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ADRO unveils two new prepreg carbon body kits for Tesla's Model 3 and Y, available for pre-order now.
With the electric revolution well underway, major automakers seem deadset on joining early adopters and startups with continuously expanding vehicle lineups offering luxury performance, economy commuters, and a first few stabs at EV pickup trucks. Meanwhile, the aftermarket industry also needed to adapt to the changing landscape as enthusiasts turned to EVs with an urge to help their increasingly common cars stand out from the crowd.
Tesla undoubtedly paved the first major inroads for this new era, while also supplying inspiration for electric powertrain swaps and mods ranging from subtle changes like wheels to the most extreme builds imaginable. Now, the carbon fiber body kit manufacturer ADRO hopes to jump into the mix with a pair of prepreg body kits available to pre-order now for the Tesla Model 3 and Y. Ahead of early customer deliveries, ADRO (which stands for Aerodynamic Development Race Optimized) invited me to check out their kits in person and take a pair of highly modified Teslas for a quick spin in the Malibu hills.
As a cyclist, I find carbon fiber intoxicating to an almost embarrassing level. The lightweight miracle material transformed the road bike industry decades ago, offering unbelievable strength and vibration damping—but at a cost. Now, as carbon fiber construction proliferates around the globe, companies like ADRO can use the pre-impregnated resin construction methods to turn sheets of woven carbon filaments into rigid forms of almost any shape or size.
ADRO designs their kits here in Southern California, then develops and manufactures the actual carbon fiber in South Korea. As such, the company's early kits fit on plenty of Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis models before expanding more recently to BMW's F8X siblings and the C8 Chevrolet Corvette. Now, components for the Model 3 and Y join the catalog with an aggressive aerodynamic design influence building upon the sleek lines that help set Tesla apart from other EV manufacturers on the market today.
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ADRO currently offers pre-orders for the full kits, which include a front splitter, side skirts, rear diffuser, and rear spoiler. Befitting the company name, ADRO ran a computational fluid dynamics simulation and calculated that the full kit contributes to a 3.25% reduction in total vehicle drag on the Model 3 and a 4.4% reduction on the Model Y. Those numbers sound minimal and point to the fact that most ADRO customers purchase these carbon kits with style in mind, though as someone who once pushed a Fiat 500e the last 50 feet or so to a nearby charger, even a modest range improvement of a few hundred yards might very well make a huge difference one day.
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The full 3 and Y kits currently cost $5,500 and ADRO currently accepts only pre-orders for the entire package. In August, the individual pieces will join the full kits for sale—attracting customers who only want a spoiler, for example, or others who install their new carbon and then immediately scrape on a curb, speedbump, or steep driveway.
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Given my penchant for working on my own cars, whether changing fluids and filters or installing aftermarket pieces like skid plates, how exactly the carbon-fiber kits connect to the Teslas figured as one of my main questions for ADRO and the Model 3's owner, CJ Cardinalli. The kit's weave and finish quality looks top-notch up close, plus uses mostly factory mounting points and double-stick tape, though Cardinalli told me he also added a few extra self-tapping screws just in the name of safety. Altogether, on his highly modified Model 3 complete with air suspension, a starry night headliner, custom wheels, a big-brake kit, and even a tune for a bit more power, Cardinalli said the ADRO kit slotted in as the single easiest modification he made.
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The minor design differences between the 3 and Y led ADRO to create slightly different carbon kits. Of note, the rear spoiler on the Y gets a dropped center section, while the front splitter of the 3 gets slightly different angles. The 3's side skirts also include F1-style winglets behind the front wheels.
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On Cardinalli's Model 3, the ADRO kit joins other details like carbon fiber trim and faux tape on the taillight surrounds, window trim mirror housings, and more. His entire car deserves a story unto itself, given all the custom work and modifications apparent from even quite a distance—not to mention everything going on inside, which runs the gamut from a yoke-style steering wheel to a sound system that fakes engine noises (and not just car engines, but fighter jets and spaceships, too).
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When the obviously customized 3 and Y pulled up, I truly wondered how they might drive. The popularity of stancing and bagging cars often left me confused in the past, but when I climbed in and set the ride height low, the suspension actually provided pretty solid performance. With minimal body roll—even avoiding the lowest setting, since we didn't want to risk damaging the carbon before shooting—the air suspension seems to complement Tesla's skateboard-style low center of gravity well. Plus, when we pulled off onto the dirt turnout, a few more inches of ground clearance at the press of a button sure helped, too.
Out of all Cardinalli's performance modifications, the big brakes made the biggest difference on how the Model 3 drove. Now, all of a sudden, braking bite matched that instantaneous pushback made possible by low-end electric torque—in a car that weighs up to and past 4,200 pounds even before adding air suspension.
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Bolting on ADRO's kits adds only just under 13 pounds for the Model 3 and just over 16 for the Model Y but the gains fit in somewhat akin to the estimated aero benefits, which customers willing to shell out $5,500 know perfectly well. But I came away impressed by ADRO's readily apparent build quality, ease of installation, and lack of sun fade on the prepreg resin so far.
Potential customers who want to check out the ADRO kits in person before making a purchase can join the Tesla Owners California Takeover on August 6 in San Luis Obispo. In the meantime, after rolling out the Model 3 and Y body kits, ADRO plans to continue developing more Tesla-specific goodies, including carbon-fiber housings for the famous body-mounted cameras, as well as the rearview mirror housings. Another kit set to debut soon deletes the enormous—and enormously controversial—front grilles on BMW's latest M3 and M4, replacing the intakes with a smaller design also constructed out of the miracle material. In the meantime, customers who place a pre-order for their Model 3 or Y body can expect to receive their ADRO kits starting around the second week of this coming July.
Sources: adro.com, ceejcustoms.com, casperm3.com, tesla.com, and eventbrite.com.
Michael Van Runkle grew up surrounded by Los Angeles car culture, going to small enthusiast meets and enormous industry shows. He learned to drive stick shift in a 1948 Chevy pickup with no first gear and currently dailies his 1998 Mitsubishi Montero while daydreaming about one day finishing up that Porsche 914 project. He's written in various media since graduating from UC Berkeley in 2010 and started at HotCars in February 2018.