Model S: Best Car ever for the Mountains!

[tonybelding]

I think the Roadster would be the most fun vehicle in the world for a twisty mountain road. Actually getting it from my home to the twisty mountain road would be an ordeal, tho. Probably best to trailer it.

I got the Model S LR+ for road trips. I haven't had much opportunity for travel with it yet, beyond a couple of fun day trips, but the time is coming.

 

[Evee]

I think I would prefer the glass roof over the sunroof. There’s more glass. Lots more. And the sunroof becomes straight up noisy past about 108 mph.

 

[tpoltron]

I remember in college going skiing in Colorado in a 1980s Corolla and wondering if we’d have to get out and push given how badly the altitude reduced engine power. I enjoy how Tesla’s are faster at altitude (same power, less air resistance), unlike any normally aspirated fuel burner left gasping for air. Another reason they are great mountain cars.

 

[dgpcolorado]

I think the Roadster would be the most fun vehicle in the world for a twisty mountain road. Actually getting it from my home to the twisty mountain road would be an ordeal, tho. Probably best to trailer it.

I got the Model S LR+ for road trips. I haven't had much opportunity for travel with it yet, beyond a couple of fun day trips, but the time is coming.

Some of us drive twisty mountain roads every time we leave home!

^ This road has back to back hairpin curves, one with a 14% grade. It is fun to zoom up those steep curves. Somewhat more challenging on a bicycle, however...

 

[daver3]

I haven't been to the mountains but until recently I didn't realize how effortless it is driving my M3 up a 30 degree slope. No engine straining, no down shifting, drives just like it does on flat road and the point about driving down hill without using the breaks is great too. You just let up on the accelerator a little bit to get whatever speed you want.

 

[SO16]

I think I would prefer the glass roof over the sunroof. There’s more glass. Lots more. And the sunroof becomes straight up noisy past about 108 mph.

I think it depends on where you’re sitting.

In the front two seats, the extra glass behind you really doesn’t matter. So I’d take the sunroof.

 

[PhilDavid]

Driving EVs since 2016 I hate motorcycle sound/noise-destroys peace & clean air.

Yup. Can't stand them when I'm some place peaceful and trying to enjoy nature and being outside in peace.

When driving, I just pull over and let the man child who is starved for attention with all the noise they are making pass and get far away from me before I resume driving. So obnoxious how some have modified those things to make even more noise and disturb even more people as if that horrible sound was not obnoxious enough to begin with. I stay as far away from them as possible.

The worst is when you are outside dining and these things leave behind obnoxious fumes while disturbing everyone trying to eat. I guess as long as the man child riding them feels better and getting sufficient attention I suppose that's all that matters.

So glad Elon stated they will never make one of those things as he believes they are too dangerous.

 

[PhilDavid]

I think it depends on where you’re sitting.

In the front two seats, the extra glass behind you really doesn’t matter. So I’d take the sunroof.

Been using the sunroof the last few days and it's such an amazing experience on a nice day where you can have fresh air and light all around you. Really opens up the interior of the Model S. It makes such a big difference.

I really disliked the sealed glass roof a loaner that I once had as it felt like a cave compared to an open sunroof.

 

[beatle]

So sad so many people here hate on motorcycles. They're a lot of fun and make a lot of great sounds with the right exhaust. Sure, there are dirtbags who just lop off the muffler and call it a day, but a well made exhaust can make a bike (or a car) sound like music. I like the variety that the different cylinder configurations and firing order give each bike. I'm not a fan of "one-lungers" since they sound like lawn equipment, but they're still fun machines.

Anyway, I actually took my S on the Blue Ridge Parkway this past Friday. It was not a good experience, but that was my own fault.

I was on my way to SW VA for the weekend, so I supercharged at the Lexington, VA supercharger for a bit and then went through Buena Vista to get to the Parkway. Last year I had been up a twisty mountain road on my Monkey that was a lot of fun, and I figured I'd picked the same one on the Tesla nav screen. I was wrong. I ended up climbing a 5 mile long gravel road. The air suspension shrugged it off, but my energy consumption had gone from ~292wh/mi on the way to Lexington to over 500wh/mi. I only had about a 30 mile buffer, and I was quickly chewing through that. I finally reached the Parkway and decided to head south anyway.

