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How often do you get drag raced at a stop light?

sakhat_93385146sakhat_93385146
edited September 2015 in Model S
I am curious why do people try to race a Tesla Model S after the lights turn green, almost as if trying to prove something?

Do you take on their challenge or do you ignore the trolls?

It has happened to me a few times already, but I usually just let them be and go about my business as if they are not even there.
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Comments

  • joonmyung.kang_93327067joonmyung.kang_93327067
    edited November -1
    all the time when I am the first at stop light^
  • Anthony J. ParisioAnthony J. Parisio
    edited November -1
    I never notice any cars drag racing me. They are all usually standing still at the light or so it seems. ;-)
  • luckylucianoluckyluciano
    edited November -1
    Nope. I really don't think there are that many people that know what it is or that it is somehow different. Very few actually know or comment. I think most feel it is a family vehicle and that is it.

    Actually, I was parked at Home depot near a Maserati Gilibii and the Maserati got ALL the looks & discussions. It was black colour & dirty... Mine was MC red and shiny clean.

    From Toronto, Canada.
  • sulesule
    edited November -1
    Rarely. Maybe once. "Racing" implies an at least "reasonable" competitor thinking s/he can do something.

    Now, how often I stomp on the pedal just for the fun of it? That is an entirely different question.
  • notblueclk_637247notblueclk_637247
    edited November -1
    Agree with @sule. Most people don't even try, I think in fear of being embarrassed. But even in a 70D, it is a lot of fun to take off every now and then!
  • murphyS90DmurphyS90D
    edited November -1
    It happened to me once. I ignored the guy and laughed as he went fishtailing up the road, in the rain, in a 25 mph zone.
  • PBEndoPBEndo
    edited November -1
    I don't see a lot of drag racing at stop lights, but I still see some cars (usually BMW M's or Hellcats) that suddenly floor it as I pass them on a multi lane road or highway. Typically they slow down with in a few seconds. As I keep going my original speed, I will often catch up to them again and they accelerate hard again. Rinse and repeat. Maybe they want a high-speed race (which I will not participate in).
    I think some people have difficulty accepting another car passing them. It may be even more difficult for them when the other car is a Tesla.
  • JAGWLBJAGWLB
    edited November -1
    Never happened to me to me yet
  • P.DolbyP.Dolby
    edited November -1
    I think they do it not to win.. but because they want to see how fast the Tesla is... and that's the only way they can experience it.

    Clear the throat of their power ICE car.. get the "Tesla grin" and a waive from the Model S.. and the "Woosh"... off it goes leaving them in a growling mess at the light laughing.. paying more attention to the Tesla than to any expectation of "winning".
  • JMAC7JMAC7
    edited November -1
    I get challenged more in the FISKER than the MS. Speaking of the Maserati Ghibli it's a disaster as my buddy has had his for a year and prefers his Chrysler 300 than he had previously.
  • KLKL
    edited November -1
    Never. Because I don't race on the streets where such actions can hurt others in an uncontrolled environment. Souped up Civic owners race on the streets. Tesla owners don't.

    - K
  • SbMDSbMD
    edited November -1
    +1 KL
    I do enjoy a long safe launch, though...
  • OpafietsOpafiets
    edited November -1
    I ignore them.

    I spend a good part of every week reading crash reports from around the U.S. Over 30,000 people are killed by drivers in the U.S. every year and the majority of these are caused by some idiot behind the wheel of a 4000 lb weapon. I've two friends killed by idiot drivers.

    For every mile we drive we kill three times as many people as Europe.

