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Track junkies, need some info
- Thread starter mattack4000
- Start date
Why did you switch from 275 to 265? Rubbing?
I am installing camber + coilovers+ rear arms here soonish on 18x9.5, +34 wheels and wondering if I can fit 275 after lowering about 1"
275 front is no problem with extra camber, but with the stock arms we ended up chopping a tire on the fender. Sasha does like to smash curbs but it is definitely just a bit too much tire without the FUCA's.
Right, I should have clarified - with extra camber all around via camber arms, especially up front. I know it's being done, but since I'm on 265s, I figured it would be best to hear firsthand from the guy setting blazing laps at Buttonwillow on that size tire.
275 fit fine at -1.5 camber. At - 3.2 I should be able to fit 285 in front.
Now you mentioned it, I did chop a 275 tire on the fender on stock arm once at Laguna Seca at turn 11. But it was a rare instance and running 275 on stock arm at Buttonwillow Raceway was not a problem. I would consider rolling the fender a tiny little bit as stock fender has some area that sticks out.
Everything was fine, but there is a certain steering angle + curb strike that can cause it to touch. Better to let people know because ruining tires sucks!
MasterC17
Active Member
The tires I wanted were not available in a 275. That being said, the difference in grip between a 265 and a 275 is negligible. 275's do definitely fit.
In my opinion the Model 3 is an excellent daily car that you can take to the track but I wouldn't buy one as a track car. I think a better option would be a used EVO or STI built to be on the track and have a Tesla as the daily. That said I'll probably do about 4 track days a year with my Model 3 Performance because I can't afford it and a dedicated track car. The biggest down side is charging I get about 3 sessions before the power loss starts being noticable and bothering me. I try to charge at lunch between sessions to make the most of my day. But you miss out on being able to hang out with friends and talk cars and end up eating a sandwich by yourself at the supercharger. The pads, wheels/ tires and camber can be fixed with aftermarket so it's not a concern. It's a very capable car on the track but also pretty expensive to be beating on at the track.
As far as warranty goes you have to realize that the car is capable of reporting to Tesla pretty much at any time and has at least 8 cameras and GPS built in. When you have a warranty issue the techs often "remote in" to the car and check the driving logs. I don't think it will be to hard to see that the car was being driven on a track if they wanted to look that deep into it. Per the warranty any damage caused racing and tracking the car will not be covered. I've had my car in for warranty and they didn't mention anything about my track shenanigans but I wouldn't be surprised if they knew about it though.
As far as warranty goes you have to realize that the car is capable of reporting to Tesla pretty much at any time and has at least 8 cameras and GPS built in. When you have a warranty issue the techs often "remote in" to the car and check the driving logs. I don't think it will be to hard to see that the car was being driven on a track if they wanted to look that deep into it. Per the warranty any damage caused racing and tracking the car will not be covered. I've had my car in for warranty and they didn't mention anything about my track shenanigans but I wouldn't be surprised if they knew about it though.
This is my experience as well. If you can have room for multiple cars, get a SR+ and a 20k track car. If you can only have one car, P3D plus all of MPP's modification for occasional track day is not a bad idea.
Another thing you can do is find Tesla track day buddies so they can go to SC with you after every session.
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beastmode13
Member
Yep, it gets a bit lonely by yourself at SC. However, most of the time, other Tesla owners at SC would approach me to chat. Having big numbers on the sides of your car draws a lot of attention. I do agree running to SC does take away a huge part of the track experience, socializing with other drivers, Tesla driver or not.
Tracking Tesla is actually great for controlling spending. There are no power mods you can spend money on. At least for now, you can only spend money on tires, brakes, and suspension. Maybe aeros if you are into that.
I can't remember the last time i DIDN'T have someone to chat with at a Supercharger! It's always a very social experience and tons of fun.
I think Tesla is mostly pretty cool with letting us track the car and not being too strict on denying warranty claims, though they certainly could if they wanted. Last time i took my car to the service center a guy ran out (who worked there) and said he saw me at the track the previous weekend. They actually ended up giving me goodwill/warranty to fix an interior noise, so that was nice and they probably could've flat out said "no you track it" instead.
