Tesla has announced a track package for Model S Plaid that finally allows this fastest production vehicle on earth to fully exert its performance, and extricate from its maximum speed at “merely” 262km/h.
Model S Plaid was regarded as the fastest production vehicle when it was announced by Tesla back in 2020 thanks to its three-motor configuration that offers 1,020 horsepower, and only requires 2.1 seconds from 0 to 100, where the maximum speed of 322km/h had also left a lot of people in awe. However, many owners have been a little let down by the true maximum speed of “merely” 262km/h when the vehicle became widely available.
Tesla commented during the delivery of Model S Plaid that the model has yet to exert its maximum strength due to restrictions in brakes and tires, and the driving speed was thus confined. A new Track Mode version was released last year to offer better cooling, improved kinetic energy recovery, and refined distribution of torque vectoring, as well as elevated the maximum speed of Model S Plaid to 282km/h.
However, physical issued had remained unresolved as Model S Plaid requires a stronger brake system in order to achieve faster speed. A hacker proved such theory by having successfully unlocked Tesla’s software restriction last year, and managed to attain an astounding maximum speed of 348km/h. With that being said, this insane speed is still excessively fast even with an adoption of a large brake system, making it extremely difficult to maneuver the vehicle.
▲Model S Plaid Track Package consists of aluminum rims, tires, and a fully upgraded brake system.
Tesla is now finally ready to release the official Model S Plaid Track Package. It looks like the company has finally found the optimal solution for the brake system by having accomplished a maximum speed of 322km/h as seen from its published clip.
This track package is now available on the US official website, though it won’t be available until June. What is pleasing to see is that comparing to the carbon fiber ceramic brake that was available last year at US$20K, the package is priced at about US$15,000-20,000, and includes a carbon fiber ceramic brake system, aluminum rims, and four Goodyear Zero-G racetrack tires (285/35R20 for the front, and 305/30R20 for the rear). Tesla commented that Model S Plaid is able to achieve a maximum speed only by equipping these two aforementioned pieces of hardware.
Tesla Taiwan has not released any information regarding the availability of the package, and we wonder where Taiwanese owners would go to reach a maximum speed of more than 300km/h.
(Cover photo source: Tesla)