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P85D is an extra 291 pounds. Will there be a handling penalty?

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Tesla quotes 1G lateral acceleration for the P85D. This should be adequate for most purposes.
FWIW, the Bugatti Veyron is 1.01G. The Porsche GT2 RS is 1.07.
Static lateral grip (skidpad G measurements with a fixed-radius) isn't really a great measure of general handling performance. For example, while I've not had the pleasure myself, the noted Veyron is a notoriously poor-handling car.
 
Does this mean the 291 lbs is compared to the lighter Model S (new production) or the older Model S? Assuming that it's compared to the lighter Model S, that means it's only 91 lbs heavier than the majority of S/P85s out there. I'd suspect it's not an issue.
 
Static lateral grip (skidpad G measurements with a fixed-radius) isn't really a great measure of general handling performance. For example, while I've not had the pleasure myself, the noted Veyron is a notoriously poor-handling car.


This. The placement of the weight matters, too--as compared to a RWD P85, the P85D is going to have all of the new weight forward, over the front axle. It will be relatively low in the car, but still higher than the battery pack. Overall balance is supposedly better (I read on one of the threads), closer to 50/50, but more weight is more weight. I would expect it to affect transient response, though I am sure that they will mask that to some degree with suspension tweaks. The Model S is already a big, heavy car, so nimbleness has never been its real selling point, but I imagine that the P85D will be less nimble than the RWD versions.

I've also read that the P85D will maintain the staggered tire layout from the P+, which I actually find a bit surprising. With more weight up front, the natural tendency of the car is going to be toward understeer; I'd think you'd want a bit wider contact patch up front to compensate. But what do I know.

Will you notice? Maybe not. Hard to say. I wouldn't really worry about it, but it's another reason that I probably wouldn't spring for the extra money for the P85D unless I needed the AWD for winter weather.