Track Mode - a day with HOD @ Laguna - my personal observations…

[HeatproofGenie]

Great writeup.

The consumption doesn't surprise me as being the main obstacle. Reminds me of all the messing about with RC cars I've done, battery life always ended up being the limiter after chassis toughness was sorted.

I could easily see tracks incorporating a high quality charging infrastructure into their suite of services, it's probably already on their radar. Laguna seems like a likely first adopter as well. If Porsche is to be believed regarding their charge rate for the Taycan that could help with the consumption problem as well but a track would need quite a few chargers (20?) to make it relevant.

 

[Nocturnal]

Disappointed, but not surprised that track mode didn't change much in regards to overheating.

so once you address brakes & cooling...we're left with consumption…an estimated 60% drain for a full 25 minute session just can't be fixed via L2 level charging…

I still had fun - and the car is great until it's not.

My consumption was way lower on my two track days. I was able to do 3 20 minute sessions plus the place laps and drive home 60 miles with just some slow 30amp charging in between sessions. My first track day I ran 2 20 minute sessions with no charging and had 1/3 of my battery left.

The guys that ran our local track even mentioned that he expected dedicated chargers sooner or later. For now the RV hookups are our best option.

According to the Motor Trend article, it is indeed the motor that overheats. It'll be interesting to see if the Roadster 2 has extra cooling for the track. To be fair, it isn't unusual for ICE cars to need/want souped up oil coolers for tracking (as well as brakes and tires of course).

And yes, both tracks and Tesla need to get together to install Superchargers at their locations. Destination chargers aren't going to cut it, not only for during the day, but also for getting back from isolated tracks.

Definitely the motor. And yeah, ICE cars have those issues but they can easily upgrade. I really hope somebody offers some type of aftermarket cooling option soon. There are a few ways this could be done I think.

 

[dortor4ev]

Disappointed, but not surprised that track mode didn't change much in regards to overheating.


My consumption was way lower on my two track days. I was able to do 3 20 minute sessions plus the place laps and drive home 60 miles with just some slow 30amp charging in between sessions. My first track day I ran 2 20 minute sessions with no charging and had 1/3 of my battery left.

The guys that ran our local track even mentioned that he expected dedicated chargers sooner or later. For now the RV hookups are our best option.

Definitely the motor. And yeah, ICE cars have those issues but they can easily upgrade. I really hope somebody offers some type of aftermarket cooling option soon. There are a few ways this could be done I think.

What track? I’m thinking Laguna is hard because it’s uphill for half the track...and what was your pace? A fast pace will use way more power - I see it in gasoline consumption - as I got faster over the years my fuel consumption went way up - more time at full throttle!

 

[GregRF]

The Model 3 handles well and power is ample - at no time did the car’s behavior concern me - handling is stellar for a 38xx lbs 4 door sedan - easy to place on track - this car is really really excellent - just wow!

Thanks for the write up! Just FYI, but the AWD and Performance are hauling around some extra weight, 3805lb is for RWD, the others are listed at 4072lb, so even more impressive for handling at that weight.

 

[Nocturnal]

What track? I’m thinking Laguna is hard because it’s uphill for half the track...and what was your pace? A fast pace will use way more power - I see it in gasoline consumption - as I got faster over the years my fuel consumption went way up - more time at full throttle!

Heartland motorsports in Topeka. It is pretty flat. I hesitate to offer an eyeball approximation but maybe 5% grade max? Also, it may just be a slower track than Laguna.

 

[MountainPass]

Looks like we need to send Cameron back with his current setup to defend his record! Great driving man!

 

[Odiemac]

Great write-up! My last trip to Laguna was with a stock P3D+, but yes I concur about the brakes being a limiting factor at Laguna. Also, since I went pre-Track Mode, the power throttling was pretty bad, more like my older Model S that couldn’t get through a single lap without throttling 20-30% power by the end. It sounds like with Track Mode things were notably improved on the power throttling front.

I did the Supercharge in Monterey thing at lunch and it worked out pretty well. I think you could reasonably do an whole day this way but you might have to cut your sessions just a bit short.

On the topic of the stock brakes not being able to handle Laguna, that’s by no means specific to the Model 3. I had a 2011 BMW M3 that would have its brakes turn to putty after 3-4 laps at Laguna. I have had full race cars that struggle with brake longevity there, too That downhill braking zone into T2 is just brutal on brakes. Porsche is one of the only brands that specifies truly Laguna-worthy brakes from the factory.

 

[paranoidroid]

Great writeup and detailed report. Hopefully lots see it within Tesla. I hope we get vendors make some high performance pads soon for P3D+.

