RE: Tesla Model 3 gets new Track Mode

RE: Tesla Model 3 gets new Track Mode

Friday 9th November 2018

Tesla Model 3 gets new Track Mode

A new over-the-air update is said to unlock more agility and - more importantly - enables flagrant drifting



Tesla has provided Model 3 owners with a new over-the-air update which is said to increase the on-track agility of their car and - if an accompanying video is anything to go by - provide them with the means to get really quite sideways on its surfeit of usable torque. Using the car's existing hardware, the new software essentially ups the reactivity of the the car's twin-motor, all-wheel drive powertrain, which, as you'll know, is really rather reactive to start with.

In Track Mode, if the driver asks for more steering angle while accelerating hard - aka they want to slide - the car can shuffle more drive to the rear motor, making the Model 3 temporarily rear-wheel drive. Unlike the on-off style switch of the BMW M5's all-wheel drive system, the Model 3 chooses to control the distribution of torque at the front and rear constantly, so after you've straightened up from a drift drive is reintroduced to the front axle.

Additionally, the brakes also come into play more often through the bends, enhancing the 3's ability to push more torque to the loaded side by applying even more braking force on the inside. This obviously simulates the effects of a limited-slip diff and is therefore primarily an aid to traction - unless, of course, you tell the car you want to get sideways again. Then it abandons this plan entirely.

Also turned up in Track Mode is the car's regenerative braking capability, as Tesla reckons you'll want maximum deceleration on track when the anchors are on. Thus you get improved stopping performance, and the car claws back as much battery life as possible (handy when it will be evaporating at huge rate from everywhere else).

Of course, electric powertrains have a habit of getting quite hot when you ask so much from them. So to preventing your Model 3 going into meltdown, Tesla's new software update enables the cooling systems to work overtime. Tesla said the system will also work for longer when the car's parked to bring the temperatures lower than it normally would, leaving you with more time before things start to overheat. In line with this, Track Mode also allows the powertrain to get hotter than normal. Cue "never been in Track Mode" lines on used Model 3 adverts...

Author
Discussion

dvs_dave

Original Poster:

8,581 posts

224 months

Friday 9th November 2018
quotequote all
That’s pretty cool. Especially as it’s all through a software update.

Although I’m not so sure the author understands what an LSD does/how it works. The braking of the inside wheel is primarily a cheap way to get torque vectoring. Additional traction gained through limiting unloaded tyre slip by braking that wheel is the secondary function. This is a simulated LSD function, however it’s more similar to just plain old traction control.

tr3a

468 posts

226 months

Friday 9th November 2018
quotequote all
Tesla is developing its cars at breakneck speed, through software. New software can transform brakes, acceleration, handling, everything, and it's all rolled out over the air to customers as soon as it's ready. You don't need to wait for a new model car and buy it to get all the goodies. You get into your Tesla one morning and it's a better car. Free. So far, no other carmaker is doing this and that's baffling to me. The dinosaurs just keep doing what they've been doing for the last century, as if nothing is happening. It's also baffling journalists.

AmosMoses

4,039 posts

164 months

Friday 9th November 2018
quotequote all
Fair play to tesla on this one, Musk delivers on a promise from once!

I really like the model 3, think its everything you need in a daily driver, would love to get my mitts on one.

Zajda

135 posts

146 months

Friday 9th November 2018
quotequote all
Oh, and I thought that this mode will be used to limit power to a sustainable level, in order to not overheat the battery pack under prolonged high load. Silly me.

Cupramax

10,469 posts

251 months

Friday 9th November 2018
quotequote all
tr3a said:
Tesla is developing its cars at breakneck speed, through software. New software can transform brakes, acceleration, handling, everything, and it's all rolled out over the air to customers as soon as it's ready. You don't need to wait for a new model car and buy it to get all the goodies. You get into your Tesla one morning and it's a better car. Free. So far, no other carmaker is doing this and that's baffling to me. The dinosaurs just keep doing what they've been doing for the last century, as if nothing is happening. It's also baffling journalists.
Until they realise they can get away with charging you for it laugh

JD

2,769 posts

227 months

Friday 9th November 2018
quotequote all
tr3a said:
Tesla is developing its cars at breakneck speed, through software. New software can transform brakes, acceleration, handling, everything, and it's all rolled out over the air to customers as soon as it's ready. You don't need to wait for a new model car and buy it to get all the goodies. You get into your Tesla one morning and it's a better car. Free. So far, no other carmaker is doing this and that's baffling to me. The dinosaurs just keep doing what they've been doing for the last century, as if nothing is happening. It's also baffling journalists.
Faster than a 458 round a circuit!?

Cold

15,207 posts

89 months

Friday 9th November 2018
quotequote all
Seems like you can spend all day going sideways around a track. And then all night waiting for it recharge so you can get home.

ntiz

2,328 posts

135 months

Friday 9th November 2018
quotequote all
I kind of wish Tesla would stop worrying about stuff like this. Concentrate on getting supercharging down to 15 mins and high speed efficiency up these are the real problems facing the technology.

This is just answering a pointless question. If you actually drive it like this you will over heat the battery and shag the range in 10 minutes.
Mine over heated on the way home today because I went the long way home and lost 20% in 11 miles.

ReaperCushions

5,949 posts

183 months

Friday 9th November 2018
quotequote all
Cold said:
Seems like you can spend all day going sideways around a track. And then all night waiting for it recharge so you can get home.
Or 20 minutes at a Tesla supercharger to get you 50% back?

