Acceleration Shudder

[systemcrashed]

Doesn't the car automatically lower itself on the highway? If what you say is true, then wouln't the car eat tires when driving at highway speeds anyway?

Yes, if you have SAS set to lower the car at a set speed it will. It can also be set to always be in low mode. There is a "very low" mode as well , but that can only be set manually. The camber in low and very low will chew up the inside of the tires.

 

[gavine]

Yes, if you have SAS set to lower the car at a set speed it will. It can also be set to always be in low mode. There is a "very low" mode as well , but that can only be set manually. The camber in low and very low will chew up the inside of the tires.

So then highway driving chews up tires?

 

[Phil Seastrand]

I have over 7000 miles on my 90D and over 4000 of them are highway. My tires look fine with no inside wear. I have the suspension set to low for speeds > 50 MPH.

If you are having this problem, I suggest you have the car checked. It might be alignment or some other issue with the suspension.

 

[gavine]

I have over 7000 miles on my 90D and over 4000 of them are highway. My tires look fine with no inside wear. I have the suspension set to low for speeds > 50 MPH.

If you are having this problem, I suggest you have the car checked. It might be alignment or some other issue with the suspension.

I did have it checked and they said driving with suspension on 'very low' will minimize the shudder. I planned on doing that until it was mentioned here that it would eat tires.

 

[systemcrashed]

So then highway driving chews up tires?

Somewhat so if you are driving at the low setting, definitely yes when set at very low. The wear is similar to other high performance SUV/CUVs. You get much better handling and steering response with the car lower and the +ve camber at the cost of some rubber. I no longer set SAS to very low on the highway, never really saw a wh/m benefit on the highway.

 

[mblanshard]

I've just passed over 4000 miles over the past 6 weeks of ownership and I've started noticing this. I also suspect though that I might be slightly out of alignment. I'm adding it to the list of things I'm going to get my SC to look at when I take the car in next (all things are very minor almost nitpicky things).

 

[Dynamo123]

Not having experienced your shudder, is it possible that it's the "Lane Departure Warning" vibration? If you have "Lane Departure Warning" turned on, try turning it off and see if you still experience it.

This solved my shuddering issue. They should use an audio tone instead of vibrating the wheels and steering. Thanks for the tip!

 

[FarmerDave]

The Service Center replaced the front half shafts after I demonstrated the shuddering to them. When I demonstrated it the shuddering wasn't very severe, which we chalked up to the battery charge being fairly low after driving 120 miles to get there.

Did they fix it?​

Here's where it gets interesting. The short answer is yes. Hard acceleration no longer causes shuddering. But on the invoice was this gem: Advise the customer not to accelerate hard in high suspension settings. On reading this I realized that when the shuddering seemed worst was when I got onto the highway leaving my grandson's martial arts lesson. And I have that location memorized for a VERY HIGH suspension setting to avoid contact with the parking blocks when I park.

Sure enough, I raised the suspension, accelerated hard, and shudder! Back to normal or low height, no shudder. As I think about it, it makes sense due to the angle the half shafts have to make on high settings and the work the u-joints have to do at that angle. I may have also been causing undue wear on the u-joints with the very high setting and hard acceleration. In my defense, there's nothing in the owner's manual about this limitation.

 

[systemcrashed]

The Service Center replaced the front half shafts after I demonstrated the shuddering to them. When I demonstrated it the shuddering wasn't very severe, which we chalked up to the battery charge being fairly low after driving 120 miles to get there.

Did they fix it?​

Here's where it gets interesting. The short answer is yes. Hard acceleration no longer causes shuddering. But on the invoice was this gem: Advise the customer not to accelerate hard in high suspension settings. On reading this I realized that when the shuddering seemed worst was when I got onto the highway leaving my grandson's martial arts lesson. And I have that location memorized for a VERY HIGH suspension setting to avoid contact with the parking blocks when I park.

