Who plans to track their P3D?

[Pandamoanium]

That's not how lap times work. 15% faster than an M3 would make it the fastest production car in the world. The Porsche 918 Spyder (the fastest on Motortrend's Laguna Seca list) is only 10% faster than an M3.

Ah, someone else who understands this, every time I bring it up people look at me like I'm just insanely bad at math for an Asian. I'm curious to see what Pobst can do with it.

 

[pandam3]

I’ll probably track mine between tracking my ice car.

It’s not a P3D... it’s a P3D “light”.
- everything in the Mountain Pass suspension catalogue on order (performance coilovers, rear toe and camber arms)
- I’ll probably order their multipiece 355mm rotor upgrade + pads
- Thinking either square Advan RG3’s or Volk TE37 Ultras with PS4S (I’m not looking for fastest lap times so I’m not gonna have a seperate set of RE71R tires)
- and a front motor delete so that it’s 200lbs lighter
- hopefully I can make up for some power deficit with MPP’s traction control software

If no one has figured it out already... I just have a modded long range

if the P3D is analagous (not in performance but hierarchy) to a Porsche GT3 then my Long Range is analagous to a Carrera T...

 

[invalid]

- and a front motor delete so that it’s 200lbs lighter

Wait, are getting the AWD and then removing the front motor?

 

[DanCar]

100% tracking this car every 1-2 months. COTA, ECR and Cresson.

Looking forward to seeing track times and youtube videos.

 

[Daniel in SD]

Ah, someone else who understands this, every time I bring it up people look at me like I'm just insanely bad at math for an Asian. I'm curious to see what Pobst can do with it.

Me too. He's got the Laguna Seca production EV lap time record for now at 148.18. Unfortunately it's in a Jaguar I-Pace:

Anyone know what kind of tires the I-Pace comes with?
I have a feeling that record will stand until Porsche releases the Taycan or Tesla releases "track mode" or some sort of stability and traction control disable.
EDIT: Looks like he was running the optional Pirelli P-zeros. So, 220 treadwear street tires. I thought it might have been with all seasons which would have been much more impressive. I wonder what tires the Model S P100D that did 1:47.6 at the last refuel event.

 

[Pandamoanium]

Me too. He's got the Laguna Seca production EV lap time record for now at 148.18. Unfortunately it's in a Jaguar I-Pace:

Anyone know what kind of tires the I-Pace comes with?
I have a feeling that record will stand until Porsche releases the Taycan or Tesla releases "track mode" or some sort of stability and traction control disable.
EDIT: Looks like he was running the optional Pirelli P-zeros. So, 220 treadwear street tires. I thought it might have been with all seasons which would have been much more impressive. I wonder what tires the Model S P100D that did 1:47.6 at the last refuel event.

I haven’t fully looked into the wheels or options, but the P3D+ with cup sport tires and a slightly tuned dampening setup, IMO would really make him happy.

When I drove the P3D I was very impressed with comfort of the ride and how well dampened it was in tight corners. While on my drive the guy let me, “test” so I could at least decide on truly making the move to trade in my 718. Different cars and types for sure but it’ll be enough to track a few times a year.

I was tracking one day and a youngin with a decently modified M3 mostly the basics was just face checking people. Didn’t matter how nice the car was. GT3s, 911s, an aventador (I think) we’re getting eaten alive.

I’m excited to see what times and thoughts are posted by those highly competent drivers will be.

 

[guywithkeyboard]

Here's a track day report by @brianman
Track Report: Model 3 Performance @ ORP, day 1

 

[TeeEmCee]

I haven’t fully looked into the wheels or options, but the P3D+ with cup sport tires and a slightly tuned dampening setup, IMO would really make him happy.

When I drove the P3D I was very impressed with comfort of the ride and how well dampened it was in tight corners. While on my drive the guy let me, “test” so I could at least decide on truly making the move to trade in my 718. Different cars and types for sure but it’ll be enough to track a few times a year.

I was tracking one day and a youngin with a decently modified M3 mostly the basics was just face checking people. Didn’t matter how nice the car was. GT3s, 911s, an aventador (I think) we’re getting eaten alive.

I’m excited to see what times and thoughts are posted by those highly competent drivers will be.

Do you mind elaborating on your perception of the cornering capabilities of the 3 vs the 718.

