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How to activate Tesla Dyno Mode in 3 steps for performance testing
Tesla Dyno Mode can be activated in three easy steps for owners looking to test performance of their all-electric vehicle on a dynamometer and in a controlled setting.
Tesla owner and Drag Times YouTuber Brooks Weisblat posted a video on how to turn on the Dyno Mode on a Model 3 and see how the secret mode affected the car’s performance.
Information on how to enable Model 3 Dyno Mode is also documented on a Tesla EPA filing dated October 2019. The said document details how a user can activate the Dyno Mode in three easy steps.
How to activate Tesla Dyno Mode
- Vehicle must be in Park.
- While holding down left (turn signal) stalk, press and hold the Tesla “T” logo at the top of the screen.
- Enter Dyno Mode activation password, “dynotest”.
Dyno Mode can be deactivated by the user by pressing the “Power Off” button within the Safety & Securit tab of the UI.
Once the Dyno Mode is activated the car will prompt drivers with a warning that the vehicle is on Dyno Mode and that one should not drive on public roads. With the Dyno Mode on the vehicle’s traction control is disabled, stability control is disabled, as well as automatic emergency braking.
“Fair warning — be very, very careful,” said Weisblat.
The Dyno Mode was specifically created to have representative driving controls while testing the vehicle on a chassis dynamometer or a rolling-road dyno where proper vehicle testing and calibration are done.
Weisblat went for a drive to test the performance of the vehicle. Without a Dyno Mode on, his Tesla Model 3 was able to hit 60 mph from a full stop in 3.1 seconds. According to him, his best time historically is 2.9999.
The DragTimes YouTuber turned on Dyno Mode and did another 0-60 mph test and clocked in 3.1 seconds but felt a bit of wheelspin. He gave it a few more tries and was able to clock 3.027 seconds on better pavement. Tesla pegs the 0-60mph time of the Model 3 Performance at 3.2 seconds while its Long Range All-Wheel Drive and Standard Plus versions clock 4.4 seconds and 5.3 seconds, respectively.
Weisblat’s final opinion on the Model 3 Dyno Mode is that it provides a slight improvement but might provide a bit more on a sticky drag track but it’s hard to tell.
“Dyno Mode, it’s pretty much just used for if you’re gonna dyno the car,” he said.
But of course, Model 3 owners who want to drift their Model 3s need to switch off its amazing traction control. Some owners turn off a wheel sensor but the system can go haywire since something is missing. The system will turn off ABS, Autopilot, regenerative braking, and even power steering. Furthermore, taking a wheel sensor out can potentially damage a vehicle.
Again, the Tesla Dyno Mode was created for testing Teslas on a dynamometer. If one will try to drive while it’s on, better stay away from other cars or pedestrians, or better yet, do it on a track.
Here’s the new Tesla Dyno Mode video from Drag Times:
Teslarati does not condone the use of Dyno Mode. Any information or opinion expressed in this article is to be processed at the discretion of the reader.
Tesla has added the 15th automaker to the growing list of companies whose EVs can utilize the Supercharger Network this year, as BMW is the latest company to gain access to the largest charging infrastructure in the world.
BMW became the 15th company in 2025 to gain Tesla Supercharger access, after the company confirmed to its EV owners that they could use any of the more than 25,000 Supercharging stalls in North America.
Welcome @BMW owners.
Download the Tesla app to charge → https://t.co/vnu0NHA7Ab
— Tesla Charging (@TeslaCharging) December 10, 2025
Newer BMW all-electric cars, like the i4, i5, i7, and iX, are able to utilize Tesla’s V3 and V4 Superchargers. These are the exact model years, via the BMW Blog:
- i4: 2022-2026 model years
- i5: 2024-2025 model years
- 2026 i5 (eDrive40 and xDrive40) after software update in Spring 2026
- i7: 2023-2026 model years
- iX: 2022-2025 model years
- 2026 iX (all versions) after software update in Spring 2026
With the expansion of the companies that gained access in 2025 to the Tesla Supercharger Network, a vast majority of non-Tesla EVs are able to use the charging stalls to gain range in their cars.
So far in 2025, Tesla has enabled Supercharger access to:
- Audi
- BMW
- Genesis
- Honda
- Hyundai
- Jaguar Land Rover
- Kia
- Lucid
- Mercedes-Benz
- Nissan
- Polestar
- Subaru
- Toyota
- Volkswagen
- Volvo
Drivers with BMW EVs who wish to charge at Tesla Superchargers must use an NACS-to-CCS1 adapter. In Q2 2026, BMW plans to release its official adapter, but there are third-party options available in the meantime.
