Model S Plaid Track Package Waiting Room

[Awiner]

I noticed that about regen too. I am tempted to run it in track mode all the time just for the extra regen. Well that and the torque vectoring. I wish they had a semi-track mode. Like a track mode set up for more aggressive street driving but not full on track attack.

The SEXY buttons allow you to program regen amount to one of them. So it’s possible in an easy and clean way.

 

[rk242]

Just got my Model S back after installing the CCBs, this is my first time owning a car with these so not sure what to expect. I don't plan to track the car but had them installed because I found that the stopping distance of the stock brakes don't give me any confidence when braking at highway speeds compared to other performance cars.

The tech told me when I picked up my car that the brakes will stop really well from high speeds but to use caution when driving on the street as the pedal requires more pressure than the stock brakes to stop and has significantly more travel. He said it could especially be an issue in low speed situations (e.g. in parking lots) where the car would typically stop without much pressure on the stock brakes, but requires a lot more pressure with the CCBs. I tested this briefly on my drive back and found it to be true - is this something you get used to over time?

For other owners who have had more time driving with the CCBs installed, did the pedal feel grow on you?

Just picked my car up today after the CCB update and was about to ask the same question on this forum. I find that I need to apply more pressure at slow speeds than before, but they sure seem to grip well when I do, even when cold. Once I put some heat into them (some repeated hard stops from speed), they also have a humming sound when coming to a stop. Not unexpected, it just reminds me of Porsche GT3 cars lining up on a starting grid... all kinds of brake noises there

My tech didn't talk at all about this, but glad to hear it's not just my car, but expected behavior.

One added bonus is that the creaking brake noise seems to have gone away when the suspension decides to lower itself at a stoplight. A few more days to be sure, but that was always pretty annoying.

 

[rk242]

What is everyone's take on the 'pile of stuff' they send home with you... is it worth keeping? The theory is that it allows you to go back to stock brakes, but I just don't see myself doing that, so I'm not sure I want to take up a bunch of space with it for the next few years. I told them I'd swing by later this week to pick it up, but I'm tempted to just tell them to keep it.

As a reference point, I used to own a Model 3 performance on which I upgraded the brakes. I kept the old ones for years, but ended up just giving them to a local shop when I traded in for the Plaid.

Thoughts?

 

[Fazooley]

What is everyone's take on the 'pile of stuff' they send home with you... is it worth keeping? The theory is that it allows you to go back to stock brakes, but I just don't see myself doing that, so I'm not sure I want to take up a bunch of space with it for the next few years. I told them I'd swing by later this week to pick it up, but I'm tempted to just tell them to keep it.

As a reference point, I used to own a Model 3 performance on which I upgraded the brakes. I kept the old ones for years, but ended up just giving them to a local shop when I traded in for the Plaid.

Thoughts?

Ah very glad you mentioned this. I was about to order the CCB's but wanted to make sure they gave you back all the old stuff. Why would I want this back, well when selling the car more then likely I'd put it back to stock and sell them on ebay or here. Also does anyone know with the track pack if they just give you the extra tires/rims, etc and you can put the on yourself essentially keeping all your old stuff also?

 

[bhzmark]

I don't plan to track the car but had them installed because I found that the stopping distance of the stock brakes don't give me any confidence when braking at highway speeds compared to other performance cars.

The stock (old style stock) Plaid brakes stop shorter from 100 mph (284 feet) than BMW M5 with CCB (294 feet) and the Porsche 911 Targa (285 feet). It’s a nonsense myth that the stock Plaid brakes don’t stop well from triple digit speeds.

Stock brake components do not have a track capable high temp operating range and so repeated high speed braking in short succession, usually only necessary in track road course events (but usually not autoX or drag racing) may exceed the temp operating range on the stock brakes.

If you haven’t ever triggered the warning light for brake temp (which is pretty conservative and occurs before any significant fade) you have not gone past the operating temp of the stock brakes.

to use caution when driving on the street as the pedal requires more pressure than the stock brakes to stop and has significantly more travel. He said it could especially be an issue in low speed situations (e.g. in parking lots) where the car would typically stop without much pressure on the stock brakes, but requires a lot more pressure with the CCBs.

