Tesla Roadster on Nürburgring Nordschleife

[GVTesla]

Just wondering, would the roadster overheat on the first lap of the Nurburgring? If so, would that be the battery, PEM or motor first? In dry weather of say, 10 to 15C?

I guess that probably the motor would overheat first, after approx 4 to 5 minutes driving or would overheat even faster considering the layout?

 

[Doug_G]

Definitely motor first. The motor would get hot before you finished the first lap, but I suspect it won't get really bad until the second lap.

 

[GVTesla]

...but I suspect it won't get really bad until the second lap.

Just noticed I wasn't very specific :redface: Was thinking Nordschleife, would the same apply? Or did you have NS in mind too?

Maybe I'd go check out one of the Touristenfahrten this summer and have a careful go at it.

 

[Doug_G]

Oh, you're thinking Nordschleife... it will probably be pretty slow by the time you finish the first lap.

 

[GVTesla]

Yea, same thought here. Maybe a go at the Nordschleife could be optimised by some planning as to try to balance out as much of the potential of the roadster before overheating?

Train of thought here is that a slower start (producing less heat for the engine) might allow for higher speeds and performance later on the track. Versus an agressive start and then finishing in limp-mode loosing much of the time gained in the first part.

If so, the question is what produces the most heat? Is that accelerating or is that very high speed driving for a prolonged time and if that is the case, what kind of characteristic does the heat-production have? For example, if heat production is progressive non-linear, then limiting the roadster to a vmax of 160km/h instead of a vmax > 170 might spare us the required speed for some place later on the track. Or maybe a lower vmax might allow for a higher average v as opposed to a run where overheating starts earlier and performance is compromised.

After the first few bends and twists the v goes up quite rapidly, same applies to the last part of the track. Guess the challenge would be not to overheat in the first stretch of high speeds, as to save performance for the twisty part that's in between...

 

[Doug_G]

I think it's pretty straightforward - more power = more heat. More throttle = more power.

It's been suggested that the S85 has more endurance on the track than the P85, probably for this very reason. Put a block under the accelerator to limit its travel?

 

[GVTesla]

Put a block under the accelerator to limit its travel?

Might just be the right throttle regulator needed here :biggrin:

 

[Alexandersims]

I would think that it would be best to use full throttle to get out of the corners and up to decent speed and then back off to maintain 90mph or whatever on straights. In my experience, holding the car at 100+mph is what kills the motor temps to make it go into limp mode.
You can erase the power limitations in the service diagnostics screen to allow full power until 180oC but at that point it fully shuts down the power, not just limp mode...

I'd be interested to see what the Roadster could do although I highly doubt it could be driven hard enough to beat the eTron time... I'd be up for giving it a go though!

 

[GVTesla]

Those are great tips!

I'd be interested to see what the Roadster could do although I highly doubt it could be driven hard enough to beat the eTron time... I'd be up for giving it a go though!

Having the same somewhat latent urge. Might be going there myself this summer. Wrote it down with pencil in my agenda

In the back of my mind I am also considering sponsoring a serious go. Something with a very experienced driver behind the wheel. Guess the best shot would be a regular Roadster (thinking less power = less heat buildup) with the upgraded suspension pack. Maybe a roadster upgraded to 3.0 with the advan AD's, the forged wheels, the 3.0 new aero and sport suspension would do the trick. Then find a nice cold day (somewhere between 5 to 10 C), make sure she's juiced up at range-mode the night before, and pre heat the tires with some gear while it's waiting for its first (and probably only) spin that day? Then, if the driver 'd stay away from +90Mph, as you suggest things might get interesting

 

[stopcrazypp]

Guess the best shot would be a regular Roadster (thinking less power = less heat buildup) with the upgraded suspension pack.

I actually think a Sport version would do better, as if I recall correctly, the extra power comes from more efficient windings in the motor. The inverter and wiring is probably also sized for more current, so at the same power level, it'll be more efficient. Better to have a car with higher capability and limit the performance (so you can access that performance when necessary).

 

[GVTesla]

Better to have a car with higher capability and limit the performance (so you can access that performance when necessary).

You might be right at that one. Guess eventually, it should be tested to find it out before an actual 'professional' attempt is made.

... and then back off to maintain 90mph or whatever on straights.
...
I'd be interested to see what the Roadster could do although I highly doubt it could be driven hard enough to beat the eTron time.

