Any RWD owners regret not going to 4S?

[Jhenson29]

Model 3 SRP brakes are lasting 100k miles - that's a single motor too. Not saying there's more or less at play with the RWD Taycan but it's worth noting.

I’m not sure if the Model 3 SRP will tell us anything about the Taycan or not.

Are Model 3 SRP drivers using one pedal driving? Are the friction brakes used during one pedal driving or only during pressing the brake pedal?

I’ve never owned or even driven a Tesla, so I really don’t know.

Regardless, let’s look at what I do know. Besides, this thread is contrasting RWD with the 4S Taycan, so I’m focusing on that.

The AWD Taycan allocates twice as much regen for the front motor vs the rear. I also believe it uses regen before friction brakes when available.

So, when braking, I think we have one of 3 possible scenarios.

1. The AWD Taycan exhausts the rear regen before adding any front regen
2. The AWD Taycan adds front regen prior to exhausting rear regen and…
   1. The RWD similarly adds front friction brakes with the rear regen
   2. The RWD delays front friction brakes relative to the AWD’s use of front regen.

I think scenario 1 is unlikely since weight is transferred to the front while braking, so why not use the front if it’s available? However, this scenario is the most favorable for the RWD because it means a higher braking threshold before there’s a difference. But the front friction brakes are still used more than the AWD once that threshold is reached.

Scenario 2.1 means a lower braking threshold for the extra use of the front friction brakes, so even more front brake use.

Scenario 2.2 means a higher threshold again…but at the expense of (I assume) less optimal brake utilization. I assume this because if it was optimal, Porsche would employ it in the AWD.

Now…having said all that…it doesn’t mean there is a meaningful difference. Maybe it does take 100k miles before it matters. ?‍ i said on another thread earlier that it will be interesting to watch front brake wear on RWD vs AWD.

I was just commenting that the difference exists and wasn’t mentioned.

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[F16HTON]

 

[f1eng]

I’m not sure if the Model 3 SRP will tell us anything about the Taycan or not.

Are Model 3 SRP drivers using one pedal driving? Are the friction brakes used during one pedal driving or only during pressing the brake pedal?

I’ve never owned or even driven a Tesla, so I really don’t know.

Regardless, let’s look at what I do know. Besides, this thread is contrasting RWD with the 4S Taycan, so I’m focusing on that.

The AWD Taycan allocates twice as much regen for the front motor vs the rear. I also believe it uses regen before friction brakes when available.

So, when braking, I think we have one of 3 possible scenarios.

1. The AWD Taycan exhausts the rear regen before adding any front regen
2. The AWD Taycan adds front regen prior to exhausting rear regen and…
   1. The RWD similarly adds front friction brakes with the rear regen
   2. The RWD delays front friction brakes relative to the AWD’s use of front regen.

I think scenario 1 is unlikely since weight is transferred to the front while braking, so why not use the front if it’s available? However, this scenario is the most favorable for the RWD because it means a higher braking threshold before there’s a difference. But the front friction brakes are still used more than the AWD once that threshold is reached.

Scenario 2.1 means a lower braking threshold for the extra use of the front friction brakes, so even more front brake use.

Scenario 2.2 means a higher threshold again…but at the expense of (I assume) less optimal brake utilization. I assume this because if it was optimal, Porsche would employ it in the AWD.

Now…having said all that…it doesn’t mean there is a meaningful difference. Maybe it does take 100k miles before it matters. ?‍ i said on another thread earlier that it will be interesting to watch front brake wear on RWD vs AWD.

I was just commenting that the difference exists and wasn’t mentioned.

You make a good point.
I would say that in reality a lot of people don't brake that hard except in an emergency and I am sure the Porsche system on the RWD will go up to maximum regeneration from the rear as long as the stability control shows the grip potential is plenty (it will be most of the time).
As an aside I am good friends with one of the drivers who made suggestions during development of the prototype and he told me one of the biggest areas of development was in optimising braking and maximising regen.
One advantage Porsche had was that the experience of their race team on maximising regen and braking stability of the 919 at all levels of grip and battery SoC. This is much more on the edge than anything a road car will ever need to achieve but having the racing experience (and an engineer in charge of the project prepared to use it) is one of the reasons the Porsche Taycan probably has the best brake feel and performance of any EV IMHO.

 

[Fish Fingers]

On a similar subject. AWD v RWD in poor weather....?

I read somewhere that this isn't a big issue in the Taycan because of the weight. But I would still be keen to hear what someone says who has driven both in snow/ice.

And also on acceleration.... Possibly why the 0-60 times vary more compared to say 80-120km/h?

 

[kort]

On a similar subject. AWD v RWD in poor weather....?

