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Performance Plus (P85+) vs. Performance (P85) Test Drive and Review

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Sigh. First off, thanks to all of you for your thoughtful commentary on this topic. Very informative insights, well articulated. Having said that... damn you! :cool:
I have (had) as S85 scheduled for Feb 5 delivery at the factory. Being a voracious researcher, I have poured through these forums at length. After a fitful night of sleep, mentally processing whether I was being shortsighted with my current order, I called my Delivery Specialist first thing to change my order to a fully loaded P85+. Thank you? :biggrin:

Congratulations! You are welcome.
 
I'm pretty sure you're going to love it! Congrats!

Sigh. First off, thanks to all of you for your thoughtful commentary on this topic. Very informative insights, well articulated. Having said that... damn you! :cool:
I have (had) as S85 scheduled for Feb 5 delivery at the factory. Being a voracious researcher, I have poured through these forums at length. After a fitful night of sleep, mentally processing whether I was being shortsighted with my current order, I called my Delivery Specialist first thing to change my order to a fully loaded P85+. Thank you? :biggrin:
 
Sigh. First off, thanks to all of you for your thoughtful commentary on this topic. Very informative insights, well articulated. Having said that... damn you! :cool:
I have (had) as S85 scheduled for Feb 5 delivery at the factory. Being a voracious researcher, I have poured through these forums at length. After a fitful night of sleep, mentally processing whether I was being shortsighted with my current order, I called my Delivery Specialist first thing to change my order to a fully loaded P85+. Thank you? :biggrin:

Know the feeling. Same process for me. Also ended up with all in... ;-)
 
I have a P85+ on order, though will really need winter tyres (tires) for a couple of months a year when getting away from our house means tackling some hills which most ICEs (eg BMWs) cannot navigate if we've had a little snow.

does anyone have direct experience of winter tyres on a P85+, either with the 19" Tesla offering or with some other tyre type on the P85+'s staggered wheels (fatter rears)? If so, what is traction uphill on ice/snow like? We do NOT ever have conditions which warrant studs or chains by the way!

Simon
 
I have a P85+ on order, though will really need winter tyres (tires) for a couple of months a year when getting away from our house means tackling some hills which most ICEs (eg BMWs) cannot navigate if we've had a little snow.

does anyone have direct experience of winter tyres on a P85+, either with the 19" Tesla offering or with some other tyre type on the P85+'s staggered wheels (fatter rears)? If so, what is traction uphill on ice/snow like? We do NOT ever have conditions which warrant studs or chains by the way!

Simon

For the UK. Go for the 19" tesla wheels and nokian studless. they are square setup and no problems with the P85+. Avoid the pirelli etc as they are not for snow/ice. oh and avoid allyear like the plague... ;-)
 
For the UK. Go for the 19" tesla wheels and nokian studless. they are square setup and no problems with the P85+. Avoid the pirelli etc as they are not for snow/ice. oh and avoid allyear like the plague... ;-)
Why avoid the all year tyres? Are they too much of a compromise all year?!

i really wanted the P85+ with the 19" wheels but this thread and Tesla all point out that the 21" wheels are part of the peak performance setup.
 
I have a P85+ on order, though will really need winter tyres (tires) for a couple of months a year when getting away from our house means tackling some hills which most ICEs (eg BMWs) cannot navigate if we've had a little snow.

does anyone have direct experience of winter tyres on a P85+, either with the 19" Tesla offering or with some other tyre type on the P85+'s staggered wheels (fatter rears)? If so, what is traction uphill on ice/snow like? We do NOT ever have conditions which warrant studs or chains by the way!

Simon
No experience, but I’m pretty sure I remember reading that many had decided to go with some sort of 19’’ offering. But not as sure if they actually did though. Maybe a specific thread on that topic is a good idea?
 
