Modified Tesla Model 3 Packs BMW M3-like Track Performance

Canadian tuner turned off a Tesla Model 3’s electronic safety nets, gave it more grip and stronger brakes, transforming it into a track car.

We’re all familiar with the two major certainties in life: death and taxes. Here’s another that all of you automotive enthusiasts know well: No matter what the car is, somebody somewhere will try to make it faster. That’s a given for Mustangs and Corvettes, but, as this video from Speed Academy shows, it even applies to cars such as the Tesla Model 3.

That’s exactly what Sasha Anis of tuning shop Mountain Pass Performance did with the electric carmaker’s entry-level model. He explains just how he heightened the Model 3’s abilities to Speed Academy host Dave Pratte, saying, “So the main difference with this Model 3 is it’s got coilovers we’ve developed…and then it’s also got 10-inch-wide wheels” – at all four corners. MPP wrapped the wider wheels in 275/35R18 Bridgestone Potenza RE-71Rs.

The more grip a car has, the more speed it can pick up. That means the brakes need to be able to handle the extra mph they’re going to have to scrub off. MPP has that covered. Anis adds, “It’s also got a brake upgrade kit that we’ve done for this car. So it takes the factory tiny 320-mil disc and brings it up to a 365-mil disc.”

ALSO SEE: Jaguar I-Pace Review: The Electrified Future We All Deserve

Better hardware can go to waste if a car’s software holds it back, so MPP made sure to turn off the Model 3’s stability and traction control systems so it could attack the track with every ounce of its instant-on power. Pratte jumps into the driver’s seat to find out just how MPP’s improvements have changed the little Tesla.

Based on Pratte’s responses, it’s safe to say they changed the car for the better. Pratte found the Model 3 used to lack front end grip and had a tendency to understeer. Not any more. “Wow, the turn-in response is insane,” Pratte exclaims. He praises the way the new rubber sticks to the track and the enhanced braking power. Thanks to the electronic nannies being off, he can even break the back end loose for some easily controllable drifts. MPP has turned the Model 3 into a fun car. In fact, according to Pratte, “It feels like you’re driving a [BMW] M3.”

But what about lap times? Speed Academy ran a 1.29 on its test track in a stock Model 3. Anis was able to pull off a 1.19 in this modified version. Pratte wants to beat that with a 1.18. In the end, it all comes down to operator error. Pratte laps the track in 1:20.4 because he isn’t able to adjust quickly enough to the car’s enhanced grip and braking ability. That’s OK. He just experienced another certainty that automotive enthusiasts are bound to encounter sooner or later: A car that can be driven harder than you’re willing to drive it.

Join the 6SpeedOnline.com forums now!

Derek Shiekhi

Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.

After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.

While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.

Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.

In addition to writing for a variety of Internet Brands sites, including JK Forum, H-D Forums, The Mustang Source, Mustang Forums, LS1Tech, HondaTech, Jaguar Forums, YotaTech, and Ford Truck Enthusiasts. Derek also started There Will Be Cars on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

Twitter