Aftermarket Suspension with OEM Height and Softer Ride

[buddhra]

They actually have something now and it is on sale for $1250. Not sure of the quality of the ride or quality of the coilovers though. Maybe somebody can chime in? 17-UP Tesla Model 3 AWD BC Racing Coilovers - BR Type

Interesting. I'm sure this is another performance-oriented setup, not comfort. They're really light on information and that photo isn't even close to right since the rear springs are separate from the damper and they have a different top hat. Still, I'm glad to see more options entering the market.

I'm still waiting on my Grand Touring setup from Redwood, but they're the most promising IMO.

 

[ULEWZ]

Interesting. I'm sure this is another performance-oriented setup, not comfort. They're really light on information and that photo isn't even close to right since the rear springs are separate from the damper and they have a different top hat. Still, I'm glad to see more options entering the market.

I'm still waiting on my Grand Touring setup from Redwood, but they're the most promising IMO.

Sorry, I missed the part about you want to dumb the suspension down. Found this thread in a Site search.
Wow, I was thinking this suspension is really mushy. I am trying to stiffen it up. The stock handling is not good and I have the performance model 3. Even softer than my wifes Acura RDX. Good luck to you finding a Cadillac ride.

 

[buddhra]

Sorry, I missed the part about you want to dumb the suspension down. Found this thread in a Site search.
Wow, I was thinking this suspension is really mushy. I am trying to stiffen it up. The stock handling is not good and I have the performance model 3. Even softer than my wifes Acura RDX. Good luck to you finding a Cadillac ride.

Lucky for you, there are plenty of options to go that direction. A lot of us are coming from luxury cars though and since none of them can seem to bring a competitive EV to market, we're left to the aftermarket with Tesla.

 

[Atraf]

I have the same goals as the OP. Stock ride height on my stock 18s but with much higher ride comfort, so that city streets are not bumpy or jarring anymore. I have an August 2018 LR RWD Model 3. I'm willing to spend $4,000 installed to accomplish this goal, but only if it's noticeably better. My 2001 Lexus GS430 had much better comfort and ride quality compared to my Model 3 on the same roads, even though the Lexus suspension was 17 years old. Yes the Lexus handling was not as good as Tesla but I mostly want straight-line speed and ride comfort, and the Lexus delivered that. I'm watching this thread and the other thread about the Redwood/DFV kit to hear reviews. Thanks for starting this thread!

Same here, my Lexus GS300 2000, mind you a 20 year old car that only ever been DIY maintained ... eats pot holes and bad roads so much better than my Jan 2020 AWD LR Model 3. I love the Model 3's handling, feel like a Go-Kart (vs my Lexus boat..) but feeling every small road defect really diminishes the ride quality.

KW's website only list one variant of coilovers for the Model 3: Performance, while MPP call it comfort, I suppose its all relative and comparing to their sport coilovers it very well could be more on the comfort side however... I want to match if not exceed my experience on a 20 year old Lexus, which should be possible.

I don't know if MPP are interested in a true Lexus GS level comfort, nor how much would it cost to bring such product to market, if the entire market is just commenters on this thread + maybe 1k people .. it might not be worthwhile?

A way that I thought about resolving or at least improving the comfort was the tires, my Lexus has 215/60R16 tires, there's a guy out there that managed to get R17 wheels on his Model 3 but that actually limited him to 215/50R17 (he is on this forms, from Vegas area iirc). I was hoping to gain extra 5, mine shipped with 235/40R19 and I was hoping to go for 235/45R19 but it seems that part of the structure holding the wheel is very close to the front tire thus its impossible without reducing the width of the tire (I am unwilling to settle on traction as the car is already at the limit (if not above) of what the tires can take), thoughts?

 

[y3llow]

Still no real solutions huh. The 17 inch wheels sound interesting but I really wonder who does Tesla's suspension tuning.

If the future is self driving, why have a back breaker ride? Motortrend's Y review's main complaint is a stiff ride. I get it for some super sport model, but let's face it, most people are commuting. I have my stick shift 2 seater if I want the stiff ride.

 

[RedwoodMotors]

Still no real solutions huh. The 17 inch wheels sound interesting but I really wonder who does Tesla's suspension tuning.

If the future is self driving, why have a back breaker ride? Motortrend's Y review's main complaint is a stiff ride. I get it for some super sport model, but let's face it, most people are commuting. I have my stick shift 2 seater if I want the stiff ride.

We have a Grand Touring option for the Model 3 using Ohlins dampers... massive improvement over stock and a lot of adjustability range.

Model 3 Öhlins DFV Coilovers - Engineered by Redwood Motorsports ™

 

[Sunshine Speed]

Anyone have feedback on this proposed suspension swap I might do this Summer with Mountain Pass Performance components?

