Any regrets lowering/upgrading suspension on your M3P?

[GJunior]

Still on the fence on going to coilovers for aesthetics/daily driving performance on my 2022 M3P.
A slightly lower stance and stiffer suspension seems like it would take this car to the next level as far as looks/fun but for $5K + if you add all the other bits (solid bushings, camber arms, etc.) is not as easy a decision.
Electrical engineer by trade and very analytical.
I have to look at things 1000 different ways before I make a decision.

Really just putting out feelers to get a bit more input to push me in one direction or the other.

 

[SBD47]

No regrets. That being said, there are a number of different options and I would encourage doing your research to decide which is the best for you and your desired outcome. IMO, the stock suspension is one of the few shortcomings of the M3P, and quality coilovers can really take it to the next level in handling performance and looks/stance.

 

[GJunior]

Crickets. I guess my thinking is, if comfort wise, it is similar to stock, other than the aesthetic benefit of lowering (which may be enough), do you even notice the performance benefits if not tracking the car? Is it noticeable even during normal driving or only during more spirited/canyon driving or when pushing the car to it's limits?
Maybe the car feeling more planted even under normal driving conditions is a noticeable difference/improvement.
That's what I'm curious about.

 

[Lindenwood]

I went from factory 2022 M3P suspension, to lowered on H&R coils, to MPP Comfort Adjustables (with lots of other MPP goodies).

Lowered on coils only didn’t really change the handling characteristics because it kept the same under-damped shocks. And, while not significant, it did ride tougher, especially over larger bumps.

However, going to the MPP Coilovers made a substantial difference in cornering over imperfect terrain because the car doesn’t get unsettled like it used to. I genuinely gained 20% in maximum cornering forces on a 270-degree off-ramp in my commute, where I went from maxing out at 53mph before getting uneasy, to 58mph with the all-season tires becoming the limit.

Of course, as you mentioned, I am not sure full Coilovers would be truly worth it for just looks and the occasional spirited highway ramp. I did all of my mods for racing (but still picked the Comforts as a still-better compromise for daily driving and road trips).

 

[superflyrolla]

Personally, and this is a very personal topic that varies from person to person, I wouldn't touch the suspension if you're not racing. I spend way more time driving over potholes, big cracks in the concrete, gravel, and speed bumps than I get to "carve" fun smooth roads. I attended 30 autocross events this year and that's what makes the $5k in mods you mention worthwhile.

 

[RoadSoda]

Personally, and this is a very personal topic that varies from person to person, I wouldn't touch the suspension if you're not racing. I spend way more time driving over potholes, big cracks in the concrete, gravel, and speed bumps than I get to "carve" fun smooth roads. I attended 30 autocross events this year and that's what makes the $5k in mods you mention worthwhile.

What setup do you have? I’m considering overhauling the suspension on my M3P and have been running autoX in SS

 

[golfcart]

Zero regrets. I’m running MPP comfort non-adjustables lowered about 30mm from stock. Car looks great and rides great. Of course there is a cost to do this and you may void certain parts of your warranty so you need to consider that… but no regrets about how it rides or looks.

 

[dsgerbc]

What setup do you have? I’m considering overhauling the suspension on my M3P and have been running autoX in SS

Come here.

I just went back from Ohlins coilovers and a bunch of stiffer bushings to the OEM setup for winter and a possible sale/trade-in early next year. The handling is much degraded, but I still gotta get an alignment. I'll report back.

 

[tm1v2]

Only regret is the usual downside of modding - I'm obviously not going to drop it at Tesla and say "make it right" + "give me a loaner" for any suspension issues. Need to fix it myself or take it to an independent shop. Tesla service was totally cool about the coilovers when I took it in for an unrelated issue though (in kind of a "don't ask, don't tell" way - but they had the coilovers in their face, for sure they saw them).

