Performance Plus Package now available as option or retrofit

[lolachampcar]

I've been reading over some the stability control compliance documentation ( FMVSS 126 link below) and I'm getting a better feel for why Tesla may have made the decisions they did and why the P+ package took as long and costs as much as it did/does. The yaw stability test in particular goes a long way towards explaining why any manufacturer would use large amounts of negative camber at the expense of tire wear.

I'm speaking with some other MS owners offline with the goal of putting together the ability to do a minimum of bushings and damper/springs in addition to the camber links which are already done. The key is getting enough people on board to make doing development dampers a reality. I'm sure the project will extend to sway bars as well at some point but my past experience has taught me to get compliance where you want it before considering roll control.

I think Tesla may be limited on what they can and can not do for regulatory reasons thus my desire to work outside these restrictions.

jiaotong,
I love the budget/sense comment. I am certain my wife would agree with you. Add to that a desire to muck with stuff and I'm permanently screwed .

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...SNFtSL3s8ErGRbhB1-vFJVg&bvm=bv.45580626,d.eWU

 

[justaddsun]

dsm363,
Another forum member (probably with a lot more experience than I have with street tires) said the Hankook tires work very well. I'll see if I can dig up his post as they were in the $200 range if you can believe that.

- - - Updated - - -

dockt said in another thread....

"Fwiw, I've used the Hankook Ventus V12s on my AMG and did not notice any decrement in performance vs the stock Pirelli P Zeros with similar or slightly improved tread life (regardless of what the wear ratings were). They cost way less than the Contis and WAY less than the Michelins, so running costs should go down.

The other option for tires would be to go with an ultra high performance all-season tire -- which does compromise performance but tread life goes way up. I suspect most MS drivers would not care about the performance loss in day-to-day driving. My $.02.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2"

Here is the MotorTrend test: http://www.caranddriver.com/compari...res-take-on-the-michelin-ps2-comparison-tests
Hankooks came in 2nd when compared to the PS2 (as the gold standard). $800 shipped from Tirerack for a set of 4.

 

[AnOutsider]

Mod Note: A separate thread has been created to discuss/follow lolachampcar's efforts here: [lolachampcar] Performance Upgrade Efforts

 

[Lloyd]

Tesla is going to have a hard time providing the tires they advertise in this package! I was told by a Michelin rep that the 265 45 r21's is the PS2 are no longer being manufactured, and once existing stock is gone, they will be no more!

 

[dsm363]

Tesla is going to have a hard time providing the tires they advertise in this package! I was told by a Michelin rep that the 265 45 r21's is the PS2 are no longer being manufactured, and once existing stock is gone, they will be no more!

Are there any alternatives? Maybe Tesla should change the sport wheel to a more versatile 20" rim.

 

[dennis]

Tesla is going to have a hard time providing the tires they advertise in this package! I was told by a Michelin rep that the 265 45 r21's is the PS2 are no longer being manufactured, and once existing stock is gone, they will be no more!

I believe they are 265/35R21, not 265/45R21. The Perf tires are 245/35R21 according to the Tesla website.

 

[Lloyd]

Sorry, that was a typo it is the 265 35 r 21's. Check the tire rack site below.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireSearchResults.jsp?customSizeSearch=&width=265%2F&ratio=35&diameter=21

 

[Yagi]

I find these tires still available on US Michelin and Norwegian Michelin web sites. Does not say anything about the tire not being produced anymore. Although I did find some old statements on the web that the PS2 was not produced anymore. Just rumors perhaps?

 

[Calisun]

If Tesla has entered into an OEM agreement with Michelin for the PS2, they must have discussed a long term availability. it might be they equip the PS@ till a PSS with 245/35 is ready. Right now they just do 245/30 and 265/30 for 21".

 

[andrewket]

~10 days ago Tesla changed the description of the performance plus package. Among the changes, "20mm wider wheels" became "20mm wider tires". Concerned that the package did not include wider wheels and only wider tires, I contacted Tesla for clarification. This is the answer I received:

The tires are 20 mm wider, while the wheels are 12.5 mm wider. Also, we removed some confusion about the type of tire and improved the range improvement estimate.

 

[JerryNycom]

so the rim is 1/2 inch wider while the tire is 3/4 inch wider?!?

 

[ElSupreme]

so the rim is 1/2 inch wider while the tire is 3/4 inch wider?!?

Well wheel widths come in 0.5" increments, and tire widths in 10mm increments. So crap like that just happens.

 

[AWDtsla]

Tesla wants to compete with the BMW M Series. Don't know why because the car already faster than the M5. I have the P85 and it's plenty fast......scary fast.

In a straight line, until about 125mph. I've exceeded that more times and by a wider margin than I dare mention.

Handling is not on par with M cars. Model S is soft and cushy by comparison. Slalom speed for an M3 is 73-75mph (on crappy tires compared to what I have now). Model S is like ~66mph.

Also the M3 has electronically controlled dampers, with digressive response. Ride quality is amazing considering how stiff the springs are and how controlled the ride is. I have no idea how good the Model S dampers are, but they in the least appear to be fixed response.

 

[bbamrah]

Agree with above. I am very happy with my P85, but it is no M5 when it comes to handling. I had an E60 M5 (V10) model it was amazing for a sedan. The only problem were the 2 engines I blew (under warranty thank God). That car at speeds above 125 was extremely impressive.

 

[kjwcanary]

Good news if you have a standard 85 and regret not getting a performance

I just enquired with Telsa HQ whether it is possible to retrofit the performance package to a standard 85. Apparently there will be announcement in early summer that you can not only upgrade to performance, but that you get the full performance plus upgrade for 'around $15k'.

That news just made my day. It will make the best car I have ever driven, even better :love:

 

[Teslawisher]

Could this be the 5th announcement? "Right under your nose"

 

[JohnQ]

I just enquired with Telsa HQ whether it is possible to retrofit the performance package to a standard 85. Apparently there will be announcement in early summer that you can not only upgrade to performance, but that you get the full performance plus upgrade for 'around $15k'.

That news just made my day. It will make the best car I have ever driven, even better :love:

Can I presume that this is the (retrofittable) suspension, wheels and tires and not a replacement of the motor/inverter? Otherwise sounds too good to be true.

Not that I'd complain if that were the case, though.

 

[RandyS]

You could also go the "buy a loaner car" option that is a performance model, right?

 

[nrcooled]

Can I presume that this is the (retrofittable) suspension, wheels and tires and not a replacement of the motor/inverter? Otherwise sounds too good to be true.

Not that I'd complain if that were the case, though.

This is my questions also.

 

[kjwcanary]

Can I presume that this is the (retrofittable) suspension, wheels and tires and not a replacement of the motor/inverter? Otherwise sounds too good to be true.

Not that I'd complain if that were the case, though.

I really pressed him on this issue. They have my VIN and know what car I have. He said, definitely, this will be available in the summer. I also thought it was too good to be true, but he double confirmed it.

All that said, I'll still have some doubts, until I see an official announcement.