Teslas are one of the most state-of-the-art cars on the planet, and their electric motors get more powerful with every model the company releases. But if Teslas are so powerful, that means they should be able to do some sick stunts like burnouts and doughnuts, right?
Can Teslas do a burnout? The answer is yes, once the ABS, stability control, and traction control are disabled via the removal of an electrical fuse, the Tesla is able to perform burnouts as well as any other high-performance vehicle. However, the process of removing the fuse is guaranteed to void the Tesla’s warranty, which is not a good idea on such a specialized car. Track Mode is a close alternative that’s within the warranty.
With the Tesla’s advanced digital ABS, stability control, and traction control systems in place, a Tesla’s traction control and anti-brake systems are too tight to allow for burnouts and other tricks. But once this limiting factor is removed, Tesla cars can burn out with the best of them. Read on to find out more about how to burnout in a Tesla.
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What Is A Burnout?
A burnout is a performance trick in a car where the car is kept stationary while the wheels are allowed to spin. This maneuver is designed to drum up thick clouds of smoke and cause a lot of noise, generally attracting a lot of attention to the car and driver.
A burnout typically doesn’t have any kind of strategic benefit for the driver and is mostly used as a way for the driver to show out or show off. In professional drag racing, burnouts are performed to help the wheels of the car stick to the asphalt and provide better traction right out of the gate.
Ultimately though, burnouts are a performance and don’t really have any purpose outside of a drag strip for normal drivers.
Teslas Are Capable of Burnouts with Modifications
While the stock Tesla’s ABS and braking system prevent it from being able to do burnouts right off the factory floor, the process of disabling the following components of the Tesla:
- Anti-lock Braking System (ABS)
- Stability Control System
- Traction Control System
These systems on the Tesla can be disabled by simply removing a single fuse in the car that controls all three aspects of the brake system. However, it should be noted that this would not be recommended prior to normal operation of the car by Tesla (or anyone else).
Here is a video of a Tesla doing burnouts after having its braking system modified.
Advantages of Doing Burnouts in a Tesla
There’s only really one advantage to doing burnouts in a Tesla: looking really cool. Since they are such expensive vehicles to repair and maintain, Teslas understandably don’t have a large following in competitive drag racing circles.
Still, it’s hard to look cooler than you look driving a Tesla, and one of the only ways to pull it off is to pull a few doughnuts or burnouts in one. Failing that, you always have the option to jump a small chasm Dukes of Hazzard style. (Don’t do that last part.)
Disadvantages of Doing Burnouts in a Tesla
Unfortunately for any would-be road warriors, the disadvantages of doing burnouts in a Tesla are numerous in comparison to the advantages. Here are some of the drawbacks to doing burnouts in one of these high-tech vehicles:
- Those tires you’re burning up? They’re not cheap. Tesla tires are a special acoustic tire that is designed to reduce road noise, and some of them can run upwards of three hundred dollars apiece. Not the kind of tires you want to wear down goofing off in a parking lot.
- You could void your warranty. If your Tesla breaks down as a result of disabling the ABS system, or there is a fault in the electrical system as a result of disabling the ABS system (a result that is not unheard of when it comes to manipulating the electrical systems of advanced digital vehicles), then your warranty could be voided, and you could have to pay for repairs yourself.
- You could damage the Tesla, and getting it repaired is a nightmare. One of the major drawbacks to owning a Tesla is that collision repair for them can often be backed up for weeks by part delays and other logistics issues, so messing around with such a delicate machine in a way that could result in you accidentally wrecking it is not recommended.
- You could mess something up. Unless you’re very familiar with the engineering design of a Tesla, the chances of you accidentally disabling the wrong fuse are pretty high. This means the risk of you accidentally doing electrical damage to the vehicle you’re not prepared to repair yourself is also higher than if you just didn’t mess with the car’s electrical systems.
- You could get hurt. Doing a burnout requires keeping a balance between your feet on both the brake and the accelerator. Removing your foot from the brake before removing your foot from the gas can cause the car to shoot forward uncontrollably, which could lead to someone getting injured or killed.
- Burnouts are illegal. Burnouts are considered street racing activity, and in almost all locations, street-racing activities are illegal in public places due to the danger involved in them. This means that if a cop catches you doing a burnout, Tesla, or no Tesla, you’re probably getting a ticket and may even be taking a ride to the station.
As you can see, the disadvantages of doing burnouts in a Tesla far outweigh the benefits. It isn’t worth the risk of damaging such an awesome machine, and there are a lot of risks involved that could be avoided.
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Performing Burnouts Safely
If you have a Tesla modified for burnouts and want to perform one, it’s important that you perform the burnout safely. Follow these rules to make sure that you don’t get in trouble while performing a burnout in a Tesla:
- Do not perform burnouts on public property. As mentioned earlier in the article, this can lead to you being arrested for street racing activities. If you want to do a burnout in your Tesla, make sure that you’re on private property, far away from the eyes of any prying neighbors who might be inclined to call in a noise or smoke disturbance.
- Make sure that all bystanders are clear. It seems obvious, but don’t have your friends standing directly beside the area where you’re performing a burnout or a doughnut in any vehicle. Someone could be accidentally struck and killed. Make sure all bystanders are set back at a safe distance of several dozen yards so that they can evade the vehicle if the driver loses control.
- Don’t breathe in burnout smoke. Burned rubber in tires creates noxious fumes that are not good for the lungs or respiratory system if inhaled on a regular basis. Be sure that you don’t breathe in any more of the smoke created by burned-out tires than necessary.
- Maintain control of the vehicle. Don’t do a burnout unless you’re sure that you can maintain control of the vehicle at all times.
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Teslas Can Do Burnouts, But at What Cost?
Having a modern car like a Tesla can be exhilarating, and it’s almost irresistible to want to show it off. Modifying a Tesla by removing its brake system fuse can allow it to perform burnouts, but this is a modification that comes with some significant risks and drawbacks.
At the end of the day, it is up to each individual Tesla driver to decide if they will do burnouts in their Tesla or not. But it is also the driver’s responsibility to make sure any tricks performed in their vehicle are performed safely.