Wiki Model S Delivery Update

[lolachampcar]

Congrats Bill!! So happy for you.
“Tesla came through” = no upcharge for the arachnids then?

Tesla stepped in with a referral credit hours before closing which really did take the edge off the "our way or the highway" approach. I am grateful they did this. I should now be in a position to sell the 21s and recoup the whole $4,500 plus sales tax.

On a related note, these rims/tires HAVE to go! After 100k miles on my PD with lighter wheels and tires I was badly taken aback by the dead thud of the corners as they tried to react to the road. The stock 21s dramatically slow transitions as well which leads me to believe they will hurt recovery at the limit. I know I'm going to get murdered for saying this but I'm going down on rubber as well. The last couple percent of straight line acceleration is nothing to me in comparison with every day responsiveness and ride/handling qualities. I've got 255 PS4s on my PD and will likely go 10" and 265s all the way around on the Plaid. I know, it is sacrilegious but I'm weird this way.

In a related note, there is a ton more tire noise coming through the suspension on the Plaid which tells me they have removed even more rubber from the suspension. I'll have the wheels off soon and will post pictures of what Tesla has done. I'm especially interested in rear camber adjustment

I also want to understand how they managed to fill the wheel arches with tire in low. I did that with lowering links on my PD which lowered the CoG. Part of what I am feeling may be the Plaid having a higher CoG in low mode and Tesla just moved the wheel arches to have the tires better fill them.

 

[lolachampcar]

Congrats!
Don’t forget, pics or it didn’t happen

I'll try to do some pics today but, spoilers, I am toooooo fragile to have my gaps picked apart (queue the comments) so my pics will be of suspension components, brake caliper clearance on aftermarket rims and really exciting stuff like that

 

[lolachampcar]

I have my M3 wrapped in satin dark gray and ready for the plaid badge if you will be kind enough View attachment 687934

PM your address
You will have to redo the PSA as the floss cut it in half removing the letters.

 

[lolachampcar]

Can any Plaid owner confirm the tire size on the front? I was watching this video and the guy said 285 upfront
I am in the market to buy some aftermarket wheels so just need to confirm.

265/35 ZR 21 on my car as delivered

 

[lolachampcar]

You've been around a while, and you know about cars.
I'd like a full review, please.
1. 'Cos I'm interested
2. 'Cos we Australians have to wait two years for our cars. I ordered the day they were announced, they tell me end '22... So we have some time to kill.

I've posted a few comments above but have only spent twenty minutes in the car. It builds energy so quickly and the yoke is VERY different so I have yet to get confidence to push the car at all. I will do so over the days to come and try to post observations in areas not covered by (the most excellent work done by) others. I'll also post pictures if I run out of talent (gotta own your mistakes).

One thing screamed at me imediately. The wheels and tires do the car a huge disservice. I am sure the big rear tires are very good for at the limit straight line acceleration but you pay a huge price in the rest of the driving envelope. Tesla's traction control can easily handle a reduction in rear longitudinal grip so a little less rear rubber is very doable. Again, this is only my opinion and you know what they say about opinions

I'd be willing to bet you can get into a corner and exit out much harder with less rubber and rim weight. If I am right, the only advantage the big rears will have is appearance and drag racing. Good if that is your thing. I spend near zero time drag racing but have several favorite (and safe) corners on my way to and from the hangar so I would use the handling daily.

 

[OCS300]

Tesla stepped in with a referral credit hours before closing which really did take the edge off the "our way or the highway" approach. I am grateful they did this. I should now be in a position to sell the 21s and recoup the whole $4,500 plus sales tax.

On a related note, these rims/tires HAVE to go! After 100k miles on my PD with lighter wheels and tires I was badly taken aback by the dead thud of the corners as they tried to react to the road. The stock 21s dramatically slow transitions as well which leads me to believe they will hurt recovery at the limit. I know I'm going to get murdered for saying this but I'm going down on rubber as well. The last couple percent of straight line acceleration is nothing to me in comparison with every day responsiveness and ride/handling qualities. I've got 255 PS4s on my PD and will likely go 10" and 265s all the way around on the Plaid. I know, it is sacrilegious but I'm weird this way.

In a related note, there is a ton more tire noise coming through the suspension on the Plaid which tells me they have removed even more rubber from the suspension. I'll have the wheels off soon and will post pictures of what Tesla has done. I'm especially interested in rear camber adjustment

I also want to understand how they managed to fill the wheel arches with tire in low. I did that with lowering links on my PD which lowered the CoG. Part of what I am feeling may be the Plaid having a higher CoG in low mode and Tesla just moved the wheel arches to have the tires better fill them.

Why not go to 285s all around?

 

[lolachampcar]

Why not go to 285s all around?

I've been spending a lot of time on the Will They Fit configuration page looking at rim widths, offsets and tire sizes. Given you really can not try and return, I'm trying to narrow in on a good compromise that has the best chance of not causing problems. 265 does fit up front without rubbing so the exposure is .5" wider rim. This risk seems reasonable with that change. I would prefer 9.5" rims but the ones I have the most experience with only come in inch increments. I prefer the same rim/tire on all four corners so I only have to buy one spare rim.

