A Tesla Model 3 tries a Laguna Seca Track Day and lasts 9 laps

[Sticky]

The reputation of Teslas as performance cars is overblown due to drag racing videos and frankly they have a very long way to go to be taken seriously as real performance cars. The proof is in how a Model 3 handled a track day at Laguna Seca.

How long did it last? 9 laps. In all fairness, the brakes were the main reason it had to stop as they were quickly cooked just a few laps in. Why does Tesla give it such junk brakes?

As for how much juice it took to run 9 laps the car started with 229 miles of range and was down to 94 miles of range when parked. Nine laps of Laguna Seca are 20 miles not 135.

So the juice doesn't last for long but what was the best lap? 1:57.50.

Compare that to 1:41.9 the driver sets in his Cayman GT4.

Tesla has a long way to go before being taken seriously on a roadcourse.

Started with 229 miles (369 km) of range before leaving the paddock garage for the first session on the track. After nine laps I parked it with 94 miles (151 km). Used 135 miles (217 km) in nine laps.

Best lap was 1:57.50. Track was still very cold and wet in some places. Turn 3 had a small river going across the track and the car was sideways every time in turn 3. The track had rain and hail yesterday (Sat. March 3) at the track, so the 40°F (4°C) degree temperature in the morning today didn't do much to dry the track.

The car hadled great on the first 3 laps. If the brakes held up...I think I could have easily broken 1:55 per lap...if not 1:50. The car was very balanced through turn 9 and turn 10. The Corkscrew was a blast! Even turn 6, which has a slight dip at the apex, was a lot of fun and the car handled it very well.

The handling was very good with the Unplugged Performance springs. Very happy with the response in entry and heavy braking (when the brakes worked the first few laps).

Model 3 setup:
- 2017 Tesla Model 3 (rear wheel drive, long range 310 mile, premium upgrades)
- 19" TSportline cast wheels w/ Pirelli PZero Nero GT tires (PSI: 33 front / 35 rear)
- Lowered 1.5" w/ 'moderate' springs from Unplugged Performance
- Weather forecast: Mostly sunny skies. High around 55F (12.8°C). Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph.
- Charging: Monterey Supercharger in between sessions (not sure how many times yet)

[Bowser330]

Tesla model S and 3 aren't performance cars. Model-S is a luxury/grand tourer and the model 3 is an economy/commuter car.

I would like to see how well a Chevy Bolt or BMW i3 or Nissan Leaf, etc. would do vs. the Model-3, that's a real apples to apples comparison...not vs. top tier legitimate sportscar like cayman gt4, come on man.....

Electric cars are in their infancy and don't have the historical investment as their gas counterparts...so of course they aren't as good yet, but they are coming Sticky....they are coming.

Look at the growth of electric car performance over the past 10yrs, they've made leaps and bounds technology wise

Gas powered cars have made incremental performance gains over the past 10yrs but they are not as large because they are reaching the limits of efficient performance from the internal combustion engine.

my position is that we are too early to jump to electric performance cars, in the 100K range...we need performance hybrids. battery tech isnt there yet.

Performance Hybrids are the answer, look at the P1, 918, LaFerrari, AMG F1 car thing, case closed.

putting that tech in an M5 or M3 or 911 should be possible

[bmwsport]

Will need to see how the Tesla 2.0 does on that track. Because with a high 8 second quarter mile time, it will make most of these gas cars look silly on the street as their engines scream in vain. And yes, this should be compared to the lowest base model sedan of other manufacturers. The heavy battery option on this vehicle may actually hurt it's track time and brakes. The dual motor model 3 is already being tested on the streets. As far as street handling, many journalists such as the Motor Trend tester said the Model 3 handling is stellar with its low cg.

[Sticky]

Electric cars are in their infancy and don't have the historical investment as their gas counterparts...so of course they aren't as good yet, but they are coming Sticky....they are coming.

I don't doubt it but I'm trying to point out the limitations.

I can't stand Tesla hype.

[Sticky]

Because with a high 8 second quarter mile time, it will make most of these gas cars look silly on the street as their engines scream in vain.

And how soon does everyone intend to have the $250k for one?

We still have to 2030 for the internal combustion engine to rule.

[titium]

I was amazed when I test drove the Tesla. It doesn't regen brake based off brake pedal input - That's solely conventional brakes. Regen braking only happens when you lift off the throttle and it feels like the car has some serious engine braking going on it kinda sucks to be honest.