Plaid handling

[verdee]

For those that own a plaid, how is the handling? I'm currently driving a 100D, and over the corse of owning 2 Ss, my biggest complain has been the holding. Its fun in a straight line, but is floaty and isn't as dynamic in the turns as I would like. I haven't driven a Raven but I have heard the new suspension is much better. I'm getting frustrated with the plaid delays (I had a June delivery window for a whole week, and almost turned in my lease, and got lucky I backed out at the last minute before it disappeared).

Yesterday, starting to look at other options, I went and drove a Taycan 4S. The straight-line speed was similar to my 100D, but the cornering was amazing, and really made me like the the car. I would be willing to give up straight speed of the plaid for the handling of Taycan. The range difference, worries me a little, but isn't a deal breaker based on how I drive. If the plaid is close in handling (I don't expect it to have the steering feel of the Porsche) I would keep my reservation. Otherwise I'm considering putting in an order for cross truismo. Anybody driven both and have feedback?

 

[headcase]

I haven't driven the Plaid myself, but I hear ya in terms of cornering on the Model S.

On a related note, I took the Taycan out for a day or driving last week, and although it certainly handles **much** better than a Model S and feels like a true Porsche, I was very unimpressed with the software. Lots of bugs and usability was no fun for me. When I went to read the Taycan owners forums on how to deal navigation hiccups, 3rd party charging issues, and other bugs, I couldn't run back to Tesla fast enough. My 2 cents.

 

[omarsultan]

I do not have a Taycan, but I do have a Plaid. I think it handles better than any of its predecessors--I think that is a function of the suspension but also whatever this did with the chassis--it feels tighter. I have gone on some twisty road drive and I have love the handling--connected, no surprises, flies out of corners.

 

[TANGO SUKKA]

I was also going to make this thread but with a slight twist... curious on the difference between the Performance 3 handling vs the Plaid.

Can anyone who owns a P3D that has taken delivery of a Plaid comment?

 

[Raiderfann2001]

I was also going to make this thread but with a slight twist... curious on the difference between the Performance 3 handling vs the Plaid.

Can anyone who owns a P3D that has taken delivery of a Plaid comment?

I had a 3p and the main difference is in the dartiness of the 3, versus the stability of the Plaid. My 3p was more responsive, to the point of feeling like a Mario Kart, but they was pretty tippy when going around tight corners fast (more responsive like it had a lot of negative camber. )The Plaid grips better and is flatter, and while it feels heavier than the 3, it is more planted and you don't get that feeling of the battery weight being noticeable, if that makes sense. I always felt like my car 3 just finished a buffet underneath. In an autocross, I am sure the 3 would do better than the S, but more moderate and high speed handling there is no comparison. Of course my wife always wants it on soft suspension and gets mad if I give it any "gas." A good comparison is how the 3 feels kind of like my old evo or Sti and my plaid feels like my Gtr if that helps. I read somewhere that the skidpad on the Plaid is 1.05, but I am not sure if that is correct, where the 3p was something like .95. Big difference.

 

[TANGO SUKKA]

I had a 3p and the main difference is in the dartiness of the 3, versus the stability of the Plaid. My 3p was more responsive, to the point of feeling like a Mario Kart, but they was pretty tippy when going around tight corners fast (more responsive like it had a lot of negative camber. )The Plaid grips better and is flatter, and while it feels heavier than the 3, it is more planted and you don't get that feeling of the battery weight being noticeable, if that makes sense. I always felt like my car 3 just finished a buffet underneath. In an autocross, I am sure the 3 would do better than the S, but more moderate and high speed handling there is no comparison. Of course my wife always wants it on soft suspension and gets mad if I give it any "gas." A good comparison is how the 3 feels kind of like my old evo or Sti and my plaid feels like my Gtr if that helps. I read somewhere that the skidpad on the Plaid is 1.05, but I am not sure if that is correct, where the 3p was something like .95. Big difference.

Thanks for the insight. If it truly is a 1.05 skidpad rating, I guess this is my next car. My biggest concern was that it would feel like the boat the Model S LR I drove once was.

