Trailer tales

[mudfud]

Here are some observations after trailering my My Pod over 2,000 miles

little guys in Ohio made the pod custom tesla white. They have been great to deal with (first pod leaked due to bad window seal by their subcontractor. They replaced and added upgrade for me)

average energy use around 430 Wh/mile. My usual is 330

handling is fine. Hardly feel the pod at all

braking is, of course, slower so

don't use auto cruise control while trailing. The car did not want to stop for traffic and the collision alert started to sound before I braked hard

the rear trailer lights, wired into tail lights, have the odd behavior mentioned by others, but work fine if the parking lights are on. I isolated the car from the trailer lights with one of those signal repeaters with its own 12v

having a rear tesla camera on the back of the trailer is nice for lane changes

at most superchargers, I have been able to straddle two slots and charge. I go at off peak hours or plan to have to unhook the trailer

 

[zax123]

Thanks for this. It's encouraging. I spent yesterday evening taking my bumper apart and installing the Eco Hitch and drilling a big hole in the bumper. Good to know the car will handle all this nicely. Nice pictures!

 

[mudfud]

Thanks for this. It's encouraging. I spent yesterday evening taking my bumper apart and installing the Eco Hitch and drilling a big hole in the bumper. Good to know the car will handle all this nicely. Nice pictures!

thanks.

Ps. When you cut the hole in the skid plate, make sure it lines up currently. My installer had it a bit to the right, so I have to attach both safety chains on one side. Also, my skid plate broke after it got caught on the ground. I suppose this is a risk of putting such a big hole in that piece. Might be worth getting a real carbon fiber piece to replace this plastic one (I glued and covered with carbon fiber vinyl for now)

 

[zax123]

So I finished the install. It's a pretty involved install... especially since you're taking such big pieces off such an expensive car.

I managed to get the hole in the right place, and I bought the cover that Torklift sells, so that should protect the hole from getting stuck on things since it hides the hole and makes things look nicer when the hitch isn't attached.

I broke two screws while putting the belly plates back on. I saw that Tesla had already broken two when they changed my drivetrain, so they are obviously not designed to be taken on and off multiple times. Tesla might have to deal with that on my next drivetrain swap.

 

[mudfud]

So I finished the install. It's a pretty involved install... especially since you're taking such big pieces off such an expensive car.

I managed to get the hole in the right place, and I bought the cover that Torklift sells, so that should protect the hole from getting stuck on things since it hides the hole and makes things look nicer when the hitch isn't attached.

I broke two screws while putting the belly plates back on. I saw that Tesla had already broken two when they changed my drivetrain, so they are obviously not designed to be taken on and off multiple times. Tesla might have to deal with that on my next drivetrain swap.

I'm impressed that you did the install yourself. They were a lot of places you had to know just where to pull to not break a clip, and mine has the sensors and that wire harness to work around.

Which screws were broken? I didn't notice that in mine, but I might not have looked in the right place.

The trailer wiring is odd, so look at other posts or it might be confusing.

 

[dcopperfield]

Hi- which signal repeater did you use for your wiring? Am looking to do this and am in Seattle, WA.

Thanks!

 

[Fanatic1]

The pod looks awesome. Don't forget about the extended warranty exception for towing with a Model S.