I had no cell signal so navigation did not work, but I knew the way - mostly. The car continued to climb and gulp electrons, but then I started to descend. I noticed my consumption plummeted along with my elevation. Yes! I breathed a sigh of relief as I was able to cover several miles without losing a mile of range. Eventually I got a signal back and was able to instruct the car to head for the supercharger in Salem, VA. To my surprise, it said I would reach Salem with 5% charge. That was a relief. However, I also saw my projected range remaining was 3 miles SHORT of the distance I needed to travel. I figured the elevations would mostly cancel themselves out, but I also wondered if I would have any significant climbs on I-81 before I reached Salem?

Each minute I kept a tally of my projected range and remaining distance. I was slowly trending back to the positive. Whew! This must be what range anxiety really is. Getting off the Parkway, I had a very long descent down a road near Buchanan I took 20 years ago in my first Miata. It was nice to see miles come back "into the tank." When I reached I-81, I drafted a few trucks until I could see a buffer of about 12 miles remaining. I was going to make it! I made it to the Salem supercharger with 18 miles left in the pack. I know there are others who have cut it closer, but this was a record for me.

As for the driving, the car was just okay. The plus suspension really is terrific. It keeps the car flat through the corners, but the car is so heavy and wide that there is little to no "wiggle room" in the lane. Granted, I am on 19" MXM4s which are okay for a touring tire, but are not very inspiring, but I was also not getting close to their limits either. The car just did not encourage me to flog it around the bends, and I barely hit 150kw on the power meter, wanting to keep an even pace with no brakes. I missed the sound of my Miata's supercharger winding up and echoing through the tunnels. I'm sure my range anxiety colored my experience a bit, and It's difficult not to have fun on a mountain road, but I can firmly say it would have been more fun with about a ton and a half less weight and a 4 cylinder soundtrack.

 

[f205v]

There are electric motorcycles as well!
I bought one a few weeks ago, and it's WONDERFUL!
Silent, quick and super fun to drive.

 

[dgpcolorado]

I haven't been to the mountains but until recently I didn't realize how effortless it is driving my M3 up a 30 degree slope. No engine straining, no down shifting, drives just like it does on flat road and the point about driving down hill without using the breaks is great too. You just let up on the accelerator a little bit to get whatever speed you want.

Regen braking is fine going down steep hills until the weather cools off or the battery is near full. Then the regen is limited and friction brakes may be needed. I've started to see this again as the weather cools down here. In a couple of months regen braking will be severely limited, even for my car in a garage that never drops below freezing. For those who park outside in below freezing weather, the regen may be zero until the battery warms up, which can be disconcerting if one is used to single pedal driving.

A workaround, for those who care about reduced regen braking in cool weather, is to charge for an hour or two right before leaving (assuming that charging is available).

A cold battery also greatly reduces Supercharging speed until it warms up. This can come as a surprise if parked outside in cold weather and then visiting a Supercharger Station. Best to charge the night before while the battery is warm from driving, IME.

 

[SilverGS]

Regen braking is fine going down steep hills until the weather cools off or the battery is near full. Then the regen is limited and friction brakes may be needed. I've started to see this again as the weather cools down here. In a couple of months regen braking will be severely limited, even for my car in a garage that never drops below freezing. For those who park outside in below freezing weather, the regen may be zero until the battery warms up, which can be disconcerting if one is used to single pedal driving.

A workaround, for those who care about reduced regen braking in cool weather, is to charge for an hour or two right before leaving (assuming that charging is available).

A cold battery also greatly reduces Supercharging speed until it warms up. This can come as a surprise if parked outside in cold weather and then visiting a Supercharger Station. Best to charge the night before while the battery is warm from driving, IME.

I turn on the heating in the cabin 45 mins before I leave when it gets cold and that warms up the battery enough to have full regen. I'd rather pay the little extra for electricity than not have the feeling of almost one pedal driving with full regen.