Sure enough, I raised the suspension, accelerated hard, and shudder! Back to normal or low height, no shudder. As I think about it, it makes sense due to the angle the half shafts have to make on high settings and the work the u-joints have to do at that angle. I may have also been causing undue wear on the u-joints with the very high setting and hard acceleration. In my defense, there's nothing in the owner's manual about this limitation.

I experienced the same thing. After new half-shaft install I have turned my SAS setting to never switch to standard height (shudders at that height as well).

 

[Buckeye2320]

I recently went on a Trip from Chicago to Columbus, OH. When I would accelerate to between 72mph - 79mph, I noticed shuddering, that I had not noticed prior. The shuddering would be consistent no matter the road type (black top, concrete, etc). If I dropped down to 70 mph or went up to 80 mph, no shudder. These were not hard accelerations, just normal cruising speed depending on the speed limit. I have the car set to lower after 65 mph. I have not had an issue with shudder at low speeds. Does anyone else have this issue at specific speeds?

 

[paynemic]

I'm having very similar symptoms. Serious shudder on hard acceleration in my model x (June 2016 delivery). It's in for service in Portland, Oregon right now. I noticed a software update applied. I'm hoping there is a fix... I'll update later today.

 

[dh73]

I've had this problem as well in our P90D. It took me a while at first to discover that it was worse under high suspension settings (I had geo-fenced two places to automatically raise). I took it in a couple of months ago and they replaced a front motor mount, I think, with a recommendation not to accelerate hard at high settings. Well, I turned off those geo-fenced locations, and never raise my suspension height, and it has been getting worse. It's now very noticeable from 30mph at "standard" suspension height every time I accelerate moderately aggressively. Taking it in next week for them to look at. Have 9300 miles on it now.

 

[Buckeye2320]

OK, so I took my car to the Tesla Service Center and they stated that they had to "Road Force Balance" the car.

This is a common issue that happens with lower profile tires due to the distance from the rim to the top of the tread is less and the sidewall is much stiffer. This means that minor problems can be amplified and transmitted into the car and you feel things a lot more than you used to. The boys over a Motorweek even have a segment on this....Road Force Balancing | MotorWeek

So Tesla did a "Road Force Balance" and fix the shudder. They did not do anything with the Suspension or any software.

 

[Martin VanB]

OK, so I took my car to the Tesla Service Center and they stated that they had to "Road Force Balance" the car.

This is a common issue that happens with lower profile tires due to the distance from the rim to the top of the tread is less and the sidewall is much stiffer. This means that minor problems can be amplified and transmitted into the car and you feel things a lot more than you used to. The boys over a Motorweek even have a segment on this....Road Force Balancing | MotorWeek

So Tesla did a "Road Force Balance" and fix the shudder. They did not do anything with the Suspension or any software.

Thank you. Excellent observation!

 

[dh73]

They diagnosed my shuddering and are replacing a front half shaft (or both, I'm not sure). I think that basically means "axle". Two months ago they replaced a front motor mount for the same kind of sound.

 

[vandacca]

I think Tesla is taking this issue very seriously. I took my X in for some minor issues (e.g. seat belt indicator not working) and they automatically inspected the front half shafts. Luckily mine were fine and didn't need replacing.

 

[robski]

So glad I found this thread. My wife just got her X90 back from over a week of service for door seal replacement. Damn this cabin is loud! Anyways, I took it for a spin and immediately noticed the shudder. I thought it was all just my imagination! I guess it's back to the SC we go.

HOT TIP: If you're on the fence for either a MS or MX, get the MX with a 10k/mile lease. The car will live in the SC so there's no way to rack up miles + you get the MS loaner so it's like you practically own a MS.

 

[Dcr26]

Thanks everyone for contributing to a great thread. What will help is if you can post your version of X and your wheel diameter and ride height when experiencing the shutter. I will collate this data and share with everyone after a decent sample is acheived thanks.

 

[qadaemon]

90D 20" wheels. Shudder is noticeable at low setting and higher. Very low seems fine at the moment.

 

[gavine]

90D with 20" wheels. Mine shudders at normal and low but not at very-low. I haven't tried above normal height.