If someone made a carbon fiber replacement panel for the top glass I would buy it. UP is charging a lot of money for the less durable lexan.
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My Car is on a Diet.
- Thread starter MasterC17
- Start date
If someone made a carbon fiber replacement panel for the top glass I would buy it. UP is charging a lot of money for the less durable lexan.
Carbon roof for the E46 was ~$900 shipped and that is a larger piece. The glass is only held on by urethane, which even when dry is very flexible. I don't think it has much of an impact for the top piece.
SummerlinChiro
Member
The glass roof has to be one of my least favorite things about Tesla's.
All that weight in the absolute worst place, and it serves zero practical purpose.
C'mon Elon, give us a lighter option!
The big hole in the top of the car gives robots access to install the interior as the car rolls down the assembly line. So yes the glass has a purpose.
beastmode13
Member
Glass is just one way to cover the hole. There are other materials that are lighter that does the same. But glass is probably the most cost efficient option, factoring finishing and installation costs of the piece.
In a roll over accident the glass roof has been shown to be stronger than a conventional thin steel roof.
I'd be concerned about a carbon roof creating a lot of nasty shards in a roll over accident. Maybe Kevlar or some sort of composite sandwhich would be better, but then the cost is going to be higher still.
I'd be concerned about a carbon roof creating a lot of nasty shards in a roll over accident. Maybe Kevlar or some sort of composite sandwhich would be better, but then the cost is going to be higher still.
I don't really have anything against the glass top roof - but it is heavy and my goal is to drop weight. Given it is at the top of the car, it seems like the most logical place to start. You could weld an aluminum frame, with a thin sheet of aluminum as a bottom layer, and then carbon or lexan sheet as a top layer. This would be structurally strong, cosmetically not appalling, not pose any safety concern, and still drop a lot of weight.
It's very possible that within the same thickness and weight it's not possible to have the same safety and chassis rigidity as multilayered glass. Steel bars might easily weight the same if not more. It's not just a pano roof - it's a structural element. So I personally wouldn't go there. With a proper cage it wouldn't matter, though.
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I completely understand where you are coming from. I'll let you know what I find!
Some more weights (and thank you to those that are contributing to the spreadsheet):
Trunk Side Carpets/Trim Pieces 7.5 both left and right
Lower B-Pillar Trim 1.2 each
Rear Lower Carpet 4.5
Upper A-Pillar Trim 0.7 each
Upper C-Pillar Trim 1.15 each
Rear Seat Belt Surround Trim 0.5 each
Rear Middle C-Pillar Trim 0.22 each
Lower A-Pillar/Sill Trim 0.85 each
Lower C-Pillar Sill/Trim 0.45 each
Dashboard End Caps 0.2 each
Passenger Lower Dash Trim Panel 0.75 w/ speaker
I am honestly amazed at how light some things are. The fact that the rear carpet is only 4.5lbs is crazy. My E46 M3's was 15lbs, more than 3X in a coupe!!
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On a roll, so why stop now.
Sun Visor 1 each
Rear View Mirror 0.6
Headliner 5
Front Door Panel 7.75 each
Looks like the top glass is 3 layers. Though, there is no frame, just stacked glass held into place with a bead of urethane.
Sun Visor 1 each
Rear View Mirror 0.6
Headliner 5
Front Door Panel 7.75 each
Looks like the top glass is 3 layers. Though, there is no frame, just stacked glass held into place with a bead of urethane.
So, I take it that instead of selling 3rd M3P you're just taking it apart? I hope that's not going to dent your budget too much.
I have a feeling that tri-motor M3 RS might be in 2022 with new cells after they will clear out Plaid+ orders. It won't be as fast as Plaid+ on a straight, I guess, but closer to Plaid. 110kwh, probably. $85K in US, maybe. Fixed cooling, firmer adjustable suspension, sport seats, wider wheels, torque vectoring track mode, yoke steering.
They would need a mule for new cells M3 pack and there is a market for sub 100K RS. They follow BMW in that - M5 is faster on the straight than M3, but you don't build a track tool with M5. So I'm going to hold on with further upgrades - you can't beat +50% of power and independent rear motors with DIY upgrades.
