Shannonville Motorsports Park - June 3

[brianman]

Oh, that reminds me. I need to post another video from yesterday's vehicle gymnastics.

 

[Doug_G]

Photos

Well, that was an interesting experience. I drove up in the morning and there were a bunch of guys standing outside the registration shack talking. Their heads all swiveled and they stood there staring at my car. Apparently they'd never seen one before.

During the day about a dozen people told me they thought my car was gorgeous. One said when he saw me chasing two Miatas down the front straight it looked ridiculous - two little pods being chased by this enormous machine.

Despite its large size and weight it mostly held its own on the track. I wasn't pushing it as hard as I would my S2000 - didn't want to break it!

Here are some pics:

Fast sweeper off the back straight.

Just rounded the Esses.

You can sorta see the bump across the track that I'm approaching. You have to brake before you get to it. One Miata driver didn't brake early enough and went off sideways, and knocked a tire off the rim!

Car is leaning forward under full braking... just about to lighten the braking as the infamous bump is a few feet in front of me.

The car leans into the corner.

Coming around...

Onto the front stretch.

There's a really fast sweeper at the end of the front straight. The left side of the car looks like it's less than two inches above the asphalt.

 

[brianman]

Props to your camera person. Nice, crisp shots.

 

[Doug_G]

He's just one of the other drivers, who likes to take pictures of cars on the track when he's not driving. Some of the tracks around here have professional photographers who take pictures and try to sell them to you. They have superior track access and fancy equipment - and this guy's stuff is always better!

I will post a review shortly of my impressions of the Model S on the track.

 

[Doug_G]

Here's my energy usage on the track:

Charging at the Sun Country Highway CS-90 beside the garage:

 

[djp]

You missed a spot Doug! Was that a cool down lap?

I'm looking forward to the full review and comparison with the Roadster. Any issues with power limiting or overheated?

 

[Doug_G]

You missed a spot Doug! Was that a cool down lap?

Yes, the little droops at regular intervals on the power graphs are the cool down lap plus driving from the paddock over to the charge station, and back again. The charge station is attached to a large garage near the front gate.

I'm looking forward to the full review and comparison with the Roadster. Any issues with power limiting or overheated?

Full review is at Model S on the Track - A Review

In short, yes, there were issues with power limiting. The car doesn't tell you when it's hot, but I sussed out with some simple experiments that it had to be thermal.

 

[brianman]

You might have said it here or elsewhere but perhaps I missed it. Was it hotter (environment) on the track than in your screenshots? At 60F, I'm able to pull a lot more power consumption during autocross than you're seeing. Granted autocross is a different experience, but I'm curious w/r/t the impact on when the limiter kicks in.

- - - Updated - - -

You might have said it here or elsewhere but perhaps I missed it. Was it hotter (environment) on the track than in your screenshots? At 60F, I'm able to pull a lot more power consumption during autocross than you're seeing. Granted autocross is a different experience, but I'm curious w/r/t the impact on when the limiter kicks in.

I'll have to look up my numbers for lapping day, where the driving speeds or more similar to what yours appear to be here.

Regarding this part...

At 60F, I'm able to pull a lot more power consumption during autocross than you're seeing.

Scratch this. I fell into the units trap again here. "Wh/mi" numbers will be "difficult to compare quickly" when the speeds are quite different. (The per-mile aspect.)

 

[Doug_G]

You might have said it here or elsewhere but perhaps I missed it. Was it hotter (environment) on the track than in your screenshots? At 60F, I'm able to pull a lot more power consumption during autocross than you're seeing. Granted autocross is a different experience, but I'm curious w/r/t the impact on when the limiter kicks in.

No, quite the opposite. That was the warmest temperature we saw all day. It was cool and windy.

Autocross is very different. You're using short bursts of power and you really don't drive for very long. On the track you spend most of your time at full throttle, and you do that for 20-30 minutes continuously.

I would get a higher Wh/km on my first lap, but then the power limits kick in and the number drops. That 750 Wh/km was for a full session, with the car gradually getting slower and slower. I can't tell you what my peak power draw was... you really don't spend much time looking at your console. Otherwise you won't keep the shiny side up.

 

[brianman]

Autocross is very different. You're using short bursts of power and you really don't drive for very long. On the track you spend most of your time at full throttle, and you do that for 20-30 minutes continuously.

Sometimes yes, sometimes no. When's there's only 2-3 cars in line, you can definitely run continuously.

 

[mnx]

Thanks Doug for sharing your experience here and in the Driving Dynamics thread!

I hope the power limits don't spoil my fun too much when I go to the track in a couple weeks...

 

[Doug_G]

Thanks Doug for sharing your experience here and in the Driving Dynamics thread!

I hope the power limits don't spoil my fun too much when I go to the track in a couple weeks...

You still have adequate power even after it pulls back a bit. When it gets too slow go into the pits and sit for a couple of minutes. Seems to cool down pretty quick once you stop using energy.