2021 Model S LR Rough Ride?

[MrMrC]

Hey there, I just got my new Model S a few weeks ago. Really love the car but I have a question on the stiffness/roughness of the ride. I feel like I can feel a lot of the roads small imperfections through the suspension (little bit like a BMW or maybe a bit unrefined BMW). I have played around a bit with the suspension setting and no real change. I am running the standard 19 wheels with 42 PSI on all. Anybody has any comments if this is normal behavior or something I should ask Service to have a look at.

Regards

C

 

[Blue Stuff]

Same here. This is not a luxury car so expect a stiffer ride and road feel/noise.

 

[McQ14]

Hey there, I just got my new Model S a few weeks ago. Really love the car but I have a question on the stiffness/roughness of the ride. I feel like I can feel a lot of the roads small imperfections through the suspension (little bit like a BMW or maybe a bit unrefined BMW). I have played around a bit with the suspension setting and no real change. I am running the standard 19 wheels with 42 PSI on all. Anybody has any comments if this is normal behavior or something I should ask Service to have a look at.

Regards

C

My impression is that it's a little bit on the rougher side, so I set the suspension to Comfort and it is better, but still not even as smooth as my wife's 2021 Toyota Rav 4 Hybrid. For a luxury sedan, I'd expect a more luxe ride. I have the 19" Continental Procontact RX M+S wheels and tires. I'm ok with it, coming from a Model 3 to the S. But I can understand why some people will have issues with the ride feel.

 

[Bull]

Hey there, I just got my new Model S a few weeks ago. Really love the car but I have a question on the stiffness/roughness of the ride. I feel like I can feel a lot of the roads small imperfections through the suspension (little bit like a BMW or maybe a bit unrefined BMW). I have played around a bit with the suspension setting and no real change. I am running the standard 19 wheels with 42 PSI on all. Anybody has any comments if this is normal behavior or something I should ask Service to have a look at.

Regards

C

I have always run my tires lower than Tesla recommends. It makes a huge difference in road noise and feeling every tiny road defect. I usually play with the tire pressure until I find the sweet spot between noise and low pressure alerts. I also use a tread depth gauge and have not seen uneven wear.

 

[David29]

Hmm, this seems contrary to my impressions from other early reports indicating that the refreshed Model S was more forgiving than earlier Model S versions, and especially compared to cars with steel coils. Curious what the Op is comparing the ride to -- any other Tesla Model S experience? Or just other brands?

 

[MrMrC]

I am comparing to other brands Audi mainly. I think my main concern is not the stiffness but that I feel alot of the "micro imperfections" in the road (its not "bad" at all, just not what I expected from a suspension of a car at this price level). I am thinking maybe lower PSI might work. The specs are calling for 42PSI, any thoughts from anybody on the forum on how far to lower it or has anybody experimented with it?

 

[ughani]

Bumping this thread, also agree with OP
My LR 19s came with PSI at 45
Gonna drop them, any thoughts what is safe range

 

[DayTrippin]

Honestly, not sure it will make a huge difference. On our MY LR, with 19's, went down into the high 30's (37-38 psi) and didn't really make a huge difference. It was noticeable but sure worth the effort. When I put on light weight 19" wheels, that is when I noticed a big difference in ride quality and handling. Tesla wheels are very heavy and that hurts almost everything with respect to dynamics.

 

[syrsid]

Same issue here with the refreshed 2022 MSLR. I even had the sc take on an extended test drive but of course they felt nothing is wrong with the suspension. All I can say is that after 2000 miles driving, it seems to have settled down and doesn’t seem as bad as it first did. 19inch tires at 41 psi.

 

[DayTrippin]

That is something to keep in mind that it does take time for moving parts to burnish or wear in a bit. Tolerances are tighter when assembled (who knows. with Tesla) and a little time to break in and things smooth out. I always wait a few thousand miles/kms to give things a chance to settle in and see how it really is.

 

[ughani]

Thanks for the replies! Will take your advice and wait a few thousand miles
Appreciate it!