I stayed very close to my 2021 M3P's stock height though, maybe 2-3mm lower after settling. I believe that puts me up to 13mm lower than your 2022 M3P though. Ground clearance feels limited over steep driveways but angle carefully and it's fine. My wife and I share this car though, and when I mentioned I could raise the suspension a bit, she said she'd like that, so I probably will next time I get it aligned. She's gotten pretty good at angling it but would rather not have to.

Speed bumps are no problem at my car's height, I can even take them very fast if I want to (which I usually don't).

Suspension compression travel in the rear already felt very limited stock on this car, so it's still limited now on the coilovers, no significant difference that I can feel from the driver's seat. The rear would bottom out easily stock and still does, but it's actually a much smoother experience now on the coilovers.

I should emphasize that more: The coilovers handle big dips and bumps MUCH better than stock! Way smoother and better controlled when driving fast over the really rough stuff. When creeping along real slow like 20 mph on city streets you can tell my springs are firmer for sure, but it's fine. As speeds increase the ride on my car gets better and actually becomes better than a stock Model 3. I do have louder impact sound though compared to a stock M3LR, from my performance tires + pillowball top hats.

Handling is in a different world from stock.

 

[Mash]

Stock is underdumped and going with lowering springs exacerbates the problem. MPP fixes it without any drawbacks. You will get much less improvement/cost from anything else.

Lower front control arm bushings as a second most influential upgrade would remove rubbery feeling from the steering, but it will make it harder to maintain straight line driving at high speed, because steering becomes super sensitive on top of aggressive stock steering ratio.

I don't think that you need anything else if you don't track a car.

And if you do, you need different size wheels, different compound tires, proper BBK, upper control arms, harder springs, 4pt harness and rear anti sway bar. Optionally you would want everything else that makes it easier to fix alignment and exchange rubber bushings to balls, so there goes the rest of MPP stuff. You would want cooling to stay longer on track, aero to be more stable and turn faster. And you would hate those comfortable seats which don't have side support at all.

 

[Godmode]

no regrets, a little bumpy sometimes

 

[SK360]

No regrets. I've driven a 2021 Performance and a 2018 LR AWD as Service loaners in the last 2 months and they were pretty depressing and dreadful to drive compared to what I am used to. Makes me appreciate my setup even more.

 

[stevehifi]

Still on the fence on going to coilovers for aesthetics/daily driving performance on my 2022 M3P.
A slightly lower stance and stiffer suspension seems like it would take this car to the next level as far as looks/fun but for $5K + if you add all the other bits (solid bushings, camber arms, etc.) is not as easy a decision.
Electrical engineer by trade and very analytical.
I have to look at things 1000 different ways before I make a decision.

Really just putting out feelers to get a bit more input to push me in one direction or the other.

it depends if you're pre-disposed to adjusting/working on cars. Once you start down the mod path you can get addicted pretty quick and find ways to justify changing every aspect of the car.

The car as is pretty capable as is, if you're just driving on the street just get a set of MPP comfort coilovers to improve the ride quality and lower the car a bit.

 

[MasterC17]

As others have mentioned, even for street-only driving I think coilovers are a very worthwhile investment. The stock suspension on the Model 3 (and Y) is pretty underwhelming - you will definitely notice the difference on the street. Not only does it ride nicer, but the handling improves quite a bit as well. No regrets here - I've put MPP Coilovers on all four on my Tesla's (this might be the addiction problem @stevehifi mentioned)!

I will say though for the cars that primarily see the street I don't lower them much at all - our roads are pretty bad so it's not worth worrying about potholes, snow, etc.

 

[tm1v2]

@GJunior I rode in a 2022 or 2021 Model 3 Lyft/Uber the other day and it reconfirmed all my past impressions. Was on local roads only, no highway, but roads I know well and drive on frequently.

