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0-30 MPH time?

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Is the Roadster the fastest street-legal vehicle from 0-30 MPH as a result of the extraordinary torque at 0 RPM? I'd be really interested to know if the Roadster is simply the fastest street-legal dragster from 0 to the typical legal street limit. It's so weird driving my Roadster around Minneapolis... I feel like I've got my own portable amusement park ride!
 
But how many of those cars have identical performance in reverse? Based on my one test drive it looked like the Tesla was just as fast going backwards. If there's ever a Reverse Drag Racing League, I guarantee that a practiced Tesla driver would dominate it. :tongue:
 
Probably not the fast 0-30 as the tires are probably not up to it. We should test it though.

Sadly, it's not the fastest car in reverse either as the speed is limited... yes, I tested that. It limits the torque so it's not 250KW and speed limits at about 15mph - I think, I was too busy looking the wrong way to check :)
 
With a single ratio gearbox, the motor has a "tall order" to achieve maximum acceleration right off the line.
I find that the Roadster actually feels a tad numb right at the beginning of launch compared to some tire smoking supercars with a wide range of gear choices.
On the other hand, for roll-on acceleration (say you are already going 15mph) you are "always in the right gear", ready to go. If you are in motion and have the sudden urge to be going faster you get instant gratification. 15mph-65mph freeway on-ramps are where it really shines, IMHO.
 
I find that the Roadster actually feels a tad numb right at the beginning of launch compared to some tire smoking supercars with a wide range of gear choices....

My recollection of the old locked or not 1st gear was more immediate. They tuned the single speed to match 0-60 times but the jump at the start was lost.
 
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Makes sense. It is a remarkable accomplishment that they got it all the way down to 3.7s in spite of the gearing disadvantage.

Imagine how a typical ICE car feels off the line if you left it in (for example) 4th gear all the time.
 
Agreed. The prototype that I drove in 2008 launched much harder than my production 2010 model.

Funny how my Nissan Leaf can easily peel out but my Tesla cannot.

I suspect that this is due to software cutting the torque at very low RPM, even with TC off rather than due to the gearing. I heard a rumor that Elon's car doesn't do this...