Yes, track capable components are not optimized for every day use. It’s often a trade off.

 

[oktane]

Overall consensus, for street driving, is it worth the upgrade (cost and hassle)?

 

[DayTrippin]

Overall consensus, for street driving, is it worth the upgrade (cost and hassle)?

That is a very subjective question and a lot would depend on how you use it.

For me, I have absolutely no regrets going with it. Even though I sort of feel like a beta tester. I had to source wheels as Tesla wouldn't do the install with my aftermarket wheels. The car definitely feels better and the high speed braking is much improved.

I never really thought of how the brakes look on the car before I got them. This is something I appreciate far more than I thought I would. The curb appeal has been really bumped up a notch or two.

While the price of admission wasn't peanuts, it has never once crossed my mind since I got the car back. I really do think the car should have come with them in the first place. If something happened to my Plaid, I'd try and buy another one just like it and add the brakes immediately. I guess that is about as strong of an endorsement as I can make for them.

If you putter around the street, rarely go over 80, no repeated hard stops, then likely not for you. I'd also wonder why you bought a Plaid in the first place. If you bought it because it was a cool car, then dropping another 15-20k to make it a bit sweeter probably is worth it as well.

 

[NeuroRad]

The stock (old style stock) Plaid brakes stop shorter from 100 mph (284 feet) than BMW M5 with CCB (294 feet) and the Porsche 911 Targa (285 feet). It’s a nonsense myth that the stock Plaid brakes don’t stop well from triple digit speeds.

Stock brake components do not have a track capable high temp operating range and so repeated high speed braking in short succession, usually only necessary in track road course events (but usually not autoX or drag racing) may exceed the temp operating range on the stock brakes.

If you haven’t ever triggered the warning light for brake temp (which is pretty conservative and occurs before any significant fade) you have not gone past the operating temp of the stock brakes.


Yes, track capable components are not optimized for every day use. It’s often a trade off.

Carwow compared every performance tesla model and the plaid stopped the best of any of them. They even did it back to back and there was no drop off in stopping. The X plaid even stopped a little shorter. I personally think it’s very unlikely the ccbs will improve braking at all until you exceed the thermal limits of the steel brakes. I’m sure that can be done on track but if on public street, you’d likely be risking going to jail with the speeds. Personally i rarely drive on highways so I’m usually blasting 0-60ish or so and the steel brakes are adequate.

The ccbs are more aesthetically appealing and lighter but each one needs to decide if that warrants 15k plus tax. If the ccbs have more pedal travel before bite that’s a negative to me i prefer a high and tight pedal. That’s one of my gripes with the steel brakes but i do understand they retract the pads from the disc to reduce drag.

 

[DayTrippin]

I've followed the Carwow Plaid tests for some time. Generally, Mat Watson, the presenter, hasn't seemed to have a lot of faith in the past for Plaid brakes. In one test the Plaid braked well for one time. Next time, not so much. Then they did the comparison of all P versions and they got 2 good stops out of it. They were two different cars. So which one would I have faith in? The one and done or the one where they got 2 hard stops? If driving on the freeway and never exceeding 80 mph, it likely doesn't matter. The stock brakes should suffice.

I think where you will likely see a difference in braking distance at higher is due to the improvement in front to rear bias. The rear rotors are massively bigger and it feels like they have definitely changed the front to rear bias. Before it felt like the front was doing more of the work when braking hard. They tend to bias cars more toward the front as it tends to be safer for most drivers (potentially better stability) in a panic stop at the expense of longer distances.

At the end of the day, we'll all have reasons why we choose one over the other. The one thing that is pretty certain is you plan on tracking the car, it is probably a good idea to do some sort of brake upgrade over stock. If you are just doing 1/8th mile blasts, probably no need. If you need to apply the brakes hard, more than twice, at speeds over 70-80 mph, I'd play it safe and do some sort of brake upgrade to the car. I will say I've found worse ways to blow 15k.

