Tesla Roadster

[SFV1LE]

If the specs on this thing are right, it makes it hard to justify $300-400K for a Ferrari or McLaren that will vanish in your rearview. Even at 4000 lbs, with AWD and huge slicks I'm guessing it will handle well enough to use the acceleration advantage to dominate on a road course.

https://www.tesla.com/roadster

For $200-250K, it has the performance of a $2.5 million Rimac. But the Tesla has four seats and 50% better range

[Gunkk]

Originally Posted by SFV1LE

to dominate on a road course.

For one, maybe two laps until the battery and power system get too hot and limp.

[JKSully]

It's Elon Musk - that pretty much guarantees the specs are inflated. "The first supercar to set every performance record and still fit seating for four." Really, Elon? Have any receipts for those performance records, or are they still just a pipe dream like the autonomous driving feature?

[arpad_m]

That Roadster was announced in 2017 with availability scheduled for 2019 or early 2020.

The down payment to reserve one is $5k immediately and $45k in 10 days. I don't know how many reservations they got, but they have been sitting on people's $50k deposits for well over three, nearly four years. The company had never posted a profitable quarter until just about now.

Anyone else trying to pull a stunt like this would likely be in jail. Reality distortion field projectors, however, somehow get a break and a horde of fanatical supporters for basically any move.

This is not to say Elon Musk isn't a gifted visionary and hasn't achieved anything, that'd be far from the truth (that is never black or white), but come on. I'll check out the Roadster once it actually exists.

[SFV1LE]

Originally Posted by Gunkk

For one, maybe two laps until the battery and power system get too hot and limp.

I'm tracking in 90+ temps all day at Buttonwillow and Laguna Seca alongside Tesla's, they do great and run hard for full sessions. The charging stations are there at the track.

Where did you get this info? :-) It just doesn't align with 20+ days of events I've been running with Tesla's in CA.

I actually have a PDR video of myself from 2019 passing Randy Pobst who was driving a Model 3 Perf with a BBK package and track wheel/tire combo.

I'm guessing the Roadster will be an improvement over these already formidable Model 3s in terms of track durability, the range is 2x and they're designed for the track application.

[Camaro1973]

Originally Posted by JKSully

It's Elon Musk - that pretty much guarantees the specs are inflated. "The first supercar to set every performance record and still fit seating for four." Really, Elon? Have any receipts for those performance records, or are they still just a pipe dream like the autonomous driving feature?

Id say he did quite well with the plaid....

[RamAir02]

Originally Posted by SFV1LE

I'm tracking in 90+ temps all day at Buttonwillow and Laguna Seca alongside Tesla's, they do great and run hard for full sessions. The charging stations are there at the track.

Where did you get this info? :-) It just doesn't align with 20+ days of events I've been running with Tesla's in CA.

I actually have a PDR video of myself from 2019 passing Randy Pobst who was driving a Model 3 Perf with a BBK package and track wheel/tire combo.

I'm guessing the Roadster will be an improvement over these already formidable Model 3s in terms of track durability, the range is 2x and they're designed for the track application.

I can't remember if I read it in an article or was watching a review on YouTube, but I was also under the impression that Teslas cannot hotlap. My understanding is that the car pulls a lot of performance quite quickly (after a couple of laps) due to heat. I was searching my YT history to try and find the source, but haven't found it yet.

EDIT: If you search around, there is supporting evidence...
https://www.roadandtrack.com/new-car...ce-track-test/
https://jalopnik.com/here-s-what-hap...-th-1827321127
https://www.thedrive.com/news/5207/t...wful-track-car

[UnknownJinX]

Originally Posted by JKSully

It's Elon Musk - that pretty much guarantees the specs are inflated. "The first supercar to set every performance record and still fit seating for four." Really, Elon? Have any receipts for those performance records, or are they still just a pipe dream like the autonomous driving feature?

Yeah, given his track record, I will believe it when I see it.

Also, you don't buy a Ferrari or Lambo because it's the fastest, you buy them for the prestige and presence, something you just absolutely cannot touch with a Tesla. Kind of like saying Rolex is out of business because smartwatches can do way more.

[SFV1LE]

Originally Posted by RamAir02

I can't remember if I read it in an article or was watching a review on YouTube, but I was also under the impression that Teslas cannot hotlap. My understanding is that the car pulls a lot of performance quite quickly (after a couple of laps) due to heat. I was searching my YT history to try and find the source, but haven't found it yet.

EDIT: If you search around, there is supporting evidence...
https://www.roadandtrack.com/new-car...ce-track-test/
https://jalopnik.com/here-s-what-hap...-th-1827321127
https://www.thedrive.com/news/5207/t...wful-track-car

I don’t know what to say, I’ve seen it repeatedly myself at Laguna Seca and Buttonwillow with my own eyes, on many days. I have run my ZLE side by side with Randy Pobst piloting a Tesla. I don’t need to check research from car mags, because I’ve experienced this firsthand over and over.

