Sport model vs non-sport performance?

[daniel]

S-2000 Roadster:

Thanks for the info and suggestions!

 

[benji4]

I'm not sure if the VDS screen will do the job for you; the speed updates somewhat slowly.

What about using the speedometer?

 

[Doug_G]

What about using the speedometer?

Yeah, I think that's the only thing that'll work based on the car's instruments. But you'll need to calibrate it - mine reads a bit high compared to the VDS, which I believe is accurate because it matches the speed my GPS reports. So drive at 96 kph for a bit (per VDS) while recording the speedo. Then do your 0-100 kph run, and note the frame where it crosses that same point.

 

[daniel]

Update: My non-sport "very orange" 2.5 Roadster arrived Wednesday of last week. I have been charging and driving in Standard. I have no need for Range mode as the farthest I've driven in a day was 107 miles, when I was just driving in the country for fun. The acceleration blows me away, though I'm still interested to know if Performance mode would feel any different to me, or impress a passenger more than Standard mode. I do not exceed the speed limit except on the freeway where the flow of traffic is often over the limit, and I go with the flow of traffic. But I love flooring it from a stoplight up to the 35 mph limit and seeing all the other cars a block behind me. Then they catch up because they drive slightly over the limit. I'm also wondering this: I know I need to charge in Performance mode if I want maximum acceleration, but if I just put it in Performance mode and immediately floor it, will I get more acceleration than I would in Standard mode?

I know the above is worse for the battery because if you're going to draw more current, it's better for the battery to be hot. But I figure doing it once or twice to show off to a friend won't make a big difference. If (to pull some numbers out of my hat) the battery pack is going to last me 7 years, and I take a month off of that by doing half a dozen Performance accelerations during the first couple of years to show off to a friend, it would be worth it to me, if the difference was noticeable.

 

[Slackjaw]

... I know I need to charge in Performance mode if I want maximum acceleration, but if I just put it in Performance mode and immediately floor it, will I get more acceleration than I would in Standard mode?

Hi Daniel, it may be that this question has been entirely "over-answered" in the forum or nobody saw it, also maybe you found the answers yourself. But after almost two months with our Roadster I am still not clear on a few things and was browsing this thread for answers. The answer to the above question is yes:

From the manual:

PERFORMANCE
Move the key all the way forward to engage “Performance” mode. In Performance mode, you can achieve maximum power and minimize the time it takes to accelerate from 0-60 mph (0-100 kmh). When in Performance mode, you’ll notice a small blue letter “P” in the upper right-hand corner of the Touch Screen’s Drive screen.

Also I don't really understand the point of "Performance" charging mode, it seems to be the same as the "Range" mode, in that it puts more juice in the batteries. Unless you're driving/racing immediately after charging I cannot see why the battery temperature while charging would make any difference to the acceleration:

From the manual (charging section):

Performance
This setting is available for those rare times in which you want to achieve maximum power and hence, minimize the time it takes to accelerate from 0-60 mph (0-100 kmh). Use this setting with caution because it allows the Battery to run at a higher temperature— which reduces the life of the cells within the Battery. Frequent use of this setting is strongly discouraged.

My other puzzle is that I've seen, or rather, felt some quite difference performance under what were apparently identical conditions while giving demo drives. I always drive, and generally charge, in Standard mode. In a pinch I use the peak performance display on the VDS to try to measure the acceleration on a flat stretch of road if it feels wrong.

Last night I was giving a test ride to another almost-stranger and noticed the performance felt a little anemic. The VDS indicated 0.54g from about 0-50 mph. Normally I expect 0.68-0.70g from our car in S-mode. I put the car in Performance mode as an experiment and got 0.72g which was a huge step from the 0.54g I was getting 30 secs earlier. But why 0.54? Did the car previously think it was in range mode? It was a cool evening and I had not been driving much so it wasn't overheating or anything.

I hadn't used P-mode since the first weekend we had the car (as at that time I couldn't tell the difference) so I'm not sure that 0.72 is expected even for that.

 

[strider]

Last night I was giving a test ride to another almost-stranger and noticed the performance felt a little anemic. The VDS indicated 0.54g from about 0-50 mph. Normally I expect 0.68-0.70g from our car in S-mode. I put the car in Performance mode as an experiment and got 0.72g which was a huge step from the 0.54g I was getting 30 secs earlier. But why 0.54? Did the car previously think it was in range mode? It was a cool evening and I had not been driving much so it wasn't overheating or anything.

Maybe the tires were cold so Traction Control was kicking in to limit power and your first run added some heat to the tires so more traction/power was available for the second?

My best in P mode non-Sport is .74G Peak Output Show Off