Proposed install :
1) MPP Model 3 Comfort Adjustable Coilovers RWD ($2470) , this is a new version that MPP introduced a month ago
2) MPP Suspension Lift Kit ($500)
Car: August 2018 Tesla Model 3 LR RWD with Aero 18s, tires are Michelin Pilot Sport 4S 245/45/18

My desired result here is suspension that is more comfortable than stock on bumps, and a lifted cabin to get in and out easier for me and for a child seat. Handling and range will be worse but that's OK.

 

[buddhra]

Anyone have feedback on this proposed suspension swap I might do this Summer with Mountain Pass Performance components?

Proposed install :
1) MPP Model 3 Comfort Adjustable Coilovers RWD ($2470) , this is a new version that MPP introduced a month ago
2) MPP Suspension Lift Kit ($500)
Car: August 2018 Tesla Model 3 LR RWD with Aero 18s, tires are Michelin Pilot Sport 4S 245/45/18

My desired result here is suspension that is more comfortable than stock on bumps, and a lifted cabin to get in and out easier for me and for a child seat. Handling and range will be worse but that's OK.

My concern with the MPP kit is while it is adjustable from 10mm to 60mm drop, they do it using the spring preload setting rather than by changing the length of the damper body. The damper length is designed to be about a 35mm drop (right in the middle) and any adjustment outside of that has negative consequences for the suspension. So in your case, you're going to drop the car by 35mm and then add a lift kit to bring it back up? They suggested this setup to me and I passed. It sounds less than ideal.

The Redwood and Unplugged kits have threaded damper bodies that are adjustable without negative consequences. I'm still patiently waiting for my Redwood GT kit and will report back as soon as I can.

 

[y3llow]

Ohlins with adjustable damping? Very interesting... can you post the minimum damping rate on the Grand Touring setup and the spring rates vs stock?

We have a Grand Touring option for the Model 3 using Ohlins dampers... massive improvement over stock and a lot of adjustability range.

Model 3 Öhlins DFV Coilovers - Engineered by Redwood Motorsports ™

 

[y3llow]

Hey RedwoodMotors, just following up on this. "can you post the minimum damping rate on the Grand Touring setup and the spring rates vs stock?"

We have a Grand Touring option for the Model 3 using Ohlins dampers... massive improvement over stock and a lot of adjustability range.

Model 3 Öhlins DFV Coilovers - Engineered by Redwood Motorsports ™

Ohlins with adjustable damping? Very interesting... can you post the minimum damping rate on the Grand Touring setup and the spring rates vs stock?

 

[Mike H @ BSE]

Have been looking at this thread for a while now and would love a more compliant ride but as all after market suppliers seem to start with "lower ride height" which puts me and many others off.
So excuse my ignorance on this matter but when fitting a replacement set up why can't we just fit the stock springs instead of those lowered ones supplied with the kit?
Surely that would maintain ride height and with adjustable damping get the softer ride we seek. Okay it may not be a perfect solution but should be better than the standard setup and not have the lower ride problem.

 

[buddhra]

Have been looking at this thread for a while now and would love a more compliant ride but as all after market suppliers seem to start with "lower ride height" which puts me and many others off.
So excuse my ignorance on this matter but when fitting a replacement set up why can't we just fit the stock springs instead of those lowered ones supplied with the kit?
Surely that would maintain ride height and with adjustable damping get the softer ride we seek. Okay it may not be a perfect solution but should be better than the standard setup and not have the lower ride problem.

Over the last year I've been working with a suspension company to do exactly that. Based on their recommendations, we kept the stock springs and replaced the dampers with Koni adjustables. The results were underwhelming.

Rather than dump additional money into that project, when Redwood announced their Performance kit last year with my ideal components (Ohlins DFV dampers and Swift springs), I contacted them about making a Grand Touring kit.

I'm picking it up tomorrow and hope to be able to share some good results this weekend!

 

[MountainPass]

@zman222 is running our Comfort Adjustable Kit in combination with the Lift Kit, and can attest to the ride quality at stock height!

 

[Mike H @ BSE]

Over the last year I've been working with a suspension company to do exactly that. Based on their recommendations, we kept the stock springs and replaced the dampers with Koni adjustables. The results were underwhelming.

Rather than dump additional money into that project, when Redwood announced their Performance kit last year with my ideal components (Ohlins DFV dampers and Swift springs), I contacted them about making a Grand Touring kit.

I'm picking it up tomorrow and hope to be able to share some good results this weekend!

Very much looking forward to hearing your results although it might be a while before I could come up with the redies as buying in from the USA could add another 20% tax on top of a fairly hefty price tag to start with when they hit the UK shores!