I could have likely gotten by with a lower-spec kit and been fine for what I plan on doing. At the end of the day, I wanted Tesla to support the brakes (meaning they will service my car), have a warranty, and get the top speed unlock. I want to do some flying mile events and the top speed unlock was a big consideration for me.

 

[oktane]

That is a very subjective question and a lot would depend on how you use it.

For me, I have absolutely no regrets going with it. Even though I sort of feel like a beta tester. I had to source wheels as Tesla wouldn't do the install with my aftermarket wheels. The car definitely feels better and the high speed braking is much improved.

I never really thought of how the brakes look on the car before I got them. This is something I appreciate far more than I thought I would. The curb appeal has been really bumped up a notch or two.

While the price of admission wasn't peanuts, it has never once crossed my mind since I got the car back. I really do think the car should have come with them in the first place. If something happened to my Plaid, I'd try and buy another one just like it and add the brakes immediately. I guess that is about as strong of an endorsement as I can make for them.

If you putter around the street, rarely go over 80, no repeated hard stops, then likely not for you. I'd also wonder why you bought a Plaid in the first place. If you bought it because it was a cool car, then dropping another 15-20k to make it a bit sweeter probably is worth it as well.

These are all great points. The only negatives seem to be the increased pedal travel until bite and the cost. Oh the third is the hassle of dealing with Tesla service center and their potential incompetence requiring a few back and forth visits, Uber rides, and wasted time.

For me, in addition to the above, I probably won't keep the car more than another 1-2 years. I'm guessing the HW4 FSD itch will bite. Plus newer Plaids have the matrix lights, new tail lights, and movable screen. The resale on the Plaid is terrible, probably depreciates 50% in 2 years. For me the hassle of keeping the old brakes around the garage, unloading them, dealing with selling them, and then selling the car with CCB or stock brakes in 1-2 years has me thinking hmmmmmmm........yes the brakes are much better, but maybe I should just do it next time around when I first get the car.

 

[DayTrippin]

These are all great points. The only negatives seem to be the increased pedal travel until bite and the cost. Oh the third is the hassle of dealing with Tesla service center and their potential incompetence requiring a few back and forth visits, Uber rides, and wasted time.

For me, in addition to the above, I probably won't keep the car more than another 1-2 years. I'm guessing the HW4 FSD itch will bite. Plus newer Plaids have the matrix lights, new tail lights, and movable screen. The resale on the Plaid is terrible, probably depreciates 50% in 2 years. For me the hassle of keeping the old brakes around the garage, unloading them, dealing with selling them, and then selling the car with CCB or stock brakes in 1-2 years has me thinking hmmmmmmm........yes the brakes are much better, but maybe I should just do it next time around when I first get the car.

In your situation, I'd be less inclined to do it. I am on the other side of the refresh curve as I have the lights, Steam, CCS door, etc.. I have to say the tilting screen isn't a big draw for me after playing with it. Mine doesn't have it and I am going to take my screen out and manually adjust. Already did that once but didn't leave it. Unknowingly, I had it swiveled a lot more than you'd get with the Tesla power option.

I am semi-betting Tesla will continue their race to the bottom and keep de-contenting stuff. So they'll do 1 step forward and 2 back. Only when they have a solid replacement for USS will I even remotely consider another Tesla. I have a Tesla loaner currently without USS and what a joke it is compared to having USS.

I can't really think what they could do to the Plaid that would really encourage me to jump to a new version. A minor refresh isn't going to cut it. I don't really need any more street performance than what it has. I have enough range now. I have the brakes I wanted finally. My car is well-built in general and I have it pretty well dialed in now. Why tempt fate when their build quality is still hit or miss? Depreciation isn't a major factor for me as I traded my LR and got into my Plaid at a pretty good price as a result. So while I am not fully insulated from depreciation, I am not in as bad a place as some.

 

[oktane]

In your situation, I'd be less inclined to do it. I am on the other side of the refresh curve as I have the lights, Steam, CCS door, etc.. I have to say the tilting screen isn't a big draw for me after playing with it. Mine doesn't have it and I am going to take my screen out and manually adjust. Already did that once but didn't leave it. Unknowingly, I had it swiveled a lot more than you'd get with the Tesla power option.