I have a feeling that tri-motor M3 RS might be in 2022 with new cells after they will clear out Plaid+ orders. It won't be as fast as Plaid+ on a straight, I guess, but closer to Plaid. 110kwh, probably. $85K in US, maybe. Fixed cooling, firmer adjustable suspension, sport seats, wider wheels, torque vectoring track mode, yoke steering.
They would need a mule for new cells M3 pack and there is a market for sub 100K RS. They follow BMW in that - M5 is faster on the straight than M3, but you don't build a track tool with M5. So I'm going to hold on with further upgrades - you can't beat +50% of power and independent rear motors with DIY upgrades.
I may sell the Red Performance. I was originally planning to swap everything from the Black 2018 to the 2021, but it is just going to be too time consuming and I don't see the 2021 offering any real benefits. Maybe next year. Fortunately, resale on the Model 3's are still strong - so if a higher performance, Performance (RS, Plaid, whatever) comes out I will jump on it. I have a deposit down for a Plaid+, but I probably will not be following through on that lol. I am glad they dropped the weight on the Plaid, though I suspect the Plaid+ will be a few hundred pounds heavier.
Don't get me wrong, I agree there's not too much left to be had in terms of going faster. If I can get down to a 2:05 at VIR I will be very satisfied, but I don't see any possibility of going faster than that. More importantly to me, the modifications I have been focusing on are about endurance and getting the most out of the track day. If I can get out every session for 20 minutes without a massive drop off in power I will be very, very happy!
I also just like taking cars apart, so this is as much fun as it is anything else. The Model 3 is so easy to work on too!
I raced a guy once at the track a while back who had taken a beautiful Model X and removed all but the driver's seat, the frunk and everything else he could take off. (I can envision the seats and bolts laying around his garage.....who would ever want to buy that car again)
Hey, I still beat him in the quarter-mile by .01 of a second for the World SUV speed record. What he really needed to do was back away from the trough for a few months.
Hey, I still beat him in the quarter-mile by .01 of a second for the World SUV speed record. What he really needed to do was back away from the trough for a few months.
Just to be clear - I am NOT doing this for drag racing purposes. I have spent a total of ~3 hours removing all of these pieces and weighing them. This is not difficult or hard to reverse and is not ruining the car. I barely drive the car anyway, it's gone a total of ~100 miles since November. I don't recommend everyone do this. I have no use for the rear seats. I am just sharing my experience.
This car is being built to compete in One Lap of America and the GRM UTCC. If I'm lucky, my NASA Region will start up the EV-TT Class.
And I weigh 125lbs...
This car is being built to compete in One Lap of America and the GRM UTCC. If I'm lucky, my NASA Region will start up the EV-TT Class.
And I weigh 125lbs...
Vaillant
Member
But how heavy are your track day clothes? Are you wearing boxers (heavy), briefs (better), thong (good), or commando (the correct answer)? Crew socks or low cut socks? Also, if you’re putting two swipes of deodorant on, you can drop down to one. Have you thought about shaving your head? And shaving your legs? How about your eyebrows? Do you really need two kidneys?
I think they can solve endurance as well better than aftermarket. Larger gas compressor and pump for glycol cooling and the same single radiator does the trick. It's just 2 parts change and it's not even high cost or size penalty. The rest is a valve programming.
And with a larger cells based on a new spec - it can be 3x more average power for a 20 minutes session.
As for the brakes - if old batteries can take 250KW of charging power - I bet that new larger ones can take that in a much wider range. I wouldnt mind them having a supercapacitor buffer that can take maximum motor power - as a test mule before Roadster release. There is much more front brake torque falls on a weak front motor, so I assume it's 1.3x of front motor power only, but it's still can offload probably half of the heat. This way reasonably cheap stock brakes with high temp pads can survive the whole session.
I also like improving things, but I feel that we might do a better job finding a way to convince Tesla there is a market for M3 RS (or M2 RS) and done right can bring another 100-200K of hardcore fans (way more than plaid+ buyers anyway). Some things can only be done by OEM.
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