but I can’t comment on it beyond that at this point.
Miscellaneous:
Schroth: I wanted to mention that the Schroth BMW E90 Quick-Fit Harness does work in the Model 3. Shout-out to our fellow forum members for figuring this out. I have been happy with mine. It keeps me tight in the seat and allows me to use my HANS. Given the lack of bolstering on the Model 3 seat this is a great solution.
To me, the first concern to address is the brakes. While not needed for a leisurely day out at the track, or your first event, they quickly become a weak-point if you are pushing it. That being said, I personally would not recommend BBK’s, as they are generally expensive and overkill. Regenerative braking in my experience does help with heat dissipation and brake component life significantly. A nice set of rotors, and (in particular) pads in combination with high performance brake fluid is more than suffice for most people. For Performance Model 3’s the stock rotors are enough if you don’t want to spend money on the upgraded rotors, and they are cheap to replace.
The next item to tackle is the Model 3’s lack of camber adjustment. Unless you are willing to buy tires every ~3 events, you will need to address the camber. Fortunately, we now have adjustable front upper control arms and rear upper control arms available to solve this problem. I have had decent tire wear running -3 degrees of camber in the front and -2.5 in the rear.
Once those items are addressed, the remaining is honestly optional and will depend on your budget and (if racing competitively) class. I’m not going to get into tires and wheels in this thread, considering there are just so many options, but I would recommend a set of dedicated wheels and 200TW tires. I personally went with the 18” APEX ARC-8’s for wheels and am currently running Federal 595RS-PRO tires. There's a great thread in this Forum discussing the many tire and wheel options available.
One point I want to make; while the stock suspension sits high and is a little soft, aftermarket coilovers will not make you drastically faster. I shaved about 2 seconds on a 3.27 mile course (VIR). To be frank, I was rather impressed with the well-balanced stock suspension. My point being you can run fast times on stock struts (i.e. you don’t have to spend thousands on coilovers).
I am going to list my final modifications in the post below this one to highlight why I went the route(s) I did.
Brake Pads:
Racing Brake: Racing Brake has two options for brake pad compounds, both being a street/track hybrid. The XT970 is more track-oriented and the XT910 is more street oriented.
XT910 (Street/Track Compound)
XT970 (Track Only Compound)
Unplugged Performance: UP has two different compounds available. I don’t have the particulars on pad characteristics, and personally I think there are better options available now but to each their own. I would be curios to get more information on them.
UP Street/Track Compound
UP Track Only Compound
Carbotech: A newcomer to the Model 3 game, I am excited to see this entry. Carbotech has a great reputation among fellow track geeks, and they are reasonably priced. I would suggest the RP2 compound for longevity sake.
All Compounds (Stock Sizes)
Brake Rotors:
Racing Brake: Racing Brake actually has tons of options available to the Model 3. I would contact them directly if you are looking for something specific, but they have a good reputation and their products are quality, albeit a hair on the expensive side.
Performance Front Rotors
Base Front Rotors (w/ Pads)
Base Front Rotors (BBK Upgrade Kit)
Performance Rear Rotors
Base Rear Rotors (w/ Pads)
Mountain Pass Performance (Made by GiroDisc): GiroDisc is a well-respected manufacturer of aftermarket brake components, and these rotors are both well designed and relatively affordable. Like all MPP products, expect easy, bolt-on installation.
Performance Front Rotors
Base Front Rotors (BBK Upgrade Kit)
Performance Rear Rotors
Base Rear Rotors
Brake Fluid:
Motul RBF600: My go-to brake fluid; this should only need to be flushed every 6 months and is affordable.
Castrol SRF: If you really want to ball-out and don’t plan on changing the calipers anytime soon Castrol SRF is the pinnacle of brake fluid. This should only need to be flushed once a year.
Brake Lines:
MPP Page Mill Stainless Steel Brake Lines: Affordable, quality components.
UP Stainless Steel Brake Lines: A bit more money, should offer similar performance to MPP.
Front Adjustable Upper Control Arms:
MPP Corkscrew Model 3 Front Upper Control Arms: These are the only arms available “in the wild” and they look great. Reasonably priced, allow for tons of adjustment, these are definitely my go-to for right now.
UP Billet Adjustable Front Upper Control Arms (Release Date TBD)
SPL Front Upper Control Arms (Release Date TBD)
Rear Adjustable Upper Control Arms:
MPP Rear Camber Arms: A good, stock-feel replacement. Well-designed and easy adjustment.
UP Rear Camber Arms (Release Date TBD)
SPL Rear Camber Arms: A good, stiffer bushing replacement option. Also well-designed, also easy to adjust. Will likely wear quicker than the MPP in favor of performance.
Sway Bars:
UP Sway Bars: Affordable, easy to install, tons of adjustment, great option.
Eibach Sway Bars: Well-respected name in the industry. Assume they will be comparable to the UP’s but currently not available.
Whiteline End Links: These are not necessary, but for the ultimate in corner balancing and adjustment you can add some adjustable end links. The Fronts are KLC180-295’s and the Rears are KLC102’s.
Coilovers:
MCS:
Motion Control Suspension Dampers (Several Options): If you are racing competitively, these are simply your premier option. MCS is a well-respected, US-based company who manufacturers some of the best dampers in Motorsports. However, these are not as street-friendly as other options may be. They have solid bushings (no rubber), so expect some additional NVH.
Unplugged Performance (Ohlin’s): UP uses Ohlin’s components for their coilover kits. Ohlin’s has a reputation for manufacturing nice dual-purpose dampers. There is a thread on this forum comparing MPP and UP Coilovers. Either way, you can’t go wrong.
Basic Coilover Kit (AWD or RWD)
“Pro” Coilover Kit (AWD or RWD)
Mountain Pass Performance (KW): MPP partnered with KW to develop their coilover kits. My understanding is that the “Comfort” Coilovers are comparable to KW V1/V2 and the “Sports” is more like a V2/V3. The Sports coilovers have compression and rebound adjustment, and would be the favored option for people tracking their Model 3 (compared to the Comfort with no adjustment). These are an easy installation, no-hassle option I would recommend.
Comfort or Sports AWD Coilovers
Comfort or Sports RWD Coilovers
Aerodynamics:
Unplugged Performance: I would consider UP really the only competitor in this game right now as they are the only company with data to back up their claims. Nonchalantly slapping spoilers, lips, etc on the car without any research is not a good strategy. If you own a Non-PUP 3 this stock rear spoiler is a good option to increase downforce and increase efficiency. I really feel no need to put a big wing and giant canards on the car. It is quite heavy and I haven’t felt it get floaty or loose at high speeds.
UP Front Lip Spoiler: I put one on my car and one on my wife’s car. It will need to be painted for that ‘finished’ look but I did find efficiency improvements in my testing, backing up UP’s claims.
UP High Downforce Trunk Spoiler: I have two on order but have yet to receive one. These should be shipping soon and they look like they will work nicely but I can’t comment on it beyond that at this point.
Miscellaneous:
Schroth: I wanted to mention that the Schroth BMW E90 Quick-Fit Harness does work in the Model 3. Shout-out to our fellow forum members for figuring this out. I have been happy with mine. It keeps me tight in the seat and allows me to use my HANS. Given the lack of bolstering on the Model 3 seat this is a great solution.
