An Off-Road-Modified Tesla Model 3 Tackles the Mojave Road

“Who’s the U-boat commander?”

Jason StilgebouerCar and Driver

From the April 2022 issue of Car and Driver.

The Mojave Road is a 147-mile off-road route that starts at the Colorado River just south of Laughlin, Nevada, and ends near the Cajon Pass in California. Historically, beginning in late-prehistoric times, its trails represented a trade route connecting inland and coastal Native American tribes. Later it became a path along the westward expansion, a challenging desert crossing. Today it’s a popular off-road route, one we attempted to travel in a home-built, safari-style Tesla Model 3. We felt like pioneers—though we might’ve been better off in a covered wagon.

Ethan Schlussler and Edwin Olding run Grind Hard Plumbing Co., a gearhead collective with a popular YouTube channel featuring their zany mechanical projects. The off-road Tesla started as a salvaged 2020 Model 3 Dual Motor Long Range with front-end damage. The guys documented the process of getting it running—with help from Tesla guru Rich Benoit—in a series of videos. The short version: They cut off part of the damaged front structure, replaced the plastic bumpers with steel tubes, mounted a 12,000-pound-capacity winch, relocated the heat exchangers to the frunk, cut out a section of the hood, installed aftermarket lighting, raised the ride height by two inches, removed the front anti-roll bar, added front-wheel spacers, and fitted Falken Wildpeak A/T3W tires—all under the watchful gaze of a life-size Elon Musk cardboard cutout. Rock sliders were added for extra protection, and the rear bumper and part of the rear floor were removed for a better departure angle. A floor patch was made from an old street sign reading “Road maintenance ends.” Fitting.

The National Park Service recommends giving yourself three days to travel the Mojave Road from start to finish. We weren’t planning to take on the entire pass, but we figured we’d do an overnight or two along the way. Since the Model 3’s roof is entirely glass, mounting a tent required some engineering. Schlussler and Olding fashioned a roof rack into the structure and attached a Go Fast Campers tent.

Rooftop tent was an optimistic addition.

Jason StilgebouerCar and Driver

While a tent would carve into the Tesla’s range on the highway, the big tires and added mass were more of a concern on the trail. Before the modifications, the car’s EPA range was 322 miles, and as we set out into the desert, we had no real idea how far we’d get. But we did have an idea to flat-tow it behind our support AEV Jeep Gladiator for an hour on the dry lake bed to try to add some charge. And that might have worked—if we had made it that far.

The sun rose on our first day. Our planned route was simple: We would start near Afton Canyon just outside Barstow, California, head toward Laughlin, and run the trail in reverse, from west to east. The Mojave Road consists of bumpy straights comfortably navigated at 45 mph, rock obstacles to crawl over, and water crossings. With almost 500 horsepower, all-wheel drive, and the added ground clearance, the Tesla easily handled the terrain. “The ride quality in this thing is shockingly good,” Schlussler said. After we aired down the tires to 20 psi, it had no trouble even in the sand, its ample power sending up magnificent sandy roostertails. The Tesla also held its own when it came to the rocky wash, ably keeping up with the Gladiator. We were impressed by how well it performed off-road, given the limited modifications to the Model 3 suspension.

Jason StilgebouerCar and Driver

Large-rock crawling did, however, require some accessory helpers. We were able to get up and over using traction boards—this obstacle necessitated locking the Gladiator’s front differential. We spent most of the morning in Afton Canyon and had gone a total of 10 miles when we got to the large water crossing. In the summer the Mojave Road can be totally dry, but in the winter the water crossings can be deep enough to make it impassable. Schlussler was confident the water would be no threat to the Tesla, and he made it through with no issues. So he decided to do it again.

He took the second crossing faster, and the bow wave rose over the hood. The Tesla made it across, then lost all power and shut off. The car sat there, dripping and steaming. Schlussler looked at the bright side: “What’s impressive, and convenient, is that we at least made it all the way out of the water before it died.”

Schlussler ponders a fix.

Jason StilgebouerCar and Driver

Initially, we figured the main safety fuse blew—it’s intended to act as an automatic kill switch for the car’s high-voltage system in the event of an accident or, uh, flooding. Later, we found a water-soaked main power module, which was what shut us down.

So we found the water-fording limits of a lifted Tesla Model 3, and we were surprised by its competence on dry land. By no means was it a practical off-roader, and this wasn’t even a good idea. But it was not a complete failure, and it was wildly entertaining when it worked. Feeling a bit foolish but still high on the morning’s fun, we towed out the Tesla with the Jeep and headed home. Maybe if we put the Tesla in a bowl of rice, everything will be okay.

Jason StilgebouerCar and Driver

Jason StilgebouerCar and Driver

Ethan and Edwin’s Excellent Adventures

Building wild and silly vehicles is arguably the forte of Ethan Schlussler and Edwin Olding. The Idaho-based duo behind Grind Hard Plumbing Co. kicked off their YouTube channel in late 2017 and have been documenting their crazy creations ever since. While Schlussler and Olding initially gained fame for their 70-mph Barbie-themed Power Wheels Ford Mustang powered by a dirt-bike engine, the buds’ constructions run the gamut. Their work includes other overpowered go-karts hiding under plastic Power Wheels bodies (left), and they also mess with cars, trucks, snowmobiles, and motorcycles. One project culminated in a lawn-care product powered by a Toyota-sourced 2JZ inline-six—a lawnmower with the heart of a Supra. Then there was a Wankel-powered tricycle made for drifting. They also converted an old BMW 3-series coupe into an off-road-ready pickup truck (right). Better yet, the guys happily hoon on their custom creations and film their antics. That special brand of vehicular wackiness has earned Grind Hard Plumbing Co. more than 1.3 million YouTube subscribers. —Greg Fink