I am semi-betting Tesla will continue their race to the bottom and keep de-contenting stuff. So they'll do 1 step forward and 2 back. Only when they have a solid replacement for USS will I even remotely consider another Tesla. I have a Tesla loaner currently without USS and what a joke it is compared to having USS.

I can't really think what they could do to the Plaid that would really encourage me to jump to a new version. A minor refresh isn't going to cut it. I don't really need any more street performance than what it has. I have enough range now. I have the brakes I wanted finally. My car is well-built in general and I have it pretty well dialed in now. Why tempt fate when their build quality is still hit or miss? Depreciation isn't a major factor for me as I traded my LR and got into my Plaid at a pretty good price as a result. So while I am not fully insulated from depreciation, I am not in as bad a place as some.

Oh new Plaids don't come with ultrasonic sensors? That would be super annoying. But maybe a front bumper camera makes up for it if you can see the wall. It's tempting but $16k a lot if I just keep the car another 1-2 years. If I was keeping it long term it would make sense. On the flip side it is a great car, and full PPF/tint/ceramic are already big upgrades on mine, so I guess what's one more. FSD finally sorta works (after their scam back in 2016) but it's never getting past Level 3 until hardware refresh, probably not until HW5 or beyond.

My wishlist for the next refresh includes 500 mi range, CCBs standard, HUD, and better suspension. My biggest complaint about all Tesla is the horrible suspension dampening. The car doesn't feel rigid enough. I love the location-aware auto raise feature, wish my other cars had that. If Tesla somehow could reproduce the steering and suspension of the Taycan, that would be nice.

 

[DayTrippin]

No, they removed the sensors and that is one the main reason I looked for a 2022 and didn't go with 2023. I use USS every day. While it isn't as useful as a 360 view, it is still pretty helpful. I have found its measurements to be pretty precise.

I am pretty deep down the rabbit hole of tint, PPF and ceramic as well. Not to mention different wheels. I'll probably drive the car until it drops.

I'd be more interested in an 800V architecture more so than an increased range. Unless the increased range comes with a weight reduction. I would be onboard with that. Or the same range, with a vast weight reduction (less stress on stock brakes too) and 800V architecture. Only way I'd ever consider FSD is if it actually works and is 5k or less. Until then I am renting it for the few times it might actually be useful to me.

With the track pack, the car feels better from a suspension perspective. I wonder if Green the only could take a look at the coding changes and provide more insight.

 

[Plaidness]

Question for those with the track pack installed...is Tesla sticking with the 45psi recommended cold pressure on the tires? In my experience, that's extremely high and not ideal in most situations. Usually for this tire, the recommended pressure would be around 32-36psi and even a bit lower in some cases, so I've never understood why Tesla has such a high recommended pressure, unless it's to compensate for suspension geometry/alignment.

 

[Awiner]

Question for those with the track pack installed...is Tesla sticking with the 45psi recommended cold pressure on the tires? In my experience, that's extremely high and not ideal in most situations. Usually for this tire, the recommended pressure would be around 32-36psi and even a bit lower in some cases, so I've never understood why Tesla has such a high recommended pressure, unless it's to compensate for suspension geometry/alignment.

Specs stay the same (42 psi cold) unless you are going to be fluttering around the new top speed where the recommended psi is:

Top Speed, Tires, and Tire Pressures​

A Model S equipped with Tesla Carbon Ceramic brakes is capable of achieving a top speed of 200 mph (322 km/h).
To support this top speed, Model S must be equipped with the following tires at the recommended pressures:

Goodyear Supercar 3R	Cold - 32 psi* Hot - 36 psi* Hot on high load/banked tracks - 40 psi*
Michelin PS4S	Cold - 32 psi* Hot - 40 psi*
* For both axles at curb loading conditions.

 

[bkcyk]

I just wanna take a moment to express my gratitude to owners like daytrippin and awiner for their contributions here. It's clear they are well read when it comes to the MSP. Gracias.

*Finally got a chance to call upon the stock brakes from triple digit speeds. The braking power wasn't commensurate to the rocket like acceleration so looking forward to a bit more balance here with the ccbs.

