Photo by Chris Yarzab licensed under CC BY 2.0. Rechargd.com is reader supported. We may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
Want to show off your Model 3s power with a burnout? Know how to do it in a conventional vehicle, but are unsure how to do it in an EV?
A Model 3 is a performance vehicle, so owners may want to do burnouts to show off the car’s power. However, is burnout possible given the difference in the function of an EV versus an ICE? A Performance Model 3 can do a burnout by selecting Track Mode and turning off all traction control.
What Is Burnout?
A burnout is a party trick done by drivers to show how powerful a vehicle is without speeding off down the road and creating lots of smoke. In an ICE, burnout is performed by putting the car in first gear.
The clutch is depressed to disconnect the engine from the wheels. The handbrake is pulled up fully to lock the drive wheels. A burnout is then done by revving the engine and letting up the clutch quickly.
The wheels will activate and spin fast whilst the car stays stationary, and the spinning wheels will make a lot of smoke.
An EV Doesn’t Have A Clutch, How Do I Do It?
A Performance Model 3 can do a burnout by selecting Track Mode and turning off all traction control. The Performance Model is needed for the extra horsepower necessary for burnout and also for use of Track mode.
This mode is only available in the Performance Model 3. Track mode allows drivers to customize car settings such as stability and traction control, ABS, regenerative braking, and engine cooling to adjust performance and car handling.
Teslas have a number of functions to prevent things like tires spinning, not least traction control. So to do a burnout, functions such as these need to be deactivated.
In fact, the Performance model has a mode called “Burnout mode”. This allows you to do a burnout. This mode is actually just a way of deactivating all of the functions which prevent things like the wheel spin with a single button push.
The Tesla doesn’t have a clutch to engage as you would when doing a burnout in an ICE. However, the principle is the same. Just keep the car in neutral, rev the engine as high as possible, and then flick the car into drive. And remember to keep the handbrake on!
When Is The Best Time To Try Doing A Burnout?
Burnouts wear out tires and may also put undue stress on the car mechanicals. Therefore, it’s not really a good idea to do a burnout at any time. However, if you really want to have a go, the best time is just before you replace the tires. Once you’ve done a few burnouts you can change the tires.
Other Reasons Not To Do Burnout In A Tesla
Switching off all of the car controls necessary to do a burnout without specifically using burnout mode may require removing electrical fuses. This will almost certainly void any Tesla warranty. As everyone knows, Teslas are expensive to repair.
To use your expensive toy for doing things like burnout might not be such a smart move. It’s also possible to hurt yourself doing a burnout as the car can lurch forward if you get the wrong balance of accelerator and brake when “peeling out”.
Are Teslas Good At Doing Burnouts?
People say that Teslas can do a burnout as well as any other car. The advantage of doing one in a Tesla is that the car already looks very good, so a Tesla doing a burnout looks particularly cool.