 

[dgpcolorado]

I turn on the heating in the cabin 45 mins before I leave when it gets cold and that warms up the battery enough to have full regen. I'd rather pay the little extra for electricity than not have the feeling of almost one pedal driving with full regen.

There were some reports that one of the software updates removed battery heating when using remote cabin heating. Whether this was fixed I couldn't say since I don't preheat my car; I dress for winter and the heated seats are sufficient — my seat stays on setting 1 from fall to spring.

It would be interesting to know whether preheating does, indeed, still warm the battery when cold weather arrives.

 

[beatle]

There are electric motorcycles as well!
I bought one a few weeks ago, and it's WONDERFUL!
Silent, quick and super fun to drive.
View attachment 582709

One day I'll try an electric bike. The performance delta between an electric and a powerful ICE bike will be much slimmer than a car, but it must be an interesting experience. I do, however, worry about the lack of sound as a deterrent for cars cutting me off.

 

[Vestniek]

A great post and super conversation. For myself, I've got a red Miata and a red Model S -- I love 'em both for their distinct personalities. But if it's going to be a road trip on interstate highways, the Model S with FSD and the newest MCU wins every time. I'd post a picture but this forum software keeps having a "security error".

 

[f205v]

One day I'll try an electric bike. The performance delta between an electric and a powerful ICE bike will be much slimmer than a car, but it must be an interesting experience. I do, however, worry about the lack of sound as a deterrent for cars cutting me off.

My bike is equivalent to 125cc (1/8th of litre), and I drive it accordingly: mostly city or city-outskirts drives; I avoid free-ways, because the bike speed is just a little above trucks (I hate passing them due to the sudden change in wind direction), but way slower than cars. Also, driving a twisty side road is much more fun than a straight out highway.
Real range is 90-100 km. Recharging battery is slow, the charger is more similar to an ebike charger than a car charger; takes 4-5 hours.
I never had an issue with silence, on the contrary! Driving with only the wind sound in your ears takes a little bit to get adjusted to, but after a while it is much more "natural" the the engine revving noise. Unfortunately there is no deterrent to cars cutting you out: jerks are jerks no matter what.

When compared to other 125cc my bike is way quicker at the green light (similar to a 350 or 500), easily letting them bite the dust, but it lacks in top speed (mine is 97km/h by GPS) and the others will catch me up and leave me behind on a long stretch of road.

 

[2101Guy]

So sad so many people here hate on motorcycles. They're a lot of fun and make a lot of great sounds with the right exhaust. Sure, there are dirtbags who just lop off the muffler and call it a day, but a well made exhaust can make a bike (or a car) sound like music. I like the variety that the different cylinder configurations and firing order give each bike. I'm not a fan of "one-lungers" since they sound like lawn equipment, but they're still fun machines.

Anyway, I actually took my S on the Blue Ridge Parkway this past Friday. It was not a good experience, but that was my own fault.

I was on my way to SW VA for the weekend, so I supercharged at the Lexington, VA supercharger for a bit and then went through Buena Vista to get to the Parkway. Last year I had been up a twisty mountain road on my Monkey that was a lot of fun, and I figured I'd picked the same one on the Tesla nav screen. I was wrong. I ended up climbing a 5 mile long gravel road. The air suspension shrugged it off, but my energy consumption had gone from ~292wh/mi on the way to Lexington to over 500wh/mi. I only had about a 30 mile buffer, and I was quickly chewing through that. I finally reached the Parkway and decided to head south anyway.

I had no cell signal so navigation did not work, but I knew the way - mostly. The car continued to climb and gulp electrons, but then I started to descend. I noticed my consumption plummeted along with my elevation. Yes! I breathed a sigh of relief as I was able to cover several miles without losing a mile of range. Eventually I got a signal back and was able to instruct the car to head for the supercharger in Salem, VA. To my surprise, it said I would reach Salem with 5% charge. That was a relief. However, I also saw my projected range remaining was 3 miles SHORT of the distance I needed to travel. I figured the elevations would mostly cancel themselves out, but I also wondered if I would have any significant climbs on I-81 before I reached Salem?

