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Air Suspension Longevity and Frequency of Use
- Thread starter peakay
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- Driving Dynamics Model S
It's also "active" in the sense it controls itself, in addition to your commands on the screen.
1. car will actively lower the ride height when certain speed thresholds are met... It will lower from "very high" to "high" first, when you get beyond "parking lot speeds". Then if you keep it up it will lower from "high" to "standard" when you hit street speed.
2. car will not ever raise itself from any setting, unless you tell it from the console first. And when you do, it becomes active in the sense that it remembers where you raised it so next time you're in the area (GPS remembers) the car WILL raise again to the non-standard height you picked there last time. So long as you're not exceeding the speed thresholds of (1).
3. you get to choose a "low" speed threshold as a setting.. for fast highway driving. At that speed, whenever you trip it, the car lowers itself. The places where this happens are NOT geo-located or remembered... so next time if you're driving through at sane speed the car will not lower itself.
4. finally, where you want to be "active" on the UI... punch any height you want and the car will do it... if the speed thresholds of item (1) are being exceeded, car will tell you that height is not available (greys it out on the UI I think, or a message).
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Yes, it did. Luckily I was driving very slowly in a queueing traffic and I had found a place to pull over. By the time I got out to check the car the front was totally collapsed.
TexasTeslaRacing
Member
I spoke too soon. Dropped off the car today because the air suspension was tuning on every 2-3 minutes. Looks like the left rear has some kind of leak or suspension issue. 2015 P85D with 31k miles.
youlikeadajuice
P 9130
TexasTeslaRacing
Member
Mainly the sound of the system inflating or deflating. Compressor will not turn on as frequently but still more than usual. The SC tech pointed out the left rear of the car is lower than it should be.
CAF
Member
Air suspension systems all fail eventually, often well before the end of the car's lifespan otherwise. You see a fair number of older Range Rovers sitting crooked on the road. Porsche Cayenne air suspensions, Mercedes; they all frequently fail given a few years and miles.
One problem is that every time the air is compressed, moisture precipitates in the system (it may be less of a problem in very dry climates). That moisture can cause failure of metal parts in the system, and the rubber parts wear out as well.
I'm sure Tesla uses the same components as these other manufacturers. Just be aware that if you hold on to your car long term, you may want to budget a big repair bill when (not if) the system fails.
One problem is that every time the air is compressed, moisture precipitates in the system (it may be less of a problem in very dry climates). That moisture can cause failure of metal parts in the system, and the rubber parts wear out as well.
I'm sure Tesla uses the same components as these other manufacturers. Just be aware that if you hold on to your car long term, you may want to budget a big repair bill when (not if) the system fails.
cheshire cat
Member
There you go. See the Firestone logo in the middle of the bottom sticker?
Car produced last week in December 2016, VIN indicates model year 2017 (code H)
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CAF
Member
Ha, you're quite right of course. No one with one post could possibly know anything about air suspension longevity. Clearly, with your 1491 posts, your knowledge is more than a thousand fold deeper!
Anyway, we don't know yet the long term durability of the Tesla air suspension system as the cars simply aren't old enough. The best we can do is extrapolate from similar systems on vehicles that have been out on the road for 6-10 years. Even making that comparison is difficult as the systems have hopefully evolved and improved over that time.
Regardless, I always go with the philosophy of "Enjoy the car first". Be aware of potential weak spots in design, but don't let that interfere with your enjoyment. I ordered our S with the standard suspension, but I did that mostly because I preferred the road feel. I certainly would advise most people to go with the air suspension if they like it. Chances are most people won't have the car long enough that long term reliability gets tested.
Yes, Firestone indeed! The air position sensors on my older car say Continental on them. I haven't really looked at the pistons themselves, but will. Maybe they are Firestone too... and Continental is supplying only the electronics.
I think because Tesla is not making the air suspension parts themselves (and only the user interface for adjusting them...) that reliability and longevity questions of the working parts can safely be pushed onto the makers of these parts and by looking at other similar cars that use them.
There must be lots of data on other car makes using same suppliers for air suspension parts... and would be a safe leap or extrapolation onto how well they'll hold up on Tesla as being "similar". Maybe the heaviness of Teslas warps the comparison so maybe we should compare only to the heaviest of cars and SUVs that use similar make air parts.
All I know from experience is that the air suspension has gotten me to the end of my warranty period without a hitch... so it's good for at least that long. I bought the car knowing this would be a maintenance part with a heavy price tag some day if/when they need replacement while I'm still owning the car. And I have a long term "hold" position on the car to use it up... so... you're right, time will tell!
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