I tried "Launch Mode" for the first time today.

[PhilDavid]

You will definitely run faster times with 21’s. Even more so if using Arachnids (lighter, Forged) over Turbines with a staggered set.
I honestly think the 19’s ride worse too. They almost make like a vibration noise. I only had them on a car I bought in Chicago and drove it back to Vegas. That was the longest trip ever BTW. The 19’s not only made a constant humming noise but they ride awful in my opinion. I thought it was the car cause the tires were basically new since he had other 20’s he purchased. Once I got back and put the 21’s on and it was so much better. That’s the only time I ever had 19’s on. To be honest the 21’s with Tesla’s recommended tires have more than enough sidewall to keep the ride smooth and from getting damaged even in Los Angeles. You just might want to put them at 50psi. If anything the tire will get a bubble before the rims gets damaged. The S is a heavy car obviously but I know plenty of people who run 255 30 21 fronts and 295 25 21 rears even though they don’t pass the load requirements with no issues.

Yeah but what TIRES did you run? The choice of tires may affect performance more than the wheel choice.

You can't compare dry summer performance on Pilot Sport 4s in hot heather with the performance of all season 19" tires, for example. I bet with the same tires, you will see better straight line performance with 19" wheels.

 

[Litigate28]

Alright I finally tried it. It is a very noticeable difference. Thank you MichaelP90DL for making this thread and unintentionally changing my life.

 

[tyler2323]

Yeah but what TIRES did you run? The choice of tires may affect performance more than the wheel choice.

You can't compare dry summer performance on Pilot Sport 4s in hot heather with the performance of all season 19" tires, for example. I bet with the same tires, you will see better straight line performance with 19" wheels.

I already said the tires make more of a difference than even the lightest rims earlier in the post.

Most Tesla owners are running tires with the foam inserts like the Michelin PSS, which were specifically made to reduce noise and handle the extra weight, which will make a huge difference compared to Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires. They will be the superior tire when it comes to performance on dry roads. Like I also stated the rear wheel width will also have a huge impact due to the amount of immediate torque that a Performance Model S is capable of, especially in the initial take off. Having wider tires will give it better traction when using launch mode or just gunning it from a standstill. So I agree that the tires are much more important than most owners realize. But I don’t agree that 19’s would perform better. Really 21’s are actually a great size for performance or 20’s would be the even better option . As much as a bigger sidewall can give you a more comfortable ride, it is not ideal for performance. You would want to have a similar size tire as on 20’s or 21’s (25-35 sidewall, which is different based on the width. Meaning a 35 on a 245 35 21 is not the same size as a 285 35 21. The sidewall size is calculated in relation to the width of the tire.) But most definitely PS 4 tires will out perform PSS tires as the Sport Cup 2 will outperform the PS4 on a dry surface.

 

[tyler2323]

Alright I finally tried it. It is a very noticeable difference. Thank you MichaelP90DL for making this thread and unintentionally changing my life.

Noticeable difference between launch mode or not using launch mode? Cause I haven’t had the same experience. I can’t say there is really any difference after trying them both hundreds of times. My 0-10, 0-20, 0-30 mph have been just as good without launch mode. Same with the final 0-60mph time.
This is assuming that you have reached max power when using both.

 

[tyler2323]

Guilty on three counts. On fourth count, no need to drive to the desert. I live in the desert.

Have you owned your Tesla the entire time? It will be interesting to see what a fresh battery from a P90DL with a V1 battery is capable of. Since Tesla tries to say it can do 2.6 seconds but that’s not the case. Only V3 batteries can. I would guess if this is a fresh battery that has never had many launches done or has been in max power that you may get 2.8 seconds 0-60mph 1ft. I would say you will get 3.1-2 seconds 0-60mph on a dragy and 2.9 seconds 0-60mph 1ft, is what I would predict you will end up getting. If you get 3 seconds or less 0-60mph and 2.8 seconds or less 0-60mph 1ft I will be very impressed and shocked.

 

[Qbenjamin]

Hmm, I haven't used launch mode since the first week that I purchased the car. It was a bit annoying to setup initially. I'll wait until sometime after May 1st to try it again (will put the 22's back on for summer; Model X though).

 

[MichaelP90DL]

Have you owned your Tesla the entire time? It will be interesting to see what a fresh battery from a P90DL with a V1 battery is capable of. Since Tesla tries to say it can do 2.6 seconds but that’s not the case. Only V3 batteries can. I would guess if this is a fresh battery that has never had many launches done or has been in max power that you may get 2.8 seconds 0-60mph 1ft. I would say you will get 3.1-2 seconds 0-60mph on a dragy and 2.9 seconds 0-60mph 1ft, is what I would predict you will end up getting. If you get 3 seconds or less 0-60mph and 2.8 seconds or less 0-60mph 1ft I will be very impressed and shocked.

I used an iPhone app the other day, if I remember correctly it said 0-60 was 1.4 seconds and a quarter mile was 9.7. Comical, but that's what it said. That was with full charge and Launch Mode. I gotta pick up a Dragy...or anything that's accurate. I bought the car last March, 29,000 miles on the clock.

 

[PhilDavid]

Would be awesome if they release an Easter Egg to time 1/4 mile 0-60 runs and the results would be super accurate as they are directly from the car.

 

[MichaelP90DL]

Would be awesome if they release an Easter Egg to time 1/4 mile 0-60 runs and the results would be super accurate as they are directly from the car.

Now that is a great idea! Tweet it to @elonmusk.

