PGR4 Roadster vid

[TEG]

 

[malcolm]

Very Cool

Thanks TEG

David Vespremi described the process of transferring the Roadster into the game in his blog entry:- Tesla Motors - feel

Given that he's driven the real thing, it would be interesting to know how the in-game sound compares with the real vehicle.

 

[vfx]

Shaky-cam, rock’in soundtrack, and cool angles and moves around the car still are not enough to make a complete picture. Without sound, to feel it rattle your bones with the scream of thousands of tiny explosions giving you that visceral Doppler chill as a car races by, it is just lacking in oomph.

An important part of the racing equation is gone.

I think I would have exaggerated the "jet engine" whine of the roadster. It's a game. Not flesh and blood. Make it hit all the senses completely. Even at the sake of reality.

 

[Kardax]

Yeah, the Roadster is arguably the most unique-sounding (or not-sounding) car in the game (the only competition being the Turbine Superbike).

I set up a race of 8 Tesla Roadsters, and it was surreal. From the outside of the car, you don't hear any engine noise, just tires. You can still hear the whir from in-car perspectives, though.

I haven't ridden in a real Tesla Roadster yet, but based on what I've heard from videos with the real car versus the sound in PGR4, I'd say that it's close.

-Ryan

 

[TEG]

In that video there is one section where the car stops (rather suddenly I might add), and then revs the engine a bit before doing a burnout. There they had the eMotor sound rev up repeatedly and it seemed they had the car do a high rev launch. That part may have been inaccurate. For all other cars in the game a high rev launch might be reasonable, but (AFAIK) the Roadster would always be doing 0 RPM launches.

 

[vfx]

I caught that moment too where the driver reaches down and "pops the clutch". Even after the car is moving, the motor is still reving but there are no tires spinning. That's a good trick. Also that the Ferrari that apears a moment later has a very similar (but not as throaty) sound to the Tesla "reving".

But it does beg the question. If there is a neutral position as in the beauty close-up of the center here: Tesla Motors - cockpit ,
can you rev up the motor? And if you can, can you drop it in gear?

I think not. The electronics are probably OFF when the car is in neutral.

So many questions. I really want to drive this thing.

 

[SByer]

There's not much point in popping the clutch of an electric car (no, you can't in the Tesla).

The point of popping the clutch is to keep the engine up in a good torque range. With the electric motor, maximal torque is at zero. And the clutch is already engaged.

While I'll miss the game of trying to get a "good" launch, it's totally addictive to just be able to stomp-and-go.

 

[TEG]

Do you know this first hand, SByer?

I thought all customer drives were conducted in VP10 with the transmission locked in 2nd gear only.

Perhaps, the transmission isn't locked in 2nd gear, rather access to 1st gear is "locked out"? So then you could try to stomp the throttle in neutral and see what happens (which I imagine is a whole lot of nothing).

I wonder how it behaves if you hold the accelerator pedal to the floor with the shifter in neutral, then move the shifter into gear (which would be gear 2 in most cases today). Would it immediately apply full torque at that moment? Electronics designed to protect the drive-train reliability might better roll in the torque less abruptly to keep things from breaking.

I still never got a response as to what happens if you are on a hill with the car either in gear or in neutral. With your foot off the pedals does it roll backwards like a manual trans, or try to creep forward like an auto?
I would expect neutral to let it roll backwards, but I am not sure what they would want to do with it in gear. Personally I would like some "hill holding" capability, but it goes against traditional manual trans behavior.

 

[vfx]

"Would it immediately apply full torque at that moment?"

Ah, but does it not always put out full torgue all the time?

 

[WarpedOne]

Ah, but does it not always put out full torgue all the time?

No. If it would do that, you'd accelerate all the time up to max speed.

 

[TEG]

"Would it immediately apply full torque at that moment?"
Ah, but does it not always put out full torgue all the time?

When they say full torque at 0 RPMs they just mean that it has the ability to generate max torque at 0 RPMs. I assume that means with the go pedal to the floor. With partial pedal push it is going to have the PEM request the eMotor to make less torque. What I am wondering is what happens if you push the pedal to the floor with it in Neutral, then shift into gear (either 1st or 2nd). Not sure if the PEM will try to be nice to the drive-train for a moment or if it would just start slamming the torque on full blast immediately.

 

[mt2]

When they say full torque at 0 RPMs they just mean that it has the ability to generate max torque at 0 RPMs. I assume that means with the go pedal to the floor. With partial pedal push it is going to have the PEM request the eMotor to make less torque. What I am wondering is what happens if you push the pedal to the floor with it in Neutral, then shift into gear (either 1st or 2nd). Not sure if the PEM will try to be nice to the drive-train for a moment or if it would just start slamming the torque on full blast immediately.

Pull that stunt a couple of times and we'll be looking at a fifth gearbox supplier.

 

[SByer]

Do you know this first hand, SByer?

Yes, the clutch is engaged in first or second at a "standstill" - which isn't standstill, really, since there's programmed "creep" in the car. I didn't find the creep too objectionable, though I'd rather have the option.

I doubt that the motor is allowed to rev in neutral - there's really no point - so I don't see any way to pop the clutch. I suspect that the only time power is allowed to flow is when a gear is engaged. I neglected to test that specifically, though (and since you wouldn't really hear much, again, what's the point?)

Given what I felt when switching gears (this was with a version of the second(?) transmission), I'm pretty darned sure that switching gears while moving was the only time the gears were disengaged/reengaged. It's not something I have a direct answer on, and I certainly wasn't going to try and abuse the transmission.

Hey, the thing is so fun to drive, there there are all sorts of interesting questions you forget to ask until a while afterwards, when your senses have returned.

 

[TEG]

Hey, the thing is so fun to drive, there there are all sorts of interesting questions you forget to ask until a while afterwards, when your senses have returned.

Ha! I know what you mean in general.
Hopefully someday I get to drive the roadster and get to see all the things I forget to consider once my mind starts racing.

There will probably be some things we don't learn about until owners have a chance to drive their calls for a while and the "wow factor" starts to settle in a bit.

I bet some of the (remaining) Tesla staff probably has had enough "seat time" already to be 100% levelheaded when they are driving around.

 

[vfx]

I bet that guy (or girl) who drove the Roadster 1500 miles on a cobblestone road has some thoughts...