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Rear Wheel Drive P85 is a Missed Opportunity for Tesla

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you can't track a Tesla so moot point.... :)

why exactly can you not track a tesla? Big this is a warranty thing many people are well beyond the warranty point.

Im with the OP on this. I drove a P85D and while yes it's 1 second faster than my RWD P85 I prefer MY car to the D. I've said it before it's all about the tires. I know my tag says Seattle but I'm not in the city. I live only about 500' lower than where everyone skis here. I have never once regretted not having AWD even driving through 2-3' of snow my MS powers through.

I love my tesla but wouldn't want a D if something happened to my car. I'd want another P85.
 
Only in the world of affluent Tesla owners is $25,000 or so a "tiny fraction" more. To the other 99.percent of the world that's a mountain.
Pretty much what I was thinking. I got excited, thinking "Is that really true?!?", only to find a P85D is substantially more (~$16k) than my P85 was similarly-equipped, and the only price increases since I purchased are the small Tech Package and Carbon Fiber increases. That's a whole brand new car to a good chunk of the population. Even to those of us here, a ~15% premium isn't exactly "a tiny fraction more."

It's pretty clear that there's room in the $25k gap between the 85 and the P85D for a RWD Performance variant. I think they're just scrambling to bring the number of options down to save costs. It'll probably return at some point.

Interesting...I was at an all electric event here at a track last year and there were several Teslas out there pushing 100mph+ (I believe the lead car was going 114mph in a tesla) 5 laps.

I did sets of 4-5 laps (entire session length) at Laguna over the summer. I got 1 unlimited lap, and the rest were limited. Even limited it had enough power to hit 100 into the straight heading into turn 1. So, yes, you can track it. Yes, it does overheat. No, it's not really a huge problem for HPDEs.
 
I agree with you Todd. I bought a P85+, delivered at the end of Sept, shortly before the D announcement. I am not the least bit unhappy. I really wanted a RWD car. I have been driving AWD for years, love it and still have one. But I really enjoy the RWD for fun stuff. I guess my only regret would be that I did pony up for the + variant, which is clearly not worth the money and future costs for staggered tires. But to be perfectly honest, I really don't care. I still love the car!
 
With so many comments moaning about the stoppage of P85 production and the expressions of preference for the P85 over the P85D for most day-to-day needs and situations, it looks as if we have the beginnings of a CLASSIC CAR.
I, like others on this thread, would like to hang on to my P85 and do not relish the thought of having to go with an overkill if I have to replace it.
 
I had a P85 on order when the D announcement happened. Stuck with my P85 order. I kept my AWD MDX if I need AWD. Did not want AWD or need it on my car. I love the performance of the P85. In my case I want a P85. Let people decide what they need or want for themselves. I am tired of blanket statements like "Bluntly, nobody at all "needs" the P. It's purely a discretionary entertainment feature." Who are you to say what other people need?

I too believe removing the P85 is a bad business decision.
 
That is absolutely not true. My P85D was delivered 10 days ago with non-staggered 245/35/21 Continental tires. I thought this was a build error and the DS went off to investigate. He said that the ordering website no longer stated either tire size or brand for the P85D so the car was built correctly. There is a whole thread about this here.

I was simply repeating what someone at the factory told me this morning. He wasn't sure of the answer at first, so he checked with a manager and called me back. It also appears to be the policy at our regional Tesla store in Natick MA. Clearly this contradicts your ordering experience as well as those who chimed in on the thread you provided. It appears that Tesla does not have a consistent policy regarding non-staggered tires on a P85D.
 
In Tesla's current vehicle lineup, the 85 (RWD) offers zero-to-sixty acceleration of 5.4 seconds, or 5.2 seconds for the 85D (AWD). The original P85 (RWD) has a 4.2 second zero-to-sixty. So a buyer who wants a sporty suspension and a bit more acceleration than the 85 has only one choice — to go all the way to the P85D with its substantially higher price, higher tire costs, and shorter range. In my opinion, Tesla has eliminated the sweet spot for those who do not require all wheel drive, but do want a vehicle with a sporty feel.

I completely agree. I bought a P85 because I didn't need the + stuff but wanted better acceleration than the S85 offered. Now there is a performance hole between 3.2 seconds and 5.2 seconds that would be very nicely filled by the P85. Here's to hoping that P85 resales will be more popular for this reason, resulting in higher demand and lower inventory.

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I disagree. The P85 makes absolutely no sense for the vast majority of customers looking to buy a Model S when for a tiny fraction more $ they can buy a P85D. Also with AWD the P85D is also going to be a lot safer in the hands of most drivers. Most typical drivers will have better control of the car with AWD.

I'm sure a small fraction of potential buys would miss not being able to purchase a high performance RWD EV but it probably made no financial sense for Tesla to entertain that small segment of buyers.

