News
Top 10 Tesla Track Mode V2 features for the Model 3 Performance
The capabilities of Tesla’s newly-unveiled Track Mode V2 was demonstrated recently by a select group of car enthusiasts, one of them being the host of YouTube’s Vehicle Virgins channel. Following some time with a Model 3 Performance with Track Mode V2, host Parker Nirenstein listed the 10 best features of the upcoming update.
Tesla’s V2 Track Mode was announced on March 2 and it will introduce a variety of new features that foster better performance for Model 3 owners who have a taste for higher speeds and racecar-like handling. Expanding on the original Track Mode, V2 promises even more customization, control, and capabilities for drivers brave enough to tap into the raw power of a Model 3 Performance.
Following are Vehicle Virgins‘ Top 10 Track Mode V2 features.
1. Industry-Leading Visual Display
Once Track Mode V2 is enabled, the Model 3’s center display changes to give drivers pertinent information for closed circuit driving. Instead of the typical driving visuals and trip stats featured in the Model 3’s screen, the Model 3 Performance’s display shifts to provide drivers with a clear visual of what is exactly happening with certain portions of the car while Track Mode V2 is engaged. Stats such as battery temperatures and tire temperatures are provided.
2. G-Force Meter
Track Mode V2’s G-Force Meter gives live feedback of current measurements of the car’s current state. The meter also tracks past G-Force measurements from the most recent session. This allows drivers to see how much G-force was applied to each portion of the car during drifting or hot laps.
3. Post-Drive Cooling Feature
Tesla has included a Post-Drive Cooling feature to Track Mode V2, a feature that the Vehicle Virgins host stated is something that is being included today in actual track cars. This feature prevents excessive heat from damaging the battery and the Model 3’s other critical components. This will also decrease the wait time between runs, allowing Model 3 Performance owners to spend more time on the closed circuit and less time waiting for their vehicles to cooling down.
4. Record Video Features
Track Mode V2 will now allow drivers to record recent runs using the vehicle’s built-in cameras that are used by Sentry Mode and Autopilot. Now, laps and drifting runs could be actively captured, allowing for playback of impressive lap times, or to show off a flawless drifting run around obstacles. Driving data from these videos can even be printed to give drivers the full rundown of their performance on the track.
5. Variable Power Splits
This makes the Dual Motor All-Wheel Drive vehicle capable of changing into a full Rear-Wheel-Drive or Front-Wheel-Drive car simply by toggling through settings on the Model 3 Performance’s center display. Nirenstein noted that the Model 3’s customization of this feature is much more impressive than his Lamborghini Huracan’s “Sport Mode,” which went all the way up to 90-10 in favor of Rear-Wheel Drive. The YouTube host also emphasized that the Model 3’s price is 10 times less than the Lamborghini’s, but he is much more impressed with the electric car’s feature.
6. Custom Track Settings
Custom settings could be named and perhaps even saved on the vehicle for specific tracks. This would allow drivers to get the optimum performance from their Model 3 Performance for each location or racing session that they will be attending.
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7. 20 Stages of Traction Control
Track Mode V2 allows for 20 different settings of Traction Control for different driving experiences. Nirenstein stated that the AMG GTR became practically legendary due to its 9 different stages of traction control, but Tesla has actually more than doubled the number of options with 20 full stages. This, of course, provides Model 3 Performance drivers with an immense amount of control for their vehicle.
8. Regen only on the Rear Wheels
Track Mode V1 uses regen a lot to enable the Model 3 Performance to perform well on a closed circuit. Track Mode V2 takes this a step further, allowing owners to completely turn regen off, or only apply the braking system to the rear wheels exclusively in RWD mode. Experienced drivers and those who are proficient at drifting will likely take a liking to this capability.
9. Built-in Lap Timer with customizable start point and finish line
By using the vehicle’s GPS, drivers can set a custom start and finish point that will then track lap times and speed based on the vehicle’s location. This feature will record multiple laps, allowing drivers to test different lines and speeds to improve performance.
10. Compressor Overclock
Compressor Overclock runs the Model 3’s cooling compressor at an increased rate to inhibit faster battery and vehicle cooling, decreasing wait time between runs. The feature allows the compressor to run at a rate higher than normal, helping performance, but also increasing wear.
Each of these new features is demonstrated in Vehicle Virgins‘ new video, where host Parker Nirenstein demonstrated Track Mode V2’s capabilities. In addition to displaying the new functions Tesla has released with Track Mode V2, the video featured the new Model 3 Track Package recently released for the all-electric sedan. The package includes Zero-G Performance Wheels, race-focused brakes and brake fluid, and track-optimized tires.
Tesla has yet to set a date for when the free OTA update will roll out for Model 3 Performance owners. The Model 3 Track Package will begin shipping in April and it includes Zero-G Performance wheels, Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires, high-performance brake pads, track-focused brake fluid, center cups, pressure sensors, and lug nut covers. The package will cost $5,500.
Watch Vehicle Virgins‘ Track Mode V2 video below.
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Elon Musk continues to tease the unveiling event for the Tesla Roadster, a continuing trend that has grown into a bigger game of “When” for fans who have been waiting years for the car to finally enter production.
A video shared on X of the Joe Rogan Experience podcast that Musk appeared on last year, teasing the Roadster unveiling, was shared once again on the social media platform. The poster said the Roadster event will be “unforgettable.”