They will also have to use the Tesla App to enable Supercharging access to determine rates and availability. It is a relatively seamless process.
News
Tesla adds new feature that will be great for crowded parking situations
This is the most recent iteration of the app and was priming owners for the slowly-released Holiday Update.
Tesla has added a new feature that will be great for crowded parking lots, congested parking garages, or other confusing times when you cannot seem to pinpoint where your car went.
Tesla has added a new Vehicle Locator feature to the Tesla App with App Update v4.51.5.
This is the most recent iteration of the app and was priming owners for the slowly-released Holiday Update.
While there are several new features, which we will reveal later in this article, perhaps one of the coolest is that of the Vehicle Locator, which will now point you in the direction of your car using a directional arrow on the home screen. This is similar to what Apple uses to find devices:
Interesting. The location arrow in the Tesla app now points to your car when you’re nearby. pic.twitter.com/b0yjmwwzxN
— Whole Mars Catalog (@wholemars) December 7, 2025
In real time, the arrow gives an accurate depiction of which direction you should walk in to find your car. This seems extremely helpful in large parking lots or unfamiliar shopping centers.
Getting to your car after a sporting event is an event all in itself; this feature will undoubtedly help with it:
The nice little touch that Tesla have put in the app – continuous tracking of your vehicle location relative to you.
There’s people reporting dizziness testing this.
To those I say… try spinning your phone instead. 😉 pic.twitter.com/BAYmJ3mzzD
— Some UK Tesla Guy (UnSupervised…) (@SomeUKTeslaGuy) December 8, 2025
Tesla’s previous app versions revealed the address at which you could locate your car, which was great if you parked on the street in a city setting. It was also possible to use the map within the app to locate your car.
However, this new feature gives a more definitive location for your car and helps with the navigation to it, instead of potentially walking randomly.
It also reveals the distance you are from your car, which is a big plus.
Along with this new addition, Tesla added Photobooth features, Dog Mode Live Activity, Custom Wraps and Tints for Colorizer, and Dashcam Clip details.
🚨 Tesla App v4.51.5 looks to be preparing for the Holiday Update pic.twitter.com/ztts8poV82
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) December 8, 2025
All in all, this App update was pretty robust.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk shaded Waymo in a post on X on Wednesday, stating the company “never really had a chance” and that it “will be obvious in hindsight.”
Tesla and Waymo are the two primary contributors to the self-driving efforts in the United States, with both operating driverless ride-hailing services in the country. Tesla does have a Safety Monitor present in its vehicles in Austin, Texas, and someone in the driver’s seat in its Bay Area operation.
Musk says the Austin operation will be completely void of any Safety Monitors by the end of the year.
🚨 Tesla vs. Waymo Geofence in Austin https://t.co/A6ffPtp5xv pic.twitter.com/mrnL0YNSn4
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) December 10, 2025
With the two companies being the main members of the driverless movement in the U.S., there is certainly a rivalry. The two have sparred back and forth with their geofences, or service areas, in both Austin and the Bay Area.
While that is a metric for comparison now, ultimately, it will not matter in the coming years, as the two companies will likely operate in a similar fashion.
Waymo has geared its business toward larger cities, and Tesla has said that its self-driving efforts will expand to every single one of its vehicles in any location globally. This is where the true difference between the two lies, along with the fact that Tesla uses its own vehicles, while Waymo has several models in its lineup from different manufacturers.
The two also have different ideas on how to solve self-driving, as Tesla uses a vision-only approach. Waymo relies on several things, including LiDAR, which Musk once called “a fool’s errand.”
This is where Tesla sets itself apart from the competition, and Musk highlighted the company’s position against Waymo.
Jeff Dean, the Chief Scientist for Google DeepMind, said on X:
“I don’t think Tesla has anywhere near the volume of rider-only autonomous miles that Waymo has (96M for Waymo, as of today). The safety data is quite compelling for Waymo, as well.”
Musk replied:
“Waymo never really had a chance against Tesla. This will be obvious in hindsight.”
Waymo never really had a chance against Tesla. This will be obvious in hindsight.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 10, 2025
Tesla stands to have a much larger fleet of vehicles in the coming years if it chooses to activate Robotaxi services with all passenger vehicles. A simple Over-the-Air update will activate this capability, while Waymo would likely be confined to the vehicles it commissions as Robotaxis.
Tesla adds 15th automaker to Supercharger access in 2025
Tesla adds new feature that will be great for crowded parking situations
