Tesla Wants $15,000 for a Model S Plaid Performance Package

Tesla wants big bucks for a package that outfits the Model S Plaid with the tires and brakes it should have had from the start.

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Tesla Model S Plaid
Tesla Model S Plaid
Image: Tesla

Despite what you may think of Tesla, you have to admit that the Model S Plaid is pretty wild: 1,020 horsepower, 1.9 second 0-60 mph time, a drag strip mode, record setting Nurburgring lap time. It’s supercar stuff from a six-figure EV. The biggest problem with the Plaid, though, is that it has been lacking in the brake and tire department, both of which held the model back from reaching its full potential. Apparently Tesla knows this and has released a remedy in the form of a Performance Package for the Model S Plaid. But it’s going to cost you.

In case you missed it:

Available for purchase through either the Tesla shop on the company’s website or through the company’s app, you get a carbon ceramic brake kit with high-performance brake pads, “track-ready brake fluid, 285/35R20 Goodyear Supercar 3R tires in front and 305/30R20 Goodyear Supercar 3R tires in the back. And as always, the company makes some big claims regarding the capability of the package. Mainly that it unlocks a 200 mph top speed:

Designed for the ultimate track experience, the Model S Plaid Track Package delivers high-speed stability, maximum cornering force and repeatable stopping power during high-performance driving while unlocking a top speed of 200 mph.

The Track Package includes aluminum forged wheels, track-ready tires and brake fluid, new carbon-silicon carbide rotors, and one-piece forged calipers with high-performance pads.

Our rotors feature continuous-fiber technology and are constructed in a unique 3D matrix to add strength and manage heat more effectively. For additional durability, a ceramic friction layer covers the entire rotor surface to reduce brake dust, corrosion and wear while also improving pedal feel for daily driving.

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Interestingly, Tesla allows the carbon ceramic brakes to be purchased as a standalone option if you aren’t interested in the tires. With Tesla’s history of making big claims that may or may not come to fruition, $15,000 to $20,000 is a big ask for brakes and tires that should have come with the car right out of the gate. And weirdly, Tesla gives no explanation as to why there’s a $5,000 spread on the cost of the package. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what happens when Plaid owners purchase the package and put it to the test.