 

[Cal1]

Does anyone know if the 19"s are staggered sizes? What about the 21's

 

[Aggmeister2010]

For those that own a plaid, how is the handling? I'm currently driving a 100D, and over the corse of owning 2 Ss, my biggest complain has been the holding. Its fun in a straight line, but is floaty and isn't as dynamic in the turns as I would like. I haven't driven a Raven but I have heard the new suspension is much better. I'm getting frustrated with the plaid delays (I had a June delivery window for a whole week, and almost turned in my lease, and got lucky I backed out at the last minute before it disappeared).

Yesterday, starting to look at other options, I went and drove a Taycan 4S. The straight-line speed was similar to my 100D, but the cornering was amazing, and really made me like the the car. I would be willing to give up straight speed of the plaid for the handling of Taycan. The range difference, worries me a little, but isn't a deal breaker based on how I drive. If the plaid is close in handling (I don't expect it to have the steering feel of the Porsche) I would keep my reservation. Otherwise I'm considering putting in an order for cross truismo. Anybody driven both and have feedback?

I have an S with the pre-raven air suspension. To be honest, I like it....I don't need something super stiff and race-like for a daily driver on the freeway. But, if you're looking for something more sporty without having to break your lease and pay a TON more money, maybe look at the Unplugged Performance air struts.

I've read fantastic things about them - and like coilovers, they have adjustable firmness. So if you want the car to stay flat in corners like the Taycan, you can adjust for that. IIRC it's like $2k for the parts, and they aren't terribly difficult to swap.

Does anyone know if the 19"s are staggered sizes? What about the 21's

From notateslaapp.com:


The 19" Tempest tires are Pirelli P Zero 235/45 R 19. The 21" Arachnid are Michelin Pilot Sport 4S 265/35 ZR 21 and is 20mm wider than a 245 tire.

Interesting is the 19" 235 which is 10mm smaller than the 245 tire normally found on a Tesla Model S. A 235 tire or a 265 tire means 30mm difference. For the tire to visually snap to the outside line of the body a spacer must be installed. Normally only one tire size is advised for a car.

That's.....kinda shockingly bad. 235's on a 1000 hp car? Did they do that for EPA rating? Can't tell if they've squared up the Arachnids to 265 all around or if it's 245/265 like they have been since the beginning....why wouldn't they put on a 285 in the back like the Taycan and M5?

 

[TANGO SUKKA]

I have an S with the pre-raven air suspension. To be honest, I like it....I don't need something super stiff and race-like for a daily driver on the freeway. But, if you're looking for something more sporty without having to break your lease and pay a TON more money, maybe look at the Unplugged Performance air struts.

I've read fantastic things about them - and like coilovers, they have adjustable firmness. So if you want the car to stay flat in corners like the Taycan, you can adjust for that. IIRC it's like $2k for the parts, and they aren't terribly difficult to swap.






From notateslaapp.com:


The 19" Tempest tires are Pirelli P Zero 235/45 R 19. The 21" Arachnid are Michelin Pilot Sport 4S 265/35 ZR 21 and is 20mm wider than a 245 tire.

Interesting is the 19" 235 which is 10mm smaller than the 245 tire normally found on a Tesla Model S. A 235 tire or a 265 tire means 30mm difference. For the tire to visually snap to the outside line of the body a spacer must be installed. Normally only one tire size is advised for a car.

That's.....kinda shockingly bad. 235's on a 1000 hp car? Did they do that for EPA rating? Can't tell if they've squared up the Arachnids to 265 all around or if it's 245/265 like they have been since the beginning....why wouldn't they put on a 285 in the back like the Taycan and M5?

they most likely went skinny on the tires for range. i swapped out the stock 20's on my performance 3 with 265's which fills out the wheel well, and lost about 25-30% range from it. no ragrets.

 

[Aggmeister2010]

they most likely went skinny on the tires for range.

Yep, I imagine they put 235s on it to make that EPA figure as high as possible. IMO, that's a bit....dishonest, but I'm just some guy on the internet.

I have Vossen 21's and 245 / 285 on my S and didn't really notice much drop in range when I did the change. A long-established rule of thumb holds that a 10 percent increase in rolling resistance yields a 1-2 percent decrease in 'fuel' economy. So I'm always surprised to hear such dramatic decreases in range from a mere tire change. Makes me wonder if the performance wheels inspire more performance driving, which obviously uses more power.

With that said, Tesla's wheels are quite heavy, so going from 19 to 21 adds quite a bit of unsprung weight. Again, totally worth it because it looks awesome.