I also have 100k miles of experience with 255s on my PD. I'm happy with the balance and at the limit grip given the tons of experience on the rubber. 265s with an inch wider rim will provide just a little bit more tire width so it should not affect range over what I am used to.

The above said, I do realize I am going under what Tesla is shipping be they 19s or 21s. There is always risk going narrower.

 

[lzolman]

This is new for me to have the ability to have an extra $45K for discretionary spending.

I’m going to read a book about starting a foundation or just getting some additional Philanthropy going. (Not boasting, just closing the loop on my other post so this group knows where I landed. ) Sticking with the LR and anyone who asks I will tell them it’s the LR because it’s really what I wanted.

Still waiting for my documents to populate in my account. Based on the last flyover they had plenty of red paint and a lot of cars near completion so I’m optimistic to get my car in early August!

Some plaid folk may not be able to grok it, that some of us might actually prefer the LR over the Plaid. The price difference is a perfectly respectable input factor to the preference decision. No judgment of self for being poor, I could afford to buy a Plaid if I wanted it. I do not want it. It's that simple.

 

[lolachampcar]

Back from a bike ride where it occurred to me that I too was disappointed with (what appears to be) uprated front brakes. I did not do any high energy braking for reasons explained above but what little braking I did left me surprised with the lack of initial grip followed by the feeling that the pads were gliding across the rotor surface.

I've felt this before with green brakes that needed bedding. Race teams send their rotors and pads out to a brake dyno to have both components properly bedded in a controlled repeatable environment. They do not want to use precious track time to do this and simply do not trust professional drivers to do it correctly consistently.

These are obsolete Brembo rotors purchased from a team that had moved to Performance Friction. Note that they all look used inclusive of heat sensitive paint which has reacted. They are new, just bedded and ready for track use.

http://www.lolachampcar.com/images/Generic%20Spares/Some%20Rotors.jpg

I normally do both mine and my wife's S' when we take delivery as they always feel a bit green. The Plaid's are VERY green and, if you tried any high energy braking before bedding, you would certainly glaze the rotors and pads which dramatically reduces braking performance. Tesla rotors readily surface corrode with just a little water. If this is still the case with glazing, this might give people a chance to recover. If not, we used to have to take the rotors and pads off, clean to bare metal and fresh pad with an abrasive wheel then re-try to properly bed them.

I've typically turned off re-gen to bed S pads in the past. It will be interesting to try and do it accounting for re-gen this time around as there is no way to turn it off. Another forum member has pointed out some differences in the rear calipers. If Tesla is doing something with torque vectoring under braking to increase stability it may be even more difficult trying to get the right amount of heat/energy into the fronts and the rears without overdoing either.

Fun stuff to keep a nerd busy.

All off topic. This has been my home for the last 8 weeks but I am happy to move this stuff to another thread.



edit
Brake Dyno

Essex really knows their stuff when it comes to brake dyno and pad bedding services

 

[MarcG]

Thank you @lolachampcar for all your input on wheels, tires, suspension, and brakes! I highly appreciate it and it makes the wait easier for those of us still waiting on delivery.

That being said, given how busy this thread is, I think it would be beneficial to keep track of all your feedback and suggestions on improvements in a separate thread, which I will happily contribute to (in virtual research while I wait for my Plaid).

I’ve created the thread below, and linked some of your posts above:

Plaid handling improvements: better wheels, tires, brakes, suspension options

As more Plaids are being delivered, the spirited driving enthusiasts among us are potentially looking for better handling dynamics, starting with lighter wheels, different tire compound/sizes, suspension adjustments/upgrades, and better brakes. So even though I have yet to take delivery of...

teslamotorsclub.com

Congrats again on taking delivery!!

 

[lbowroom]

I've been spending a lot of time on the Will They Fit configuration page looking at rim widths, offsets and tire sizes. Given you really can not try and return, I'm trying to narrow in on a good compromise that has the best chance of not causing problems. 265 does fit up front without rubbing so the exposure is .5" wider rim. This risk seems reasonable with that change. I would prefer 9.5" rims but the ones I have the most experience with only come in inch increments. I prefer the same rim/tire on all four corners so I only have to buy one spare rim.

I also have 100k miles of experience with 255s on my PD. I'm happy with the balance and at the limit grip given the tons of experience on the rubber. 265s with an inch wider rim will provide just a little bit more tire width so it should not affect range over what I am used to.

The above said, I do realize I am going under what Tesla is shipping be they 19s or 21s. There is always risk going narrower.

Vendor - Official Signature Wheel Gallery | Model S Plaid & Performance.

Some more redering requested SV104 - Brushed Aluminum SV502 - Brushed Bronze Tinted SV307s - Matte Gunmetal Face / Triple Black Tinted Face / Black Hardware SV503 - Triple Black Tinted SV705 - Brushed Titanium SV504 - Brushed Bronze Tinted SV107 - Gloss Black

teslamotorsclub.com

Starting at post #22 if you haven’t seen it

 

[lolachampcar]

Thank you @lolachampcar for all your input on wheels, tires, suspension, and brakes! I highly appreciate it and it makes the wait easier for those of us still waiting on delivery.