 

[PhilDavid]

Now that is a great idea! Tweet it to @elonmusk.

I don't matter

I have no Twitter following and I'm not an influencer

I'm just a human

Can someone who is more than human and special with a Twitter following please Tweet this?

 

[MichaelP90DL]

I don't matter

I have no Twitter following and I'm not an influencer

I'm just a human

Can someone who is more than human and special with a Twitter following please Tweet this?

Oh stop. LOL

I took care of it for you. EMusk is duly tweeted. (And you don't need to be an influencer or have a following. Just sign up for free and tweet away. Chirp! Chirp! Which reminds me...add to shopping list popcorn and Cat Chow for the neighborhood ravens.)

 

[goRt]

I already said the tires make more of a difference than even the lightest rims earlier in the post.

Most Tesla owners are running tires with the foam inserts like the Michelin PSS, which were specifically made to reduce noise and handle the extra weight, which will make a huge difference compared to Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires. They will be the superior tire when it comes to performance on dry roads. Like I also stated the rear wheel width will also have a huge impact due to the amount of immediate torque that a Performance Model S is capable of, especially in the initial take off. Having wider tires will give it better traction when using launch mode or just gunning it from a standstill. So I agree that the tires are much more important than most owners realize. But I don’t agree that 19’s would perform better. Really 21’s are actually a great size for performance or 20’s would be the even better option . As much as a bigger sidewall can give you a more comfortable ride, it is not ideal for performance. You would want to have a similar size tire as on 20’s or 21’s (25-35 sidewall, which is different based on the width. Meaning a 35 on a 245 35 21 is not the same size as a 285 35 21. The sidewall size is calculated in relation to the width of the tire.) But most definitely PS 4 tires will out perform PSS tires as the Sport Cup 2 will outperform the PS4 on a dry surface.

To clarify, the tyres you require are PS4S (the successor to MPSS) and not the inferior PS4.

 

[tyler2323]

To clarify, the tyres you require are PS4S (the successor to MPSS) and not the inferior PS4.

No they are not inferior to PSS they are inferior to P Sport Cup 2. Just like I stated. Sport Cup 2’s are the most superior performance tire of all Michelin’s. On dry roads. Even a Michelin PSS without the foam inserts will result in betters times than the ones with ( Acoustic)

 

[PhilDavid]

No they are not inferior to PSS they are inferior to P Sport Cup 2. Just like I stated. Sport Cup 2’s are the most superior performance tire of all Michelin’s. On dry roads. Even a Michelin PSS without the foam inserts will result in betters times than the ones with ( Acoustic)

Correct but they are for track use and awful for daily driving where the tires will not reach the optimum temperatures.

 

[tyler2323]

Correct but they are for track use and awful for daily driving where the tires will not reach the optimum temperatures.

Exactly... and cost an arm and a leg. But we were talking about how much tires matter in comparison to rims that is so often overlooked. Like I said look in my post earlier, I specifically said the importance of tires instead of assuming rims are the key to improving performance. Obviously the combination of both is ideal.
I have avant-garde rims that are 3 piece... 10 inch fronts 11 inch rears and heavy af. And I have posted some of my fastest times with them and Achilles tires lol. 255 30 21 295 25 21. If you don’t know the tires check them out, cheap af lol. But are much better than ppl think. They are just a Chinese made tire. But actually have higher load ratings than PSS’s the same size and a high enough speed rating
My other best times have come from Michelin Pilot Sport on BBS rims and than with the lightest rims I have which are Forgiato Maglia’s one piece. They are extremely light and are 9 inch front 10.5 rears with Michelin PSS no acoustic which I don’t even think they make for any sizes but Tesla’s sized rims. 255 30 21 295 30 21. I’ll be putting 295 25 21 Michelin PSS instead cuz I like the look of the rear tire not having a larger side wall than the front (but won’t meet the load requirements)

 

[tyler2323]

Would be awesome if they release an Easter Egg to time 1/4 mile 0-60 runs and the results would be super accurate as they are directly from the car.

It would also be great if he had the kw displayed like the P100D does for all the other Performance Model S. Wouldn’t need 2 phones, one for dragy and one for PowerTools

 

[goRt]

No they are not inferior to PSS they are inferior to P Sport Cup 2. Just like I stated. Sport Cup 2’s are the most superior performance tire of all Michelin’s. On dry roads. Even a Michelin PSS without the foam inserts will result in betters times than the ones with ( Acoustic)

What you say about cup 2s is correct - a summer tyre as they don't reach temp in cold or damp
But MPSS is succeeded by MPS4S, NPS4 (no second S) are a different, inferior product line TOTALLY unsuitable for a Tesla.

 

[Naekuh]

Noticeable difference between launch mode or not using launch mode?

yes...
even my passengers all agree its very noticeable.
The first month i got my car, i did a take off in all the modes and then used ludi+ launch. (well this was when we had to preheat the battery)

And im telling you, you can scream fine up to ludi+ , but when i do Ludi+ launch, there is no scream... its a frantic grab at the invisible coat hanger and then the force pushing the arms back on them.



And i have the pissed off girlfriend and fear induced friends to prove it.

 

[evfeh]

Are people putting Sport Cup 2s in this car? I would imagine the Pilot Sport 4S would suffice. The higher grip of the SC2s wouldn't offset the longer wear on the 4Ss for me. Unless you're tracking the car?

 

[Naekuh]

i dont think SC2's are available in 21's to tesla's specifications.