    Don't encourage the idiots.
  • OpafietsOpafiets
    edited November -1
    The really sad thing is that as often as not the idiot escapes with little or no injuries while someone's innocent child or wife or dad is dead because of the idiot.
  • HaggyHaggy
    edited November -1
    I live in the Fremont area where people already know what the car is and know better than to challenge it. I have had an occasional kid try to do a lame attempt at peeling out, and I'll happily let them go.
  • KevinR.co.usKevinR.co.us
    edited November -1
    I enjoy being first off the line at the green light but rarely exceed the speed limit. Once a year I go to the local drag track to put Evie through her paces (It is fun in a controlled setting)
  • jordanrichard_629778jordanrichard_629778
    edited November -1
    I have only had one limp d!2K try and race me and I wasn't event trying. It was of course a Dodge Challenger/Charger, I can't tell which one is which. Anyways, there was no indication that he wanted to race. The light turned green and a leaned on the accelerator as I always do, meaning a moderate amount. As we all know, you leave everyone behind. To this punk, he must have thought that my casual acceleration was me "speeding away" and decided to play catch up. You should have heard his engine scream. It was hilarious, as I let him pass because though my car accelerating doesn't draw attention, the guy next to me with the screaming V8 would.
  • rsqunitrsqunit
    edited November -1
    I would never race on a public road, but do enjoy a safe fast launch up to the speed limit when I'm first at a light. :-)
  • Red Sage ca usRed Sage ca us
    edited November -1
    Signal light...?
  • buchholtz3_93353663buchholtz3_93353663
    edited November -1
    I agree with KevinR and rsqunit: An occasional nice rapid acceleration up to the speed limit makes me grin, just to let 'em know what a Model S can do. I figure I am promoting the brand *wink*
  • tomrdavis_93333503tomrdavis_93333503
    edited November -1
    I was headed home on an expressway with a 50mph limit and occasional lights. I stopped at one and when it turned green I accelerated pretty fast (but not max) in my P85D to the speed limit and drove on to the next stoplight which was red. A car drove up beside me and the driver pounded on his window so I rolled mine down. His comment, "What in the hell kind of car is that???"

    I'm sure he wasn't racing, but was simply amazed at what a "family sedan" can do :)

    Unrelated to the topic, but earlier that day I'd put a handful of quarters in the little compartment under the main display screen for the occasional toll road/bridge or parking meter and on that first hard acceleration, they were splattered all over the car. I'll bet there are still a few hiding in various crevices. I've got a better solution for the coins now...
  • Dr. Bob ReinkeDr. Bob Reinke
    edited November -1
    Very Rare that I am challenged at a light. When the first in line I usually depress the go pedal a bit more than normal and my P85-D is usually several car lengths off the line before the rest of the engine-revere-sleepers are in motion. There is a Dodge that used to makes a lot of noise and smoke at the last light out of town, but with out exceeding the speed limit I left him sitting at the light. Think he was too embarrassed to make that same mistake again. No, I think Respect for Tesla most describes my experience with other drivers

    Last Spring my granddaughter was driving us across South Dakota to the Custer Tesla Ralley when a new Vette passed us several times. After a few times of him setting his brakes hard and smoking his tires. Granddaughter asked, "Grampa, can I let her loose?" I told her, "Just keep it under control." The next time Vette shot up to us, Granddaughter pinned us all back in our seats and after remembering that the speed limit was not unlimited, we never saw Vette again.
  • ST70ST70
    edited November -1
    @Dr.Bob- you're Awesome "Granddaughter asked, "Grampa, can I let her loose?" I told her, "Just keep it under control." You are GPA of the Year! My amazing Gpa was a P52 Mustang pilot in WW2....just passed last week at 94 yrs...I was able to give him the Tesla insane launch before he passed. He said "that's pretty good...what is this thing?...reminds me of flying"
  • sbeggssbeggs
    edited November -1
    @ST70,
    Good story, too. Condolences...glad my 92 year old dad, electrical engineer, got to see that Tesla developed our fantastic electric sedan before passing on in January of this year!
  • phition42_553647phition42_553647
    edited November -1
    I have a mere s85, that I have had for 2 years. There was a lot of interest at 1st where drivers would "force" the isue to see what the car would do and most of the time I would look back in my rear view mirror to see a thumbs up. I had one guy try to beat me to a lane merge shortly after a light in an amped up WRX. I didn't realize I was racing but I was having trouble clearing the merge and I stomped on it to get clear for the merge, before I realized that it was a race. Again it was a thumbs up in the mirror.
    I think most of the challenges have been curiosity and most of the challenges have stopped in the last year or so. The only thing I notice anymore is pressure from someone coming from behind to beat the car to a merge and it's great to have a car that takes care of the situation. Those drivers usually are doing that to everybody though and it's not tesla specific.
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