2022 Tesla Model 3 Performance Aggressive Build…

Testing to see if I'm actually welcome here or just need to keep quietly reading ;) . 

Background: two built MR2s, a Suzuki Samurai, and an aggressive "overland" 3rd Gen 4Runner build. Before that, I grew up around an atypical mix of hollering dumped waste gates and 2-stroke dirtbikes. 
 

My Initial goal for this vehicle was fun car with some options for tinkering that can technically carry two car seats and a wife. My #1 Choice was a 6MT M3, and #2 Choice was a 6MT Charger Hellcat. The wife protested loud vehicles, so the Tesla jumped to #1, though I'm actually quite happy with the outcome. I have mostly done autocross due to proximity, but got a couple of instructed track days at Sandia Raceway (now Shula Circuit) in Albuquerque. 
 

Current status:

MPP (KW) Sport coilovers, heavier rear anti-sway bar, all the relevant adjustable arms, most of the spherical bearings, GM 6 piston BBK, 9LivesRacing wing, and 19x11s wrapped in 285/35R19 square. 

Blissfully, my scope continues to creep :P . 

Parts owed but as yet uninstalled: Lexan windshield, full carbon doors, the rest of MPPs arms plus stiffer Super sport coils, and Apex VS5-RS forged 20x12 waiting on 305/30R20 Naknang CR-S.

I've also built v1.0 of a full CF roof, though I'm going to build a cleaner version before pulling the glass to install. It Should save about 60lb. I have built a seat mold to make a pair of CF seats that should save a good 45lb per side, and have drawn up plans to build a harness bar once the seats are fitted. I have about 33 yards of carbon fiber to hopefully build out a trunk, hood, and maybe some hybrid fenders. I'm going to build some wheel spats and probably a front splitter, though those are lower priority. 

Thanks GRM for continuing to dive into the science of Motorsports in a way that is actually accessible to amateur! 

Nice! I'm curious to see how much weight you can shed off this car. Thanks for sharing!

Why would you not be welcome here? Are you the Dark Lord Sauron? :o

I think it's fair to say that everybody here has cars they dislike for various reasons (including myself), if that's what you mean. But I'm pretty sure everybody here can still appreciate good builds regardless of the vehicle.

That is super cool!  I think you'll find this group very EV friendly.  We love to talk about our Lightnings, e-Golfs and Teslas.  

I just wanted to thank the GRM staff and GRM forum family for a forum where we can post all our crazy car projects and ideas without getting "flamed" for them!

I posted this Thanksgiving day .... of course you are welcome here!

You seem to be pretty deep into the build! I assume you have the Unplugged Performance module installed? Myself and one of the owners of Race Consulting Agency (RCA) road tripped their shop TM3 Performance from Chicago to Tail of the Dragon and back. It was like having a cheat code in the twisties. Race seats, interior gutted, active aero wing, all the suspension goodies, carbon hood, trunk and front splitter.

There may be some resistance to the politics behind EVs, but you'll get no resistance here when it comes to making cars of any sort faster.

I got to flog a stock performance model 3 and loved the speed but only liked the handling, so all power on making both aspects lovable!

Hell yeah! EV isn't the answer to every automotive question, but tweaking your car for better performance in your use case is what we're all about. Welcome!

AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) said:

Hell yeah! EV isn't the answer to every automotive question, but tweaking your car for better performance in your use case is what we're all about. Welcome!

+1

Looks great! Have you checked out mountain pass performance? They were great to talk with when I debated my model 3 rwd purchase. 

Holy crap. 

I didn't know this was a thing with teslas. Especially carbon fiber weight reduction to that extent. 

Consider me impressed and engaged!

Thanks for the warm welcome, everyone! Some groups are viscerally sensitive to EVs for some reason, so I was just testing the waters :) . 
 

In reply to J.A. Ackley :

The car weighs 4050lb stock, and I think I can get it down to about 3750lb. If I start doing things like pulling door panels and window glass, I can get another 50-100lb I think. One goal is a 10.99 quarter, though I obviously recognize weight reduction is beneficial across all regimes! 
 

Any plans to kanoodle the powertrain or powerplant(s)? 

I've been dying for someone to spend not my money experimenting with power upgrades on an EV.

In reply to Turbo_Rev :

Nothing too crazy:

1) Manual heating via the S3XY app that connects to the CAN bus through a USB interconnector. Heating the battery can add 75+ HP on a cool morning. 
 

2) The MountainPass Performance Cooling Party Controller to reduce max power for longer track sessions.

3) Weight reduction for higher overall acceleration.
 

The battery is already giving everything it has; the 2024 M3P is only faster by using a different rear motor better matched to the output of the battery against the front motor! 
 

I've got a 2019 Model 3 LR with the big rear motor. I know there are ways to unlock it but I don't want to deal with what that does for future software maintenance. Also, as a daily driver it's fast enough!

This was a good build - then we got to a lexan windshield and carbon roof and it got REALLY interesting :)

In reply to clutchsmoke :

I have seen this Tesla on our local autocross. Really fast. 😆 If am not mistaken RCA sponsors Rockford autocross. My son has done ride along with him. 

Lindenwood said:

Thanks for the warm welcome, everyone! Some groups are viscerally sensitive to EVs for some reason, so I was just testing the waters :) . 
 

In reply to J.A. Ackley :

The car weighs 4050lb stock, and I think I can get it down to about 3750lb. If I start doing things like pulling door panels and window glass, I can get another 50-100lb I think. One goal is a 10.99 quarter, though I obviously recognize weight reduction is beneficial across all regimes! 
 

Nice reduction!

First round of cuts! Test-fitting my 19x11s in 285/35R19 spaces to +3 offset to match my 20x12 setup with 305/30R20. 

Just wanted to stop by and say I love this build!

I always wondered about the aftermarket availability for these, nice to see that there's at least *some* options for them...

In reply to golfduke :

In the first 5 years of existence (2017 to 2022) you could already buy an off-the-shelf half cage; CF doors, hood, bumper, multiple body kits; full pecan glass; carbon-ceramic brakes, mild to high-end suspension upgrades, etc! Outside of the powertrain, these are about in the middle for modern sport sedans. The BMWs, STIs, etc obviously have a lot of quality stuff available. However, Id venture it's as easy find quality suspension, brake, and body components for these compared to, for example, Kia Stingers and Chargers, and maybe even S5s. 

This is the actual direction that Fast And Furious movie should do, instead of space wars, jumping over waterfalls or what ever they are doing now. Take a car that is different make it fast and fun. "Hector is gonna be running three Teslas with 1kHP Model S engines"

This is a cool build by the way.

I got to do a fun project for a statistics and modeling class. A buddy and I used a basic low-pressure gauge to measure relative vacuum and pressure on the top and bottom of my Nine Lives Racing Wing. This is a more interesting except from the larger project, which was mostly assessing about our ability to properly analyze data, with a nod to our ability to justify a position based on available data.

The desired end state of the wing was to generate an aerodynamically-induced understeer bias to reduce the chance of high-speed over rotation, increasing relative safety and driver confidence without sacrificing low-speed yaw rates. 

(I got the idea from https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/articles/low-buck-aero-testing/ ) 

Extremely heartening to see the possibilities an EV can provide. Having had ridden and driven a sampling, I was always worried about the.....well....what can I do to it...sorta thing?

Love it, looks great!

I rode in a buddy's model 3 performance and the acceleration blew my mind!   I'm in to check out the transformation!