Tuning Tesla: The Hype Behind Power Gains?

Riding the trend of remapping initiated by Tesla, some tuners offer to increase the power of certain models.

This is the story: when a car is released, no matter its power or performance, for some, it is never enough. They want more, always more, and ideally under the unchanged contours of their car, to impress. A Porsche with 100 more horsepower, if the lap time is better, the credit will obviously go directly to the driver.

For Tesla, the acceleration at the toll will be even better, knowing that it already takes only a few seconds to be illegal. But such is human nature: permanent dissatisfaction. In a sense, it is a source of progress, so…

In the case of Tesla, tuners have developed solutions to unlock performance. By performance, we mean “power” and not “range”. No, more energy consumed means fewer kilometers traveled. QED. Tesla, on the other hand, only proposes to increase the range of its Model Y and Model 3, but currently only in the United States, before a wider rollout in Europe by the end of the year.

How much does it cost?

At BR-Performance for example, which has numerous workshops across France, tuning is offered on the all-wheel drive versions of the Model Y and all Model 3. The gain is invariably quantified at 50 horsepower. It should be noted that the torque is never changed under the pretext of not impacting reliability. True? False? Lastly, the price is also always 1490 euros (VAT included), including installation and power test on a dynamometer.

• Model 3 Long Range Propulsion: from 271 to 321 horsepower
• Model 3 AWD Long Range: from 434 to 484 horsepower
• Model 3 Performance (2018): from 506 to 556 horsepower
• Model Y Long Range: from 440 to 490 horsepower
• Model Y Performance: from 513 to 563 horsepower

Is there something fishy going on?

Our first question comes from the basis of calculating the power when referring to the official Tesla chart. Here are the initial powers of each of the models presented after tuning, which would greatly reduce the interest:

• Model 3 Long Range Propulsion: 282 horsepower, or +39 hp
• Model 3 AWD Long Range: 497 horsepower, or -13 hp
• Model 3 Performance: 534 horsepower, or +22 hp
• Model Y Long Range: 513 horsepower, or -23 hp
• Model Y Performance: 534 horsepower, or -29 hp

We admit to being a bit lost with these hard-to-keep promises, especially knowing the electronic complexity of modern electric cars. We would strongly advise you to stay away from such tuning proposals which, in case of problems, can also come back to haunt you regarding your manufacturer’s warranty and your insurance.

ALSO READ: Tesla Model 3: soon an electronic range unlock?