I have a P85+ on order, though will really need winter tyres (tires) for a couple of months a year when getting away from our house means tackling some hills which most ICEs (eg BMWs) cannot navigate if we've had a little snow.

does anyone have direct experience of winter tyres on a P85+, either with the 19" Tesla offering or with some other tyre type on the P85+'s staggered wheels (fatter rears)? If so, what is traction uphill on ice/snow like? We do NOT ever have conditions which warrant studs or chains by the way!

Simon

I've got 19s with Michelin XICE xi3 tires on my P85+. Snow and ice traction is great. But I can spin tires all the way up to 50mph with traction control on in the dry. Wider rears are going to give you worse snow performance, you want as narrow of a tire as possible, which is why I didn't stagger them. I can't wait to be back on my staggered 21s.

- - - Updated - - -

I shot this video with Blizzak LM-60s on, I've since switched to Michelin XICE xi3 tires.

http://youtu.be/-Ka4oXtxShw
 
I wish Tesla offered a "+" model without the extra cost of the P and without the "21" wheels. I don't need the extra power and don't want the 21" wheels and the issues that come with them. I just want better handling. The S is a big heavy car and it needs a tighter suspension than what comes standard. I see no logical reason why the "+" option should require the extremely costly P option. But I doubt Tesla is ever going to offer what I'm describing.
 
I wish Tesla offered a "+" model without the extra cost of the P and without the "21" wheels. I don't need the extra power and don't want the 21" wheels and the issues that come with them. I just want better handling. The S is a big heavy car and it needs a tighter suspension than what comes standard. I see no logical reason why the "+" option should require the extremely costly P option. But I doubt Tesla is ever going to offer what I'm describing.

What are you describing exactly?

Do you just want the newer lower control arms with the stiffer bushings or are you looking for more?
 
I wish Tesla offered a "+" model without the extra cost of the P and without the "21" wheels. I don't need the extra power and don't want the 21" wheels and the issues that come with them. I just want better handling. ... I see no logical reason why the "+" option should require the extremely costly P option. But I doubt Tesla is ever going to offer what I'm describing.
Have you asked them if they’ll take your order?

Leilani Munter (race car driver and a member of TMC) was able to get a completely leather free interior. Tesla got her car a bespoke non-leather steering wheel. Others have been able to unbundle the High power wall connector from the US High Power Home Charging option, and just order the second onboard charger…
 
Thanks very much for the thorough comparison. This is exactly the decision I'm trying to make: P85 or P85+. My wife and I test drove a P85 this week. I have a pretty good bit of track experience with my Boxster S, and the wife says go for the + as well. One of these days after delivery, I may have to take the Tesla to a PCA track day and see what the 911 drivers think.
 
After researching, I discovered its actually not worth the premium for the +. You can get the strut bars aftermarket. The headaches or having to constantly change your rear staggered tires because you cannot rotate them, is not worth over the "better" handling. Agree or disagree?
 
After researching, I discovered its actually not worth the premium for the +. You can get the strut bars aftermarket. The headaches or having to constantly change your rear staggered tires because you cannot rotate them, is not worth over the "better" handling. Agree or disagree?

A "strut bar" and a "sway bar" are two different things, I assume you meant the sway bars? I'd be curious to know where?
 
Irvineboy might be right. You should just be able to buy sway bars in the aftermarket and add that the regular P85. I personally think the P85 is better in the long run if you are buying a CPO. The P85 is cheaper compared to the P85+. Also, the fact that you can rotate the tires on the regular P85, that is better for most people. That will save you lots money in the end. Just add sways to the regular P85 and you should be comparable to the P85+ right? The ride is also not as harsh.

P85 for $71,500
85 kWh Performance Model S P37447 | Tesla Motors

P85+ for $74,600
85 kWh Performance Model S P39584 | Tesla Motors

Yes, the P85 has twice as many miles but the P85+ costs $3,000 more. If it were me, I'd still take the regular P85 to save the cost of tires. It's not like I race my car and need the stiffer suspension on twists and turns. Would anyone completely argue against this?
 
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