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Saleen 416 Video

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That front end looks to me like a cross between a ninja turtle and the Hindenburg. Not a flattering image.

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In the video Mr. Saleen himself takes pride in having made the 416 *noisier* than the Model S. Because, after all, the original was "too quiet."

The 416 sounds like those radio-controlled toy 4x4 pickup trucks you see grown men playing with in parking lots.
 
In the video Mr. Saleen himself takes pride in having made the 416 *noisier* than the Model S. Because, after all, the original was "too quiet."

The 416 sounds like those radio-controlled toy 4x4 pickup trucks you see grown men playing with in parking lots.

It would be hella dumb if it was not for the fact loud straight cut gears are more efficient than quiet helical gears

I like the rear end but yeah all front ends without grills look funny after being programmed your whole life by the world as it is. While I dont love the Saleen front end what I hate is the fake fish mouth grill on the stock Model S. The fake grill was a conservative design choice to appease the programmed. Can't blame Tesla as most people are not that keen. When we dont know what to think we laugh. Funny huh?

The also updated the radiators and removed 75 pounds of sprung weight thst you have to accelerate. I dont get all the hate.
 
I would be interested in knowing what their numbers for overall drag coefficient are. I have no doubt that Saleen has capability in this regard... but Tesla put a crapload of effort in producing a slippery vehicle. If Saleen is claiming that they re able to introduce larger radiators (i.e.- likely more drag) to improve drivetrain cooling, yet REDUCE overall drag, I'd like to know what their actual numbers are.

And call my cynical, but "we wanted to leave the battery alone, and not touch the management systems" to me sounds like "we really didn't have any capability there."

The seats are probably cool, the brake/wheel weight reductions are nice, and the body mods are so-so (the hood vent-inspired inserts are goofy). I suspect they might have been able to do a few suspension tweaks.

What I really don't quite get is the drive train. They seem to suggest shorter gears, but then claim no range impact... I didn't hear it said it was 2-speed, but somebody up-thread suggested that. And if they added noise just for the sake of it, I'm not a fan of that...

All in all, it seems like some decent bolt-ons, but without really tuning the guts of the vehicle.
 
I would be interested in knowing what their numbers for overall drag coefficient are. I have no doubt that Saleen has capability in this regard... but Tesla put a crapload of effort in producing a slippery vehicle. If Saleen is claiming that they re able to introduce larger radiators (i.e.- likely more drag) to improve drivetrain cooling, yet REDUCE overall drag, I'd like to know what their actual numbers are.

And call my cynical, but "we wanted to leave the battery alone, and not touch the management systems" to me sounds like "we really didn't have any capability there."

The seats are probably cool, the brake/wheel weight reductions are nice, and the body mods are so-so (the hood vent-inspired inserts are goofy). I suspect they might have been able to do a few suspension tweaks.

What I really don't quite get is the drive train. They seem to suggest shorter gears, but then claim no range impact... I didn't hear it said it was 2-speed, but somebody up-thread suggested that. And if they added noise just for the sake of it, I'm not a fan of that...

All in all, it seems like some decent bolt-ons, but without really tuning the guts of the vehicle.

They did not touch the battery because

1) what would suggest they do?
2) they are not partners with Tesla. Any part they touch voids the warranty. Opening the battery def voids the warranty on it. Tesla could argue changing the radiators voids the battery, inverter, and motor warranty but they would have to prove it in court. Likely only the single speed gearbox will be voided. If they changed the inverter settings that would also void the warranty as obviously they would be putting more stress on the pack pulling more amps. Increasing the gear ratio and increasing the radiator size should actually improve reliability under repeated hard accel. The gear change should reduce top speed for sure. Other wise they would void the inverter and motor and therefore battery warranty. Saleen did what was within reason I assume
 
I find it almost impossible to believe that they improved the aerodynamics of the car. I suspect that any claims to that effect are total BS. Let them show us the computer modeling or wind tunnel test results. Otherwise it's a vapor claim.
 
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They did not touch the battery because

1) what would suggest they do?
2) they are not partners with Tesla. Any part they touch voids the warranty. Opening the battery def voids the warranty on it. Tesla could argue changing the radiators voids the battery, inverter, and motor warranty but they would have to prove it in court. Likely only the single speed gearbox will be voided. If they changed the inverter settings that would also void the warranty as obviously they would be putting more stress on the pack pulling more amps. Increasing the gear ratio and increasing the radiator size should actually improve reliability under repeated hard accel. The gear change should reduce top speed for sure. Other wise they would void the inverter and motor and therefore battery warranty. Saleen did what was within reason I assume


I suspect all their "showcase" cars they sell void manufacturer warranties. They build a 570HP 5.7 liter Challenger... the spec on that engine from the factory is 375HP. I'm gonna guess if you take that Challenger to Dodge for a broken connecting rod, they are going to tell you to take a hike.

Now they may provide their own warranty, based on their own engineering for parts they modify. I'd guess they don't have this expertise in the electric arena yet.
 
We are going to see more engineered EV noise in the future. ICE manufacturers spend a lot of time tuning the exhaust sound of their cars, for purely aesthetic reasons, to the extent of adding devices that have no other role than to increase noise. Doing this by changing gear shapes or whatnot seems like a much more pure solution than using speakers and electronic recordings, which I find a bit too "faux".
 
Hate?

Well, maybe on the noise, when thus far I've seen more negative reaction for than positive, but for the most part it seems most folks simply aren't impressed much is all.

What's ironic is when you leave Tesla world, people LOVE the Saleen. At least thats been my experience. I'm a big fan of the front end, anything but the current open mouthed fish is an improvement. It's like that is the point they ran out of ideas.