Tesla Model S at Laguna Seca/Nurburgring

[ajprice]

Short catch up on what's going on. Porsche lapped the Nurburgring in a Taycan pre production prototype in 7:42 https://newsroom.porsche.com/en/2019/products/pors...

Elon Musk tweets in response that a Model S would be at the Nurburgring. On the way there(?!?) a Tesla Model S Plaid prototype has lapped Laguna Seca in 1:36.5. https://youtu.be/6hmdmYRYt9A

At the Nurburgring a "P100D+" has been spotted with non standard wheels and tyres, a rear lip spoiler, a bigger front intake and flared arches https://insideevs.com/news/370314/tesla-model-s-sp.... No time announced yet.

[RobDickinson]

This is a 3 motor higher power improved chassis car, monies on battery size


Plaid is for S, X and roadster but a year or so away from production

[Truckosaurus]

I see on Twitter that the 'ring Tesla has expired licence plates and is a car returned to the manufacturer under the American Lemon Laws.

It'll be interesting to see what they can do on track though. (and putting better tyres and a bodykit on the test car is not much different to what a lot of other manufacturers are doing (eg. Renault's carbon fibre wheels on the Megane) just call it a 'track pack' and put a stupid price on it so no-one actually buys it.)

[RobDickinson]

For comparison, the previous record for 4 door at Laguna Seca was held by Jaguar XE SV Project 8 at 01:37:54

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4tLxBY_7ig

Same car completed Nurburgring lap in 07:18:36, Taycan Turbo S time is 07:42. So I guess this new Tesla Model S prospects looks good at Nurbugring if it can complete the lap

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fDwCaAgb3Q

https://www.reddit.com/r/teslamotors/comments/d30c...

[Dave Hedgehog]

ajprice said:

At the Nurburgring a "P100D+" has been spotted with non standard wheels and tyres, a rear lip spoiler, a bigger front intake and flared arches https://insideevs.com/news/370314/tesla-model-s-sp.... No time announced yet.

i like that

[anonymous-user]

The limiting factor with the Model S was always that the battery overheated on longer laps.

They claim to have fixed that with the new Roadster so maybe took some of that tech and grafted it on to the S.

Will be interesting to see what lap they post but the question remains if this is anything like the production models or some kind of butchered track mod.

At least it appears that they are not still selling lemons as "new" to unsuspecting buyers any more.

[RobDickinson]

It's not a current spec car

3 motors and changed battery, it's the base roadster drive train, in a model s

[Dave Hedgehog]

RobDickinson said:

It's not a current spec car

3 motors and changed battery, it's the base roadster drive train, in a model s

lets hope they sell it once the development is done

[anonymous-user]

Ah, looks like it was the usual Musk BS:

https://www.thedrive.com/news/29770/elon-musk-back...

They haven't even booked time to do a run. Presumably just doing a bit of testing to see what changes they need to make to even attempt it.

[RobDickinson]

kuro68k said:

Ah, looks like it was the usual Musk BS:

https://www.thedrive.com/news/29770/elon-musk-back...

They haven't even booked time to do a run. Presumably just doing a bit of testing to see what changes they need to make to even attempt it.

Uh your out of date tesla have a slot on the 21st.

[ajprice]

If they can't beat the Porsche, they can set a weirdly specific record that doesn't currently exist. Fastest 7 seater EV at the Nurburgring...
https://jalopnik.com/it-looks-like-tesla-will-atte...

[coetzeeh]

^^^ what a shower - so Tesla invents a new category to set a N'ring record. Class . Telling.

[jjwilde]

RobDickinson said:

For comparison, the previous record for 4 door at Laguna Seca was held by Jaguar XE SV Project 8 at 01:37:54

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4tLxBY_7ig

Same car completed Nurburgring lap in 07:18:36, Taycan Turbo S time is 07:42. So I guess this new Tesla Model S prospects looks good at Nurbugring if it can complete the lap

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fDwCaAgb3Q

https://www.reddit.com/r/teslamotors/comments/d30c...

