Model 3 Track Day: Laguna Seca

[mattcrowley]

I had planned to track my Porsche Cayman GT4 tomorrow (Sun. Mar. 4th, 2018), but the Porsche dealer is still working on it. So...tomorrow I will be taking my 2017 Tesla Model 3 to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca for *hopefully* a full day of testing and pushing the car around the track. Honestly, I am expecting the battery will limit the power after two laps, but why not try it...?

Model 3 setup:
- 2017 Tesla Model 3 (rear wheel drive, long range 310 mile, premium upgrades)
- 19" TSportline cast wheels w/ Pirelli PZero Nero GT tires
- Lowered 1.5" w/ 'moderate' springs from Unplugged Performance
- Weather forecast: Mostly sunny skies. High around 55F (12.8°C). Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph.
- Charging: Monterey Supercharger in between sessions (not sure how many times yet)

Questions:
1) How many laps does it take to hit power limit, if any?
2) What is the average power consumption per lap?
3) What is the best lap time? (1:41.9 is my best time with my GT4 at Laguna)
4) How does the car handle entering / exiting turns?
5) How do the tires hold up?
6) What is the ideal tire pressure?

Let me know if you have anything you would like to see me try or test with the car on the track.

 

[03DSG]

Great. Looking forward to the results.

 

[sperkin]

Jealous that you have a Cayman and a Model 3 hehe. I'm still sitting on the fence between a red 718 Cayman S or the more practical Dark grey Model 3. I receiced my invite on 2/28 but haven't ordered yet.

Would love to read a write up about your track experience on the Model 3 especially on the handling with the lowering springs.

 

[CdnE90]

Looking forward to the results. Still waiting for my 3, but after tracking my E90 for several years, am hoping for another reliable dual purpose daily driver.

 

[mattcrowley]

First casualty of track day prep...the tow hook cover. I tried to be careful, but man..."Snap!"

 

[seattlite2004]

Jealous that you have a Cayman and a Model 3 hehe. I'm still sitting on the fence between a red 718 Cayman S or the more practical Dark grey Model 3. I receiced my invite on 2/28 but haven't ordered yet.

Would love to read a write up about your track experience on the Model 3 especially on the handling with the lowering springs.

Spec out the 718 GTS...I seem to recall package pricing was better than S with same options.

 

[e-FTW]

This is timely, as these guys just popped up: Vendor - Mountain Pass Performance Intro | Model 3 Coilovers + Rear Suspension Arms

And they mention how the standard set up can hit the bump stops easily. Will be interesting to contrast your current setup with what they offer, based on your real-world experience on track.

 

[Saghost]

I'l be very interested to see how this goes.

There have been several data sets that IMHO clearly demonstrate that the "battery power limiting" on the S and X are actually based on motor rotor/stator heating.

Since the 3 uses a PM motor of completely different design, it might have very different characteristics - and I believe PM motors are usually less prone to rotor heating since there's no current flow through the rotor.

 

[mattcrowley]

Beautiful day here at Laguna Seca!

The first session of the day had NO battery power limitations! Nine laps without slowing down! Yes!

However, brakes are toasted...literally cooked. No brakes left after the 4th lap. Going into turn 2 at 103.9 MPH without brakes...not ideal. Here is a picture of the front left rotor and pad... nothing remaining on the pad.

Here is a picture of the brake dust after I pulled into the paddock garage after nine laps.

The brake overflow reservoir looks to be pretty empty.

Started with 229 miles (369 km) of range before leaving the paddock garage for the first session on the track. After nine laps I parked it with 94 miles (151 km). Used 135 miles (217 km) in nine laps.

Best lap was 1:57.50. Track was still very cold and wet in some places. Turn 3 had a small river going across the track and the car was sideways every time in turn 3. The track had rain and hail yesterday (Sat. March 3) at the track, so the 40°F (4°C) degree temperature in the morning today didn't do much to dry the track.

The car hadled great on the first 3 laps. If the brakes held up...I think I could have easily broken 1:55 per lap...if not 1:50. The car was very balanced through turn 9 and turn 10. The Corkscrew was a blast! Even turn 6, which has a slight dip at the apex, was a lot of fun and the car handled it very well.

The handling was very good with the Unplugged Performance springs. Very happy with the response in entry and heavy braking (when the brakes worked the first few laps).

