Performance vs. Performance Upgrade - Confused

[alexucf]

Personally I suggest against FSD. The autopilot which Tesla comes with already does a lot and FSD just isn't quite there yet. Nobody knows when it will be. Like one thing it can't do is park itself unless there are 2 cars to park between that are close enough. Apparently you can't just pick a spot if it's open. There have to be cars on each side and close enough. 2 car widths apart would be too far.

Used market seems like a total rip-off at this time but maybe your local options are better? Unlikely but maybe.

When I bought my S, Tesla was really pushing the “its upgradable!!” type stuff. Six months or so later, autopilot came out and all of the sudden it wasn’t upgradable anymore. I’ve had to watch for the last 5-6 years from the sidelines and the updates just kinda trickle to a stop as time goes on.

Needless to say this time I paid for FSD. Less because I think it’s right around the corner and more because I think it’s not. It’s insurance against feeling completely abandoned during the life of the car.

Two cents. Or maybe 700,000 of them. Whichever

 

[Fresnel]

Personally I suggest against FSD. The autopilot which Tesla comes with already does a lot and FSD just isn't quite there yet. Nobody knows when it will be. Like one thing it can't do is park itself unless there are 2 cars to park between that are close enough. Apparently you can't just pick a spot if it's open. There have to be cars on each side and close enough. 2 car widths apart would be too far.

Used market seems like a total rip-off at this time but maybe your local options are better? Unlikely but maybe.

The best part of FSD isn't even promoted that much.. It's not that it can auto drive on highways which it's ok but the best feature is being able to hit the turn signal stalk to get the car to switch lanes without having to reengage autopilot. That rich there is great and amazing useful.

 

[ZapCarM3]

The best part of FSD isn't even promoted that much.. It's not that it can auto drive on highways which it's ok but the best feature is being able to hit the turn signal stalk to get the car to switch lanes without having to reengage autopilot. That rich there is great and amazing useful.

I feel ya! It comes down to how much you appreciate those features. For me I don't need that. I'd rather turn when I feel it's safe using my senses and something about having the hands on the wheel with it doing stuff with no input from you and you just holding on as it turns is still uncomfortable for me. Would mean making the mental adjustment to just keeping hands on the wheel but basically not doing anything unless something came up and I'm not comfortable with that. But the adaptive cruise and such is extremely valuable to me but is an autopilot feature.

But here I am really stressing about that 0-60 time when it otherwise really serves no practical purposes. But when stealth was available at only 2k more, of course I'll do it! But now it's all this or that and I don't like the options currently available so I'll wait a little as I decide and maybe something will change for the better in time for me.

 

[Dan203]

The suspension in the Performance is also stiffer, not just lowered. So you can take corners a bit faster without any noticeable body roll. Although you feel every bump too. So pluses and minuses there.

If I were buying right now I'd probably still get the upgrade. I like the stiff suspension and also like the look of the bigger wheels, red brakes and spoiler.

 

[BM3B]

Apples to apples is rim vs rim.

That's the part that'll remain for the life of the car generally. The tires will change out every 15-20k miles (if you're driving it hard- and if not why'd you buy a P at all?)- and you're likely to end up with the SAME tire on either depending on your usage case after the first 15-20 miles anyway. The 20 rims remain 33% heavier boat anchors at that point.

The aero covers BTW are 1.4 lbs... and the 18s look vastly better if you replace them with the wheel cap kit that weights almost nothing though.

Vastly better than the 19/20 sport wheels too.

That's based on both my own opinion of the looks of each, folks I've personally shown both kindas to (where it's about 70/30 in favor of the capped 18s instead of the 19/20 design).... and that of the several folks I've gotten referral bonuses from in 2019 by pointing em at stealths they got with 18s and then got the cap kit instead of going for the stealths out there with sport 19s.

YMMV on looks of course, but weight is weight.






See above...18s with cap kit beat the 19/20 sport wheels for weight and damage resistance and looks too

The last one is entirely subjective and YMMV of course, the first two advantages are facts however.

And acceleration! Record 0-60 times on Dragy are with 18” wheels, 19” slower (by 0.08 sec) and 20” even slower. Weight matters

 

[WilliamG]

And acceleration! Record 0-60 times on Dragy are with 18” wheels, 19” slower (by 0.08 sec) and 20” even slower. Weight matters

There’s very little in it, actually. 18s vs 20s - fastest Model 3s in Dragy’s history.

 

[BM3B]

There’s very little in it, actually. 18s vs 20s - fastest Model 3s in Dragy’s history.

18s are faster

 

[WilliamG]

18s are faster

Yes. Nobody is denying that. I’m just saying 0.04 seconds is not worth losing sleep over.