275 over 265 is only $35 more so I was figuring why not but maybe not worth risking it for the tiny bit of extra grip!
I have the same dilemma. I have a 370z that I use at the track. It's fun and I have had it for 10 years. If I get a performance, I have to sell it. If I get a base or AWD, I can keep it but then I probably have no reason to buy a 3 if I am going to leave it outside. I might as well keep my Volt or get a Bolt. I am leaning toward performance because of garage space. I simply don't have the garage space and having a car that I only use for 2-3 track days a year absolutely sucks. While the car won't depreciate much anymore, but it's a pain to have the car in the garage. The battery is always dead, I have to work around the car in the garage as I don't want to cold start it. If I charge my car, I have to move my X out in the middle of the night so I can charge them at off peak hours. It's a hassle. At this point, I am ready to throw in the towel and move on. It also doesn't help I have a clutch and diff job coming, the expenses will probably rise by 3-4K. Maybe it is time for a fresh start. Also driving a gas car is like smoking at this point. Once you are used to not smelling it, it's hard to go back.
I currently have a non tesla EV because the track car is taking up the garage space...
A dedicated garage is $250K, trust me I looked into it.....
Oh to add to the sadness, I have 8 slicks on rims in my garage, 4 spares for my Model X
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MasterC17
Active Member
As with any car, it's going to be a different experience depending on who you deal with. I overheated the calipers on my F80 M3 (they all turned dark green) and the best I could do is get them to Goodwill one (I paid for the other three when I went to sell it). This is despite the fact that I was using stock calipers and rotors (only pads and fluid had been changed) and BMW sure does market the car as "track-ready".
That being said, I highly doubt Tesla is going to drop the battery or drive unit warranty because you are tracking the car. The car automatically protects itself and it will always reside within a predefined limit (thank you electronics). So you really can't take it beyond what Tesla has decided is "the limit". Now if you go in complaining about squeaking brakes and your rotors are blue, well, yeah that's kind of on you haha!
What I can say for sure is no one at Tesla has the time to "GPS track your car" to figure out if you were on the track at some point. Quite frankly, most of those technicians don't care they just want to fix your car and get it gone.
MasterC17
Active Member
Oh, and to chime in regarding gas. I used to spend ~$400 on fuel for a three-day weekend (some tracks also really jack up the price of fuel on-site). Sometimes I would even go nuts and buy 100 octane or higher fuel ($$$). Now I spend $0. Doing 5 events a year, that gives me about $2,000 I can spend towards maintenance, mods, or more track-days!
Let's not forget Tesla have specifically developed 'Track mode' and have a Model 3 P 'track pack' in the works. It would be a bit hypocritical if they then said they wouldn't honour the warranty.
I have the same dilemma. I have a 370z that I use at the track. It's fun and I have had it for 10 years. If I get a performance, I have to sell it. If I get a base or AWD, I can keep it but then I probably have no reason to buy a 3 if I am going to leave it outside. I might as well keep my Volt or get a Bolt. I am leaning toward performance because of garage space. I simply don't have the garage space and having a car that I only use for 2-3 track days a year absolutely sucks. While the car won't depreciate much anymore, but it's a pain to have the car in the garage. The battery is always dead, I have to work around the car in the garage as I don't want to cold start it. If I charge my car, I have to move my X out in the middle of the night so I can charge them at off peak hours. It's a hassle. At this point, I am ready to throw in the towel and move on. It also doesn't help I have a clutch and diff job coming, the expenses will probably rise by 3-4K. Maybe it is time for a fresh start. Also driving a gas car is like smoking at this point. Once you are used to not smelling it, it's hard to go back.
I currently have a non tesla EV because the track car is taking up the garage space...
A dedicated garage is $250K, trust me I looked into it.....
Oh to add to the sadness, I have 8 slicks on rims in my garage, 4 spares for my Model X
If you're really looking to do 2-3 days of track a year, Model 3 Performance can do well. Not having to lift at LS is also a big plus. It can also fit 4 tires in the back that you can use to carry the slicks if you decide to go that route.
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