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The Quarter Mile
- Thread starter tonybelding
- Start date
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- Tags
- Performance Roadster
I will go a little further than Tom. I do not find it hard to believe, I find it impossible. There is zero chance of a stock Tesla Roadster ( Sport or otherwise ) doing the 1/4 mile that quickly.
A little googling found the answer, they use some kind of scoring system that handicaps each car. They gave the roadster a 1.5 second handicap and its raw time was 12.96.
I found this link to actual results. Search for Tesla:
http://www.uphillracers.com/showthread.php/brighton-national-speed-trials-2010-3847.html?
http://www.tsl-timing.com/sprint/2010/103681.pdf
A little googling found the answer, they use some kind of scoring system that handicaps each car. They gave the roadster a 1.5 second handicap and its raw time was 12.96.
I found this link to actual results. Search for Tesla:
http://www.uphillracers.com/showthread.php/brighton-national-speed-trials-2010-3847.html?
http://www.tsl-timing.com/sprint/2010/103681.pdf
Tdave
Member
Nice. Thanks, richkae. It's unfortunate that Tesla themselves is propagating this (dare I call it a lie?) on Facebook.
DrTaras
R254->R725->S->X->M3->M3P-->R2020?
Amazing 'Holmsing' richkae. I wonder IF the person who got the time even knows that there was a handicap & I'll bet that Tesla does not.
tomsax
Member
Yes, you may call it a lie. Anyone working at Tesla should know that number can't be real.
Nice work, Rich.
dhrivnak
Active Member
I am a new owner to a 2008 Roadster (#255) and I was able to take it to the Bristol Thunder valley drag strip Saturday. The car garnered a lot of interest and I won 3 out of my 4 runs down the track. The first three I came out way ahead. A modified Shelby Cobra bested me on my last run but I was still in the lead there at the 1/8 mile. I was able to get into the low 13's with a final speed of just over 100 MPH. My times varied from 13.26 - 13.55 with final speeds between 99.5 and 100.5. Virtually all the variation is due to my reaction time.
One surprise was after my first run they pulled me over saying I had to wear a helmet as my car was too fast. Anything that runs below 14 seconds needs to wear a helmet. Fortunately they had one I could borrow.
For me it seemed like traction control was better as my times were slightly better and there was no spinning of those expensive tires.
I am not a racer but I must say the Tesla is VERY easy to race. Just wait for the 3rd yellow, mash the accelerator and go for it. I live 20 miles away so even though I was in performance mode I am not sure it helped me much. I will try one more time at least and if anyone has any tricks I am game.
For me it seemed like traction control was better as my times were slightly better and there was no spinning of those expensive tires.
One surprise was after my first run they pulled me over saying I had to wear a helmet as my car was too fast. Anything that runs below 14 seconds needs to wear a helmet. Fortunately they had one I could borrow.
For me it seemed like traction control was better as my times were slightly better and there was no spinning of those expensive tires.
I am not a racer but I must say the Tesla is VERY easy to race. Just wait for the 3rd yellow, mash the accelerator and go for it. I live 20 miles away so even though I was in performance mode I am not sure it helped me much. I will try one more time at least and if anyone has any tricks I am game.
For me it seemed like traction control was better as my times were slightly better and there was no spinning of those expensive tires.
tomsax
Member
In a 2008, on a warm, dry track, driving straight, you should not be able to spin the tires. I'm not even convinced you can spin the tires in a Roadster Sport.
I'll bet you drove through the wet spot on the track where the other cars would do a burn-out to heat up their tires. If you can avoid that so your tires stay dry, you will get much better times and can leave traction control off. (Those other cars have a way to lock the brakes on the front tires so the back tires spin, heat up and dry off.)
To see how the car did, look at the ET (elapsed time) which doesn't include your reaction time. It should be possible to get your ET down to 13.0 or a bit under 13. My best ET in #217 is 12.978 seconds.
DrTaras
R254->R725->S->X->M3->M3P-->R2020?
Welcome to the "club." How did you pick-up # 255 and how many miles did it have on it?
If you want to see what # 254 looks like (your older sister), go here:
Tree Hugs Roadster Owner
dhrivnak
Active Member
WOW! I am really glad you are OK. That looks like some serious damage.
the first owner of 255 was transferred to Canada and was told he could not register the car because the 2008's were not certified in Canada. So his unfortunately loss was my gain. The car is in very good condition and it only had 1070 miles on it.
the first owner of 255 was transferred to Canada and was told he could not register the car because the 2008's were not certified in Canada. So his unfortunately loss was my gain. The car is in very good condition and it only had 1070 miles on it.
dhrivnak
Active Member
You are right if my reaction was 0 I could JUST break 13 I think. It is very had to avoid the wet spot as they hose it down before each race and there is no way to avoid driving through it. My last run my reaction time was .1, the best, but my times to 60 ft and 1/8 were slower than they were in the previous two races where my reaction time was .25. This was the only one where I turned off traction control. I am not sure I spun the wheels as I KNOW the Cobra spun them a lot and was VERY loud with his "tuned" exaust. But I felt a small amout of fish tailing so I think I broke it lose.
I may get to go back soon and try again with and without traction control.
Needless to say it was one of the fastest cars and definately one of the fastest stock cars.
I just got back from a great weekend at the Power of DC event in Hagerstown, MD with today's activites consisting of racing at the Mason Dixon Dragway. I was absolutely stunned at the amazing times turned in by my 2008 Roadster with 28,000 miles on it's pack.
I was expecting to see 13 second times given that my previous best at this track 2 years ago was high 12.9s, but what I actually got was consistent mid 12.7s with my best time a 12.735 @ 105.88 mph! This was a meer .092 second more than the current record held by a Roadster Sport. Not bad for a well used non sport with worn out tires!
I was expecting to see 13 second times given that my previous best at this track 2 years ago was high 12.9s, but what I actually got was consistent mid 12.7s with my best time a 12.735 @ 105.88 mph! This was a meer .092 second more than the current record held by a Roadster Sport. Not bad for a well used non sport with worn out tires!
The worn tires actually give you a slightly lower gear ratio. 1/8" wear on a 14" (guess) radius is about 1% lower gearing.
tomsax
Member
That's amazing! What were the air temperatures like? Do you have any tips on how to get the best times? I'd love to see your log data from those runs.
The temperatures were very warm both times with this weekend in the low 90s and very humid. The staging and track area felt like 100. The one difference is this was the first time I ever completed a performance mode charge. I plan to pull the logs later this evening and I have some possible ideas. I do wish the Sport that was there for the auto cross on Saturday would have stayed because I am almost certain it could have set a record.
The original Roadster Sport 1/4 mile record at the NEDRA event in Portland was on a very hot day too.
It seems that a warm pack (but not in overheat limp mode) offers the best performance.
Probably not the ideal situation for pack longevity though.
It seems that a warm pack (but not in overheat limp mode) offers the best performance.
Probably not the ideal situation for pack longevity though.
