Hello again MPP friends and family,
Spring is finally upon us, and after what was one of the cloudiest winters on record here in the Toronto region, seeing the sun is a very welcome change! We have some exciting updates to share with you all, so I hope you can find a few minutes to read this email – or at least look at the pretty pictures 🙂
To quickly cover the topics – Our first official MPP wheel is here and we’ve started the pre-order process for them! Our MPP x MSI wheel studs and lug nuts are in stock and shipping same day, we’ve released a new update of our Virtual Tesla Model 3 for Assetto Corsa, and we’ve been making some big strides on our in-house hybrid-electric rolling laboratory racecar, KERS Kels. Lastly, we’re announcing another residential solar electric system sponsorship, the same as we did in 2021. Read on for more details!
MPP Mega Mesh Forged Wheels:
Starting with what I am personally most passionate about – our in-house designed and developed wheel has finally come to life!
Manufactured by Braid Wheels in Barcelona, Spain, these wheels are proper forged wheels built by a company with decades of experience in professional motorsport and rally such as WRC, Dakar, Formula E and E-TCR. Braid also produces prototype wheels for many OEMs. So you can see – they are the real deal.
The wheel itself is based on the classic “mesh” style which always looks incredible on four-door sedans. We’ve beefed it up and modernized it with strong edges, optional aero covers, and of course, a forged rather than cast construction. We call the wheel “Mega Mesh” because it does look pretty mega. The wheels are available for pre-order in 19×9.5 +37 and 19×10.5 +33 for aggressive street and track applications.
Our Mega Mesh wheels are available for pre-order now, and you can read all of the details on the product page here. We are trying to keep the cost comparable to no-name wheel manufacturers, which is only possible by making large batches of wheels in a set of sizes or colors. So your pre-order will help us fine-tune the ratio of sizes and colors we order! You’ll also get a nice $300 discount for pre-ordering.
Studs + Nuts In Stock, Spacers Incoming:
The launch of our MPP x MSI Wheel Studs and Lug Nuts have been a big hit so far with those looking for motorsport-worthy wheel bolting hardware at a reasonable cost.
We wanted to get these accessories launched before the release of our wheels, so that we have a full solution offering for those of you who want to adjust the offset to your liking, and have a finished appearance. The lug nuts are a great option if you’re looking for a cost-effective, durable upgrade and prefer a 19mm hex head rather than the OE 21mm.
Our goal was to also have the spacers in stock and shipping before this post, but we’re a few weeks behind on that. The good news is that we’ll have these spacers available and in stock mid-April. They can be used in combination with the studs and nuts, and have “quality of life” features you’re looking for in spacers, such as a recessed slot to ease spacer removal, and a step in the hub for Performance Model 3 rotors.
MPP Model 3 Challenge Assetto Corsa Cup:
We’ve re-launched our virtual Model 3 racing series in Assetto Corsa, complete with a car update. The car update has revised physics which we’ve based on actual data logs from tracks all around the world. The car is within a few tenths of what we’ve done at many of these tracks in real life – from Lime Rock to Castelloli in Spain. The same model has proven an incredible training tool and predictive tool as we have ventured off to new tracks around the world! The physics model is based off of a 285 or 305 R-Compound tire, such as the Supercar 3R or Nankang AR-1.
From the visual side, the car also has our new “Mega Mesh” wheel – it was released in the virtual world before the real world! Along with the wheels, we’ve also updated the trim to a “chrome delete”, and added the MoTeC C125 display.
In the above image, you can see from the MoTeC i2 data how close the speed traces are between reality (colored lines) and the sim (white lines). Any differences in speed are typically down to driving differences, either driving worse than optimal in real life (as at Calafat, where the car was a bit spicy without a wing!) or in the sim, as at Lime Rock. Observe that the braking and acceleration capabilities are nearly identical to real life!
The online series uses the same rules as the Model 3 Challenge, so it’s great practice for participants of the series, and it also makes for some playful cat-and-mouse passing for those running in close proximity. It also means you’re less likely to get taken out and the amount of “virtual crashes” we’ve had has gone down considerably! To download the car, and learn about how to participate, visit this page: https://www.mountainpassperformance.com/tesla-model-3-assetto-corsa-cup/
We’re planning to have another event on April 8th! So be sure to download the car and get familiar with it before then!
KERS Kels Hybrid 350z Update:
Thanks to our friends Guille and Alex, the bodywork upgrade on our hybrid electric 350z is finally complete. The car has a JGTC-inspired look while retaining the character of a GT3 car. With upgrades to the high voltage battery (we’re working on our own totally custom battery design in-house, with new concepts), suspension, and bodywork, we’re hoping the Z will be faster than ever.
Even if it’s not, it will certainly be the best-looking iteration of the car to date! We’re aiming to have the Z out for GridLife events later in the year, and local events before that. As always, the most recent updates will be on Instagram and YouTube for this project!
Residential Solar Energy Sponsorship Round 2:
We’re happy to announce that we will be sponsoring a few lucky MPP customers with residential solar roofs, as we did in 2021. Full details will be announced shortly in another post, so please keep your eyes peeled! In 2021 we funded two residential solar projects in their entirety. This year, our aim is to fund three or four projects at 50%.
We learned in 2021 that a number of entrants were considering solar anyways, and just needed a boost. So we’re hopeful that by providing 50% of the cost of the project, we’ll be able to get more total solar installed versus giving away 100% of the cost to half of the systems.
As we did in the last sponsorship, we’ll be organizing entrants based on the maximum carbon offset per dollar spent, and the sponsorship will be open to existing MPP customers as of today’s date (March 29th, 2023).
That’s It!
Thanks so much for reading! We hope you’re all doing well and getting ready for a very fun summer. Thanks as always for your support of MPP, we’re very thankful for all of the fun activities we get to partake in for a living, which wouldn’t be possible without your support. So thank you, and let’s keep going!
As EVs become more popular it is as important as ever to educate people on the important problems they can help address, and converting the grid to clean energy is an extremely important step in that process. Let’s do it, and have fun while we’re at it!
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