I helped write an article on John Laughlin's Model 3 that has been killing it in Optima and other events like UMI's King of the Mountain. Running straight up against some of the fastest cars on 200tw tires and this thing is a force.
As a classic muscle guy, I can't wait to see some well executed AWD Model 3 swaps into lighter older cars!
Tesla Model 3 autocrosser
Even being heavy, their acceleration is just plain nuts, and the super low center of gravity keeps them flat. I imagine even a stock Model S would do well at autocrossing. I think it's only a short matter of time before EVs are the cars to have for autocrossing.
Interesting. Needing 70% minimum charge for optimal performance on track makes me wonder: can you top off the charge with a portable generator?
In reply to Floating Doc :
240V plug in the pits works better.
...but yes. That’s what Tesla did at the ‘Ring earlier this year. Electricity is electricity.
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Dork
11/26/19 10:35 a.m.
Yay. Can't wait until everybody drives the same car at autocross.
_ said:
Yay. Can't wait until everybody drives the same car at autocross.
It hasn't happened yet, right? Why would it happen now?
_ said:
Yay. Can't wait until everybody drives the same car at autocross.
Ever noticed what C Stock looks like?
Keith Tanner said:
_ said:
Yay. Can't wait until everybody drives the same car at autocross.
Ever noticed what C Stock looks like?
Yeah, and it's not exclusive to C Street
Almost all mature classes look like this.
A Street- Spec C5Z and Spec C6Z
C street- Spec ND2
D Street- becoming Spec Type R
G Street- Spec Civic Si
STS- Spec E36 M3box- EF CRX/Civic or NA1.6 Miata
STX- Spec Twins
STR- Spec ND1 now ND2
Nature of how the SCCA classing works at the lower prep levels.
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Dork
11/26/19 10:53 a.m.
Doesn't mean I don't get to complain, guys.
And there's going to be more EVs out there also. So it's not like the Model 3 will be the only EV that's good at autocrossing.
spacecadet said
STX- Spec Twins
I thought they had a Spec BRZ/FR-S class specifically?
But I know what you mean by every class is dominated by what everyone has determined the fast car for the class.
I ran a local autocross two weeks ago with over 100 cars. Dual motor Model 3 was 2nd over all in raw times and 1st in PAX. Watching it run the course was like seeing something almost break the laws of physics. There is undoubtedly a lot more going on than low CG and all the torque at 0 rpm. Kudos to Tesla for doing a wonderful job of torque vectoring.
_ said:
Doesn't mean I don't get to complain, guys.
We never said you can't, we're just pointing out that your complaints are totally unfounded.
Complaining about a bogeyman that has yet to appear is silly.
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Dork
11/26/19 11:42 a.m.
In reply to spacecadet :
There's a boogeyman? Great. Something else to worry about. First Tesla plans to take over my world, now the boogeyman is out there. A guy can't catch a break these days. Lol.
z31maniac said:
spacecadet said
STX- Spec Twins
I thought they had a Spec BRZ/FR-S class specifically?
But I know what you mean by every class is dominated by what everyone has determined the fast car for the class.
SSC was founded on the basis of the Twins as a platform and eliminating the insanely expensive parts that make access to great competition harder.
A SSC car is less than $2k to "build" it's cheaper by nearly 50% than a set of pimpy shocks in D street.
STX is still dominated by them, but the price of building a full prep STX car is probably closer to $10k on top of the cost of the car.
pushrod36 said:
I ran a local autocross two weeks ago with over 100 cars. Dual motor Model 3 was 2nd over all in raw times and 1st in PAX. Watching it run the course was like seeing something almost break the laws of physics. There is undoubtedly a lot more going on than low CG and all the torque at 0 rpm. Kudos to Tesla for doing a wonderful job of torque vectoring.
This is my impression of watching these cars on course. The body roll is enormous and it doesn't look nearly as composed as other cars but somehow still is blistering fast. If I was trying to retrofit a Model 3 drivetrain into another vehicle I'd only do it if I could get that torque vectoring sweetness!
z31maniac said:
Floating Doc said:
Interesting. Needing 70% minimum charge for optimal performance on track makes me wonder: can you top off the charge with a portable generator?
Define portable.
I was thinking of my 4000W Yamaha. It has 220 capability.
4kW should be fast enough to recover from an autox run or two. That’s a bit more than half a Level 2 charger, so figure about 15 miles of range per hour of charging on a Model 3. If you’re running track sessions, you might need a little more juice.
_ said:
Doesn't mean I don't get to complain, guys.
Sure, go ahead. But your concern was kind of farcical and so don't be surprised when people point that out. There are, what, 28 SCCA classes? How many do you think the Tesla goes into? Besides, you could express the same worry any time a new fast car comes out. "Oh no, it's a fast car, it'll ruin motorsports."
I have all winter to figure out a way to convince my wife to let her borrow the Model 3 for our local time trial series. Basically 5 laps of a go-kart track.
Hmm, I think the bolt pattern is the same as an NC Miata. I have race tires for those.
_ said:
In reply to spacecadet :
There's a boogeyman? Great. Something else to worry about. First Tesla plans to take over my world, now the boogeyman is out there. A guy can't catch a break these days. Lol.
The Model 3 is the car you send to kill the boogeyman.