Powersliding to a PB&B? OR; Wait, what did the AWD T/C-S/C just do?

[SammichLover]

I'm not sure exactly what happened, trying to get my head around it and I didn't have a camera operating so I don't have speed or visuals or audios on this, just my impressions and split second memories.

I'm at home and hungry so decide to head out to the store for a peanut butter and jelly. Map is pictured below. This was the 4th of 5 trips to the PB&J store of the day, and not being satisfied with the timeliness of the prior PB&Js I'm pushing it harder than before. It was cool day at 15C/65F, high humidity and overcast but nominally dry concrete, and I was on stock 18" all seasons (yeah, I know ). I did NOT have Slip Start enabled.



Coming out of the hard left, into the sweeping left, I push hard to pick up speed and I feel all 4 wheels get very loose. No jumping around or heavy rotation, though. I'd call it "stepping onto a floating on a cloud". I have the distinct impression that there are three modestly different directions involved for the front wheels, the rear wheels, and the direction I'm moving in. I've felt similar to this before on mud, snow, and dirt (not in the Model 3) but I've never pushed an AWD like this on pavement so I can't be 100% sure here. Note, I did not notice much in the noise department although my attention was drawn pretty hard to this unexpected sensation.

The good news is I liked my line I'd set up and nothing seemed to be coming undone, so I just want with it. I kept pressure on the accelerator and I think I was able to pick up some speed, even (I really wish I had video). I definitely was able to use my steering wheel to fine-tune my line on the gap between the 1st dog and the busker and then pull in closer to the 2nd dog, although I felt a lot less of the road through the steer wheel than normal.

There was no clear ending of this, it feathered into normal road feel starting somewhere past the busker as I unwound the steering and pulled back on the accelerator and then off into regen braking before the hard braking to make the righthand towards the PB&J store. That distance of this effect was minimum 150ft and upwards to 200ft.

I've yet to talk to my far more experienced passenger about this, and I will, but I previously got the impression from people's comments that the T/C on the Model 3 tended to forcefully shut stuff down when this kind of effect started happening? Am I just taking crazy pills here and this was something else?

 

[HeatproofGenie]

Two points for funny story and username.

I think you are asking how liberal the SC system is. At 65F you are in a fine operating window for the stock A/S tires.

I've noticed the stability control system feels different than most cars and it probably should. With two electric motors the computer is able to monitor and make adjustments more often and with more granularity so I'd say it's due to that. I've only got 600 miles on my car and most of that has been with family in the car so I haven't pushed it to much so I don't have a ton of experience yet.

 

[SammichLover]

I think you are asking how liberal the SC system is.

I'm looking for others with experience to provide a reality check, to figure out if it was doing what I think it was doing. This seemed beyond "liberal" and into outright helpful. To balance, maintain, and control the slide. That's a really long way to hold it with what felt like a lot of control, to be balancing on the edge of something that tends to be fleeting. I don't have confidence that I have enough manual command to do it unassisted.

I've had the TC shut me down before while just "normal" driving around, even though I didn't think I was pushing as hard as this relatively safe environment. The accelerator dropped it's response and the car slowed like it was coasting (but not on regen, I think?). Trying to figure out what the difference was, maybe I slipped on a banana peel something or the road was sloping away too much where I was turning and there just wasn't enough lateral traction to be had. The road was sloping away some.

Later after the PB&J store there was a 180 turn where I'd braked too late and came in too hot. Things got sort of greasy towards the end of it and when I tried to stomp on it coming out I may have tried too early? The accelerator was unresponsive for a long fraction of a second while I held it down, then acceleration kicked in. Or maybe it didn't matter when I stepped down and it was never going to let me accelerate until it did anyway before of the rough sideway sliding prior?

There were a few other fleeting moments where I'm pretty sure it was helping me around corners, or at least trying to sometimes. It felt like it was digging in and rotating really fast, it was a pretty nice feeling.

I assume the accelerator position is still being reported on the CAN bus? Along with speed data from the wheel sensors that should show when it's the motor control. So I can try figure out what I'm doing right so I can consistently replicate it. Not sure it'd be putting out all the data that the TC/SC has access to (what the motor is trying to do) it understand it all, though?

Was hoping someone else had looked into this and had some ideas or info. Everything I've seen mention of the Model 3 TC/SC suggested I could never powerslide. Seems standard AWD doesn't attract much attention on sandwich related endeavors, all the attention is on the RWD and on the Performance and its Track Mode.

Worse yet Tesla's warranty wording comes off as outright hostile towards those in pursuit of bread encased nutrition, encouraging us to keep it all on the lowdown.


Yes, that means this name was not a legally bestowed gift from my parents. Surprise!!!!!

 

[paranoidroid]

Cool! Do it again and take some video.

 

[SammichLover]

Will show up hungry and try! Will be on the same tires, forecast is overcast with only slightly warmer temps, but the route to the store changes day to day in directions and path. Hopefully the new route presents an opportunity to try repeat. I won't have a Gopro but I've got a USB now, so I'll try capture with the built-in cam. going to talk to my passenger about it in detail, and see if they'll watch my speedo (no way I've got time for that).

It was a relatively subtle effect, it'll be interesting to see how discernible it is by a POV camera. I'm thinking it should show a slight pointing inward towards the turn, where the infinity point of perspective defined by objective moving through the field of vision is slightly off-center.