Tesla Lent Me a P3D for the Night!

[Knightshade]

Well, on day to day driving, will the larger brake set up improve braking distance? I am confused. I wouldn’t mind paying for the upgrade, but i’m Reading mixed reviews whether to spend the $5K on bigger brakes, and bigger wheels/improved tires vs getting aftermarket wheels/tires that match the MSM! In line, patiently waiting.

Daniel covered it pretty well... but I'm including a link I highly suggest to folks who want to learn about what each part of the braking system does (and more importantly does not, and can not) do for a car... and why replacing your tires is the only sure fire way to actually improve normal braking distance.

GRM Pulp Friction

 

[brianman]

(pictures of spoiler)

Interesting. I never looked closely at it before. It's a blade coming out the back of the trunk, not a blade on top of the trunk.

 

[fr100]

Do all Tesla dealer plates have the same number? I got one with the same license plate on my last loaner.

 

[MP3Mike]

Do all Tesla dealer plates have the same number? I got one with the same license plate on my last loaner.

Even the small vertical numbers where the same?

 

[gmtom1]

Do all Tesla dealer plates have the same number? I got one with the same license plate on my last loaner.

I think manufacturer and/or dealer plates allow them to swap them out between vehicles at will, vs being assigned to a specific VIN as normal plates are. This is for obvious reasons, as dealers/manufacturers have a need to take various vehicles out on the road at times. Of course, there should be valid paperwork to go with the car, just in case.

 

[Limited]

Another consideration: I believe if you get the bigger brakes, the standard 18" rims will not fit. Depending on how your roads are, that may be something to factor in...

I have actually been told two separate things from various owner advisors. On Sunday, they said that the big brakes could fit under the 18's since "you can order it that way." Today, however, it appears the online configuration has changed and now the big brake kit is listed as part of the Performance Package. After further clarifying with the Owner Advisory team, they stated that you must have the 20 inch wheels to allow the brakes to fit and thus, buy them as a package...guess the only way to know would be to try it once deliveries begin.

I will note though that the car I drove had the big brake package and 20 inch wheels, but the avatar on the center display screen only showed the 18 inch wheels. I wonder if that is because the Performance Package is added on at the delivery center or if the software engineers haven't built out the correct avatar yet?

 

[mongo]

. I wonder if that is because the Performance Package is added on at the delivery center or if the software engineers haven't built out the correct avatar yet?

I blame software/ configuration. The spoiler and pedal covers were mentioned as being added at delivery center, but wheels, brakes, suspension mods all occur at Fremont when built.

 

[Thud]

The additional stopping power is due to the grippier tires, not the brakes. The bigger brakes will come into play if you do repeated hard stops from a high speed.

If you have 18's you can get Pilot Sport 4S in that size as well. May negate the efficiency gains of the aero caps. But braking should be better.

 

[wallet.dat]

Acceleration

This car pulls. IMO, it was similar to the P85D I test drove about 2 years ago. Really sticks you in the seat and can even make your neck hurt. No problem slamming your passenger’s head into the headrest with a quick poke at the throttle. It pulls hard off the line, no wheel spin what so ever (this car did NOT have a track mode option that others have posted online). From a butt dyno perspective, the 3.5 sec 0-60 sounds about right. Its no SP100DL from a dig, but its not that far off.

I'm coming from a turbo Civic myself, which does a buck thirty-five in the 1/4 on tires. How does the the P3D feel from a 60 punch? Were you able to get an idea of what kind of 60-130 it'll put down?

 

[Uncle Paul]

While high performance brakes may not stop you faster in panic situations, that is not their purpose. They also offer much greater feel, better modulation, reserve capacity, and generally better control of each braking situation. Different software could also piggy back on the performance brakes to put off ABS intervention longer and generally give more control to the driver.

Standard braking proportioning valves typically put more braking forces on to the rear brakes to stabilize the car. Moving more of the force to the front brakes can result in significantly shorter stopping distances, abit with some wiggle at the max.

