Tired of the terrible range

[Sandman1847]

I’ve had my 2016 90D Model X for about 1.5 years. Used to have a Model S before this and it used to be honest about the rated range vs what you’d actually get.

Drove 132.5 miles at an average speed of 53mph. Flat Florida back country roads. Outside temperature 80. Only using front AC set to 70. Average per the car 380 wh/mi. Suspension set to low (I always drive in low). Tires all at 48psi. Left the house at 182 miles and only 19 miles left on the battery at arrival.

I don’t understand how much more ideal the conditions could be and it still doesn’t get rated range. Is there anything else I can do to maximise range? I used to have the 22 inch wheels and I got the 20 inch wheels for the range. That brought me down from the 400s but I feel like I should be able to get rated range at 50-55mph! I’m just so frustrated by this vehicle. I would have sold it by now but unfortunately I tow my boat once a month.

 

[sorka]

Drove 132.5 miles at an average speed of 53mph. Flat Florida back country roads. Outside temperature 80. Only using front AC set to 70. Average per the car 380 wh/mi. Suspension set to low (I always drive in low). Tires all at 48psi. Left the house at 182 miles and only 19 miles left on the battery at arrival.

Under those conditions, except driving 65, I get about 270 wh/mile on my MX Plaid. Obviously it would be even better on the dual motor and better even still driving 53 instead of 65 mph.

The most likely candidate cause is your alignment.

 

[M109Rider]

There are lots of things that can affect range.
-Alignment(as stated above)
-Battery Degredation
-Frequent stop overs in a given trip.
-Tire inflation (you said that was checked though)
-Temperature. (Very hot, or very cold)
-Road conditions (Wet, or snowy)
-Tire type and size
-Wheel type and size
-HVAC
-Speed
-Accelloration.
-Roof racks
-Towing

There is usually an explanation. You just need to find the reason.

 

[sorka]

There are lots of things that can affect range.
-Alignment(as stated above)
-Battery Degredation
-Frequent stop overs in a given trip.
-Tire inflation (you said that was checked though)
-Temperature. (Very hot, or very cold)
-Road conditions (Wet, or snowy)
-Tire type and size
-Wheel type and size
-HVAC
-Speed
-Accelloration.
-Roof racks
-Towing

There is usually an explanation. You just need to find the reason.

Yes, but the OP has given some specifics like 380/wh mile in warm temps with over inflated tires on flat roads. Battery degradation doesn't come into this because his efficiency is enough by itself to indicate that there's a drivetrain efficiency issue rather than a battery issue.

So in your list, the OP is not towing, doesn't have roof racks(it's a model x), HVAC won't make enough of a difference, wheels are 20", roads are dry, temperature is 80 (optimal for range), tire inflation is 48 (over inflated not good for tires but is good for range), not stopping frequently.

Alignment is about the only thing left that could make that much differnce.

 

[brainhouston]

I don’t understand how much more ideal the conditions could be and it still doesn’t get rated range. Is there anything else I can do to maximise range?

I have access to Dev/Diag modes, in there it says Rated is 324 Wh/mi, i don't think we'll ever get that in real life...
But try driving w/o AC n see what u get.
Pretty sure it sucks a lot of juice if ur cabin fan is on high...

For ref i get 380 rn in the winter on 20s...
Didn't drive a lot in warm temps but i was getting 350ish in Oct

HVAC won't make enough of a difference,
----
Alignment is about the only thing left that could make that much differnce.

i think HVAC does make a diff when its on high... i noticed AC compressor runs in sync with cabin fan.
agree on alignment, bad toe will cause resistance to rolling

 

[strider]

Under those conditions, except driving 65, I get about 270 wh/mile on my MX Plaid. Obviously it would be even better on the dual motor and better even still driving 53 instead of 65 mph.

The most likely candidate cause is your alignment.

Are you in Plaid driving mode? Best I have managed is ~350 but I am always in Plaid mode and I know that it is heating the pack. If you are getting 270 that is outstanding. I think my alignment is fine (tracks straight with no hands) but I may take it in to have it checked.

 

[sorka]

Are you in Plaid driving mode? Best I have managed is ~350 but I am always in Plaid mode and I know that it is heating the pack. If you are getting 270 that is outstanding. I think my alignment is fine (tracks straight with no hands) but I may take it in to have it checked.

