I was looking at the owners manual for something and this piece about acceleration mode and energy consumption/efficiency caught my eye. I didn't know Plaid mode put the car into a different state. I've always kept acceleration mode on Plaid and wondered why even in stop-and-go traffic I cannot hit or beat the rated wh/mi and why AC is slightly less cool vs my old Model 3. Wondering if this is why? Has anyone ever noticed, albeit small, increase in energy consumption vs Chill or Sport acceleration mode? Figured this is a good FYI for cold weather or road trips to maximize efficiency and range.
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TIL: Plaid acceleration mode continually conditions battery and affects HVAC?
- Thread starter blkswn
- Start date
I understand that, but didn’t think the car would constantly be conditioning the battery when insane/plaid mode is selected and you’re not smashing the accelerator. Active conditioning can be heard on track and drag mode but there’s no audible or visual indication of such conditioning on a simple toggle of an acceleration mode. No reason to heat/cool to optimal temperature when driving down the street to the store.
ucmndd
Well-Known Member
Rock dweller chiming in 
Mswlogo’s needless snark aside, I doubt a lot of people know this.
Enabling drag strip/track mode, ludicrous+, or other max performance settings? Sure, makes sense. Simply enabling “plaid” on the acceleration setting buried in the controls menu as I’m sure almost everyone who owns a plaid does? News to me.
Mswlogo’s needless snark aside, I doubt a lot of people know this.
Enabling drag strip/track mode, ludicrous+, or other max performance settings? Sure, makes sense. Simply enabling “plaid” on the acceleration setting buried in the controls menu as I’m sure almost everyone who owns a plaid does? News to me.
Simple solution. Keep it in sport mode. Get the S3XY buttons. Map one to the Plaid mode. One tap and you are in Plaid. Much faster than fumbling through all the menus. The Sport mode makes it a little bit quicker than the refreshed LR. So basically you have about a ~10.7@130 car.
I had a LR and it was quick enough to beat everything I encountered on the street, your hood may vary. Not saying there aren't some out there, but the stock LR is Lambo fast. With a quick S3XY button tap, you can have it when you need it.
I had a LR and it was quick enough to beat everything I encountered on the street, your hood may vary. Not saying there aren't some out there, but the stock LR is Lambo fast. With a quick S3XY button tap, you can have it when you need it.
Ever since this thread, I've changed to sport mode and haven't noticed any difference yet. I plan on keeping it in sport mode for a month straight and then average out my reported consumption from teslafi. See you in two weeks 
Muzzman1
Active Member
I've had a plaid since Sept 2021. I have never moved the setting from Plaid. I had no clue, I thought just like you said @ucmndd said, it only changes the cooling profile under drag strip mode.Rock dweller chiming in
Mswlogo’s needless snark aside, I doubt a lot of people know this.
Enabling drag strip/track mode, ludicrous+, or other max performance settings? Sure, makes sense. Simply enabling “plaid” on the acceleration setting buried in the controls menu as I’m sure almost everyone who owns a plaid does? News to me.
Here's the link to the Manual where it has this info.
Model X Owner's Manual | Tesla
Learn about the settings you can use to customize how the vehicle accelerates as well as how to precondition the vehicle for optimum acceleration on a drag strip.
www.tesla.com
For me Plaid mode remains. The car is STUPID efficient compared to my two previous MS's so I couldn't be happier.
beatle
Active Member
That's very strange
Or am I blowing the downsides to Plaid mode out of proportion? Are they not as intrusive as Ludicrous+ is?
Yeah, I drive around in ludicrous mode and can get the same efficiency as chill or sport mode. I almost never enable ludicrous+ mode since it wastes so much energy, blows the fans just driving around leisurely, and really doesn't make a big difference in available power. I'm surprised at how much different Plaid and Sport modes are in performance since sport is the only one that doesn't constantly condition the battery. This is a bigger detriment to the plaid than I thought.
Or am I blowing the downsides to Plaid mode out of proportion? Are they not as intrusive as Ludicrous+ is?
The only downside to Plaid mode is your smile muscles in your face can get fatigued.
THX723
Member
I have tested this on a few of my commutes and during 1 long trip in the past. No conclusive evidence Plaid mode was any less efficient than Sport or Chill.
Muzzman1
Active Member
Yeah I agree, I think it relates to our lack of really cold weather in SoCal
I drive in Plaid 24/7 so this thread spooked me. I made a trip down to the local service center and their message was clear:
The only drive mode that affects drive train conditioning is Drag Strip Mode.
Comfort, Sport, and Plaid only tune the response curves of the pedal. Comfort and Sport curves max out below total available power.
If you drive like Confort in Plaid mode, you get Comfort mileage.
They said to confirm there is no unexpected drain, I should visit the Energy app after a trip. If Plaid was causing the drain, it would be listed on that screen just like Drag Strip mode gets listed.
The only drive mode that affects drive train conditioning is Drag Strip Mode.
Comfort, Sport, and Plaid only tune the response curves of the pedal. Comfort and Sport curves max out below total available power.
If you drive like Confort in Plaid mode, you get Comfort mileage.
They said to confirm there is no unexpected drain, I should visit the Energy app after a trip. If Plaid was causing the drain, it would be listed on that screen just like Drag Strip mode gets listed.
WilliamG
Hinge Fanatic
I agree. I think the manual is incorrect and is confusing Plaid mode with Drag Strip Mode. I don't have any scientific proof, but this makes the most sense to me. There's never any mention of it in the Energy app, even in Seattle in the winter.
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