Mackofthejungle

1,069 posts

194 months

Friday 9th November 2018
quotequote all
Cupramax said:
tr3a said:
Tesla is developing its cars at breakneck speed, through software. New software can transform brakes, acceleration, handling, everything, and it's all rolled out over the air to customers as soon as it's ready. You don't need to wait for a new model car and buy it to get all the goodies. You get into your Tesla one morning and it's a better car. Free. So far, no other carmaker is doing this and that's baffling to me. The dinosaurs just keep doing what they've been doing for the last century, as if nothing is happening. It's also baffling journalists.
Until they realise they can get away with charging you for it laugh
Which of course is what will happen. And then suddenly you're buying your car for 40 grand, servicing it, insuring, paying for consumables and tax, and on top of that you'll be paying your "monthly subscription", which you'll have to pay for if you want the car to keep its sell on value..

"And has this car the latest software sir?"

"Eh, no, it's as I bought it.."

Of course you'll be able to "catch up" with the software updates, for a few hundred quid.

Personally I find the whole idea of constant updates tedious. It's a car. Build it properly and fk off thank you very much.

camel_landy

4,863 posts

182 months

Friday 9th November 2018
quotequote all
tr3a said:
Tesla is developing its cars at breakneck speed, through software. New software can transform brakes, acceleration, handling, everything, and it's all rolled out over the air to customers as soon as it's ready. You don't need to wait for a new model car and buy it to get all the goodies. You get into your Tesla one morning and it's a better car. Free. So far, no other carmaker is doing this and that's baffling to me. The dinosaurs just keep doing what they've been doing for the last century, as if nothing is happening. It's also baffling journalists.
Well, it's not that baffling...

Essentially it boils down to the existing manufacturers being... Well... Manufacturers. All they want to do is 'nail' a load of stuff together, push it out of the door and leave the after sales support to their dealer network. They don't get modern tech, the issues around 'systems integration', 'security', 'patching', etc... They simply don't want to put the investment into supporting the products once they go out the door and are trying to apply a manufacturing mentality to modern day IT Systems... Which just isn't working.

FWIW - If you've not already done it, do a quick search for "car hacking" - You might find it a little alarming!!

Meanwhile, Tesla have taken the opposite approach, started with a load of IT geeks (he has recruited some big names) and got them to redesign from the ground up. They have built in mechanisms for updating systems securely, they understand software life cycles, testing, security, etc... etc... They 'Get it'.

Musk also understands the need for infrastructure to keep the things moving too, hence the 'Supercharger Network', solar roof panels, domestic batteries, etc...

Having worked in both industries, I'm not surprised in the slightest.

M

Usget

5,426 posts

210 months

Friday 9th November 2018
quotequote all
tr3a said:
. New software can transform brakes, acceleration, handling, everything,
But only to the limits of the installed hardware.

I don't doubt that this is the way the industry will go, but I think it's a little cynical to incrementally improve a car in this way. It's making it as good as it could have been in the first place.

Basically the same as remapping a 535d, or what Mountune do to a Focus ST.


jakeb

281 posts

193 months

Friday 9th November 2018
quotequote all
A delivery mode wouldn't be a bad idea.

Not sure why they are concentrating on rubbish like this when VW et all are building up to give them a severe kicking

RobDickinson

31,343 posts

253 months

Friday 9th November 2018
quotequote all
jakeb said:
A delivery mode wouldn't be a bad idea.

Not sure why they are concentrating on rubbish like this when VW et all are building up to give them a severe kicking
  • citation needed.
Vw etc are looking further behind than ever.

RobDickinson

31,343 posts

253 months

Friday 9th November 2018
quotequote all
Same track, same driver...
1:18:73 Lamborghini Huracan Performante
1:19:07 Nissan GT-R Nismo R35
1:21:49 Tesla Model 3 Performance w/Track Mode
1:21:74 Porsche Cayman GT4
1:23:73 BMW M4
1:26:37 BMW M235i
1:28:00 Tesla Model S P85

camel_landy

4,863 posts

182 months

Friday 9th November 2018
quotequote all
ash73 said:
Pointless gimmick, who wants to drive a 2 tonne milk float around a track? The battery (and brakes) will probably last half a dozen laps.
Yeah but that's how progress is made... Just look at the origins of F1, Le Mans, etc...

M

kambites

67,460 posts

220 months

Friday 9th November 2018
quotequote all
ash73 said:
Pointless gimmick, who wants to drive a 2 tonne milk float around a track? The battery (and brakes) will probably last half a dozen laps.
Anything produced by a mainstream car manufacturer with track pretensions is a pointless gimmick, by and large. It's just advertising.

RobDickinson

31,343 posts

253 months

Friday 9th November 2018
quotequote all
Because this totally looks boring.

https://youtu.be/XJu8PJO_Xd4

untakenname

4,953 posts

191 months

Friday 9th November 2018
quotequote all
I wonder how this impacts on insurance premiums? It's equivalent to doing a massive amount of modification to a normal IC car.

camel_landy

4,863 posts

182 months

Friday 9th November 2018
quotequote all
Usget said:
..I think it's a little cynical to incrementally improve a car in this way. It's making it as good as it could have been in the first place.
Or think of it this way...

As we're in the very early stages of EV adoption, when the car is released, they don't actually know the limits and the longevity of the parts. It wouldn't surprise me to find (especially with the US 'litigation culture') that some of the systems configurations are erring on the side of caution. It isn't until the cars have been in use and have fed back the telemetry, that they are able to analyse the results and figure they can 'tweak' things a little.

e.g. To begin with, Tesla may have would down the power output from the batteries, to prevent the wiring from melting something, shorting and then catching fire!! After looking at the figures, they may have decided they can dial things up by 5%...

I Dunno... But I don't think it's cynical.

M