That being said, given how busy this thread is, I think it would be beneficial to keep track of all your feedback and suggestions on improvements in a separate thread, which I will happily contribute to (in virtual research while I wait for my Plaid).

I’ve created the thread below, and linked some of your posts above:

Plaid handling improvements: better wheels, tires, brakes, suspension options

As more Plaids are being delivered, the spirited driving enthusiasts among us are potentially looking for better handling dynamics, starting with lighter wheels, different tire compound/sizes, suspension adjustments/upgrades, and better brakes. So even though I have yet to take delivery of...

teslamotorsclub.com

Congrats again on taking delivery!!

Cool
Done

 

[mmanner]

Back from a bike ride where it occurred to me that I too was disappointed with (what appears to be) uprated front brakes. I did not do any high energy braking for reasons explained above but what little braking I did left me surprised with the lack of initial grip followed by the feeling that the pads were gliding across the rotor surface.

I've felt this before with green brakes that needed bedding. Race teams send their rotors and pads out to a brake dyno to have both components properly bedded in a controlled repeatable environment. They do not want to use precious track time to do this and simply do not trust professional drivers to do it correctly consistently.

These are obsolete Brembo rotors purchased from a team that had moved to Performance Friction. Note that they all look used inclusive of heat sensitive paint which has reacted. They are new, just bedded and ready for track use.

http://www.lolachampcar.com/images/Generic%20Spares/Some%20Rotors.jpg

I normally do both mine and my wife's S' when we take delivery as they always feel a bit green. The Plaid's are VERY green and, if you tried any high energy braking before bedding, you would certainly glaze the rotors and pads which dramatically reduces braking performance. Tesla rotors readily surface corrode with just a little water. If this is still the case with glazing, this might give people a chance to recover. If not, we used to have to take the rotors and pads off, clean to bare metal and fresh pad with an abrasive wheel then re-try to properly bed them.

I've typically turned off re-gen to bed S pads in the past. It will be interesting to try and do it accounting for re-gen this time around as there is no way to turn it off. Another forum member has pointed out some differences in the rear calipers. If Tesla is doing something with torque vectoring under braking to increase stability it may be even more difficult trying to get the right amount of heat/energy into the fronts and the rears without overdoing either.

Fun stuff to keep a nerd busy.

All off topic. This has been my home for the last 8 weeks but I am happy to move this stuff to another thread.



edit
Brake Dyno

Essex really knows their stuff when it comes to brake dyno and pad bedding services

Hi, I'm familiar with bedding bicycle brakes, and I assume it is a similar concept with cars. Could you provide a brief summary of how to go about it with the Tesla MS? Is turning off regen sufficient for awhile, or does one do several controlled somewhat hard braking runs from a particular speed?
Thanks for the input,
Mark

 

[lolachampcar]

Vendor - Official Signature Wheel Gallery | Model S Plaid & Performance.

Some more redering requested SV104 - Brushed Aluminum SV502 - Brushed Bronze Tinted SV307s - Matte Gunmetal Face / Triple Black Tinted Face / Black Hardware SV503 - Triple Black Tinted SV705 - Brushed Titanium SV504 - Brushed Bronze Tinted SV107 - Gloss Black

teslamotorsclub.com

Starting at post #22 if you haven’t seen it

Very nice wheels but too rich for my blood.

 

[uthatcher]

Why not go to 285s all around?

That’s what I’m doing. On 20’s.

 

[AnselmDante]

Date changed to Aug 8 to Aug 17. That's 5 days in a row now that the date has narrowed to a smaller window.

 

[WilliamG]

Date changed to Aug 8 to Aug 17. That's 5 days in a row now that the date has narrowed to a smaller window.

Seeing similar things. July 28-August 7. No VIN yet. Believe it when I see it. And believe you me I want to believe.

 

[headcase]

That’s what I’m doing. On 20’s.

Yeah, in my discussions with Unplugged Performance for building some one-off wheels, likely going to be 285 tires all around on 20” rims.

 

[uthatcher]

Yeah, in my discussions with Unplugged Performance for building some one-off wheels, likely going to be 285 tires all around on 20” rims.

I actually have doubts about whether the 285 rears will cost much of anything at the drag strip, particularly with the fronts being a bit wider. I plan on running my car in Bakersfield in mid August, so I guess we’ll see.

 

[lurker131]

Yes this forum digresses…a lot. But that’s why it’s awesome. I appreciate all I’ve learned here, like @lolachampcar’s technical review of the braking and handling, and recommendations for PPF etc.

So I’m going off topic once more if this is helpful for someone: design specs show the interior seating was moved forward to make more space for rear passengers. Really noticed that extra space this morning when I laid down the back seats and got my surfboard in easily. My 4Runner is sad - he has to stay home while Contessa and I play today.