A few days ago I did a back-to-back test of the 3 RWD vs the P3D vs the 718 Cayman (automatic, GTS). I thought the cornering in both Model 3 variants was rather disappointing. The chassis felt good but the suspension was way soft in the turn and the understeer-prone setup was quite infuriating. I felt like it was neutering what should otherwise be a rather capable car. Oddly, I thought the stickier tires on the P3D only highlighted the weak suspension, I preferred the RWD with the base tires. I also thought the steering was a bit more crisp on the RWD.

Have any of you upgraded the suspension components on your 3 or have you had the chance to drive an upgraded vehicle? If yes, is it a clear improvement?
My interest is purely in roadholding feel and capability not ultimate performance. I don’t plan to ever race or such, I’m just a sucker for cars with well-sorted suspensions and steering racks, tuned for legal (and nearly-legal) speeds.

 

[Pandamoanium]

Do you mind elaborating on your perception of the cornering capabilities of the 3 vs the 718.

A few days ago I did a back-to-back test of the 3 RWD vs the P3D vs the 718 Cayman (automatic, GTS). I thought the cornering in both Model 3 variants was rather disappointing. The chassis felt good but the suspension was way soft in the turn and the understeer-prone setup was quite infuriating. I felt like it was neutering what should otherwise be a rather capable car. Oddly, I thought the stickier tires on the P3D only highlighted the weak suspension, I preferred the RWD with the base tires. I also thought the steering was a bit more crisp on the RWD.

Have any of you upgraded the suspension components on your 3 or have you had the chance to drive an upgraded vehicle? If yes, is it a clear improvement?
My interest is purely in roadholding feel and capability not ultimate performance. I don’t plan to ever race or such, I’m just a sucker for cars with well-sorted suspensions and steering racks, tuned for legal (and nearly-legal) speeds.

I’ll try my best:

718 Cayman Base: mine does not have any of the performance upgrades such as PASM or sport chrono etc so you testing the GTS is already enhanced compared to mine. On road comparison of the 718 and P3 felt like the P3D was hooked up and could take the turn well enough. Body roll was of course much more than the 718 but better than other cars I’ve driven. Weight shift balance in the P3 was also above average but the 718 again is better. Balance felt good for the P3, battery in the middle and low CoG helps mimic the midengine feel. But it’s still below you versus engine behind you.

When cornering I try to enter late, hit the apex, track out the weight and then fully punch it. I will accelerate out of a corner, just not 90% until I feel the weight shift. The 718 when it comes to this is just amazing. Body roll on public roads are minimal. On a track, I’ve taken a curve at 80 mph and still felt like the car could handle more. I’ve seen people take the same curve at 90, wouldn’t believe it until I saw it.

The chassis felt stiff enough. A tad bit boatish but for road cornering it’ll be more than enough. On track though it’ll take some time to get used to. Suspension did fine, tried to keep things level and the dampeners did make it feel smoother. A touch ride doesn’t always translate to sporty for me. I get the whole road feedback part but as long as I feel good in my corner its enough for me.

What settings did you have it on while driving? I had it in sport steering. Artificial weight/heavy feel of the wheel was about 90% of my 718 and responsive. I actually thought the understeer in some situations was easily managed. I didn’t pay too much attention to adjustments I made.

TLDR: 718 will beat the P3D in cornering feel IMO. 718 is too flat and too balanced to compete with at this time.

 

[TeeEmCee]

I’ll try my best:

718 Cayman Base: mine does not have any of the performance upgrades such as PASM or sport chrono etc so you testing the GTS is already enhanced compared to mine. On road comparison of the 718 and P3 felt like the P3D was hooked up and could take the turn well enough. Body roll was of course much more than the 718 but better than other cars I’ve driven. Weight shift balance in the P3 was also above average but the 718 again is better. Balance felt good for the P3, battery in the middle and low CoG helps mimic the midengine feel. But it’s still below you versus engine behind you.

When cornering I try to enter late, hit the apex, track out the weight and then fully punch it. I will accelerate out of a corner, just not 90% until I feel the weight shift. The 718 when it comes to this is just amazing. Body roll on public roads are minimal. On a track, I’ve taken a curve at 80 mph and still felt like the car could handle more. I’ve seen people take the same curve at 90, wouldn’t believe it until I saw it.

The chassis felt stiff enough. A tad bit boatish but for road cornering it’ll be more than enough. On track though it’ll take some time to get used to. Suspension did fine, tried to keep things level and the dampeners did make it feel smoother. A touch ride doesn’t always translate to sporty for me. I get the whole road feedback part but as long as I feel good in my corner its enough for me.

What settings did you have it on while driving? I had it in sport steering. Artificial weight/heavy feel of the wheel was about 90% of my 718 and responsive. I actually thought the understeer in some situations was easily managed. I didn’t pay too much attention to adjustments I made.