Each minute I kept a tally of my projected range and remaining distance. I was slowly trending back to the positive. Whew! This must be what range anxiety really is. Getting off the Parkway, I had a very long descent down a road near Buchanan I took 20 years ago in my first Miata. It was nice to see miles come back "into the tank." When I reached I-81, I drafted a few trucks until I could see a buffer of about 12 miles remaining. I was going to make it! I made it to the Salem supercharger with 18 miles left in the pack. I know there are others who have cut it closer, but this was a record for me.

As for the driving, the car was just okay. The plus suspension really is terrific. It keeps the car flat through the corners, but the car is so heavy and wide that there is little to no "wiggle room" in the lane. Granted, I am on 19" MXM4s which are okay for a touring tire, but are not very inspiring, but I was also not getting close to their limits either. The car just did not encourage me to flog it around the bends, and I barely hit 150kw on the power meter, wanting to keep an even pace with no brakes. I missed the sound of my Miata's supercharger winding up and echoing through the tunnels. I'm sure my range anxiety colored my experience a bit, and It's difficult not to have fun on a mountain road, but I can firmly say it would have been more fun with about a ton and a half less weight and a 4 cylinder soundtrack.

havent had a chance to take mine up towards western VA, Luray, shenendoah etc, yet, but I cant imagine it would really shine in that environment over what Ive driven before (Mainly manual transmission BMW 540 6 speed with modified exhaust) on those roads.

 

[2101Guy]

One day I'll try an electric bike. The performance delta between an electric and a powerful ICE bike will be much slimmer than a car, but it must be an interesting experience. I do, however, worry about the lack of sound as a deterrent for cars cutting me off.

close friend who is a DIE HARD ICE guy and die hard big tuned Harley guy finally test drove the LiveWire by Harley.

He was STUNNED. Loved it except too small for him. (He's about 6'1 and roughly 230lbs) And range of ~130 miles was somewhat of a concern for him. But he said the torque/acceleration was beyond anything he expected. Said it handled great as well

 

[Uncle Paul]

Interesting enough I feel similar when I drive my big hunking Model X in the mountains. While not as nimble as a smaller car, it hustles right along. It has an amazingly quiet and smooth ride, yet performs far better than you would expect from a largish SUV.
Believe it is a combination of low center of gravity, good quality and sized tires, adaptable air suspension and Tesla pixie dust.
Brings a smile to my face when I charge out of a big sweeper at speed far above posted.
The large battery allows long trips, without range anxiety far from towns.

 

[beatle]

A great post and super conversation. For myself, I've got a red Miata and a red Model S -- I love 'em both for their distinct personalities. But if it's going to be a road trip on interstate highways, the Model S with FSD and the newest MCU wins every time. I'd post a picture but this forum software keeps having a "security error".

Oh no question. I've done 9 highway hours in my first Miata, a red 92, and the MS is far and away the better highway car. It's the best highway vehicle I've driven period.

My bike is equivalent to 125cc (1/8th of litre), and I drive it accordingly: mostly city or city-outskirts drives; I avoid free-ways, because the bike speed is just a little above trucks (I hate passing them due to the sudden change in wind direction), but way slower than cars. Also, driving a twisty side road is much more fun than a straight out highway.

For sure - at only 125cc, the Monkey also is best used on back roads. It really shines on super-narrow roads that would otherwise be too dangerous to fly down on a 4 wheeled vehicle.

havent had a chance to take mine up towards western VA, Luray, shenendoah etc, yet, but I cant imagine it would really shine in that environment over what Ive driven before (Mainly manual transmission BMW 540 6 speed with modified exhaust) on those roads.

Actually, I think 211 going towards Luray would be a better use of the S, as the two lane uphill sections give you a little more freedom to carve apexes even in a wide car, provided you don't mind using both of the lanes on your side of the double yellow as your own. Still won't beat a car with 3 pedals though!