 

[TANGO SUKKA]

Yep, I imagine they put 235s on it to make that EPA figure as high as possible. IMO, that's a bit....dishonest, but I'm just some guy on the internet.

I have Vossen 21's and 245 / 285 on my S and didn't really notice much drop in range when I did the change. A long-established rule of thumb holds that a 10 percent increase in rolling resistance yields a 1-2 percent decrease in 'fuel' economy. So I'm always surprised to hear such dramatic decreases in range from a mere tire change. Makes me wonder if the performance wheels inspire more performance driving, which obviously uses more power.

With that said, Tesla's wheels are quite heavy, so going from 19 to 21 adds quite a bit of unsprung weight. Again, totally worth it because it looks awesome.

If you look at the configurator it actually updates the range when you select the bigger wheels.

 

[catalyst07]

I have an S with the pre-raven air suspension. To be honest, I like it....I don't need something super stiff and race-like for a daily driver on the freeway. But, if you're looking for something more sporty without having to break your lease and pay a TON more money, maybe look at the Unplugged Performance air struts.

I've read fantastic things about them - and like coilovers, they have adjustable firmness. So if you want the car to stay flat in corners like the Taycan, you can adjust for that. IIRC it's like $2k for the parts, and they aren't terribly difficult to swap.






From notateslaapp.com:


The 19" Tempest tires are Pirelli P Zero 235/45 R 19. The 21" Arachnid are Michelin Pilot Sport 4S 265/35 ZR 21 and is 20mm wider than a 245 tire.

Interesting is the 19" 235 which is 10mm smaller than the 245 tire normally found on a Tesla Model S. A 235 tire or a 265 tire means 30mm difference. For the tire to visually snap to the outside line of the body a spacer must be installed. Normally only one tire size is advised for a car.

That's.....kinda shockingly bad. 235's on a 1000 hp car? Did they do that for EPA rating? Can't tell if they've squared up the Arachnids to 265 all around or if it's 245/265 like they have been since the beginning....why wouldn't they put on a 285 in the back like the Taycan and M5?

The Plaid with 21" Arachnids has 295's in the rear

 

[uthatcher]

Thanks for the insight. If it truly is a 1.05 skidpad rating, I guess this is my next car. My biggest concern was that it would feel like the boat the Model S LR I drove once was.

I went from a 2021 LRS with 19’s to the Plaid and I can say without a doubt, the Plaid is way more responsive. The suspension functions better in the sense that’s there’s no weird driveline lash or clunks or anything.
And as far as the handling goes, it’s night and day. But I went from 19’s to 21’s so that would be part of the difference. However, the Plaid is tight, remains level, steers very nicely, and has a performance feel.
Kind of like the difference between riding a Harley or a Ducati. I like both and have both, but each one requires a very different type of riding style and sense of urgency. The LR removed all sense of urgency, the Plaid just makes me want to GO!

 

[Tolga]

Is torque vectoring currently active or waiting for software update?

 

[omarsultan]

Seems to be active--car certainly flies out of corners

 

[Aggmeister2010]

The Plaid with 21" Arachnids has 295's in the rear

Ok, now we're talking then. That's much better.....seems the article i read from was incorrect.

Edit: TireRack.com is showing the following tire size for Plaid:

F: 265/35/21
R: 295/30/21

And 255/285 for the 19s. So *that's* why they flared the arches

 

[txturbo]

The new Plaid suspension feels remarkably better. In addition, ride compliance seems to be much more controlled. For example, speed bumps would cause our P90D to bounce and squeak, but the Plaid just seems to float over them with a solid feel and virtually silent. It's like the computer is looking at the road ahead and changing the suspension on the fly. I am not sure if this has to do with the suspension auto mode or not.

When accelerating hard, the yoke can translate your body movements to the wheels. This may be due to how the yoke is held, and its square, IDK, and of course, the violence. So it takes a bit of getting used to. I have yet to take it out for a ride in the twisties but will soon.

 

[omarsultan]

...and of course, the violence.

 

[mmanner]

Does anyone know if the 19"s are staggered sizes? What about the 21's

 

[The Duke]

Does the Plaid have track mode or plans for it?
Currently running a P100D with 265 front, 285 rear, Lexani wheels (very light forged monobloc) and RB rotors, rear camber adjusters. Wheel alignment is top secret, but she is neutral in the corners. Problem is not enough rear power bias so I have trouble rotating her with throttle. Need Track mode!