 

[BM3B]

Yes. Nobody is denying that. I’m just saying 0.04 seconds is not worth losing sleep over.

True, still the extra range of the 18” wheels makes them pretty amazing. I personally have 19” on my stealth but wish I had the 18”. They wouldn’t sell it with 18” to me, I may “downgrade” when I need new tires. I had a LR RWD with 18” aero wheels that I loved. I was getting 215 Wh/mile.

 

[WilliamG]

True, still the extra range of the 18” wheels makes them pretty amazing. I personally have 19” on my stealth but wish I had the 18”. They wouldn’t sell it with 18” to me, I may “downgrade” when I need new tires. I had a LR RWD with 18” aero wheels that I loved. I was getting 215 Wh/mile.

Yep no question if range is your goal, then 18s with Aero covers are the way.

 

[robski]

You can buy another set of 20's for a total of 8 20's and put them on your seats. It'll still feed dust to the AWD and lower models.

Stock 18's are just ugly. I paid more so that I don't have to be seen with them. I'm willing to trade them out on Halloween for a day though.

 

[Knightshade]

You can buy another set of 20's for a total of 8 20's and put them on your seats. It'll still feed dust to the AWD and lower models.

Sure.

And it'd still lose to the P with 18s

In looks too, if the 18s guy took off the aeros and put the cap kit on (though again this ones subjective)

 

[Dan203]

So is this option "free"? It doesn't seem to change the price whether it's checked or not. You seem to be getting a lot of stuff there for a "free" upgrade. And the only thing you lose is a bit of range. I would absolutely choose this option if I were buying again. Unless you have some reason to just need that extra 20 miles of range or hate the bigger wheels. (although those can be replaced)

 

[Knightshade]

So is this option "free"?

No, it's not free, it's built into the price of the car.

Prior to this month the P3D+ (with the "option" included) was the same price it is today- you just didn't get a choice about taking that package or not. Now you do- no price change.

 

[Dan203]

No, it's not free, it's built into the price of the car.

Prior to this month the P3D+ (with the "option" included) was the same price it is today- you just didn't get a choice about taking that package or not. Now you do- no price change.

Just seems like it should be cheaper without all that extra stuff.

 

[i11matic]

So is this option "free"? It doesn't seem to change the price whether it's checked or not. You seem to be getting a lot of stuff there for a "free" upgrade. And the only thing you lose is a bit of range. I would absolutely choose this option if I were buying again. Unless you have some reason to just need that extra 20 miles of range or hate the bigger wheels. (although those can be replaced)

It's more the other way around. The price of the performance hasn't changed when they added the stealth option now, not adding the PUP means you are leaving money on the table. Tesla should have left the PUP as default and made the stealth option the check box...but I guess when people go to order, the incentive is they think they are getting the PUP for "free" and it looks like a great bargain?

 

[Dan203]

It's more the other way around. The price of the performance hasn't changed when they added the stealth option now, not adding the PUP means you are leaving money on the table. Tesla should have left the PUP as default and made the stealth option the check box...but I guess when people go to order, the incentive is they think they are getting the PUP for "free" and it looks like a great bargain?

Yeah it's a little sneaky that it's unchecked by default, and looks like an option that will cost more, but doesn't actually increase the price. Kind of deceptive design practice in my opinion.

 

[M3FNATIK]

Sure.

And it'd still lose to the P with 18s

In looks too, if the 18s guy took off the aeros and put the cap kit on (though again this ones subjective)

Yup, this is how I run it. The 18s look like BBS RK rims from back in the day so its good looking rim, plus its dark gunmetal grey. Pretty sweet for free wheels. If only the performance brakes could fit under them...

 

[robski]

Sure.

And it'd still lose to the P with 18s

In looks too, if the 18s guy took off the aeros and put the cap kit on (though again this ones subjective)

The 18's are just ugly with or without caps. That's fact

But go to tesla.com and try to find a pic of the 18's, aside from the order page. You can't because even Tesla knows they're ugly. The trade-off is a no brainier, plus you can downgrade if you REALLY want to.

I do agree with you though in that driving a vette screams out small pee pee.

 

[SK360]

The 18's are just ugly with or without caps. That's fact

But go to tesla.com and try to find a pic of the 18's, aside from the order page. You can't because even Tesla knows they're ugly. The trade-off is a no brainier, plus you can downgrade if you REALLY want to.

I do agree with you though in that driving a vette screams out small pee pee.

Great reply until the end. For most sure that buy them to drive around they’re compensating but I raced Corvettes competitively for the last 8 years, They were 3200lbs with a manual and ~$60-70k, my last car made over 700hp, there were no other options that met those specs.

Now I’m switching up to racing a 4100lbs electric car. We’ll see what happens.