 

[MayorMcCheese]

I also doubt 19” wheels will fit the performance brakes

Hell, even the right 18" wheels do: https://www.tirerack.com/wheels/res...&autoModClar=Performance+Brakes&package=false - I have the TRMotorsport C4s on mine and it clears.

 

[Vitold]

Sounds like whatever is overheating is within water cooling loop so it should be possible to add secondary loop to boost cooling.

I have a feeling, based on what they did with P3D pricing, that Tesla is already working on a solution.

 

[Oyinko]

Thanks for the write up, very interesting!

Coming from a M235i and having tracked it several times at Laguna and Sonoma, I'm very tempted to track my Model 3 sometime next year. My M235i was all stock beside DOT 4 fluid and stainless steel brake lines and I had almost zero issue with brakes.

So my guess is I would need to replace the fluid on the Model 3 with DOT 4 and give it a go.

I also agree that we need supercharger infrastructure at the racetrack. Should we tweet Elon to inquire about this option for Laguna and Sonoma?

 

[cab]

I wonder how much of the brake overheating is actually track mode vectoring the car via the brakes (vs just regular braking). I seem to recall watching one of the YouTube reviewers testing a P3D- and noting that.

Good news for Tesla...I see the new $3500 "Competition Pkg" coming to a configurator near you soon.

 

[Uncle Paul]

Great information. It is simply amazing how much progress Tesla has made towards making their EVs competitive on track days.

As more information is gathered, even more progress will be made.

Drivers will also learn how to optimize their battery use and heat build up.

I remember when I used to track my Viper. You could not simply hammer it all the way around the track. You needed to use heat management techniques to get you all the way through your stint.
The brakes would cook the fluids, the differential would over heat, sawing at the wheel would over heat the power stearing, hard cornering would make the tires greasy and running at higher revs would peg the temp gauge. At Laguna we would also need to short shift and lug the engine while going by the sound meters. Running at full tilt would get us kicked off the track due to noise.
I had buddies with Corvettes and they too had their weak points. Usually heat management issues.

Model 3 drivers will learn when they can give their gear a breather by letting off a little. This will slightly reduce lap times, but allow you to get in many more laps. Some corners can be entered by just breathing the car a bit and maintaining a smooth line, and save some of their capacity until you really need to hammer them at another corner.

 

[Gavyne]

Here's someone's hot lap at Thunderhill Raceway:

Different race track obviously. This driver did all 8 sessions in 2 days according to video description. Quoting the description:

"Tesla Performance Model 3 Track Mode, first time running Thunderhill (East Bypass) with BMW CCA GGC HPDE. How many laps did I do? All of them! 8 sessions in 2 days, no power limiting, no thermal limiting, no "limp mode", no brake fade! Only had to come in one lap early on the very last session to leave enough battery to get home. "

 

[dortor4ev]

2:20 lap time at Thunderhill isn't that quick - but obviously saves enough power to go full sessions for longer - I can almost do 2:20's without touching the brakes - the regen would probably be sufficient and Thunderhill doesn't have the elevation change that Laguna has…

 

[SemiS3XYR]

“2018 Tesla Model 3 Long Range Performance Edition - Dual All-Wheel Drive + Performance Package”

I read that as Long Range minus AWD (meaning RWD) plus performance pack/track mode.

what the hell? How do I make my LR RWD get track mode!

Thanks for sharing. I’m not sure why I spent $50k on a daily because I would much rather get a mint 997.2 to be a garage queen with some track visits but I guess I’m getting more enjoyment out of my money. Plus, haven’t burned gas for 4 years (other EVs) and every time I get in my gas car to go somewhere I feel guilty. Sorry off topic.

 

[dortor4ev]

I get to amend my personal experience at laguna - I've now put down a 1:40.51 lap time in my GT3 - at this point I'm pretty certain the dunlps are holding me back (what came on car from factory) - I'm looking forward to wearing them out and moving to Michellin PS2 Cups…

this make the 1:50.xx lap in the Model 3 pretty good on stock low-grip street tires…the car is a 100% hoot for those first 3 laps.

 

[dortor4ev]

here is the ApexPRO data from the 3rd session (4 laps) 50% battery to 21% battery

 

[dortor4ev]

and here are pics of the car on track! Thankyou Ditto! gotbluemilk.com

 

[Nocturnal]

Sounds like whatever is overheating is within water cooling loop so it should be possible to add secondary loop to boost cooling.

I have a feeling, based on what they did with P3D pricing, that Tesla is already working on a solution.

That or some kind of external cooling. I still think spraying down the radiator with something like compressed CO2 would be feasible for the track.