 

[MountainPass]

Very much looking forward to hearing your results although it might be a while before I could come up with the redies as buying in from the USA could add another 20% tax on top of a fairly hefty price tag to start with when they hit the UK shores!

Just a heads up, since the UK is still part of the EU, you will not have to pay any taxes on MPP suspension since it ships from Germany!

 

[jselbie]

I'm picking it up tomorrow and hope to be able to share some good results this weekend!

New to this thread, but after reading this thread twice over, I've concluded I want something identical to what the OP is asking for. So I'm anxious to hear the results.

buddhra - are you also getting the remote adjusters? Is it strictly necessary to have these? I assume that's what tunes the lowering height. But can the same be achieved by going under the hood or opening up that frunk panel? I doubt I would ever want to adjust once the setting was calibrate. Nor do I want to drill a hole through my frunk panels.

 

[buddhra]

New to this thread, but after reading this thread twice over, I've concluded I want something identical to what the OP is asking for. So I'm anxious to hear the results.

buddhra - are you also getting the remote adjusters? Is it strictly necessary to have these? I assume that's what tunes the lowering height. But can the same be achieved by going under the hood or opening up that frunk panel? I doubt I would ever want to adjust once the setting was calibrate. Nor do I want to drill a hole through my frunk panels.

No remote adjusters for me. They just make it easier to adjust the firmness of the ride. Once I have it set to my liking, I won't likely touch it again, but somebody who wants a soft commute during the week, but likes to hit the curvy roads on the weekend may want it.

I picked up the kit yesterday and had a fun little fireside chat with Heath and Christian from Redwood for everyone's enjoyment. Assuming all goes well, I should have them installed today, so stay tuned.

 

[zman222]

@zman222 is running our Comfort Adjustable Kit in combination with the Lift Kit, and can attest to the ride quality at stock height!

Actually I am running the Hybrid Comforts. Or more accurately the ones you combined for me with the adjustable performance dampers and the comfort springs along with the Lift kit. The combo is really really nice. Perfect for people just looking for better ride comfort and who have no need or desire to lower their car. My installer set the height nearly exactly to stock by utilizing the lift kit which allowed for the proper adjustment of the dampers to work in the recommended operating zone.

 

[zman222]

Anyone have feedback on this proposed suspension swap I might do this Summer with Mountain Pass Performance components?

Proposed install :
1) MPP Model 3 Comfort Adjustable Coilovers RWD ($2470) , this is a new version that MPP introduced a month ago
2) MPP Suspension Lift Kit ($500)
Car: August 2018 Tesla Model 3 LR RWD with Aero 18s, tires are Michelin Pilot Sport 4S 245/45/18

My desired result here is suspension that is more comfortable than stock on bumps, and a lifted cabin to get in and out easier for me and for a child seat. Handling and range will be worse but that's OK.

See my post about this exact setup with the lift kit and the camber and toe arms. Only I have the "older" comfort adjustable kit known as the Hybrid setup. I also used the risers to keep the 'stock' ride height which basically means my installer set the dampers for a 1.75 inch drop I believe to equal out the difference of the risers. As I mentioned in my post, driving on local roads with known areas of bad bumps that really upset the ride is now a thing of the past. Now on the same areas of road I can simply ride straight ahead instead of swerving around them. In other words, if I always had the MPP setup from day one, owning my 2018 November build Tesla Model 3 LR AWD, I wouldn't have realized certain roads or areas on my commute were so bad. The new dampers just work. Handling is better too in my opinion. It was good before but I notice less body lean. Not sure how the body lean is if the height were higher than stock though. But from my ownership experience I would say the entire MPP kit is great.

 

[Books]

See my post about this exact setup with the lift kit and the camber and toe arms. Only I have the "older" comfort adjustable kit known as the Hybrid setup. I also used the risers to keep the 'stock' ride height which basically means my installer set the dampers for a 1.75 inch drop I believe to equal out the difference of the risers. As I mentioned in my post, driving on local roads with known areas of bad bumps that really upset the ride is now a thing of the past. Now on the same areas of road I can simply ride straight ahead instead of swerving around them. In other words, if I always had the MPP setup from day one, owning my 2018 November build Tesla Model 3 LR AWD, I wouldn't have realized certain roads or areas on my commute were so bad. The new dampers just work. Handling is better too in my opinion. It was good before but I notice less body lean. Not sure how the body lean is if the height were higher than stock though. But from my ownership experience I would say the entire MPP kit is great.

Can you post a picture here?

Also awaiting feedback from the member who is installing the Redwood/Onlins. Recent F80/F82/F87 (BMW M3, m4, M2) owners have struggled with QC of the Ohlins Road & Track version so hoping this isn't the case with this Redwood setup.