I keep it in plaid mode which does NOT heat the pack. The only thing that heats the packs is:

• Dragstrip mode
• Pre-conditioning enabled via the scheduler.
• Pre-conditioning when in route to a super charger.

I drive with a lead foot.

Alignment that does not pull to one side or another does not mean you don't have excessive positive or negative toe. It just means your thrust angle is symmetrical.

270 is not that great compared to the rate mileage. The plaid rated range is 291 wh / mile. I'm only beating it by 20 or so. The P85D's rated wh/mile was 310 but I regularly got in the 250s under the same conditions. Given the relative rated wh/mile between the two, if they were apples and apples, I'd be getting in the 240s with Plaid since I was able to get in the 250s with the P85D and the Plaid is rated as more efficient per mile than my P85D was.

 

[sorka]

I have access to Dev/Diag modes, in there it says Rated is 324 Wh/mi, i don't think we'll ever get that in real life...
But try driving w/o AC n see what u get.
Pretty sure it sucks a lot of juice if ur cabin fan is on high...

For ref i get 380 rn in the winter on 20s...
Didn't drive a lot in warm temps but i was getting 350ish in Oct

i think HVAC does make a diff when its on high... i noticed AC compressor runs in sync with cabin fan.
agree on alignment, bad toe will cause resistance to rolling

I didn't say it doesn't make a difference. It won't make enough of a difference to factor into a constant 53 mph drive in 80F temps. It will make a big difference if you're in stop and go driving as the fixed cost of running the hvac is a much higher percentage of the total vehicle energy used.

 

[jmaddr]

In Florida myself. One thing you didn’t mention was wind. I’ve noticed, especially lately, the wind makes a large difference. I’m not in a S/X, but I notice I can get 240 wh/mi in one direction then on the way home it’s 320. I have a M3P. That’s a 40 wh/mi swing from my lifetime of upper 280s.

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

What tires?

 

[golferguy]

380 wh/m is high for those conditions. Fla back roads could have lots of stop signs and lights here and there. Something to consider. For a 2016 MX, not sure what wh/m is normal. What motor efficiencies were then.

For comparison, I have a 22 MX LR, my lifetime wh/m after 6K miles is 320 wh/m with 20" wheels. Half of those miles are probably at 80 mph, the rest local driving. And in Fla too with AC on nearly 100% of the time.

Maybe 380 wh/m for a 2016 is normal? That's the place to focus on. If not normal, why so high?

 

[Richbot]

Jeez. My Raven would be getting 250-ish wh/mi on the dashboard in those conditions. I don't think the efficiency improvements are THAT big.

Agree any kind of wind can make a big difference, but calm, 50-55mph, 80 degrees is pretty much max range

Also agree check wheel alignment and make sure you're on a LRR tire.

 

[Sandman1847]

Sorry for the late reply. I always drive in range mode and my tires are stock Continentals on the 20inch wheels. I keep the HVAC on auto but at reasonable temperatures (70-74). Driving around central Florida back country roads the speed varies from 45-70mph and there is some stop and go but not as much as you'd expect. I'm not new to this having owned Priuses, volts, and several teslas so I do my best to maximize efficiency. I drive conservatively as well.

The main things I have remaining to check is alignment I think. On my 85 RWD I could get 250 driving conservatively on the highway.

1. Alignment, its never been checked. Tesla replaced my axles under warranty and I would hope they would have realigned the car after that since I'm assuming they'd have to take the steering knuckle off to remove the CV axle.
2. Wind could be a significant factor and often is. I've driven into a tailwind and averaged less than 400 wh/mi while towing my motorcycle trailer but on the way back I was in the 500s with the same trailer and same load on the same day. However Ive never been able to achieve rated range no matter what the wind is.
3. I always leave my bosal hitch attached since I regularly tow. I wonder if removing the hitch and putting the cover back on the rear could affect aerodynamics significantly?
4. Stop and go traffic... I didn't encounter significant traffic on this drive. I can't get rated range driving on the highway either (i95 or i4) with minimal HVAC usage and driving 65mph to conserve range.

