Air Suspension

[nate704]

Spoiler: yours does too. You just don’t know it because you’ve been bombing around in a VW Golf.

The Model S doesn’t have coil suspension any longer so there is no way to compare apples to apples unless you go back to 2015. Why do you suppose that is? I’ll tell you, again, it’s because the coils sucked.

Not sure if you are trolling or not at this point. I feel like I am talking to a wall. Let me tell you again. Yes, your MY sucked so was your MS,.
If you believe the current MY/MYP rides the same as your old/sold MY, you need to come out of your hole and learn first what is going on now.

 

[glide]

Not sure if you are trolling or not at this point. I feel like I am talking to a wall. Let me tell you again. Yes, your MY sucked so was your MS,.
If you believe the current MY/MYP rides the same as your old/sold MY, you need to come out of your hole and learn first what is going on now.

I had a 2021 MY. Let me know what has changed WRT suspension. Part numbers are still the same in the EPC…so I’m looking forward to it.

Not sure how you know that my MS suspension sucks, but apparently you do. Okay.

So I guess you’re the one guy on the planet that has decent suspension on their MY. And I’m the one guy on the planet that has terrible air suspension.

Maybe you should drive a variety of vehicles that aren’t entry-level and report back. Mmmmmkay?

 

[bobbyjae]

The air suspension on my X5 plug-in hybrid is superior to my MY.

 

[nate704]

I had a 2021 MY. Let me know what has changed WRT suspension. Part numbers are still the same in the EPC…so I’m looking forward to it.

Not sure how you know that my MS suspension sucks, but apparently you do. Okay.

So I guess you’re the one guy on the planet that has decent suspension on their MY. And I’m the one guy on the planet that has terrible air suspension.

Maybe you should drive a variety of vehicles that aren’t entry-level and report back. Mmmmmkay?

It is actually the other way around. Do you know how many people come here complain about the ride quality? maybe 10 or so (the usual suspects like yourself).
Do you also know how many MY/MYPs sold so far in the world? over 500k deliveries of MY/MYP.
So, if you see only 10 or so people complain about "their issues" with the car, does that make them the majority? If the suspension of MY/MYP is garbage, why there is more than a year of waiting list?

 

[nate704]

The air suspension on my X5 plug-in hybrid is superior to my MY.

Does that mean your MY is "garbage"?

 

[Watts_Up]

For those air suspension fan bois out there and claiming how horrible MY's (especially MYP) coil suspension set up is and blaming lack of air suspension set up.

âï¸ Lucid Air with NO air suspension

60 seconds · Clipped by Nathan Kim · Original video "Elon said itâs a dumpster fire. We will find out for you" by Rich Rebuilds

youtube.com

In this above video, @26:13, there is a description of the Lucid Air three suspension modes: "smooth swift and sprint".

There is something similar for the Golf R and the GTI that @nate704 mentioned earlier.

So should adding electronically controlled dampers could improve the Model Y ride like the Lucid Air (with no air suspension) provides?

 

[bobbyjae]

Does that mean your MY is "garbage"?

No, it's decent on smoothly paved roads. It could be improved for other types.

Why do you think so many MY owners switch out their suspensions?

 

[glide]

It is actually the other way around. Do you know how many people come here complain about the ride quality? maybe 10 or so (the usual suspects like yourself).
Do you also know how many MY/MYPs sold so far in the world? over 500k deliveries of MY/MYP.
So, if you see only 10 or so people complain about "their issues" with the car, does that make them the majority? If the suspension of MY/MYP is garbage, why there is more than a year of waiting list?

No one said it wasn’t a popular car. But the suspension is the weak point. All major publication reviewers agree.

No one praises the suspension. No one. Except coil fanbois, I guess.

 

[jcanoe]

Maybe Tesla will release adaptive suspension or air suspension for the Model Y when they start to lose sales to other premium and luxury brands. The other guys have decades of experience making their vehicles ride smoothly on smooth as well as not so smooth roads.

 

[73Bruin]

Maybe Tesla will release adaptive suspension or air suspension for the Model Y when they start to lose sales to other premium and luxury brands. The other guys have decades of experience making their vehicles ride smoothly on smooth as well as not so smooth roads.

My parents 72 Chevrolet Caprice had a smooth ride, but it was a boat. A smooth ride while nice is not a major factor in my auto purchasing decisions.

 

[jcanoe]

My parents 72 Chevrolet Caprice had a smooth ride, but it was a boat. A smooth ride while nice is not a major factor in my auto purchasing decisions.

My 2020 LRMY rides smoothly at 70 MPH on a smooth road, like a dream. The smooth ride disappears as soon as the road surface becomes uneven. I mostly drive on local roads, under 45 MPH. I drive one particular local road twice daily, perhaps 1/4 mile in total length. Half of the road in each direction has been fully resurfaced, the other half has been patched and repaired over many years. Even at speeds under 30 MPH the difference in ride quality is immediately noticeable. After turning onto the unrepaired portion of the road I can't wait to reach the resurfaced part of the drive.