Just checked the average speed of the R8 eTron: 95mph and a laptime of 8:09.10
Also, it brought 312hp to the track.

 

[Alexandersims]

You might be right at that one. Guess eventually, it should be tested to find it out before an actual 'professional' attempt is made.



Just checked the average speed of the R8 eTron: 95mph and a laptime of 8:09.10
Also, it brought 312hp to the track.

At an average speed of 95, I would think you would need to run the Roadster close to max speed on the straights to balance out the slow speeds in the corners. Obviously on the Dottinger homer straight you could make up a lot but this would be the same for the eTron...

I'd be up for it but probably could not be publicised as me driving, just a 'Tesla Roadster Hot Lap' as I am a factory BMW racing driver and racing at the Nurburgring 24hrs this year

I know there is a way but never actually tried disabling the power limitation due to motor temps, also you can disable the electronic limit on top speed (this might not be helpful with motor temps though)

I wonder if there is a simple way to modify the motor cooling fans so they run flat out from the word go... Also you'd probably need to do a few runs to work out what the braking points were and where is best to ease off the throttle and by how much.

I am guessing that Audi used a proper driver and so that in itself will need practice to get close to the driving limit regardless of motor/car limitations.

 

[Mark77a]

At an average speed of 95, I would think you would need to run the Roadster close to max speed on the straights to balance out the slow speeds in the corners. Obviously on the Dottinger homer straight you could make up a lot but this would be the same for the eTron...

I'd be up for it but probably could not be publicised as me driving, just a 'Tesla Roadster Hot Lap' as I am a factory BMW racing driver and racing at the Nurburgring 24hrs this year

I know there is a way but never actually tried disabling the power limitation due to motor temps, also you can disable the electronic limit on top speed (this might not be helpful with motor temps though)

I wonder if there is a simple way to modify the motor cooling fans so they run flat out from the word go... Also you'd probably need to do a few runs to work out what the braking points were and where is best to ease off the throttle and by how much.

I am guessing that Audi used a proper driver and so that in itself will need practice to get close to the driving limit regardless of motor/car limitations.

Fascinating .. how about carrying a small bottle of compressed gas (as liquid), Co2, oxygen, air, nitrogen, ?? with a pipe into the motor cooling manifold (where fan blows), so that the 'refrigeration effect' of gas going from liquid to 'gas' cools the motor for the run.

- - - Updated - - -

cross post of interest:

Does depend heavily on variant. They range from 135bhp to 260bhp from the factory in US Spec.

I think this is a fair comparison:
Lotus Elise SC v Tesla Roadster | Evo

The Series 3 (v6 supercharged ones we get here) are over 350 BHP, but you lose a lot of the MPG advantages.

Lotus Elise SC v Tesla Roadster | Evo

 

[dpeilow]

I *may* have an opportunity to get to the Nurburgring tomorrow, but to do it I will need to do some charging while there. Can anyone tell me what charging facilities they have please?

I see there are a couple of RWE stations in the village but leaving the car at those kinda defeats the point.

 

[Alexandersims]

I *may* have an opportunity to get to the Nurburgring tomorrow, but to do it I will need to do some charging while there. Can anyone tell me what charging facilities they have please?

I see there are a couple of RWE stations in the village but leaving the car at those kinda defeats the point.

Hey David,
All i can say is that there are plenty of 32amp 3 phase sockets in the F1 paddock which they might let you use but it is out of the way and access may be restricted. There are industrial estates around with Aston Martin and a few others having bases there but the likelyhood of easily finding a charge point is surely slim unless you know someone!

Sorry I can't be of more help.

 

[dpeilow]

Thanks - it looks like the plan is to see a race as the Nordschleife is closed to the public. So maybe a false alarm this time but at least I can buy the sticker and use the RWE station

 

[Mitrovic]

May be while there, you could do some research on charging possibilities? As I would be interested to drive the Nordschleife with my roadster, too!

 

[Mark77a]

I *may* have an opportunity to get to the Nurburgring tomorrow, but to do it I will need to do some charging while there. Can anyone tell me what charging facilities they have please?

I see there are a couple of RWE stations in the village but leaving the car at those kinda defeats the point.

Most excellent !
Enjoy (and do share the pix / experiences)