Model 3 performance handling

[Dangerous Fish]

Everything you said is spot on, but leaving regen on causes all the problems you would expect if you let a 5yo tap the brakes when they fancy as you go round the corner. At least on the AWD suspension and the 18's, weight rams forward, the outside front digs in and it's really not nice. Not unsafe, but doesn't feel controlled for the amount of power you have.

All hail after market setups!

Regen really is not the same as lifting off or braking mid corner in an ICE car and you can't turn regen off completely unless you use one of the methods which override the software, so you have to deal with it which means modifying your driving style/technique.

But yes, aftermarket setups do make things more predictable and more satisfying. You still need to change your inputs slightly to work with the regen though.

 

[AmPiste]

Twice now I’ve been travelling very fast on a bumpy fast sweeping bend and the car started fishtailing slightly when I lifted off the accelerator.i was shocked as I was expecting it to be glued to the road.luckily the car weaving around doesn’t get progressively worse until it’s uncontrollable. My old Subaru Impreza was amazing compared to this.

relevant?

 

[pdk42]

What's being described is a characteristic of the factory suspension. It's not a desirable characteristic, but probably 95% of Model 3 drivers won't experience it because they aren't pushing hard enough. The other 5% experiance it and describe it in various ways, but essentially it seems to me to be bump steer which happens at or close to maximum compression, particularly in fast sweeping bumpy corners. Think Church at Thruxton or the exit of Paddock at Brands Hatch.

It's not particularly dangerous as there's still plenty of grip and the stability control takes care of it, but it is unsettling and on the track it's just annoying.

The only solution is to upgrade the suspension. There is no adjustment with the factory setup. I've now got the Redwood Ohlins setup on mine and this bump steer issue has gone. I'm sure the result will probably be the same with MPP, KW, UP etc. too.

Regen, Track mode settings etc etc won't help. It's a damper/spring issue.

I agree with this. I had a similar problem with my previous car - a BMW 335i estate (RWD). On bends with uneven surfaces, the rear would skip around way too easily, esp under power or if braking. I first fitted ACS springs which helped other areas of the car's behaviour (dive esp), but it would still do the skipping thing. I later added the ACS dampers and that was quite a revelation. Fixed the skipping and made the car as a whole feel much more stable.

I'm in no hurry to do the same with the Tesla though. I now have a little Audi TT for fun, so the Tesla is now firmly a family car where its stock suspension setup is just fine.

 

[Avendit]

Regen really is not the same as lifting off or braking mid corner in an ICE car and you can't turn regen off completely unless you use one of the methods which override the software, so you have to deal with it which means modifying your driving style/technique.

But yes, aftermarket setups do make things more predictable and more satisfying. You still need to change your inputs slightly to work with the regen though.

Regen on high is quite like a light touch on the brakes. Regen on low feels more like lifting off in an ICE with a reasonable amount of coast. Course, I'm not talking about tracking the car here, just on the road. Maximising it on the track this probably isn't accurate.

 

[Dangerous Fish]

Regen on high is quite like a light touch on the brakes. Regen on low feels more like lifting off in an ICE with a reasonable amount of coast. Course, I'm not talking about tracking the car here, just on the road. Maximising it on the track this probably isn't accurate.

Yes, you're right in the context of road driving, in that it feels like light braking. Regen doesn't alter the balance of the car like braking can because regen only works on one motor and the stability control and torque vectoring corrects any imbalance (or tries to) by applying brakes individually if it needs to. That will probably only happen on track or with the 5% of road drivers pushing the limits in fast sweeping bends, but then that's the subject of this thread.

The Model 3 is a complex beast and it behaves differently to any other car I've driven, but I quite like the challenge of exploring what it can do and how to drive it well on road and track. I' haven't got there yet by any means and regen/braking is a big part of it.

I suppose I should add that I never drive with regen on low (road or track). I find road driving much better with regen on normal. On track, if I reduced regen from maximum the (standard) brakes would give up too soon, even with uprated pads. I'm planning a brake upgrade at some point, so then it'll be interesting to play with the regen setting and see if there's a better setup to be had.