Save your $40,000? Tesla Model S Plaid vs Model 3 Performance | 1/4 Mile Drag Racing

In this video, I take a Tesla Model 3 Performance out to the drag strip and beat a Tesla Model S Plaid in a drag race!
If you're a fan of drag racing, then you'll love this video! In this race, the Tesla Model 3 Performance beat the Tesla Model S Plaid. If you're looking for a performance-packed drive, then you need to check out this video!
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[@EVMANVSGAS]

It really drives the point home how much faster the Plaid Model S is.

[@RichOnTrack]

Isn’t it crazy?! I don’t think the 3 is a slouch but the way the S just launches and then pulls away is so crazy

[@jeffblazey7802]

First, I LOVE your comparative videos. MUCH fun and I can tell you are having fun too. Well done! I did extensive, multi-day, side-by-side-by-side comparisons between my 2023 M3P, a 2023 standard S and a 2022 S Plaid (which I had to rent) before ordering my Plaid (due in a few weeks). The subjective results were fascinating. My M3P is an exceptionally well balanced sports car. I truly love it. The standard S was not as athletic off the line and for around town driving under 40 MPH. However, above that, the S came alive, being just as much fun darting around and shooting gaps on highways as the M3P. And quieter. The Plaid was on another plane though. WOW. Stupid fast. Stupid GOOD. Too fast actually for everyday driving, not because of me, but because of everybody else on the road. They are just not prepared and paying attention. I can instantly appear next to them or in their blind spots. Enter the Plaid in Sport mode. It seemed just as athletic under 40 and entertaining around town as my M3P, but also more sophisticated too. The Plaid in sport mode seemed much more alive than the standard S in "insane" mode. I'd LOVE to see you race your M3P against a Plaid in sport mode to verify/validate my subjective impressions. Again, well done and smooth dry roads!

[@Rudenbehr]

The plaid was gone. Out to lunch. See you in 30.

[@ericn3221]

Hey Richard, I have a few questions: How many total passes on your M3P? What % of juice is used on each pass? 1/4 mile or 1,000 ft How many miles are your tires lasting? Love your videos!

[@RY97z]

ive seen some model s plaids go for 60k lol now thats INSANE!

[@RichOnTrack]

Insane steal!! That much speed for so cheap

[@billalnawaz]

Bro just an FYI, I’m very sure being in track mode doesn’t give you a faster straight line time.

[@theiceman8190]

As someone who bought the Plaid when it was $135k base ($150k for the red/white and 21” wheels spec) - these price drops are creating financial hurt 😅 These still aren’t cheap but it’s insane these have gotten so affordable. Never seen aggressive price drops like these from any other manufacturer.

[@RichOnTrack]

I’m so sorry but hey at least you get to enjoy the speed of the plaid!!

[@LayneSteighlee]

oh yes, many of us Tesla owners got hurt sooooo bad when Tesla decided to screw us all over and drop prices like crazy...

[@theiceman8190]

@@LayneSteighlee I think it did put many people underwater on their loan, especially if they were someone who bought one at an inflated price last year. I’m also underwater on my Plaid. My job is secure so I’ll probably be “fine” but I can’t imagine selling this car now - I’ll have to take a huge financial hit.

[@Mr.CEO888]

Man I put a deposit down a week later they drop the price almost $20k I happily forfeited my $250 and reordered 😂😂😂

[@RichOnTrack]

@@Mr.CEO888 dub but that’s annoying they didn’t transfer over your deposit

[@LearningFast]

You have great content but your advice on “Track Mode” is wrong. 100 degrees F isn’t hot for the quick hits that you do at the Dragstrip. You are destroying your times by using Track Mode. 11.75 is incredibly slow. You should be MUCH quicker than that. Your rear motors aren’t anywhere close to hot. It shows you that on the screen. Don’t use Track Mode and Precondition for 10-15 minutes and you would be running at least 11.5s if not 11.4s. Great content though. I do enjoy your videos.