*I'm hyped to tinker around with the software enhancements part & parcel to the brake kit

*I'm even more hyped to get a chance to push 200mph+ someday in Mexico

*It's been 2 weeks since Apple Paying $16.6K to TSLA and still no ETA, but I've got vaca time coming up so not in a rush - still feeling the new ev car glow

*My 6/2023 build already has the big red calipers front and rear so the curb appeal won't be as drastic (I wish there was an option to get yellow calipers)

 

[oktane]

No speed limit in mexico?

*I'm even more hyped to get a chance to push 200mph+ someday in Mexico

 

[Plaidness]

Specs stay the same (42 psi cold) unless you are going to be fluttering around the new top speed where the recommended psi is:

Top Speed, Tires, and Tire Pressures​

A Model S equipped with Tesla Carbon Ceramic brakes is capable of achieving a top speed of 200 mph (322 km/h).
To support this top speed, Model S must be equipped with the following tires at the recommended pressures:

Goodyear Supercar 3R	Cold - 32 psi* Hot - 36 psi* Hot on high load/banked tracks - 40 psi*
Michelin PS4S	Cold - 32 psi* Hot - 40 psi*
* For both axles at curb loading conditions.

Interesting, thanks. So they dropped it quite a bit for performance driving, which makes sense. That probably explains some of the high-speed stability. I'm curious how they are actually being delivered to customers. I was thinking it was 45psi because when I had a tire replaced by Tesla, they put 45psi in cold. I thought that was crazy, and not really good for a performance car, so I dropped it back down as soon as I got home.

This also came up for me today because my tire pressures were setting off a low pressure warning at 33psi yesterday, so I bumped them to 40 cold. When driving it today, I found it very squirrelly, almost like it was going to go off the road, when punching it. So I'm going to drop back down to around 35 and see if that makes a difference, which I suspect it will. The high tire pressure may well be a big factor in the high-speed instability that some of the reviews have mentioned.

 

[DayTrippin]

I just wanna take a moment to express my gratitude to owners like daytrippin and awiner for their contributions here. It's clear they are well read when it comes to the MSP. Gracias.

*Finally got a chance to call upon the stock brakes from triple digit speeds. The braking power wasn't commensurate to the rocket like acceleration so looking forward to a bit more balance here with the ccbs.

*I'm hyped to tinker around with the software enhancements part & parcel to the brake kit

*I'm even more hyped to get a chance to push 200mph+ someday in Mexico

*It's been 2 weeks since Apple Paying $16.6K to TSLA and still no ETA, but I've got vaca time coming up so not in a rush - still feeling the new ev car glow

*My 6/2023 build already has the big red calipers front and rear so the curb appeal won't be as drastic (I wish there was an option to get yellow calipers)

Glad to help, love my car. Be patient as it is worth it.

No speed limit in mexico?

Euphemistically, Mexico is the place we referene when we don't want to admit to driving fast in our local environment. For Mexico, there are speed limits but I've found a few greenbacks can get you out of almost any ticket. I spent of lot of my misspent youth there. Ok, the fun continued on into adulthood as long as my wife isn't reading this thread. It all stopped well before we got married in case she is reading it.

 

[Awiner]

Interesting, thanks. So they dropped it quite a bit for performance driving, which makes sense. That probably explains some of the high-speed stability. I'm curious how they are actually being delivered to customers. I was thinking it was 45psi because when I had a tire replaced by Tesla, they put 45psi in cold. I thought that was crazy, and not really good for a performance car, so I dropped it back down as soon as I got home.

This also came up for me today because my tire pressures were setting off a low pressure warning at 33psi yesterday, so I bumped them to 40 cold. When driving it today, I found it very squirrelly, almost like it was going to go off the road, when punching it. So I'm going to drop back down to around 35 and see if that makes a difference, which I suspect it will. The high tire pressure may well be a big factor in the high-speed instability that some of the reviews have mentioned.

My 2022 Plaid has always specified 42 psi cold on the touchscreen for the 21” tires. I’ll have to look in the door where the pressure recommendation sticker is. I believe it ways 42 or maybe 40 as well.