Gotta look at the whole package. A lowered car, like the performance version, will also stop differently than a higher riding one.

Track guys want all the brakes they can get.

 

[TexasTeslaRacing]

I'm coming from a turbo Civic myself, which does a buck thirty-five in the 1/4 on tires. How does the the P3D feel from a 60 punch? Were you able to get an idea of what kind of 60-130 it'll put down?

I haven't driven one yet but my old P85D did the quarter in 11.5 @ 115mph. I'm assuming this car will have a similar time.

 

[Knightshade]

Standard braking proportioning valves typically put more braking forces on to the rear brakes to stabilize the car. Moving more of the force to the front brakes can result in significantly shorter stopping distances, abit with some wiggle at the max.

You seem to have that backward... front bias is more stable (and what standard valves generally do)

Proportioning Valves

Standard valves put equal pressure to both front and rear up to a certain point, and then more to the front than the rear afterward to increase stability- because during heavy braking more weight is transferred to the front of the car.

see also-
White Paper - Brake Bias and Performance- Why Brake Balance Matters

a car which is heavily front biased will be slow and frustrating, but relatively easy and benign to drive. On the other hand, like the oversteer monster that people are afraid to even drive around the paddock, a car which is severely rear biased will be a scary, twitchy ride

That second article details the front-bias tendency of factory cars for safety reasons- and also points out why so many folks who add brake mods without considering proportioning can actually make their stopping distance worse because of it.

 

[Limited]

I'm coming from a turbo Civic myself, which does a buck thirty-five in the 1/4 on tires. How does the the P3D feel from a 60 punch? Were you able to get an idea of what kind of 60-130 it'll put down?

Most Teslas lose their steam on the top end, and this car was no exception. It definitely had good passing power in the 60-100 range but I did not measure any times. The top end power also varied pretty dramatically based on the SOC. I felt like it had plenty of power up top for me, but if your plan is roll racing, you're probably not going to set any records. I did not take the car to 130mph, so will not be able to comment on the 60-130 time.

 

[Perry]

The bigger brakes will only help for repeated high speed stops like you would experience driving on a racetrack. Unless you drive like a complete maniac (Are police helicopters routinely chasing you?) there won't be any difference on the street. The stickier tires will help it stop faster for sure though.

Unfortunately I drive like a complete maniac on a daily basis. So for me, most of the time I come home my brakes smell like they've been through hell.

 

[Super_Popular]

Acceleration

This car pulls. IMO, it was similar to the P85D I test drove about 2 years ago. Really sticks you in the seat

 

[Daniel in SD]

I'm coming from a turbo Civic myself, which does a buck thirty-five in the 1/4 on tires. How does the the P3D feel from a 60 punch? Were you able to get an idea of what kind of 60-130 it'll put down?

On what kind of tires? haha. The Model 3P will feel slow compared to that. Does your Civic have an interior?
EDIT: I'm assuming you mean a 135mph trap speed

 

[alpacadom]

Were you able to take some sort of video while driving?

Nobody else seems to have posted any good P3D videos yet due to Tesla's restrictions during test drives and their apparent media review restrictions.

 

[Laver]

One thing I’m not seeing considered is factoring in the additional regen braking force in the P3D. Compared to the 3LR there is a whole other motor of regen potential.

Will be interesting to compare the big brake P to the regular brake P or AWD.

 

[Daniel in SD]

One thing I’m not seeing considered is factoring in the additional regen braking force in the P3D. Compared to the 3LR there is a whole other motor of regen potential.

Will be interesting to compare the big brake P to the regular brake P or AWD.

Regen does not reduce braking distance. The braking distance is limited by the traction of the tires.
I am curious whether the AWD will indeed have stronger regen though. Has that been answered?

 

[Laver]

Regen does not reduce braking distance. The braking distance is limited by the traction of the tires.
I am curious whether the AWD will indeed have stronger regen though. Has that been answered?

I wasn’t really referring to breaking distance, more talking to the “braking feel” comments. Wondering if the increased regen is making the brakes feel more responsive during more regular braking maneuvers.