 

[BrokerDon]

Come for a ride in my 2015 P85D+ which came the rare Plus Suspension and has 21" Michelin Pilot Sport tires on stiff forged Arachnid wheels. Personally I love the "sporty" connected feel of the Plus Suspension since I came from a Corvette Z06 and Jeep Grand Cherokee. Some passengers like my 80 year old mom thought my P85D+ ride isn't smooth enough... but she drove a Toyota Camry which felt disconnected and floaty like an 80's Cadillac Fleetwood to me.

 

[minirx7]

I have about 3500kms on mine. It does ride pretty stiff compared to other cars, but it feels more intentionally stiff versus just stiff for the sake of being sporty if that makes sense. It reminds me of our old Lexus IS-F.

What is unfortunately si taht the comfort setting doesnt really do anything at all!! Comfort still feels the same. I havent really pushed it hard in the corners but folks but it does feel pretty well planted.

 

[Zcd1]

Tire pressure can make a big difference in perceived ride quality.
I lowered mine from the factory setting of 44 PSI to 38 PSI and prefer the lower setting even at the expense of a few miles of range.

 

[Bull]

Tire pressure can make a big difference in perceived ride quality.
I lowered mine from the factory setting of 44 PSI to 38 PSI and prefer the lower setting even at the expense of a few miles of range.

I agree. I also lowered mine to 38. Big difference as far as I'm concerned.

 

[David29]

Come for a ride in my 2015 P85D+ which came the rare Plus Suspension and has 21" Michelin Pilot Sport tires on stiff forged Arachnid wheels. Personally I love the "sporty" connected feel of the Plus Suspension since I came from a Corvette Z06 and Jeep Grand Cherokee. Some passengers like my 80 year old mom thought my P85D+ ride isn't smooth enough... but she drove a Toyota Camry which felt disconnected and floaty like an 80's Cadillac Fleetwood to me.

View attachment 762034

Nice photo, very pretty car!

 

[pengy]

Unfortunately it's a side effect of having such a heavy vehicle. Controlling the inertia of it from bumps and other imperfections in the road is a bit difficult. Combined with "stiffer" tires to hold the extra weight, you end up with a ride that is harsher than most ICE luxury vehicles. At least the Model S/X comes with adaptive suspension, since the ride in the Model 3/Y is much more harsh.

 

[Midnightsun]

My S has been at the SC twice now and both times I was given a recent Model X to drive. No question the S has a better suspension than the pre refresh X. Getting into my Y, the ride is definitely not as refined as the S. I must say I think the S suspension is rather nice, absorbs worn bridge expansion joints with ease, comfortable all around without the old Cadillac wallow. Am I alone to really like the new Model S suspension? I am in the 19" wheels and run 41 psi FYI and on winters right now. My previous Mercedes GLC AMG was much worse and would compare it to the Y at best with the edge going to the Y.

 

[Ziddy]

How much worse is the ride on 21s than the 19s?

 

[BrokerDon]

How much worse is the ride on 21s than the 19s?

My 2015 P85D+ came with a "square" set of heavy 21" Turbines on ContiSportContact "Summer Only" tires. Fairly good handling but with a harsh ride.

I replaced the "square" set of heavy 21" Turbines with a "staggered" set of significantly lighter & stronger 21" Arachnids on Michelin Pilot Sport 2 "Summer Only" tires. The rough ride smoothed out since the Arachnid / Michelin combo was significantly lighter which was a much better match for my P85D+'s Suspension. I recently replaced the Michelin Pilot Sport 2 "Summer Only" tires with Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 tires. Grip isn't quite as good as the Pilot Sport 2 "Summer Only" tires and the Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 tires are louder... but I don't have to change tires & wheels when it gets cold or we go to snow country.

I also bought a "square" set of of 19" Cyclone wheels off a local Tesla owner and mounted Michelin MXM "All-Season" tires. Definitely smoother ride but worse handling, especially cornering hard... and they definitely take away from the otherwise sporty look of my P85D+... So I'll probably sell them soon.

19" Cyclone / 21" Turbine / 21" Arachnid