The stock 2021+ Model 3 ride is...fine...I never had any big ride quality complaints, and still don't...but it's truly nothing special. My "Performance Sport" coilovers with significantly stiffer springs and worlds better damping control truly ride as well or better in most situations. Only crawling at maybe 15-20mph did the stock suspension feel a little smoother I think. But even then it wasn't a big difference. 30+ mph and if anything my car rides better, even in casual driving. (In hard fast driving my car is night-and-day better than stock, I know that well. )

And again my Redwood Motorsports "Performance Sport" Ohlins DFV coilovers are on the firmer, sportier side compared to the "GT" and "Comfort" kits that many here go for. (Which are great choices too - how firm one should go is all personal preference and how you'll use the car. I wanted proper sports sedan handling without messing up the ride - so not track/racing stiff - and that's exactly what I got.)

I will say impact noise is a bit louder in my car than that stock Model 3. Which makes sense, as my performance tires are louder than normal Model 3 tires, and I replaced several rubber bushings with sphericals (Redwood pillowball top hats, MPP FLCA bearings). Those bushing upgrades I did are totally optional, you can keep all your stock bushings if you want for zero noise impact (including stock top hats). Though I think the FLCA bearings are totally worth it for anyone getting any kind of coilovers on this car. For the pillowballs, my default recommendation is only if you're going to track the car, or autocross, or something like that. The added NVH from them is minimal, but it is not zero, and objectively they are probably overkill for just street use. I wanted them anyways and have no regrets so far.



Edit: I'll also mention that from memory the stock suspension is smoother over wavy sections of highway than my Performance Sport coilovers, which tend to just follow the waves up and down, whereas stock is able to partially float over them, effectively reducing the amplitude. I think how my coilovers behave there is better for handling, but not as good for ride, in that particular situation. It's the only other situation, besides crawling over bad pavement at very low speeds, where I feel like stock suspension clears rides better.

Edit #2: Adjustable damper settings make a huge difference in these ride comparisons of course. All of my comparisons in this thread so far are with my dampers set halfway stiff (16 of 32 clicks from full stiff), which my wife likes, and is a nice Goldilocks setting for daily use. I also use 2/3rds stiff (11 of 32 clicks from full stiff) regularly, but it's a bit too firm for my wife, she doesn't like the ride in that setting on city streets and felt the steering responded too quickly as a driver!

 

[miss demeanor]

Went full air suspension, no regrets yet, can drive low on good roads, air up for hills / speed bumps, and hard park when stationary!

 

[BigNick]

Went full air suspension, no regrets yet, can drive low on good roads, air up for hills / speed bumps, and hard park when stationary!


View attachment 872964

(Yes, I'm old.)

 

[Ohdoomed]

2021 P3D here. MPP sport coilovers and MPP lower control arm bushings.

I thought about doing coilovers since 2018 ( I had a 2019 P3D previously. No regrets. If you value handling feel and confidence, as well as getting the most enjoyment from your investments, pull the trigger. A good alignment shop / person is ideal to get to the feel you prefer.
I have my settings pretty stiff currently and the only draw back would be a “stiffer” ride in some people opinions, from what I read. I personally don’t mind it. Handling on even the “softer setup” is way better than stock. In all aspects including smoothing small bump compliance.
My only regret is not documenting the swap and labeling oem hardware better. I thought of this when realizing I would likely swap back to oem when I swap cars down the line.

 

[tm1v2]

My only regret is not documenting the swap and labeling oem hardware better. I thought of this when realizing I would likely swap back to oem when I swap cars down the line.

@Ohdoomed The parts catalog might help with figuring out where OEM parts go, or for looking up any OEM parts you might be missing.

Though if the issue is reassembling the front top hat, parts catalog might not be of much use there, since I think Tesla lists each coilover as a whole preassembled unit.

If photo references or example part numbers from a 2021 M3P would help let me know, I still have my original suspension stashed away and the fronts are fully assembled, never taken apart, since I went for aftermarket top hats.

 

[Ohdoomed]

Much appreciated!