Which is faster, new Model S Performance or Model 3 Performance?

[1FASTROD]

Okay made you look, but I'm contemplating trading in my Tesla Model 3 Performance for a new ('21) Model S Performance and wondering which car is faster.

I know the Model SP is faster in a perfect situation but how about on the real world streets, traffic light run? I.e. Without engaging Ludicrous mode or setting up Cheetah mode.

Is a Model 3P, with always on performance, faster if the Model SP hasn't engage Ludicrous or is Model SP fast all the time?

 

[glide]

A 2021 Model S Performance is going to trounce a Model 3P in any of the situations you mention. It’s not even a fair comparison.

 

[byeLT4]

Should make for a fun discussion. I will say my Ludicrous mode is always on, you do have to 'engage' Ludicrous plus, however. If you want to quiet all your doubt, get the Plaid S coming out in (hopefully) late '21, the only thing you'll do slower in that is trying to pay it off

 

[1FASTROD]

Thanks for the feedback, but are you saying that Ludicrous mode can be left on all the time without having to heat the battery or do anything before a launch? I'm assuming a real-world Model 3P will 0-60 in 3.2s and 1/4 mile in mid 11's.

 

[1FASTROD]

... the only thing you'll do slower in that is trying to pay it off

I'm trying to cover the Performance difference with my secret divorce fund, going to a Plaid model will definitely get flagged by the wife. LOL.

 

[byeLT4]

Yes, Ludicrous can be left on, at least in my 2017. There is a max power mode called Ludicrous Plus that heats the battery and allows launch mode, and that has to be turned on and takes anywhere from 15-45 minutes to heat the battery (that I've seen). Personally I think Plus can be felt immediately, maybe it is just a placebo effect but it feels stronger to me. I plan on taking it to the track soon, hopefully I can have some solid numbers and not just 'the feels' LOL!

 

[umair239]

Thanks for the feedback, but are you saying that Ludicrous mode can be left on all the time without having to heat the battery or do anything before a launch? I'm assuming a real-world Model 3P will 0-60 in 3.2s and 1/4 mile in mid 11's.

Yes, Ludicrous mode can be left on at all times. It is Ludicrous+ mode that requires battery heating. Ludicrous+ is what makes the car do 0-60 in 2.3s whereas always on capable regular Ludicrous mode probably does somewhere under 3s. Performance Model S is faster than model 3 Performance. Also newer 2020 or 2021 model S handles much better and tighter than older generation model S. So schedule a rest drive and check it out

 

[ChadS]

In 2016, I needed a bigger car than the Roadster and the 3 wasn't available yet, so I went shopping for a "temporary" inventory S. I would have been happy with a stripped RWD 60 (my wife had a loaded S85). It turned out, oh darn, that the cheapest car they had for lease for 2 years was a Ludicrous P90D. (Because it had been a demo car for a year, and had the old nose cone, and they were two days from introducing the P100D). I figured I'd drive it with Ludicrous off for the first year, then turn it on for the second year so I could get a "new" car when I turned it on.

That plan lasted halfway home (so about 5 miles). I turned Ludicrous on just to try it, and never turned it off for the remaining 35,000 miles I owned the car. Wow.

So, yeah, there's no reason you can't leave Ludicrous on all the time.

 

[Vaillant]

To get a sense of real world acceleration in a car, 0-60 isn’t always the best thing to look at because it involves a lot of launch variables.

Instead, check out 5-60 times (a.k.a. a rolling start). So, that’s the data to get from the two cars. Most car mags include this info when they test a car.

 

[BigNick]

3P will be faster on a road with a lot of curves due to being lighter and having adequate power to pull hard out of the curves, or in a hot-lap type of situation.

The current S will begin to lose power far more quickly due to heat buildup in the battery pack.