[@RichOnTrack]

Unfortunately it’s hard for me to test consistently. So last time I was at the 1/4 I had it pre conditioning and it wasn’t getting any faster. When I get around to editing that video I’ll show you what happened for me. I tried preconditioning before a race and it didn’t make any difference for me in terms of time but then immediately after that race I turned on track mode to cool my rear motor and was 2 tenths faster so I’m not sure why 🤷‍♂️

[@LearningFast]

@@RichOnTrack you have to get a way to monitor temperatures and Max Discharge value. The S3XY buttons will do it but there are other ways to monitor the data too. Without a way to monitor temps you are just guessing at what is happening. What is your best 1/4 mile time? It should be low 11.5s or 11.4s. Any higher than that and your battery is too cold or too low SOC or both. Your 1/8 mile times are actually good because battery temperature matters less in the 1/8 and especially in the 0-60 mph and 60’ times. When I race the 1/8 mile I sometimes use Track Mode for consistency then. However, for the 1/4 mile you really need to heat that battery and try to get a higher SOC if you can. It really makes a big difference if you heat it enough.

[@Robert.L]

Totally needs to drop Track mode. The rear motor DOES NOT get "too hot". With battery around 50°c and atleast over 80% SoC should consistently give you better times then you get with track mode. If your rear motor gets too hot, you might have a tecnical issue with your car. But as long as the car doesnt throw any codes, you should be good. Reason why you was faster when testing with track mode after, might be because the battery and tires was already heated up from the first run. 🤷 Normal sport mode is the way to go. Anyways.. Great content! Probably one of the best rn on comparing the M3P to other cars! 🙌

[@Bbronson]

People complaining about the price drops spending 6 figures on a car lol… don’t buy a brand new car that everyone and their mom wanted at release. Wait a year or two and be patient or you get burned.

[@RichOnTrack]

Yeah it sucks for people who bought and then get hit with a price drop 😞 I’d be so upset but at least they got to enjoy the car for all that time

[@DadBodStrength]

Just picked up a 2023 M3P so I'm living vicariously through you.. 😂

[@RichOnTrack]

Alright !!! Congrats on the new car you’re gonna love it !

[@jordylad69]

I'm really enjoying your videos mate, way more than I thought I would. I have done a bit of racing on real race tracks in my time, but I didn't think I was a drag strip guy, but then maybe I am!! I am a 69 year old man and I have a Polestar 2, so I am into electric cars and do like Teslas. My lease is up is 18 months and I am thinking I will buy a Tesla Model S. You are making me consider a Plaid now!! Keep up the good work and thank you for sharing.

[@RichOnTrack]

Really appreciate you watching! I actually just recently raced a Polestar 2 and they're quick! Plaid S is insanely fast and I feel like it would ruin all cars for me if I got one. In that, my sense of speed would be forever warped.

[@stanley2412]

Nice tries, lol. I test drove a long range Model S this past weekend (sad they do not offer plaid to test drive). For acceleration, I would say for speed below 60, it's pretty on par with M3P, but above 60, you can definitely feel model s has more power and legs. I also feel Model S has more quiet interior and softer dampening. I am really hesitant now whether I want to go with plaid Model S (I also do not want to give up the nimbleness of Model 3 handling). I guess I'll see how the new Model 3 Performance/Plaid shakes out.

[@RichOnTrack]

Thanks for watching! Yeah, it’s a bummer they don’t offer plaid S for test drives. I think it might be a safety thing but if they offered it I think a lot of people would be buying them after test drives 😂

[@wesleywalls7582]

The best way to test drive a Plaid is to find one used on another dealer lot. That’s what I did. Pretty insane. I ended up with a standard Long Range because 680HP is certainly more than enough 99.8% of the time.

[@offworkhours]

That Plaid was gone! It looked like it was racing a half mile vs your 1/4 mile.

[@tieningwang4682]

This is why model 3 performance is not called model 3 plaid😂

[@p3dtesla118]

man that Plaid is superb in every way !! He went into infinity dot :):):):) he literally disappeared at the end wow awesome plaid !!