 

[Richbot]

Surprisingly the axles can be done without touching anything that changes the alignment. You supposedly unbolt the ball joints without undoing the tie rods, so everything goes back together the same. So yeah get one done. I know mine was delivered with a crappy front end alignment from the factory because the replacement front tires are going to easily last 50% longer

The hitch is in a turbulent zone anyway. I doubt it’s doing much. But hey optimize where you can. I’m sure the hole is a bit of a parachute

Another easy thing to check (wheels off) is uneven brake pad wear, if you have uneven wear on one pad, it might be dragging. You can also drive fro a while, use regen to come to a stop and quickly use a pyrometer to check rotor temps and see if one is hotter than the others.

 

[vickh]

Alignment costs? Covered under used TSLA warranty or is it a wear/tear item?

Haven't done it yet on my '19 M3 and I wonder if it's a factor for lower range too

 

[henderrj]

Someone on these forums put model s 19-in wheels on their model X and got significantly improved range. It wasn't as simple as bolting them on, so you'll need to find the thread and read it, but it's an idea.

Still, I'm more for the alignment problem. My Model S was chewing through rear tires and not getting very good rated range until finally (3rd try, I think) I got the shop in Renton Washington to do an alignment to fix it. Ever since then it's been much better in both.

 

[jboy210]

Sorry for the late reply. I always drive in range mode and my tires are stock Continentals on the 20inch wheels. I keep the HVAC on auto but at reasonable temperatures (70-74). Driving around central Florida back country roads the speed varies from 45-70mph and there is some stop and go but not as much as you'd expect. I'm not new to this having owned Priuses, volts, and several teslas so I do my best to maximize efficiency. I drive conservatively as well.

The main things I have remaining to check is alignment I think. On my 85 RWD I could get 250 driving conservatively on the highway.

1. Alignment, its never been checked. Tesla replaced my axles under warranty and I would hope they would have realigned the car after that since I'm assuming they'd have to take the steering knuckle off to remove the CV axle.
2. Wind could be a significant factor and often is. I've driven into a tailwind and averaged less than 400 wh/mi while towing my motorcycle trailer but on the way back I was in the 500s with the same trailer and same load on the same day. However Ive never been able to achieve rated range no matter what the wind is.
3. I always leave my bosal hitch attached since I regularly tow. I wonder if removing the hitch and putting the cover back on the rear could affect aerodynamics significantly?
4. Stop and go traffic... I didn't encounter significant traffic on this drive. I can't get rated range driving on the highway either (i95 or i4) with minimal HVAC usage and driving 65mph to conserve range.

On EVs you usually get better mileage in stop and go.

I would definitely have it aligned. And also check tire pressure. I believe 45 psi is the recommended pressure.

 

[geordi]

Don't go near a Tesla service center for the alignment - they will only set it for the ridiculous negative camber that the factory setup had, that is why they eat tires!

You probably will need aftermarket arms first, N2itive sells both camber and toe arms that have MUCH more adjustment than the factory eccentric bolt can offer. Any competent alignment shop can get you near to zero then, if you aren't running autocross then set it up square and straight.

 

[Lectric_Agent]

Don't go near a Tesla service center for the alignment - they will only set it for the ridiculous negative camber that the factory setup had, that is why they eat tires!

You probably will need aftermarket arms first, N2itive sells both camber and toe arms that have MUCH more adjustment than the factory eccentric bolt can offer. Any competent alignment shop can get you near to zero then, if you aren't running autocross then set it up square and straight.

OEM rear camber is not adjustable at all (except suspension height adjustments of course), hence the aftermarket kits. Also, with an aftermarket kit you may still want to have a little negative camber at the rear (-0.5-1.0). This helps with stability during high speed emergency maneuvers. I won't touch an aftermarket kit since i have an extended warranty until 2030 and don't want them to deny any work due to aftermarket parts.

Either way, no reason to use Tesla for the alignment. I just purchased a lifetime alignment from Firestone for $180

 

[vickh]

OEM rear camber is not adjustable at all (except suspension height adjustments of course), hence the aftermarket kits. Also, with an aftermarket kit you may still want to have a little negative camber at the rear (-0.5-1.0). This helps with stability during high speed emergency maneuvers. I won't touch an aftermarket kit since i have an extended warranty until 2030 and don't want them to deny any work due to aftermarket parts.

Either way, no reason to use Tesla for the alignment. I just purchased a lifetime alignment from Firestone for $180

are they ok lifting? DT scared me when they used scissor lifts on my 3 and not jacks like I asked.

I like the fact that the 3 warns you if the tires are wearing uneven . Does the X do that?


I like the lifetime price . Do you have to do it often though?