Anyone tried the Unplugged Performance Air Struts for Model S?

[Aggmeister2010]

Hey All,

My Model S has that annoying front air suspension noise that so many have complained about at low speeds.

Below about 30 mph, it sounds like something's loose Tesla had a service bulletin that was supposed to fix it by replacing the front air struts, but it just returns after a couple of days. From the research I've done, no one has been able to specifically point out what causes it.

I've inspected the front suspension a bunch of times and can't find any worn/torn bushings, loose components, or anything that would rub. My thought is that it could be something within the air struts themselves.

Here's a sample from someone else:

I noticed Unplugged Performance has aftermarket air shocks to replace the factory units, and while I'm sure they handle better, I'm curious if anyone has purchased them and found them to fix the annoying rattling noise in the pre-raven air suspension. Here's the system:

Plug-n-Play High-Performance Shocks for Air Suspension for Tesla Model S - Unplugged Performance

 

[beatle]

It would be nice if they said how they compared to the dampers that were installed on the performance plus suspension. Also, they say the valving is user adjustable, but they don't say how. I don't see any knobs. Maybe there is a slot at the top of the shaft to turn it and adjust the valving? It's also not clear what adjustment they do - if it's compression and rebound with one adjustment or if it's individual.

For wanting to sell a very expensive set of shocks, they don't offer much info about them.

 

[UnpluggedP]

@Aggmeister2010

It seems like this problem is pretty well documented on earlier cars as we've heard of it a few times before. We have yet to experience it ourselves on any cars so it's hard to predict exactly what the underlying issue is. From what we've heard, Tesla is working on a fix but nothing is available at the moment. We can't guarantee our shocks would fix the rattle, but it would certainly help improve the handling!

If your car is under warranty, we would recommend waiting until they can have a permanent solution to fix it. Feel free to check out our install manual if you want a better look at what's inside the suspension assembly.

Model S - Plug-n-Play High-Performance Shocks for Air Suspension Installation Guide - Unplugged Performance

 

[UnpluggedP]

It would be nice if they said how they compared to the dampers that were installed on the performance plus suspension. Also, they say the valving is user adjustable, but they don't say how. I don't see any knobs. Maybe there is a slot at the top of the shaft to turn it and adjust the valving? It's also not clear what adjustment they do - if it's compression and rebound with one adjustment or if it's individual.

For wanting to sell a very expensive set of shocks, they don't offer much info about them.

These shocks have an adjustment knob at the top of the shaft that allows you to dial in the firmness. Since this knob is not exposed once installed inside the assembly, it won't be as easy to adjust once it is set and installed. You can see in figure 14 of the install manual (posted above) how the knob looks. This knob controls both compression and rebound simultaneously to give the correct balance.

On the softest setting, the car will have a ride similar to stock, while the firmest settings can be comparable to a race coilover. We recommend somewhere in the middle for most people.

Feel free to read a recent review and let us know if you have questions!

Performance Shocks

 

[Aggmeister2010]

@Aggmeister2010

It seems like this problem is pretty well documented on earlier cars as we've heard of it a few times before. We have yet to experience it ourselves on any cars so it's hard to predict exactly what the underlying issue is. From what we've heard, Tesla is working on a fix but nothing is available at the moment. We can't guarantee our shocks would fix the rattle, but it would certainly help improve the handling!

If your car is under warranty, we would recommend waiting until they can have a permanent solution to fix it. Feel free to check out our install manual if you want a better look at what's inside the suspension assembly.

Model S - Plug-n-Play High-Performance Shocks for Air Suspension Installation Guide - Unplugged Performance

I repaired the issue with my 'suspension' - actually ended up being the inner brake pad rattling around on both sides.

So, now I'm in the position where my stock suspension works fine, bushings are in good shape, but the car just feels unbalanced - especially the rear. In turns it feels like it's just floating around and doesn't recover well....like a 70's Cadillac. I'm looking into buying your replacement dampers to resolve that.

Question, though - the "specialized tool" that you mention in the installation guide - looks to be a 36mm socket with some slots drilled into it for a weird nut on top of the strut. I can see that being necessary for the 2012-2016 where the air inlet is on the side - what about the 2016-2020 where it's on the top? If so, is something like that commercially available somewhere? Doesn't seem to hard to make if necessary, but if I can spend a few bucks and avoid cutting up a 36mm socket, that'd be nice.

 

[Aggmeister2010]

@UnpluggedP - More specifically, the 2016-2020 struts (at least the fronts, I haven't removed the rears) have a different air line connection:

Is the process to somehow remove that plastic/rubber insert and then there's a 17mm nut underneath? I'm not clear on the disassembly process for that style of strut that doesn't just have a castle nut on the top.