Tiny fraction, really? Let's see... I paid $106,750 for my P85. A P85D today with the same options would cost over $15,000 more. Sorry, but that's not "a tiny fraction more" unless you consider 15% to be a tiny fraction. I don't.
 
I did sets of 4-5 laps (entire session length) at Laguna over the summer. I got 1 unlimited lap, and the rest were limited. Even limited it had enough power to hit 100 into the straight heading into turn 1. So, yes, you can track it. Yes, it does overheat. No, it's not really a huge problem for HPDEs.
I'm with you until the underlined. IMO it is a pretty significant issue, though "huge" is a bit strong. Does it prevent attending the events, or making them worthwhile? Definitely not. Does it dampen the experience? Definitely.
 
I'm with you until the underlined. IMO it is a pretty significant issue, though "huge" is a bit strong. Does it prevent attending the events, or making them worthwhile? Definitely not. Does it dampen the experience? Definitely.

Right. I was careful with my words ;). It could definitely be better, but I wouldn't let that stop me, and I wouldn't discourage anyone from taking it for that reason. Even limited it was within a few tenths of my dedicated track car (which is admittedly down 100HP). Beyond that, it's surprisingly good for practicing your lines. It's not the weight, so it had to be the low center of gravity and corner-exit torque, I guess. As a "track car" it's definitely a serious issue. As a daily driver you can take to the track, I don't see it as a huge deterrent.
 
I was simply repeating what someone at the factory told me this morning. He wasn't sure of the answer at first, so he checked with a manager and called me back. It also appears to be the policy at our regional Tesla store in Natick MA. Clearly this contradicts your ordering experience as well as those who chimed in on the thread you provided. It appears that Tesla does not have a consistent policy regarding non-staggered tires on a P85D.

I don't doubt that is what they told you. I just don't see how staggered wheels on the P85D can be the policy at the Natick store since there is no way to specify which wheels are to be fitted to a P85D when you order. In the absence of an ordering option, the factory determines what wheels and tires go on the P85D, whether the car is delivered in Natick or Fremont (where I ordered and took delivery of mine).

It is also possible that due to the port slowdown Tesla is unable to get enough Michelin PS2's or 9" wheels to mount on all P85D's. Given that they meet the engineering specs, Bridgestones in 245/35 may be being substituted temporarily.
 
If the Tesla clearly can't handle the load/heat, why keep pushing it? I would never keep running/tracking one of my ICE cars if it was too hot for it's normal operating parameters and pulling back power... of course electric vs ICE is different, but Tesla is trying to protect "something" by pulling back power and ramping up the fans into the high mode...


Right. I was careful with my words ;). It could definitely be better, but I wouldn't let that stop me, and I wouldn't discourage anyone from taking it for that reason. Even limited it was within a few tenths of my dedicated track car (which is admittedly down 100HP). Beyond that, it's surprisingly good for practicing your lines. It's not the weight, so it had to be the low center of gravity and corner-exit torque, I guess. As a "track car" it's definitely a serious issue. As a daily driver you can take to the track, I don't see it as a huge deterrent.
 
I agree. Yes prices have increased a few times over the past year. But, I believe the P85 was a $5,000 option over the base 85. Not bad at all for a full second gain in 0-60 acceleration. Yes, the P85+ seemed to be way over priced for another $7,000 or so, for suspension related items only. The P85 was a perfect car for those that wanted just a little more. Actually got a lot more for a minimal price increase. The new P85D is a $20,000 price increase over the base 85. The 85D is a $5,000 premium over the RWD version. So they're charging $15,000 for the big rear motor now instead of the previous $5,000 premium for the big rear motor.

Makes no sense for them to drop it completely. Just use the big motor they already have and leave the front motor out of it. It's really just a matter of which motor to pull off the shelf when they're building the car. So it's not like it requires a different assembly line.

Or, if they really don't want to, then considering all the price increases lately (They've gone up a lot. My $92,000 2013 would be $102,000 if built exactly the same way today), then give the base model a bump in horsepower. A lot of the price increases are just "price increases" with nothing special added. The tech package being the exception since it now includes the Auto Pilot. But other than that, just more money for the same car. I think they should at least give the buyers SOMETHING for the extra money. I'd be the P85 rear motor likely doesn't cost them hardly anything more than the base 85 motor, so throw that into the base cars instead.

Would put their "base" model well ahead of the base models of other cars they're effectively trying to compete against. The added benefit too would be that it likely wouldn't affect insurance premiums if it was still considered a base model. Insurance company asked me and said a P85 would carry a 15% higher premium.
 
The Tesla gets hot and pulls power very quickly.... won't make it more than one lap around most tracks...

Interesting...I was at an all electric event here at a track last year and there were several Teslas out there pushing 100mph+ (I believe the lead car was going 114mph in a tesla) 5 laps.

Well I've done sustained 100mph for 80 miles straight in my P85 so I can disprove that theory.