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Master Thread: Model 3s on the Track / drag strip- Videos, Discussion, Setup, Etc
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Vintage Auto Racing Association put on a great event last weekend at Willow Springs - Horse Thief Mile track. The only events I've seen held their before were for motorcycles or drifting. While I would have preferred to do lapping, they made it a hill-climb type event. We had four untimed practice runs and then two timed runs. The fastest race car, an open-wheel formula type car, did 1:01.6. The fastest street car was a 2021 Tesla Model 3 driven by Jim McDavid at 1:04.4, followed by a Porsche Carrera 4S at 1:04.6. I was 5th overall out of 35 with a 1:05.7. Tons of room for improvement as I was way too tentative in many areas. Still great fun.
How many minutes on track is a Model 3 Performance good for? Unfortunately, there are no superchargers near MSR Houston. I could, however, trailer it down with a full charge and bring it home with just enough juice to get back on the trailer.
Would it make it through 3 x 20 minute sessions?
Normal track car is a 2013 MX5. That probably won't change, but I have sworn to never buy a car that won't see a track. (Even my ZR2 has been to the Raptor Track at Rally Ready near Austin.)
Would it make it through 3 x 20 minute sessions?
Normal track car is a 2013 MX5. That probably won't change, but I have sworn to never buy a car that won't see a track. (Even my ZR2 has been to the Raptor Track at Rally Ready near Austin.)
probably not. I used 8 % for 1 lap at Laguna Seca 1:45 range. I think another % should probably be used
...also could only do hot 2 laps before brakes were screaming (just MPP small rotors)
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So maybe 3x10 minute sessions would be a more reasonable expectation. Could still be a fun day.
Not sure how your track schedules sessions, but at Pacific we usually have 6 sessions a day, and I try to make the first and last two, charging over the middle two and lunch. Any chance you run the first session hard, trailer up to the nearest SC, and make it back for the last session?
Recently did my first track day in my 2021 M3P with 19" Martian MW03 wheels and Pirelli PZ4s at Palmer Motorsport Park in Massachusetts USA (great track). We had seven 20 minute sessions available to us and I went to six. I sat one round out to let the car charge. Luckily I was able to charge via a 14-50 outlet at the track (maxing out the Tesla mobile charger at 32A), getting around 8% charge every hour. Lunch time gave us some extra time for more charging!! I just stayed with the 14-50 outlet while someone else drove to the supercharger (but never came back?) In between every session I'd book it to the charger to get some more juice in.
I found that when I started the day getting familiar with the track and car, each 20 min session ate around 10-15% of charge. But by the end of the day I was going through 25% of charge per session after getting acclimated and going faster/going ham. I suspect that I'd lose even more as I go harder and more ham!
I definitely noticed decreased power output as battery % went down.
The bottom line though, is that charge/battery level appears to be an issue when tracking the M3P
Charging in between sessions at 240V 32A isn't enough to recoup what's lost during each run. I think the best strategy at the moment is to arrive with as much charge as possible, charge between sessions, then use lunch time + some run sessions to drive to a supercharger (even if it's 30-60 min away) to recharge and get to a higher state of charge before returning to the track to attend the rest of the sessions. I think using lunch time + missing 1/7 sessions to supercharge would've gotten me further than just sitting around for the same amount of time with the 14-50 outlet (although I may have to miss more sessions if I'm faster in the future and using more charge per run). Going to a track with full L2 charging i.e 48A might be a game changer! (Like that other post here about going to Gingerman in Michigan)
Managed to pull footage of my final session from my dashcam 
(ended with 3% battery)
I found that when I started the day getting familiar with the track and car, each 20 min session ate around 10-15% of charge. But by the end of the day I was going through 25% of charge per session after getting acclimated and going faster/going ham. I suspect that I'd lose even more as I go harder and more ham!
I definitely noticed decreased power output as battery % went down.The bottom line though, is that charge/battery level appears to be an issue when tracking the M3P
Charging in between sessions at 240V 32A isn't enough to recoup what's lost during each run. I think the best strategy at the moment is to arrive with as much charge as possible, charge between sessions, then use lunch time + some run sessions to drive to a supercharger (even if it's 30-60 min away) to recharge and get to a higher state of charge before returning to the track to attend the rest of the sessions. I think using lunch time + missing 1/7 sessions to supercharge would've gotten me further than just sitting around for the same amount of time with the 14-50 outlet (although I may have to miss more sessions if I'm faster in the future and using more charge per run). Going to a track with full L2 charging i.e 48A might be a game changer! (Like that other post here about going to Gingerman in Michigan) (ended with 3% battery)
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Not sure how you could put those on the track...I had a set of the same tires on the street for less than a week and had to remove them - they felt like rolling around on piles of dough.
They (Pirelli PZ4s) kinda felt like dough on the 20" uberturbines - when I switched to 19" wheels though I found a set that was on sale
BUT with the 1/3 weight reduction of the MW03 wheels the drive/handling feels wonderful now! Since I'm still on PZ4s (non-tesla version) I'm guessing it might have been the wheels that made things doughy.
It's definitely the PZ4s that are causing your issue, because I had them mounted on 18's that were lighter than the Martian wheels. When I switch those 18s over to PS4S everything went back to normal.They (Pirelli PZ4s) kinda felt like dough on the 20" uberturbines - when I switched to 19" wheels though I found a set that was on sale
BUT with the 1/3 weight reduction of the MW03 wheels the drive/handling feels wonderful now! Since I'm still on PZ4s (non-tesla version) I'm guessing it might have been the wheels that made things doughy.
Hmm I'll try out something like the PS4S once I'm done with this set! It shouldn't take too long since I go to the track with them
For now though, switching to the Michelin CrossClimate2s for the winter!I'm kind of obsessed with Horse Thief Mile - a short little track set into the hillside at Willow Springs Raceway that is normally used for drift events. I love the elevation changes and the tight-twisty corners. Not great for a heavy car like the tesla, I boiled my Endless RF-650 fluid after just a few hard laps, but it is fun. Couple videos of the event. The first of some practice runs and the second is pretty much the whole of the track time through the event.
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