Can Tesla Cars Do A Burnout?

It doesn’t matter their wealth or age; it seems to be built in some people’s DNA to push the boundaries, experience new adventures, go faster, fly higher, dive deeper, travel further, or make their Tesla’s smoke more than anyone else!

Although Tesla’s traction control system is specifically designed to prevent the car’s drive wheels from spinning, you can bypass the safety measures and do burnouts or drift around corners. It thrashes the tires and drains the battery, but it is possible. 

If you own a Tesla but want to drive it outside of the limits it was designed for, there are ways to bypass the system’s safety measures. Selecting “DYNO” mode disables the anti-slip features, and the driver is free to lay excessive amounts of torque and wheelspin on the ground.

Table of Contents

• How Do You Make a Tesla Do a Burnout
• Why Do Burnouts in a Tesla?
• You Should Think First Before Doing Burnouts with Your Tesla
  • Tesla’s Warranty May Be Voided
  • Damaging the Tesla Will Ruin Your Day
  • Tesla Tires are More Expensive Than Other Vehicles
  • Burnouts in a Tesla are Illegal in Most States
  • Doing a Burnout in a Tesla is Dangerous
• If You Do a Burnout in Your Tesla, These are the Safety Measures
  • Do Not Burnout Your Tesla on Public Property
  • Make Sure You Don’t Hurt Anyone with Your Tesla
  • Start Slowly for Short Periods
• Conclusion

How Do You Make a Tesla Do a Burnout

In their standard configuration, Tesla’s are the paragons of safety; some of the features you’ll find are: 

• They have a low center of gravity
• Anti-lock Braking System (ABS)
• Stability Control System
• Traction Control System
• Driver monitoring systems

Apart from the low center of gravity, which enables better high-speed cornering and faster acceleration and deceleration times, the safety systems that prevent wheel slip can be disabled by disabling the DYNO mode.

This mode was first loaded onto Tesla models in 2019 and is intended to measure the vehicle’s power output on a dynameter.

DYNO Mode is activated by implementing the following steps:

1. Make sure “Park” is selected.
2. Hold down the left turn signal stalk, and simultaneously press and hold the “T” logo at the top of the screen.
3. Input “dynotest” into the requested password field.

DYNO mode is disabled by selecting the “Power Off” button in the Safety & Security tab of the UI.

Why Do Burnouts in a Tesla?

EVs seem almost to be created to burn out or drift around circuits. They are blessed with exceptional torque levels and power delivery, which is unfettered by the need to select the next gear.

If not for the inbuilt safety features, EVs would have already developed a reputation for being Hooligan cars!

When Tesla downloaded the software version 2019.40 in October 2019, DYNO mode became available.

The only real advantage of using your Tesla to burn out is looking very cool. Teslas are costly vehicles to repair and maintain and understandably don’t feature very highly in competitive drag racing meets. Doing burnouts in a Tesla must rank very highly in the cool stakes!

You Should Think First Before Doing Burnouts with Your Tesla

Doing burnouts in your TESLA could cause you more problems than the fun you have.

Tesla’s Warranty May Be Voided

Remember, your TESLA  keeps a record of all your wrongs! When the car is sent in for service or repair, nothing can be hidden or forgotten, and the technicians can download all your “sins.”

If you select DYNO mode and then use the vehicle in circumstances for which it was not designed, you may void the warranty.

Damaging the Tesla Will Ruin Your Day

With all of that unbridled torque and power delivery, the car will get very squirrely under acceleration without active stability and traction systems.

If you hit a curb, another obstruction, or horrifyingly, another car, the damage caused may well be for your account. Teslas are notoriously difficult and expensive to repair.

Tesla Tires are More Expensive Than Other Vehicles

Before you immolate your tires, you may want to weigh up the cost of doing a burnout before stomping on the car’s accelerator!

Teslas are specified to use a unique acoustic tire which reduces road noise and costs up to $350 per tire to replace.

If you don’t have deep pockets, you may want to keep this caution in mind.

Burnouts in a Tesla are Illegal in Most States

From a legal perspective, deliberately doing a burnout is classed as illegal street racing in most states within the USA.

If the local policeman sees the glorious white clouds of smoke being emitted from your Tesla’s driving wheels, he may take an interest and want to discuss the activity with you. These discussions can end up costing a lot of money!

Doing a Burnout in a Tesla is Dangerous

We apologize for being old sticks in the mud; the reality is burnouts are dangerous, particularly in a TESLA. It is easy to lose control and cause both damage and injury with the incredible torque and power delivery.

If You Do a Burnout in Your Tesla, These are the Safety Measures

You have thrown caution to the wind and have decided that burnouts in your TESLA feature in your plans. How do you go about this safely?

Do Not Burnout Your Tesla on Public Property

As already discussed, law enforcement considers copious quantities of white smoke emitted by your TESLA’s wheels as illegal street racing.

If you want to avoid the consequences, find suitable private property or a racetrack where you can do burnouts and even drift the TESLA to your heart’s content.

Make Sure You Don’t Hurt Anyone with Your Tesla

Ensure that everyone else is out of target range and at a safe distance, preferably behind suitable barriers. 

It may seem extreme, but an uncontrolled TESLA wildly spinning around is a deadly weapon, and you could injure or even kill someone if you lose control.

Start Slowly for Short Periods

Not all drivers have the same skill level as Louis Hamilton or Max Verstappen.

Start by using short bursts of acceleration and monitor how the car behaves during burnout. As you learn to control the yawing effect, you can keep the throttle firmly pressed into the floorboards for more extended periods.

Conclusion

Yes, Teslas can do burnouts. Is it wise, perhaps not? Are you tempted – probably? You need to count the potential cost and consider the possible consequences of doing a burnout in your Tesla. 

Even if you decide not to do a burnout in your Tesla, it’s great knowing that you could, in one of the most capable burnout machines available!