Musk agreed:
Yes
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 12, 2026
The timing is interesting because just yesterday, Musk said that we will be getting flying cars, and for years, Tesla has hinted that it could develop a SpaceX cold gas thruster package that would help the car float or fly for a short period of time.
It would be reasonable to assume Tesla’s major delays with this unveiling event are likely caused by the company’s need to break the rules and push the envelope on nearly everything. Last July, Lars Moravy, Tesla’s VP of Vehicle Engineering, said:
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“Roadster is definitely in development. We did talk about it last Sunday night. We are gearing up for a super cool demo. It’s going to be mind blowing. We showed Elon some cool demos last week of the tech we’ve been working on and he got a little excited.”
The latest updates that Tesla has given us are that the Roadster is in design development, and it did have several potential dates for an unveiling event this year, including April. It was then pushed to August.
However, there are no clues as to when Tesla will be ready, and fans are certainly getting frustrated with the delays.
For what it is worth, Franz von Holzhausen told Jay Leno this week that the event would be “very soon.”
We sure hope.
Lifestyle
Tesla’s driverless Cybercab just passed a big test with State Governor
Florida’s governor rode Tesla’s Cybercab at a closed test track and called the experience impressive.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis rode in a Tesla Cybercab on a closed test track this week and came away impressed, posting on X that the vehicle “successfully navigated all hazards — a kid running into the street, a crash with police stopping traffic, a Model S cutting us off, etc.” He called the ride “impressive.”
The stop was part of a broader event Monday at SunTrax, a 775 acre state owned proving ground in Auburndale that Florida built specifically to test autonomous and connected vehicles before they reach public roads. Standing next to a gold Cybercab, DeSantis described the car in plain terms: “You go in there and you just sit. You have a screen. There’s no steering wheel, no pedals. Clearly these things could be very beneficial.”
We took a ride on a robotaxi on the Suntrax course and it successfully navigated all hazards — a kid running into the street, a crash with police stopping traffic, a Model S cutting us off, etc.
Impressive! https://t.co/FVAkzFLz3r
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) August 11, 2026
DeSantis paired the praise with a caveat that has followed autonomous vehicles since the category existed. “You don’t want to be in an autonomous vehicle and it drives you into a ditch. That would not be good,” he said, framing safety validation as the gate before wider deployment.
SunTrax, the 2.25 mile oval which the state calls the only high speed autonomous vehicle test track in the Southeast, can simulate rain, pedestrian crossings, hills and crowded urban conditions at highway speeds, letting companies push a car past what an early public rollout would risk. Tesla, Waymo and Beep all use the facility, and Florida’s regulatory approach, among the most permissive for autonomous vehicles in the country, doesn’t require a human operator inside a fully autonomous car.
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Tesla has reason to want the blessing of Florida and states beyond, as the Cybercab entered volume production at Gigafactory Texas this spring and has since self certified as SAE Level 4 under Texas law. Public road testing so far has kept a safety monitor in the passenger seat, and Florida is where Tesla has been expanding its existing Model Y based Robotaxi service instead, adding Miami in July and then Orlando and Tampa two weeks later. A closed track endorsement from a sitting governor doesn’t change any of that, but it does put Tesla’s newest hardware in front of a state that has already shown it will move fast on rules.
Sweden’s IF Metall union has announced that it is ending all protests against Tesla, effective immediately.
The union said in a statement this morning:
“There seems to be no limits to the length Tesla would go to keep unions out of their operations. Unfortunately, they have managed to pay their way out in Sweden. At least that has given the former IF Metall members more money in their pocket, but the insecurity of not having a union or a collective agreement still remains.”
IF Metall has been after Tesla in Sweden for the past three years, attempting to push unionized operations into its factories. Tesla, on the other hand, has given its employees the chance to unionize in various markets. However, the organization says that Tesla has “bought out all of its striking members.”
🚨 NEW: IF Metall has decided to end all industrial action against Tesla in Sweden, effective immediately.
“IF Metall has decided to end all industrial action against Tesla’s Swedish operations, after the company bought out all of its striking members. With no members remaining… pic.twitter.com/blne8iC6hV
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) August 13, 2026
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“Today, we end our industrial action against Tesla. We do so because it can no longer have an effect – not because our principles have changed,” a written statement said.
Over the past three years, IF Metall has definitely been a thorn in the side of Tesla and its operations in Sweden. The primary strike started in October 2023, when IF Metall members at Tesla’s Swedish Service Centers refused to work.
IF Metall chair to Elon Musk: “Give us a chance” as Tesla Sweden strike hits 2 years
Strikes extended to blockades and work stoppages at non-Tesla-owned repair shops that service Teslas. This limited and stopped anything related to warranties, transport damage, and other work on Teslas ending, eliminating work arounds for customers.
Sympathy strikes followed, as postal workers, dock workers, electricians, and other tradesmen stopped working. Add in lawsuits and other pressures, and you get the full scope of what strategies the union has used against Tesla over the past several years.
But now, it’s all over.
“We will continue to defend the right of workers to organize. We will continue to fight for collective bargaining. And we will continue to stand in solidarity with workers and trade unions facing similar challenges elsewhere – just as you have stood with us,” IF Metall said.
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Elon Musk teases Tesla Roadster unveiling once again
Tesla’s driverless Cybercab just passed a big test with State Governor
