Strategies For Acceleration.

[Carspotter Daily]

I know the basic stuff - a long process of stopping, then slamming the throttle into the carpet. I recently tried something else. This may be obvious to others, but was new to me. I stopped, set traction control to "Slip Start" and my car went faster then i've ever felt - much more then my wife has ever felt, so much so that she was sick for two days as the cause!

If you guys have any more strategies for acceleration, black marks or handling, this the thread to post on!

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[brec]

Wouldn't Slip Start cause wheel spin and thus reduce acceleration (and increase tire wear)?

 

[sandpiper]

Wouldn't Slip Start cause wheel spin and thus reduce acceleration (and increase tire wear)?

When I test drove my car, the rep turned on slip-start before a launch. I asked and he replied that it made a difference; that sometimes on dry pavement the traction control engages earlier than it has to and results in lower acceleration.

I can't speak to whether or not this is true. Or whether it's still true with current firmware.

 

[ProSkeptic]

Despite what a freshman physics text might tell you, the reality is that a rubber tire on pavement will give the best traction with a small (~5%) degree of wheelspin. It's highly dependent on a number of factors, not the least of which is the particular pavement surface in question, so it's nigh on impossible to calibrate a traction control system to always exploit a minimal amount of slip.

 

[Dbitter1]

I definitely know that the roads here are often covered with crap (tiny gravel, dust, oil slick, whatever) that keep the car from grabbing tight... so depending on where I do a launch, I can bet 50% of the time traction control kicks in and the launch feels underwhelming. I have not thought to turning it off by matter of practice for a better percentage... thank you for the tip, I'll try it!

 

[Mr X]

Stepping on the pedal is my strategy.

 

[mscott]

I've read elsewhere, and my experience at the track would seem to bear this out, that kicking the pedal vs. "just" stepping on it (i.e., getting it to the floor as quickly as possible) does make a bit of a difference, too.

However, I have found that doing this leads to a new medical condition that I call "Tesla Toe." :wink: