THE FUTURE

OUR PERFORMANCE AWD TESLA MODEL 3 DEVELOPMENT CAR

The Future:

The name came out of the blue. As you may know if you’ve purchased a Tesla Model 3, you’re asked to name your car. Not being able to think of anything clever, and certainly not going to pick “stormtrooper” as cool as that is – I just typed in “The Future” without thinking about it. After Chris from DNBK designed our “The Future” T-Shirts, it just clicked that the name “The Future” should stick for our Model 3. “Did you see that car?? It made no noise! It just sent a new lap record? What IS that car?” “It’s the future, man.” 

The Car:

The Future is an identical car to the vehicle we rented in California for our suspension development trip. Even crazier than that – the last two digits of the VIN is my lucky number, and number I’ve been racing with since 2006 – 14. So I think it’s safe to say we think of this Model 3, one of the first in Canada (this was one of the first 10 cars delivered at the mass delivery event in Toronto), is extremely special. While it is a development car and has already been apart and back together more times than an old BMW, we treat it like a show car. It already has significant sentimental value!

Update: In 2021 we’ve upgraded to a Performance Model 3 – we needed to go faster! 

This Page:

This page is a summary of the development we’ve done and the configuration of our Model 3. Since the car is changing all the time, and we’re always doing new development, we’d recommend checking the blog and our Instagram as well as there is a good chance this page is out of date!
White Tesla Model 3 on Advan Wheels
Tesla Model 3 in the rain racing at Gridlife

TESTING + RESULTS

The first time we had Model 3 on the track was at Grid Life. The car already had our suspension and meaty wheels and tires on it. It had racing brake pads and fluid, but factory rotors. I took it on the track and I HATED it. The stability control was incredibly intrusive, even fully restricting me from applying power while turning. The brakes faded and boiled the fluid after only two laps.

Even after our great suspension, it was clear we weren’t there yet. That was the start. We are now at a point where the car is breaking records and beating cars well outside of its category.

Each product we produce is the result of a need we’ve found or an improvement we can make to the performance or enjoyment of the vehicle. Nothing is done unless it accomplishes that vision. Here are links to some of the tests we’ve done.

 

VSC Killer Final Alpha Testing (Now called the Party Box):

Here is a quick video after spending countless hours behind the monitor writing the final code for our VSC Killer module. This module allows the user to select multiple TC maps to varying levels of slip. In the following video, we’re targeting 60% wheel slip and it’s a party!  

Speed Academy Tesla Model 3 Test:

Here we test stock suspension and stock 18″ aero wheels and OEM tires, followed by stock suspension and 19″ wheels with RE71R tires, and finally, we install our brake kit, suspension arms, and coilovers and test again. The entire test was driven by David Pratte from Speed Academy. The results were an 8 second lap time improvement from stock to our configuration, the best time being a 1:21.7 around TMP.

MPP Traction Control Disable Test:

Here we test The Future with all of our components as above, but also with the addition of our traction control defeat device. As you’ll notice from the Speed Academy test, while we were able to disable stability control, the traction control was still intrusive. Along with more setup work we are able to push the car to do a 1:18.9 at TMP, which breaks the CSCS RWD Production Time Attack record by 1.3 seconds! We also had a lot of fun sliding the car around. Despite the open differential, the car is great at sliding! 

CSCS Win In Production RWD (Wet):

Our first competition in Canada with the Model 3, our stability control defeat system, suspension work and the great Model 3 chassis allowed us to win Production RWD in the rain by a large margin. This track is incredibly low grip in the rain, with varying grip throughout the lap. Very challenging.

SPECIFICATIONS (2021 Update)

Modifications:

Setup:

  • Ride Height Street: Typically 110mm measured from ground to battery
  • Ride Height Track: Typically 104mm measured from ground to battery

Low Grip / Technical Track Damper Settings (clicks from full stiff – higher number is softer)

  • Front Compression: 9
  • Front Rebound: 8
  • Rear Compression: 6
  • Rear Rebound: 7

High-Speed / High-Compression Track Damper Settings (clicks from full stiff – higher number is softer)

  • Front Compression: 5
  • Front Rebound: 5
  • Rear Compression: 4
  • Rear Rebound: 3

Street Damper Settings (clicks from full stiff – higher number is softer)

  • Front Compression: 14
  • Front Rebound: 13
  • Rear Compression: 14
  • Rear Rebound: 13

Track Alignment:

  • Front Camber: -3.6 °
  • Front Toe: Varies. Generally -2mm total
  • Rear Camber: -2.6 °
  • Rear Toe: Varies. Generally -3mm total

Street Alignment:

  • Front Camber: -1.1 °
  • Front Toe: -1mm total
  • Rear Camber: -1.1 °
  • Rear Toe: -1mm total

Track Wheel+Tire Setup:

  • Advan RGIII Wheels
  • Front: 19×10 +35
  • Rear: 19×10 +35
  • Bridgestone RE71R Tires
  • Front: 275/35/19
  • Rear: 275/35/19