Wow that's interesting, so they might actually destroy the Taycan time. I didn't expect that.

[anonymous-user]

Have a look at the in-car from the Taycan lap, and tell me there isn't a fair bit left in this car wrt to ultimate lap time:


in particular, play it's lap side by side with that of the Megane 275 Trophy R, which is pretty much exactly as fast (7.40 vs 7.42)


Start these videos side by side with the starting time / position sync'd:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8m31EgQkswg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IQHjxX1wlw


The difference is obvious when you look at the handwheel inputs, the braking points, and the amount of kerb used, and the overall level of aggression in the Renault. It makes the Taycan lap look like it's on a sunday drive. Interestingly both cars hit the same peak speed (250 kph) and the megane is actually behind (by a couple of secs) until a pretty brave do-or die into and through Brunnchen and Pflanzgarten, where it apexes over 10 kph quicker than the, much more carefully driven Taycan.


Imo, the current Taycan lap time is just a "placeholder" by porsche. Fast enough to get some headlines, but with enough in reserve they can quickly respond to a challenge.

[anonymous-user]

It's also worth noting that the long N'ring final straight is a 'mare for EV's. As that Megane vs Taycan comparison shows, both cars do the same speed down that straight 259 kph ( 161 mph) , because at high speed the Taycan cannot make its peak power output. (due a lack of gears and possibly some SoC / thermal limitations ( unconfirmed)

By comparison the Project 8 runs up to 292 kph (181 mph) by the end! On the Proj8 video, the time between that car reaching 161 mph and it reachine 181 is 22 seconds, and the average speed over that segment is around 171 mph (average of 161 and 181), so that segment is 1.6 km long in terms of distance. Therefore, over that segment it pulls out a 1.36 second lead simply by dint of its higher top speed

[jjwilde]

Do we know what the top speed of this new Tesla S setup is, could it really be 250mph as claimed in the Roadster2 specs?

Surely if it really is 250mph it will smash the record?

[anonymous-user]

jjwilde said:

Do we know what the top speed of this new Tesla S setup is, could it really be 250mph as claimed in the Roadster2 specs?

Surely if it really is 250mph it will smash the record?

The project 8 makes around 600 bhp. Well actually it doesn't not at the end of the N'ring straight after a max attack lap (due to lack of charge cooling performance) but it does probably make a genuine 500bhp. it's weighs 1750 kg., so we'll call that 270 bhp / tonne with a driver and cage

It's claimed top speed is 200 mph and at the very end of the straight it hit 181 mph.



If you travel between two fixed points (in distance) the faster you travel, the less time you have to accelerate, and aero drage increases with the cube of speed. Which is why a car with 150 bhp might be able to get to 100 on a straight, yet a car with 600 can "only" get to say 150 mph (50% faster, with 600% more power).


So, realistically, could the Tesla get anywhere near it's top speed at the ring. nope.

For reference:

VW ID.R that went round in 6:05 only reached a peak speed of 250 kph (155 mph) on the straight (10 kph slower than the Taycan)

Porsche 919 Evo, went round in 5.19, hit a peak speed of 369 kph ( 230 mph) on the straight

[SWoll]

Max_Torque said:

Porsche 919 Evo, went round in 5.19, hit a peak speed of 369 kph ( 230 mph) on the straight

I've always found the whole ring record thing a bit "pointless willy waving" but that truly is mental.

[Gandahar]

Max_Torque said:

Porsche 919 Evo, went round in 5.19, hit a peak speed of 369 kph ( 230 mph) on the straight

The really funny thing is that the 369km / h ( not kph you naughty non scientific man ) was limited to protect the components.

See how long it goes at 365+

https://youtu.be/KsLi7HgSuhI?t=299

Backed down to only 217mph for the left kink ... pussy ....

[u9ge]

Rumour via Electrek (they got it from a a man at the track...) that an S has done 7:23, 20 seconds quicker than the Taycan. So quicker than a Zonda or an Enzo.