[@RichOnTrack]

Hahahahahaha yeah that plaid went into hyperspace

[@MrJinske]

I have a 22plaid, you next the track pack you open up the top end, without track pack toppled is approx 168 to 171mph

[@vilo3454]

Who knew it would be even more of a bargain 1 year later…fuck 96…now u get it for 90k

[@ms3ben]

I've owned both the Tesla M3P and the Tesla S Plaid, and the difference in acceleration is night and day. I Sold my Plaid just before the massive price drops fortunately, but greatly miss the unrelenting acceleration. I'm planning on buying another Plaid next year, prob low mile used this time. Best bang for the buck out there if nutty acceleration with a warranty is your thing.

[@pofrani]

You don't drag with anything below 80% SoC! Come on dude!

[@Soulonos]

Bro this guy is delusional!!! The guy jumped the light so what the model S still won!!! Undefeated! This is click bait at its worse!!!

[@ejwgamez4264]

So you pay about 40k more to get 2.5 or seconds faster. That is a lot of money to go that much faster.

[@brianaustin82]

I’d love to take my new Model 3 Performance on the track! Let’s set it up!

[@ILOVEMYDAD2233]

Night and day difference. I want my 3 to pull like that S. Then I would be happy. Ha ha ha

[@Mr.CEO888]

Model S still looks a lot better.

[@RichOnTrack]

I agree! Especially with the bigger wheels

[@wesleywalls7582]

You still need to drag a new Model S Long Range (not the Plaid). That would be an interesting race.

[@RichOnTrack]

Yep! I’ll see if my friend will let me borrow his! Or if I can get him out one of these days

[@wesleywalls7582]

@@RichOnTrack cool. Hopefully it’s a 2021+ refresh (or newer)…same generation as the Plaid.

[@stanley2412]

Model S LR will do high 10s quarter mile, M3P would not stand a chance either.

[@wesleywalls7582]

@@stanley2412 understood (I own a 2022 MSLR!). I just thought it would be a much more interesting race…certainly more competitive than the Plaid.

[@p3dtesla118]

@@RichOnTrack Yeah please do it this is very important because Model S gets 3.1 to 3.2 sec

[@rambo4war]

148 mph vs 114, wow

[@Jstall7543]

You Got Gapped! lol! I Know You Mostly Win!

[@RichOnTrack]

Hahaha a plaid is a plaid 😭

[@OptimisticPrime2357]

In my '22 M3P, No matter how I configure track mode, I always seem to get the better dig not using it. Of course I can only do this when racing in a straight line. If I'm not in track mode and I start throwing corners at it, of course the power cuts to the motors. Getting a set of 18" Martian wheels has also seemed to help as I have lost about 30 lb. of unsprung weight and reduces the amount of mass the motors have to turn. And a bonus is they look hella sexy! Great vids, keep 'em coming!

[@CarlosALoonen]

Starting the video saying you beat the model S Plaid... watching that first race is like, what? 🤣

[@johnbailey7991]

Yes, I have both cars. M3P is fast but Plaid is in a different league

[@Eddiebee09]

is there a difference in performance with the 2023 and the 2020 model three performance?

[@RichOnTrack]

Maybe a slight difference cause of the wheels? 2020 doesn’t have the uberturbines right?

[@Eddiebee09]

@@RichOnTrack correct I think that 2021 is when they changed it I’m not sure if the batteries are the same and I know the tires are different

[@evolv.e]

4:25 - wow 😯 Thanks for sharing the launch/acceleration difference side by side.

[@24HourRealtySanDiego]

Nice that Famoso lets you drive around the water box. Barona sprays too much water and we can’t drive around.

[@RichOnTrack]

Can you ask the person who sprays it to not do it for you? I know we can at Irwindale

[@seraphim38]

OMG a 9.4 second quarter mile in a 4 door production grocery getter is absolutely insane. I love my model 3 performance for a daily driver, and considering that I bought it for 33K, I don't regret it for a minute.

[@derekochoa8313]

How many miles and what year is yours? I got mine for 37 with taxes and it’s a 2020 m3perf with 68k miles

[@seraphim38]

@derekochoa8313 I bought a 2018 model 3 stealth performance with 42k miles. The stealth part means it doesn't have the red calipers or rear carbon lip, or 20 inch wheels, but still is the faster drivetrain setup and shows up in the software as being the m3p