Great insideline track test preview of performance model S

josh · Aug 15, 2012

2012 Tesla Model S Track Test

This is pretty exciting to me. My experience as an early Roadster owner is that the actual "car guy" perception of the Roadster was falling quite short of the expectations Tesla set, and consequently I was not an early member of the Model S reservation list. When I saw the first reviews and saw it seemed (preliminarily) to meet or exceed expectations, I got excited again.

This is the first real performance testing I have seen, short of Dan Neil's anecdotal excitement, so I'm glad to see the car meeting the stated performance metrics (which my Roadster definitely did not).

Can't wait for my Model S!

SCW-Greg · Aug 15, 2012

Nice! First try 0-60 in 4.3 seconds! 1 foot out in 4.0.

NigelM · Aug 15, 2012

Great video! Nice find.

brianman · Aug 15, 2012

Model S First Drive Reviews

MikeK · Aug 15, 2012

That was a real treat to read and watch. Man, the Model S Performance is a beast. I love how it just sort of... disappears from the starting line.

dtich · Aug 15, 2012

oooh, nice. like to see that, good find!

can anyone out there compare the braking and skid pad specs to some known competitors?

shokunin · Aug 15, 2012

Hmmm staggered tires...

Tire Size (front): 245/35ZR21
Tire Size (rear): 265/35ZR21 (101Y)
Tire Brand: Michelin
Tire Model: Pilot Sport PS2
Tire Type: Asymmetrical summer performance

mnx · Aug 15, 2012

dtich said:
oooh, nice. like to see that, good find!

can anyone out there compare the braking and skid pad specs to some known competitors?

Sure... Hopefully the formatting isn't horrible...

Porsche Panamera Turbo S, Cadillac CTS-V, Model S

30-0 (ft): 29, 27, 27
60-0 (ft): 112, 104, 108
Skid pad lateral accel (g): 0.96, 0.89, 0.86
Slalom 68.9, 69.2, 66.8

From: IL Track Tested: Porsche Panamera Turbo S vs Cadillac CTS-V

Norbert · Aug 15, 2012

Probably the "toughest" test outside Tesla so far. Sounds like it "passed".

SCW-Greg · Aug 15, 2012

dtich said:
oooh, nice. like to see that, good find!

can anyone out there compare the braking and skid pad specs to some known competitors?

This article lists some of the best, certainly not everyday cars, but gives some high-end performance stats...
2009 Nissan GT-R vs. the World Ultimate Performance Car Test

dtich · Aug 15, 2012

mnx said:
Sure... Hopefully the formatting isn't horrible...

Porsche Panamera Turbo S, Cadillac CTS-V, Model S

30-0 (ft): 29, 27, 27
60-0 (ft): 112, 104, 108
Skid pad lateral accel (g): 0.96, 0.89, 0.86
Slalom 68.9, 69.2, 66.8

From: IL Track Tested: Porsche Panamera Turbo S vs Cadillac CTS-V

why thankee. nice.

mnx · Aug 15, 2012

I was just looking at the results with TC on vs. off.

In all the tests the times are the same or better with TC on! (Slalom improved by 0.8mph with TC on).

Tesla definitely has the best TC out there!

This is an interesting tidbit...

From the Panamera Turbo S:

0-60 (sec): 3.7 (4.4 w/TC on)
0-60 with 1-ft Rollout (sec): 3.5 (4.0 w/TC on)

Identical times to the model S if you leave TC on with the Porsche!

Johan · Aug 15, 2012

Why was it 0.3 sec slower at 0-60 after several runs but with still, as they say, "plenty of charge". I suppose it is battery related, but what? Thermal management? Voltage drop?

Lloyd · Aug 15, 2012

I had hoped that it would do better than .86 on the skidpad with the low center of gravity. .86 is good, but I was hoping for better. I guess the total weight has a price here also. These are the first numbers I have seen for the skidpad rating.

SCW-Greg · Aug 15, 2012

Lloyd said:
I had hoped that it would do better than .86 on the skidpad with the low center of gravity. .86 is good, but I was hoping for better. I guess the total weight has a price here also. These are the first numbers I have seen for the skidpad rating.

I'll bet a set of stickier tires could get it close to .90. And I'd like to see some others give it their skid pad tests too.

josh · Aug 15, 2012

Re: why does performance degrade on repeated passes?

Hypothesis based on my Roadster experience: the all the hardware that sits between the batteries and the electric motors generates heat in the process, and one of the big drivetrain challenges is keeping those parts cool -- as they get hotter, performance degrades. Repeated flogging of the gas pedal overwhelms the system's ability to remain at peak performance.

MikeK · Aug 15, 2012

At the most recent Palo Alto event, one of the Tesla folks commented that they could tell the driver of the Grey Performance car had had a fun drive, because the lower air vents were open and the fans were running upon his/her return. So, my guess is like Josh's: perhaps the car is working to keep temperatures within an allowable range by limiting the current delivery slightly.

artsci · Aug 15, 2012

This test was very exciting and makes me all the more impatient with the wait. The Model S fully lives up to its billing, and then some.

Norbert · Aug 15, 2012

Dan Edmunds ‏@Edmunds_Test
This AM: we tested a Tesla Model S at Auto Club Speedway. This PM: I had my home inspected for an electric car charger. Twitter / Edmunds_Test: This AM: we tested a Tesla ...

Cattledog · Aug 15, 2012

What could be better than this!

Norbert said:
Dan Edmunds ‏@Edmunds_Test
This AM: we tested a Tesla Model S at Auto Club Speedway. This PM: I had my home inspected for an electric car charger. Twitter / Edmunds_Test: This AM: we tested a Tesla ...

I guess if Bill Ford tweeted something similar.

However I gotta ditto on the skidpad disappointment, I was expecting 1g given the design and test drive reports. Not changing my mind though...

Great insideline track test preview of performance model S

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