 

[nate704]

Maybe Tesla will release adaptive suspension or air suspension for the Model Y when they start to lose sales to other premium and luxury brands. The other guys have decades of experience making their vehicles ride smoothly on smooth as well as not so smooth roads.

I agree. It will be a good addition with higher price tag. Tesla has been selling MYs for 2 years and M3s for 4-5 years now with the same coil spring setup and still demand is through the roof with a year wait time. I don't think it is an issue with the majority.

 

[bobbyjae]

My 2020 LRMY rides smoothly at 70 MPH on a smooth road, like a dream. The smooth ride disappears as soon as the road surface becomes uneven. I mostly drive on local roads, under 45 MPH. I drive one particular local road twice daily, perhaps 1/4 mile in total length. Half of the road in each direction has been fully resurfaced, the other half has been patched and repaired over many years. Even at speeds under 30 MPH the difference in ride quality is immediately noticeable. After turning onto the unrepaired portion of the road I can't wait to reach the resurfaced part of the drive.

This is exactly my experience as well. Smooth like butter on well groomed, paved roads. Once I hit patchy roads, especially found in cities, it's quite jarring.

I've driven BMW M series and Porsches in the past. Even though their suspensions are stiff, the impact is diffused a bit on rougher areas. With the MY, you feel everything and not in a good way.

 

[_Redshift_]

This is all about ride and handling compromise.

Prior to 2011, most all BMWs had a very nice balance between ride and handling. Sporty, but would not be overly harsh on rough roads and potholes.

Prior to the Model 3, even Tesla engineers talked about ride and handling balance. One of the engineers, for example talked about ‘neck snatch’ to describe how anti-roll bars actually induce roll! Enthusiasts will know what he was talking about.

Nowadays, ride and handling compromise is relegated to the forgotten bin gathering dust on a shelf in the corner of the engineering workshop.

Model 3 and Y are no exception. While the suspension is sporty and firm, it is harsh and overly busy. Every single imperfection on the road is telegraphed. That is NOT the right way to do a sport suspension. It is the LAZY way of doing sport suspensions (check out most Nissans, they do the same). Anyone can make a car handle sporty by simply stiffening the suspension, and have beefy anti roll bars. It’s the ride that suffers.

I do have a slight trick to soften my Model 3’s ride a bit without losing the sportiness. I pump my tires to 36 PSI, which makes them slightly soft and takes a bit of the edge off. However that will result in some lost range, which I don’t mind, around town. For long distance journeys, I pump them back to 42 PSI and suffer the jouncy ride.

 

[beemerphile]

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ad nau·se·am /ad ˈnôzēəm/ adverb. ...referring to something that has been done or repeated so often that it has become annoying or tiresome.

 

[jcanoe]

Since Tesla employees are known to read TMC and other forums it never hurts to keep asking.

 

[RPM51]

Then, hang out at the MS forum, not here.

I came from 2018 Golf R, 2018 M3 (BMW M3, not Model 3) with competition pkg. My MYP rides much softer than these two.

You need to know what you are talking about. You are talking about the comfort with cushy and very soft wobbly ride, which MY/MYP is not designed for.

I am sure the coil spring Lucid Air has much more comfortable and better ride quality than your precious air suspension MS.

I have owned the same vehicles (different years), among many other cars used on tracks over the years. My 2022 MYP is also fine around town and has a better ride than the other german performance cars I’ve owned.

 

[sleepydoc]

No not correct.
My point, which you still don't get it, is that the air suspension is not the answer for all. Whenever you see any "MY/MYP/M3 suspension sucks" post, you will see those "horrible ride" people blaming the coil spring suspension set up and cry for the air suspension.
All you need is proper damping and spring rate set up, and you cannot have both comfort and sports. simple physics.

That's why I linked the YouTube (which is not even my video video) and didn't even claim that “Air suspension bad, coil suspension good”.

At this point, I am not even sure if you are trying to argue just to argue.

So, assuming the Lucid air suspension is stellar, all it proves is that it's possible to get a good ride in a heavy car with springs. "All you need is proper damping and spring rate set up." Ok. Great. it still doesn't change the fact that the Model Y suspension sucks. It simply means that it unnecessarily sucks because Tesla didn't spend the money or time to get good quality components and tune them properly.

Is that your point?

As far as "you cannot have both comfort and sports. simple physics." The Model S plaid would seem to belie that. Of course it uses an air suspension, so maybe that's it? But then that would negate your point that the air suspension is unnecessary. In any case you seem to be painting yourself into a corner.

 

[Whtrbt7]

There are aftermarket air suspension kits for the model Y if you want to add it. I think most people would do it for a lower stance though instead of smoother ride. I wonder if there is a lift kit for the MY for off-roading. Imagine being able to hop curbs and boulders. That said, the suspension in the MYP feels pretty good. It’s sporty without being overly rough at higher speeds. It’s not really a luxury sedan type of vehicle so I’m not expecting a completely quiet cabin and extremely smooth ride. The rear seats and wheelbase are also not long enough for a luxury chauffeured sedan type of vehicle. If I wanted that, they make the Maybachs and Phantoms for that purpose. It’s only a matter of time before they make an electric one.