Drove to the Tesla store, in Monterey, to 'top off' the battery. Talked to a few people here about the Model 3. Biased group, but people are very happy with seeing the Model 3 in person.

I think I need to call it a day, since the brakes are gone. I will look into performance brakes/rotors and also performance brake fluid (might have cooked the brake fluid as well).

Even though I only had 9 laps, cooked the brakes, and I am done early...I had a blast. This car is going to be fun to mod and tune the suspension, wheels, and tires.

Let me know if you have other questions. I didn't get a lot of data. I do have some GoPro footage I need to edit, so maybe share that later.

 

[MP3Mike]

First casualty of track day prep...the tow hook cover. I tried to be careful, but man..."Snap!"
View attachment 284184

Why were you taking the tow hook cover off? Did you trailer the Model 3 to the track?

However, brakes are toasted...literally cooked. No brakes left after the 4th lap.
<snip>
Even though I only had 9 laps, cooked the brakes, and I am done early...I had a blast. This car is going to be fun to mod and tune the suspension, wheels, and tires.

No breaks after 4 laps, but you did an additional 5 laps?

 

[MP3Mike]

The first session of the day had NO battery power limitations! Nine laps without slowing down! Yes!

Wow! Great! I'm glad that Tesla has figured this out through better cooling and the switch to the PM motor!

Thanks for your reporting!

 

[mattcrowley]

Why were you taking the tow hook cover off? Did you trailer the Model 3 to the track?

Tow hooks are required on track events, so it is faster to pull you out of an off track excursion...and to get you off the track for others to continue to enjoy the day and not waste time waiting.for you while you are disabled.

No breaks after 4 laps, but you did an additional 5 laps?

Yea...fun times. Brake pedal went to the floor a few times. E-brake kicked in a few times. I started braking REALLY early to avoid problems. Obviously, those lap times are not optimal.

 

[MP3Mike]

Brake pedal went to the floor a few times. E-brake kicked in a few times.

Are you saying that the Model 3 automatically applied the e-brake because the break pedal went all the way to the floor?

I do have one question: You mentioned that you didn't get power limited in your 9 laps, did you notice if you got regen limited during those laps? Or did you have regen set to low?

 

[seattlite2004]

so you used about 60% of your starting battery charge in 20.1 miles...so about 31KWH used in those 20 miles...nice!!

 

[VT_EE]

so you used about 60% of your starting battery charge in 20.1 miles...so about 31KWH used in those 20 miles...nice!!

Given he completely used up his brakes, it sounds like it wasn't exactly a Sunday ride in the park :-D

 

[mattcrowley]

Are you saying that the Model 3 automatically applied the e-brake because the break pedal went all the way to the floor?

It felt like the e-brake applied when I would push the brake pedal ALL the way to the floor a number of times while braking hard. No signal on the dash.

I do have one question: You mentioned that you didn't get power limited in your 9 laps, did you notice if you got regen limited during those laps? Or did you have regen set to low?

I had it on Low regenerative braking. I was going to try Standard regen...but day is done.

 

[RayK]

If you find better (i.e., longer lasting, less brake dust, just as good if not better at stopping) pads, please let us know. Having them give out after only 4 hot laps seems a little weak.

 

[sreams]

Awesome! I was just there in my 1972 BMW 3.0cs last week. Wanted to know how the 3 would do. I wonder what the stock brake pad material is on a 3. I once ran new organic pads (not ideal) on one of my cars and they were completely gone toward the end of the day. Semi metallic pads work great on my old cars on the track.

BTW... My best lap in my '72 BMW is 2:01 on that track, so with good brakes I bet the Model 3 can do better than 1:50.

 

[Asymmetry]

Good work, nice write up! Glad to hear that the car has good dynamic stability and not just a golf cart.

Surprised how soft the pads are, guess they need to pull up good cold bite.

Are they aftermarket pads available? Id stick in Ferodo DS2500 if I was going to track a 3.

 

[run-the-joules]

First casualty of track day prep...the tow hook cover. I tried to be careful, but man..."Snap!"
View attachment 284184

Yeah that part is garbage. Mine got snapped in the first 24 hours with the car by a presumed rock strike or osmething. Service center went to pull one off another car to compare and it snapped too. Shop that did my tint and ceramic coating said they've had a bunch break, too.