TLDR: 718 will beat the P3D in cornering feel IMO. 718 is too flat and too balanced to compete with at this time.

Thank you for your answers!

I tried a lot of cars lately, pretty much everything out there, casually looking for a small fun car. I’ve waited for the Model 3 to become available for test drives before I made up my mind (I would prefer an electric car, if indeed competitive).

I drove almost all candidates on the same course (not much choice of fun roads where I live). There are two successive 90-ish degree corners that one can take with a bit more gusto, I used them to benchmark the cornering feel and I've been surprised more than once by what they revealed. Sure, the Cayman was the most satisfying of the bunch (I liked the base manual the most, I didn’t think the extra doodas add much to the giggle factor) and, If I didn’t have this bad an electric car itch, I’ve have just got the Porsche and called it a day.

Surprisingly, Porsche aside, of all the cars I tried, the M2 and the Audi A4 had the best cornering feel by far. The honest, rear-biased AWD of the Audi plus whatever differential or brake-based fakery it employs help it rotate wonderfully. That was completely unexpected for something with the engine in the worst possible location, in front of the rear axle. I was expecting the Model 3 to replicate and perhaps exceed the feel of the A4. I bet it would be possible with just brake software tuning. Alas, as it is, it feels more like an ATS, with more understeer. Ironically, from what I’ve been reading, the original (stiffer) model 3 suspension would have probably been more in line with what I’m looking for.

What’s Tesla’s stance on suspension tuning? From everything I’ve read, I would expect them to not be particularly accomodating of owners with modified cars. Sure there’s the Magnuson-Moss Act and perhaps other such laws that would compel Tesla to not weasel out of warranty coverage because of unrelated vehicle upgrades, but I’d hate to find myself arguing about coverage after having to upgrade a brand new vehicle to get it up to par. I’ve ve never modified any of my cars, so I don’t know what to expect in such a situation.

Have any of you been denied warranty coverage or had to argue with Tesla over “moderate” car mods? By “moderate” I mean things like wheels, suspension components, brakes and such, not major things like salvage repairs.

TIA!

 

[Pandamoanium]

Thank you for your answers!

I tried a lot of cars lately, pretty much everything out there, casually looking for a small fun car. I’ve waited for the Model 3 to become available for test drives before I made up my mind (I would prefer an electric car, if indeed competitive).

I drove almost all candidates on the same course (not much choice of fun roads where I live). There are two successive 90-ish degree corners that one can take with a bit more gusto, I used them to benchmark the cornering feel and I've been surprised more than once by what they revealed. Sure, the Cayman was the most satisfying of the bunch (I liked the base manual the most, I didn’t think the extra doodas add much to the giggle factor) and, If I didn’t have this bad an electric car itch, I’ve have just got the Porsche and called it a day.

Surprisingly, Porsche aside, of all the cars I tried, the M2 and the Audi A4 had the best cornering feel by far. The honest, rear-biased AWD of the Audi plus whatever differential or brake-based fakery it employs help it rotate wonderfully. That was completely unexpected for something with the engine in the worst possible location, in front of the rear axle. I was expecting the Model 3 to replicate and perhaps exceed the feel of the A4. I bet it would be possible with just brake software tuning. Alas, as it is, it feels more like an ATS, with more understeer. Ironically, from what I’ve been reading, the original (stiffer) model 3 suspension would have probably been more in line with what I’m looking for.

What’s Tesla’s stance on suspension tuning? From everything I’ve read, I would expect them to not be particularly accomodating of owners with modified cars. Sure there’s the Magnuson-Moss Act and perhaps other such laws that would compel Tesla to not weasel out of warranty coverage because of unrelated vehicle upgrades, but I’d hate to find myself arguing about coverage after having to upgrade a brand new vehicle to get it up to par. I’ve ve never modified any of my cars, so I don’t know what to expect in such a situation.

Have any of you been denied warranty coverage or had to argue with Tesla over “moderate” car mods? By “moderate” I mean things like wheels, suspension components, brakes and such, not major things like salvage repairs.

TIA!

If you don't have a lot of roads to exploit the car then you should think about what your driving will primarily be. Sounds like you want the 911 experience.

To my knowledge, Tesla does not like to work on anything aftermarket. Sure they need to prove your mod is voiding the warranty and all that but they have also just straight up refused people. Not sure how that all works out but with something also so new I would wait on the mods. If track mode is what Elon stated in the YouTube interview then it's possible you'll get to modify items related to suspension.