I don’t doubt the first gen Model 3 Teslas have some issues, but if I check Tesla group event results I’m seeing a lot of very fast laps from these cars, including a 1:53 at BW and some 1:35s at Laguna. A Model S Plaid from the Tesla factory team did a 1:36 at Laguna. That’s fast for a boat like that, only ~2 seconds slower than Pobst in a ZLE like mine.

The Model S and Model 3 are clearly not great track cars, but the Model 3 Performance can hold its own and my point was the Roadster looks like it will be a hyper car game changer at this price. They will make it much more track capable than the Model 3 P.

[SFV1LE]

Originally Posted by UnknownJinX

Yeah, given his track record, I will believe it when I see it.

Also, you don't buy a Ferrari or Lambo because it's the fastest, you buy them for the prestige and presence, something you just absolutely cannot touch with a Tesla. Kind of like saying Rolex is out of business because smartwatches can do way more.

Not a great comparison in my opinion, a sports car isn’t something that sits on your wrist and only gets looked at. I have driven Ferraris and Lamborghinis on track and they are amazing, and up until the release of cars like the 991 GT3RS, 650S, ZLE, ZR1, etc you did have to buy a Ferrari or Lambo get track performance like the 458 Italia or Huracan.

My point is I wouldn’t buy a 765LT or 488 Pista for prestige or presence (not sure what you mean by presence), I’d buy it because it’s faster around a track and more engaging.

The new gen of electric cars coming over the next 5-10 years will deliver mind bending acceleration, grip and lap times that will eclipse what a Pista or 765 can do today. All these brands are switching to electric or hybrid or they will lose their value prop due to the performance gap—Ferrari, Lambo, Bugatti, Porsche etc already doing this. I love my ZLE but this is a fact.

It doesn’t really matter to me, I can’t afford a 765 and I wont be able to afford a Tesla Roadster. But I will probably get a chance to drive one on track some day.

[RamAir02]

Originally Posted by SFV1LE

I don’t know what to say, I’ve seen it repeatedly myself at Laguna Seca and Buttonwillow with my own eyes, on many days. I have run my ZLE side by side with Randy Pobst piloting a Tesla. I don’t need to check research from car mags, because I’ve experienced this firsthand over and over.

I don’t doubt the first gen Model 3 Teslas have some issues, but if I check Tesla group event results I’m seeing a lot of very fast laps from these cars, including a 1:53 at BW and some 1:35s at Laguna. A Model S Plaid from the Tesla factory team did a 1:36 at Laguna. That’s fast for a boat like that, only ~2 seconds slower than Pobst in a ZLE like mine.

The Model S and Model 3 are clearly not great track cars, but the Model 3 Performance can hold its own and my point was the Roadster looks like it will be a hyper car game changer at this price. They will make it much more track capable than the Model 3 P.

I haven't seen many Teslas at the road course, so don't have the real world experience seeing them out there. Thus, I don't discount what you've seen these cars capable of. If I were to paraphrase the artciles and whatever I'd seen before about Teslas on the track, it seems a) yes, they are fast as hell, b) with the caveat that they are fast for a lap or two but can't sustain laps at qualifying speed beyond that.

It's also still early in the EV game. I'm sure with more experience, R&D and new technology they will figure out how to keep the batteries cooler. We know how bad Elon wants a Nurburgring lap record...

[Rob3D]

Originally Posted by Gunkk

For one, maybe two laps until the battery and power system get too hot and limp.

You mean like a car running out of gas? Plus, the roadster will go a lot further than one of two laps.

[RamAir02]

Originally Posted by Rob3D

You mean like a car running out of gas? Plus, the roadster will go a lot further than one of two laps.


Attachment 1077634

Gunkk isn't referring to range. Of course a Tesla can go more than two laps. He's talking about the car going into limp mode after a lap or two due to heat. It will go more laps, but with reduced performance.

[Rob3D]

Originally Posted by RamAir02

Gunkk isn't referring to range. Of course a Tesla can go more than two laps. He's talking about the car going into limp mode after a lap or two due to heat. It will go more laps, but with reduced performance.

Sure, but how many ecb’s have experience problems and had to be recalled or broke for whatever reason. I’m not a fan boy, but I’ve been to a track where everyone is getting spanked by a model S run after run after run, (including yours truly) with the losers saying stupid shit like he’s gonna over heat or he’s gonna run out of power, but then he drives home like everyone else. It’s the haters that are gonna hate I guess. Nothing to do about that except keep spanking that ass and breaking records.