Video: Tesla Model 3 Performance brakes catch fire in Nurburgring track test
07/09/2024 08:53 PM
Tesla’s quickest Model 3 electric car yet has underperformed in a high-speed test on the Nurburgring race circuit, overheating its brakes in two and a half minutes – and losing half its power.
The latest Tesla Model 3 Performance has been labelled “dangerous” after a track test on Germany’s Nurburgring race circuit saw it set its brakes alight – and overheated its battery.
One of the first European examples of the updated Model 3 Performance was driven around the 20.832km-long track in a new video by Misha Charoudin – a Nurburgring driving instructor and racing driver with a decade of experience on the circuit.
With the car’s owner in the passenger seat, Mr Charoudin initially praises the Tesla for its handling, including changes to the suspension made for the latest model.
MORE: 2024 Tesla Model 3 Performance electric car unveiled with power boost, price cut in Australia
“It’s day and night difference compared to the pre-facelift model. I’d never thought I’d say that [a] Tesla would be this good out of the box for the track,” the driver and YouTube creator says.
However, as the car reaches the Schwedenkreuz corner two and a half minutes into the lap, the Model 3 is claimed to show a message warning of high brake temperature.
About 30 seconds later – as the car reaches speeds in excess of 200km/h – Mr Charoudin is seen fighting with the wheel (below) as the car struggles to slow down, with a trail of smoke in the rear-view mirror.
“I’m full on the brakes and the car does not want to stop much,” he says. “Oh, we’re full-[on] smoking … I guess mission aborted if the brakes are on fire already.”
Telemetry data on screen shows the car starts the lap with a ‘max discharge’ from its battery of 393kW, and a battery temperature of 26.3 degrees.
After five and a half minutes, the power is seen to degrade rapidly, dropping from 392kW to about 300kW in a further 50 seconds, and hitting 200kW after another two minutes.
Even once Mr Charoudin slows down as the brakes begin smoking, the Model 3 ends the lap with the battery temperature at 58.5 degrees.
Interestingly, the 393kW listed at the start of the lap is higher than the Model 3’s claimed 338kW output in Australian and European examples.
The Tesla completes the track in nine and a half minutes, though the car was driven in a public event with other cars on the circuit – not a closed session, as used to set an official lap record.
According to its owner, the car has been upgraded with ‘race’ brake fluid, but it is believed to be running its standard discs, calipers and pads.
Tesla fans on social media have been quick to defend the car – and criticise the test – claiming the Model 3 Performance is ultimately a road car, and few owners will ever take it on a race track.
However Tesla sells the vehicle with a Track Mode, believed to have been enabled for this test, with a high level of electric-motor regenerative braking to take the load off the ‘friction’ disc brakes.
The US electric-car giant claims the vehicle is fitted with “track-ready” brake pads, and that the latest model has “enhanced pedal feel and improved heat management”.
“Brakes, same story [as with other Teslas]. They were on fire already [after] like one quarter of the track, or less … and the heating issue, it still cannot do a full lap, which is sad,” Mr Charoudin says.
He says: “Handling wise, really really good. Brake wise, extreme drama like the previous one, to the point that it’s dangerous. Just like the Model S Plaid, if you don’t have the Track Pack, it’s just dangerous.”
As hinted, Tesla performance cars have long been criticised for poor braking performance in extended race-track driving, including a series of publicised brake failures in the larger, faster Model S Plaid sedan prior to the introduction of the Track Pack upgrade.
It remains to be seen if Tesla introduces a Model S-esque Track Pack for the Model 3 Performance with carbon-ceramic discs, or upgraded brake pads to better withstand heat.
Tesla Model 3 Performance sedans sold in Europe and Australia use a battery pack sourced from LG, which owners say delivers inferior performance – and overheats faster – than the Panasonic battery in US models.
In contrast, a Hyundai Ioniq 5 N electric car was able to complete two laps of the Nurburgring Nordschleife in Mr Charoudin’s testing without overheating, or any brake failures.
The Hyundai is a $30,000-more expensive car in Australia, but it has more comprehensive upgrades to its cooling systems and battery to ensure it can be driven on race track for extended periods without any performance loss.
During the first lap its battery temperature rose from 20 to 34 degrees – and in the second lap climbed from 37 to 47 degrees, albeit with more traffic and slower speeds.
The same 47-degree temperature was achieved by the Tesla’s battery less than two-thirds into one lap.
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