The ‘paid hardware upgrade’ needed for the Tesla Model S to hit its advertised 200 MPH top speed turned out to be its US$20,000 Carbon Ceramic Brake Kit indeed. With it, a Model S Plaid managed and surpassed the highest speed that Tesla promises, breaking a racing circuit record in the process.
While there have been record speeds achieved with a modified Model S, its 200 MPH peak advertised by Tesla has finally been reached with a stock unit. Just as expected, the “paid hardware upgrades” that the fine print says are needed to unlock the Model S top speed achievement turned out to be its performance brakes option.
When installing the Carbon Ceramic Brake Kit – a separate US$20,000 purchase – the Tesla Model S Plaid top speed software lock was removed, and a 217 MPH (350km/h) speed was reached. The first Model S outfitted with the new brakes was given by Tesla Belgium to the race driver Sebastien Vittel. He hinted that the car could do even more on a race track larger than the Circuit de Bresse in France where it still broke the lap record.
Well after couple of laps I just did the track record for a street legal car on non semi slick tire here. The original Michelin PS4S on original dimension 265/35/21 front 295/30/21 rear and original Tesla wheels.
Recently, the Tesla Model S Plaid also managed to beat а Porsche Taycan Turbo S, a Lucid Air, and an electric Audi RS in Motor Trend’s real-life acceleration test done with a foot of rollout subtracted.
Moreover, this is not the first time that a Tesla Model S breaks the 200 MPH speed barrier as the Plaid unit which managed 216 MPH top speed last year had its software limitations removed by an Ingenext chip mod.
The official brake kit add-on, however, which consists of carbon ceramic discs and braided lines, as well as temperature-resistant brake pads and fluid, is the default way to go for surpassing the 200 MPH top speed threshold without having to chip-tune the Model S Plaid.
When it becomes available for purchase, that is, as it has been listed as coming soon on Tesla’s website for a good while now, so this is actually the first time that the performance brakes upgrade has been installed and tested before a general public.
Related Articles
Daniel Zlatev – Tech Writer – 625 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2021
Wooed by tech since the industrial espionage of Apple computers and the times of pixelized Nintendos, Daniel went and opened a gaming club when personal computers and consoles were still an expensive rarity. Nowadays, fascination is not with specs and speed but rather the lifestyle that computers in our pocket, house, and car have shoehorned us in, from the infinite scroll and the privacy hazards to authenticating every bit and move of our existence.
Daniel Zlatev, 2023-03-13 (Update: 2023-03-13)
Read More
Daniel Zlatev