I read somewhere that this isn't a big issue in the Taycan because of the weight. But I would still be keen to hear what someone says who has driven both in snow/ice.

braking/stopping issues caused by weather conditions are no different in an EV than an ICE.
an awd vehicle fitted with tires appropriate for the conditions will improve performance in snow and ice. a rwd car with all seasons will not perform well.
so the best thing that any car owner could do if concerned about performance in winter conditions is to put winter tires on their cars

 

[kort]

I’m not sure if the Model 3 SRP will tell us anything about the Taycan or not.

bingo, there is no comparing the two cars. this is not because I think one car is better than the other it is because the cars a very different machines.

 

[riburn3]

braking/stopping issues caused by weather conditions are no different in an EV than an ICE.
an awd vehicle fitted with tires appropriate for the conditions will improve performance in snow and ice. a rwd car with all seasons will not perform well.
so the best thing that any car owner could do if concerned about performance in winter conditions is to put winter tires on their cars

This, a RWD Taycan in winter tires is better than an AWD car with summer or all seasons. Too many people get lulled into a sense of false security in winter conditions because their sedan has AWD. Proper tires really have a bigger impact than anything.

 

[f1eng]

This, a RWD Taycan in winter tires is better than an AWD car with summer or all seasons. Too many people get lulled into a sense of false security in winter conditions because their sedan has AWD. Proper tires really have a bigger impact than anything.

This is fact.
The tyres are the most important part of a car. Winter tyres help braking and steering as well as traction.
In racing and rallying being on the right tyre is crucial to success.

 

[Nik1]

Sounds like you know what you want. ?

PB+ does also give some extra performance as well.
0-60 are quoted as same, but improvements in overtaking times etc.

RWD is a great choice. I’m very happy with mine and the power/torque is great. The 4s packs more of a punch however it wasn’t a deal breaker for me. The exterior and interior are exactly the same and the drive is extremely satisfying. The battery on the RWD is also more superior if that’s a factor for you to consider.

 

[Swissbob]

if I got over 90kw it was a big deal, most charges were around 70+ kw. and the fact that many times you'll be sharing the charger slows things down.
there are new version 3 chargers that supposedly but I never ran into one

There was a Model 3 charging on the 350kWh Ionity next to me and it was the only car that charged close to the Taycan charging rate (260kWh). Plenty of ID3/4’s, Merc EQC 400’s, Jag Ipace, eTron’s, BMW i3’s etc we’re all under half the charging speed or worse.

Assume it also charges quickly on the new 250kWh Tesla Superchargers.

 

[kort]

There was a Model 3 charging on the 350kWh Ionity next to me and it was the only car that charged close to the Taycan charging rate (260kWh). Plenty of ID3/4’s, Merc EQC 400’s, Jag Ipace, eTron’s, BMW i3’s etc we’re all under half the charging speed or worse.

Assume it also charges quickly on the new 250kWh Tesla Superchargers.

all that could be true but I was referring to the tesla superchargers, here in the US the newer faster tesla units are few. when I had the model 3 I would never charge at a non tesla unit, I had free supercharging because of my prior ownership of teslas

 

[Swissbob]

all that could be true but I was referring to the tesla superchargers, here in the US the newer faster tesla units are few. when I had the model 3 I would never charge at a non tesla unit, I had free supercharging because of my prior ownership of teslas

Ok. There are plenty of the new 250kWh Tesla chargers here in CH so they are definitely ahead on availability of chargers. In the UK this guy had to queue for the Tesla SC and saw the Ionity was free so popped over to charge.

 

[Thor]

I got the RWD with the bigger battery. It is my daily driver and I am happy with the power, acceleration, etc. However, there was this one time when I wished I had more power for just 10 seconds. There was a ferrari stopped next to me, and the kid driving it was tempting me to race. I did not bite. Anyway, I still prefer the RWD.

 

[DACSarasota]

So I got a chance to test drive the 4S this weekend. Wow! It is a beast. It has way more power than I need on a daily basis. In fact, I really dont see a scenario where that level of power can be used for city driving. I feel like I would be frustrated that I could never lay it out to its full potential. The 0-60 just seems like an occassional novelty.

I am going to now revisit the RWD with one last test drive and see if it feels too sluggish in comparison but I think I will be very happy with sticking with the RWD.

Plus my dealer told me he cant change my current RWD allocation to a 4S even if I wanted to. I was surprised to hear that but I dont want to get to the back of the line.

 

[RBGtaycan]

So I got a chance to test drive the 4S this weekend. Wow! It is a beast. It has way more power than I need on a daily basis. In fact, I really dont see a scenario where that level of power can be used for city driving. I feel like I would be frustrated that I could never lay it out to its full potential. The 0-60 just seems like an occassional novelty.

I am going to now revisit the RWD with one last test drive and see if it feels too sluggish in comparison but I think I will be very happy with sticking with the RWD.

Plus my dealer told me he cant change my current RWD allocation to a 4S even if I wanted to. I was surprised to hear that but I dont want to get to the back of the line.

0-60 in 5 seconds ain't too bad.....in normal driving it is more than adequate...I've had a couple of 4 second cars that were lots of fun but find the RWD close enough..it is not a corner carver like a 911 but it is an impressive car

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