AUSTIN, Texas – On Jan. 7, 2023, ZEVcentric set off a firestorm in the electric-vehicle world by tweeting it had discovered the rear brakes on its newly purchased Tesla Model Y Performance (MYP) were not the performance brakes expected with this model.
This tweet set off a maelstrom of social-media and journalistic commentary, but no comment from Tesla, which apparently has changed the configuration of the Model Y Performance package, dropping the Brembo calipers in the rear as well as switching to a 2mm thinner rotor than originally included with the Performance version.
Multiple media reports, YouTube videos, tweets and the like are reinforcing the message first brought by ZEVcentric. As one commentator put it, the performance brakes was the major factor beyond software modifications which separated the Model Y Performance from the Model Y Long Range (YMLR) model.
It has been reported that Tesla has made these changes to the performance brakes on the Model Y Performance without disclosing the downgrade. The electric-vehicle producer’s website does not provide details about the Performance Brakes.
ZEVcentric, a company specializing in building accessories for Tesla vehicles, discovered the changes while working on customers’ Model Ys and their own. They claim that the changes represent a significant downgrade and that Tesla should provide the original Brembo brakes, as the change was not indicated on the Model Y configurator. This is not the first time Tesla has been accused of implementing cost-cutting measures by removing features from their vehicles without proper notification.
According to ZEVcentric, the downgrade in the Model Y Performance brakes includes a replacement of the rear Brembo caliper with a new Mando brake and a 2mm thinner rotor with reduced venting features.
This change was reportedly made in September 2021, when Tesla began rolling out the new brake system on the Model Y Performance. However, the change was not announced or disclosed on Tesla’s website, which still lists performance brakes as an upgrade on the performance model compared to the long-range model.
This has led ZEVcentric to accuse Tesla of being deceptive – red plastic covers the Mando calipers — and sneaky in their approach to the change. They also believe that this change represents a significant downgrade in the performance of the Model Y Performance and that Tesla should provide the original Brembo brakes to affected customers or update their website to reflect the change.
