Tesla’s Model S Plaid has finally delivered on its promise to reach a top speed of 200 mph, thanks to its new ceramic brakes. When the flagship electric vehicle was first introduced, the automaker pledged to achieve the top speed milestone. However, the initial deliveries showed that the vehicle could only hit a maximum speed of 163 mph.
Last year, Tesla launched a new “Track Mode” for the Model S Plaid, which pushed the top speed to 175 mph. At that time, it became apparent that the brakes were the limiting factor. The automaker did not want to unlock higher top speeds without the electric supercar having larger brakes that could handle slowing it down after achieving the new top speed.
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Although Tesla started offering an upgrade to the brakes with a carbon ceramic kit for $20,000 last year, it had not yet installed the new brakes on the Model S Plaid. However, last summer, a Model S Plaid broke the 200 mph top speed barrier for the first time after the owner removed Tesla’s speed limiter.
The car achieved a top speed of 216 mph and looked like it could go even faster, but the brakes were not up to the task, even though they had been upgraded with third-party brakes.
Now, Tesla is likely to install its own brake upgrade, as racecar driver Sebastian Vettel, who has worked with Tesla on numerous occasions, tested a Model S Plaid loaned to him by Tesla Belgium. Vettel was provided with the ceramic brake upgrade to test the vehicle’s performance on Circuit de Bresse.
Vettel praised the upgraded Model S Plaid and confirmed that the vehicle did not have a speed limiter. He achieved 350 km/h (217 mph) on several occasions, breaking the previous record. Additionally, he managed to beat the lap record for a street-legal car at the track.
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Vettel said that the Model S Plaid with the upgraded brakes was a “completely different animal” compared to the stock car. He further commented that the lap time of 1min33.610 set by the Model S Plaid with the original Michelin PS4S tires on the original dimension 265/35/21 front 295/30/21 rear and original Tesla wheels was “absolutely insane” for a car of its size.
The success of the upgraded Model S Plaid is expected to generate more videos highlighting the vehicle’s new performance with the improved brakes.
