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Will top end battery have RWD?
- Thread starter Nuclear Fusion
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- Model 3
DR61
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RobStark
Well-Known Member
From what I've been reading about tire wear, they tire wear on the AWDs tends to be more even. I've heard the RWD Ss tended to get a lot of wear on the inside of the rear tires due to something with the regen (though that might be some other quirk of the early Model Ss). I don't need tires yet and I haven't driven a RWD, so this is just stuff I've read, though my tires are wearing pretty evenly.
The AWD also has better traction, better regen braking, and better acceleration, though the last is just a bonus IMO. The RWD Ss had better acceleration than any car I've ever had. In drier, warmer climates the better traction is not needed as much as in places that get conditions bad for traction, but this last winter even my SO who is a major Subaru fan had to admit my Model S tracked better in the snow than her Impreza. My car stuck to the road going through some pretty dang big puddles too.
Though the downside to AWD is a smaller frunk.
RobStark
Well-Known Member
All frunks are now the same size. Before AWD existed the frunk was larger. I doubt Tesla will make two frunk liners for Model 3, one for AWD and another for RWD.
Early Model Ses had aggressive negative camber to improve handling in lieu of more sophisticated stability control. This caused excessive and uneven tire wear. That is no longer the case.
Improved traction also improves launches for better acceleration of the line.
All said AWD is not "needed", even customers in Norway did just fine with RWD Model Ses before dual motor AWD was introduced. It is a nice "want" even in dry warm regions.
They may not make the frunk bigger on the early versions, though I kind of hope they will. It will be a benefit to having an early one down in the future, though they probably won't.
The camber makes more sense than the regen story I heard.
AWD is not needed, but I think it adds to the fun.
As an owner of several Porsche 911's including both RWD and AWD models, your statement would cause a huge debate on a Porsche discussion board if it was about 911s. Personally I am in the RWD is more fun camp, but either 911 car is superb. I suspect there is no right answer for Teslas either, unless perhaps you plow through snowdrifts with your Tesla. No such problem here in Phoenix. The posts I see here seem to be heavily weighted in the AWD is better camp. I only have RWD S so can't compare but will happily take my early delivery RWD 3.
jelloslug
Active Member
If the Model 3 is configured like the Model S the real world range difference for AWD is hardly negligible.
I've never driven a Porsche, so I can't make that comparison, but AWD ICE systems are different from Tesla's AWD system. ICE 4WD and AWD cars have extra equipment to physically hook up the one engine to both axles. That adds complexity and weight to the drive train. AWD systems sense where the power is needed and shift it to the axle that needs it. With computerized systems, it can be done fairly quickly these days.
Tesla has a separate, second motor on the front axle and the only connection between the two is through the computer managing both motors. Electric motors also have instant response that no ICE can deliver. The only weight added with the Tesla system is the weight of the second motor itself and because the rear motor in the standard AWD is smaller, the weight added is very little (it's more of a weight redistribution than a weight gain). The Performance version is heavier because it retains the large rear motor and adds the small front one.
Not long after the P85D came out I saw a YouTube video where somebody tried to put the car on a dynamometer to measure the true horsepower. The dyno kept crashing the computer because it could not deal with the axles being independent of one another like that can be with the Tesla AWD system.
I have driven AWD Subarus in a variety of weather. In dry, non-emergency conditions, the car is pretty much a front wheel drive car and handles much the same way as any other FWD car I've driven. The AWD is great when you encounter something you weren't expecting. Running at highway speeds I once hit a puddle that turned out to be a lot deeper than I expected and between the traction control and the AWD kicking in, the car powered on through the puddle with no more than a few warning lights come on and a big rooster tail.
The AWD in my Tesla is different. It's hard to separate the AWD from the electric drive when gauging performance, both make driving a different experience when you hit the go pedal. Because of the weight, no Tesla can throw itself around curves like a light, nimble sports car, but it does handle better than any car I've ever had. I've driven some very curvy mountain roads very aggressively. Between the instant torque, regen, and dual motors, it was fantastic.
Last Christmas at my SO's company Christmas party their new hire lawyer who had a Porsche 911 asked for a ride in my car when he saw it. He'd been drinking so he didn't want to drive, but said sometime when he hasn't been drinking he'd like to. I did a mini-launch and he was very impressed. I heard not long after Christmas he sold his Porsche and bought a used economy car even though he loves sports cars and is making more money now that he ever has. I suspect he's saving up for a P100D. I haven't talked to him since Christmas so I don't know for sure.
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