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Tesla Model 3 Brake Pads Destroyed After Nine Miles Of Laguna Seca

As you’re well aware, the Model 3 isn’t perfect. But in racing conditions on a circuit as hard on the brakes as Laguna Seca, the newest Tesla on the lot shows its limitations. In fact, no brakes were left after the fourth lap or nine miles of tracking.
Destroyed Tesla Model 3 brake pads 15 photos
Photo: screenshot from YouTube
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This story comes courtesyt of Matt Crowley, who took his Model 3 for a no-holds-barred spin on the 2.2-mile circuit in Monterey, California instead of his Cayman GT4. The Porsche watched from the sideline because a check engine light came on.

“Going into turn two at 103.9 mph without brakes”
is what convinced Matt to get the Model 3 back to the garage area. In addition to sheer amount of brake dust, the brake overflow reservoir was next to empty. If you were curious how much energy the car used in those four laps, the owner reports that the range went down from 229 to 94 miles.

Best lap? 1:57.50, and admirable time considering the Cayman GT4 did a 1:41.9 with the same driver behind the wheel. But the toll those four laps took on the Tesla beggars belief. After taking the wheels off the car, Matt inspected the braking system, finding that all the pads were cooked. The front rotors also appear to need replacing, which is both time-consuming and expensive if you add the numbers up.

At the end of the day, the Model 3 wasn’t designed for the circuit, but for street use. And even though the pads come from Brembo, there’s a huge difference in longevity and stopping power between high-performance brakes and regular pads.

With this video, there’s no denying Tesla should come up with a big brake kit for the Model 3. Or the aftermarket, whichever sees the profit that’s to be made from this business. Bear in mind that regular-duty gear doesn’t cut it on the racetrack, not when the bone-stock compound is too soft for repeated heavy braking.

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About the author: Mircea Panait
Mircea Panait profile photo

After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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