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People who’ve driven both the standard Model 3 and the Model 3 Performance — how different do the brakes feel in real driving?

Tech_Force82 | 2025-12-22 22:50 | 40 views

Comments (44)
SushiBallZ 2025-12-22 22:54

The performance brakes bite harder and are more sensitive

LovingCouple04 2025-12-22 22:55

I’ve got a 2025 model 3 performance. Love everything about the car except the brakes. Coming from a C7 vette, the Tesla brakes suck. That’s all I miss though

Tech_Force82 2025-12-22 22:56

I know they are very different cats but I’m surprised the breaks seem so much worse in comparison

rdejesus486 2025-12-22 23:25

The model 3 performance brakes are absolute garbage for a car that fast. I upgraded to UP. Far better.

diezel_dave 2025-12-22 23:27

I've driven a C7 and own a M3P. The brakes in the M3P are decent, but the car is very heavy and you can really feel that weight when it's time to brake hard. The C7 can scrub speed much more easily because it weighs nothing by comparison.

Sfkn123 2025-12-22 23:48

The brakes are by far the worst part of the car. Damn thing feels like it doesn't stop lol. Doesn't matter which 3 you get. But for regular driving I almost never touch the brake pedal - though it's really lacking with any aggressive driving

xxhighlanderxx 2025-12-23 00:00

The ones on my 23 m3p work just fine. I'm agreessive as f driver, and there is not much brake dust. Not sure what else I'd need for street. Brembo. You get like an additional 80hp. If you don't accelerate to 0-60 in 3.2 seconds, prob not worth it... However long range with performance boost comes pretty close!

apoleonastool 2025-12-23 00:09

Yeah, I second this. I have a long range 2025 M3 and the brakes are only OK. For a fast car I was hoping for something better.

Wo0d643 2025-12-23 00:37

You use the brakes daily driving?

Ok_Priority458 2025-12-23 00:51

Tesla model 3 brakes are absolute shit compared to any normal car with more than 300hp...its borderline dangerous without the regen....thats why it was "fixed after a software update" and they increased the regenerative braking...because it needed more stopping distance than a ford f150. You will notice how weak the brakes are when you drive with a full or cold battery because it will lack regen... The performance is slightly better but still not great.

coding9 2025-12-23 01:13

I have sleeper performance. So no different 😎

RestrictedX93 2025-12-23 01:31

How much did you pay for the upgraded brakes if you don’t mind answering?

deeznuts69 2025-12-23 02:06

You barely use the brakes in daily driving. I don’t even think of them. However when I do they use them they don’t feel as natural as an ICE car. (I have a 3P)

BigTrucker2020 2025-12-23 02:34

I have a 2020 M3P and the brakes work great!

Engineered_Logix 2025-12-23 03:41

I got maybe 2 hot laps on the brakes before the fade was terrible. The car is too damn fast for such shit brakes. I stick to the Camaro SS1LE for track use and the M3P for the daily after that.

Xervious 2025-12-23 03:51

the 3 performance brakes don't really feel all that much different than the lr AWD brakes tbh

CJdawg_314 2025-12-23 05:28

They’re fine for street. Many test have shown that they overheat for track use. The braking distances are good on all models.

CJdawg_314 2025-12-23 05:29

I think the brakes themself are fine, the stopping distance of the car and whatnot are normal. What’s not great is the pedal feel.

gym4c 2025-12-23 05:34

I have a 24 M3P. I do agree the brakes don’t bite as hard as a typical ICE car, but my theory is that ICE cars use their brakes all the time and have heat built into them through usage. But Tesla’s? I might drive the entire trip without ever touching my brakes. So it stays cold and doesn’t bite as hard. I realized that today and then saw this post. Could be wrong though.

beansruns 2025-12-23 09:41

The model 3 performance is not a true performance car. Its suspension is too soft for performance specific use and the brakes are way too small and have terrible heat management. The car can’t stop nearly as far as it can go. Watch throttle house’s video review of the highland performance, the brakes were completely beat soaked in one lap. The M3P is mostly just a glorified daily driver with a neat party trick, 95% of owners will never reach the braking limit. That’s fine, but don’t kid yourself if you’re in the market for one. I had a 2024 M3 LRAWD for a few months. I sold it and now drive a 20 year old Land Cruiser. If (when) im back in the market for a Tesla, I’m buying a performance model just for the looks.

thewittman 2025-12-23 12:44

Yeah brakes are so old school. I guess if your getting busy in the canyons. Maybe but i prefer regen in tight turns.

