Model S Plaid

Make
Tesla
Segment
Sedan

We don't like criticizing other people's builds on this website unless it's some horrible replica that deserves to be hauled into space like Elon Musk's Roadster.

Having said that, it's hard not to point out several flaws within the Chillin' with Chet YouTube channel's latest video. Chet took his stripped-out Model S Plaid to the track to test the car's new braking system. The standard brakes at the front were upgraded with front calipers, rotors, and pads from Unplugged Performance. The Plaid's rear brakes were kept standard.

If you upgrade the brakes on a 5,000-pound car, at least do all four corners, especially on a vehicle known to have brake-related problems. In November last year, Tesla announced ceramic brakes for the Model S Plaid, but the option is not currently available on Tesla's website.

Around 45 seconds into the video, Chet mentions that he's using Track Mode for the first time. He also says that he bled the brakes by himself but does not mention what brake fluid he used. This leads us to believe he used the standard brake fluid, which, once again, is not ideal in a 5,000-lbs car with more than 1,000 horsepower.

While completing a flying lap, Chet relies heavily on regenerative braking. He mentions that he hardly has to touch the brakes due to the severity of the regen system. Unfortunately, the brakes faded into a high-speed corner, and Chet hit a nasty-looking tire barrier.

You have to give it to Tesla, however. The car is remarkably intact following such a serious crash.

Despite not wearing a helmet, having a roll cage, or being adequately strapped into a racing bucket, Chet was lucky enough to walk away from this massive shunt without critical injuries.

"Although I walked away, I did break a few things that kept me down for the last couple of weeks, But now I'm happy to say I'm back up, getting around slowly," stated Chet on his YouTube channel. "You live on and do better, and I will explain everything in the next video when I give you a full breakdown of what exactly happened. In the meantime, please do not jump to conclusions about this brake failure and blame Unplugged Performance."

If we had to guess, brake fluid is to blame. Thanks to Randy Pobst's recent Pikes Peak run, we know Unplugged Performance's brakes are top quality when fitted correctly.

We look forward to Chillin' with Chet uploading the breakdown of what happened in a crash that could've ended a lot worse than it did.