AJHenderson 2025-12-23 15:03

In real driving it won't normally matter as you won't use the brakes. It only matters in spirited driving like canyon carving or on a track in which case it's noticeable but day to day it doesn't make a difference.

rdejesus486 2025-12-23 15:14

About 5k.

origosis 2025-12-23 15:19

I never drive hard enough to notice a difference. I accelerate and brake limo style. (Only to hard accelerations in specific safe situations.) But I am hyper danger and ticket averse. So I tend to obey the law almost exactly 99% of the time.

Counting-Tiles4567 2025-12-23 15:50

[it has quantifiably excellent brakes](https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a36329678/2019-tesla-model-3-performance-by-the-numbers/) I know they give up at the track, but 99.99% of buyers aren't going to the track. They feel great. These cars don't come with enough tire. You're going to be ABSing all the way down from whatever speed you're at. A big issue is the car brakes at the same rate it accelerates and that makes people believe it has poor brakes. It is, however, a puffed up commuter car. It was never meant to be a true race car. Buy a BBK if that's what you want out of it.

Wo0d643 2025-12-23 15:51

I still have to use my brakes pretty often actually. People around here cannot handle traffic. It distracts them from their phones. FSD probably accounts for 70+% of braking. It follows too closely a lot trying to maintain flow. I’ve come to prefer 12.6 over my wife’s car with hw4 without the speed control. It’s in way too big of a hurry.

praet0rian 2025-12-23 16:22

Randy Pobst had no issues with the brakes when Hagerty tested the car versus a BMW M3. Additionally, proper pads, fluid and tires will go a long way, which most “true” performance cars don’t come with from the factory regardless. The driving enthusiast communities competing these things (and winning) in time attack and other similar competitions also shows their potential. The SCCA reclassed it into the highest tier of autocross class (super street, where GT3 and Z06’s live) because it was destroying everything under that class. It has double wishbone configuration for its front suspension and an independent multi-link setup for the rear, like an S2K and numerous super car brands. The adaptive suspension on my highland M3P is a significant upgrade from the previous gen and with proper tires it’ll beat other vehicles on the track it has no business competing against. For the money you can’t get anything close to the performance (and lap times) the M3P puts down. I simply don’t see how you can say this isn’t a “true” performance car.

RNexus4 2025-12-23 17:40

Brakes? You mean my M3LR has brakes? Oh is that what that big pedal is for, I didn't realize that. My bad.

RandGM1 2025-12-23 17:53

For normal driving, there's little difference. When you truly accelerate with the Performance then brake, you can feel a harder grab.

thewittman 2025-12-23 19:07

Have you adjusted the following distance right scroll wheel?

Valuable_One_234 2025-12-23 20:56

Never really use the brake

MagicJello 2025-12-23 21:01

That's only a setting for traffic aware cruise control. With FSD the scroll when changes other things. Sloth, chill, standard, hurry, mad Max. Doesn't seem to change following distance from what I've seen during the trial

Foodran 2025-12-23 22:31

i can second this

Foodran 2025-12-23 22:32

i’ve had both the brakes are different almost the same but for the speed they’re good enough 500hp

thewittman 2025-12-24 00:27

You move it left and right to increase or decrease the following distance.

MagicJello 2025-12-24 00:42

Ahhh, I'll have to try that. Thanks for the tip

LilLionDabs 2025-12-24 02:39

Honestly brake feel is the same. It biggest difference is when you’re actually in track mode and have regeneration at 100% that regeneration brake is a lot stronger than the standard

bIokeonreddit 2025-12-24 09:03

In my old RWD, I never used the brakes in regular driving, as for my new Performance, well that’s a different story.

Present-Ad-9598 2025-12-24 11:36

No, that does not work on FSD, only Traffic Aware Cruise Control, left/right movement doesn’t do anything on FSD

AdultingPains 2025-12-24 16:53

Would it surprise you that the M3P is only 382lbs more than a C7 Z06? Not inconsequential but not as massive as people tend to think that the Tesla is insanely heavy.

diezel_dave 2025-12-24 17:01

You'd absolutely feel it if you put a 382 pound passenger in a C7 though.

thewittman 2025-12-24 17:22

OK I normally don't have fsd other than this free month. But I control the following distance via the thumb wheel

Present-Ad-9598 2025-12-24 20:21

Yes that is Autopilot and Traffic-Aware cruise control,

Camp_Past 2026-03-03 02:57

Jajaja

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