Canyon carving set up? M3 LR AWD

[Mrbattery123]

Hello, Anyone else love canyon carving?
Used to do it all the time in my AMG. I want to start setting up the tesla to be a bit more enjoyable.

Should I get the Eibach pro-plus kit which includes lowering springs & front, rear sway bars?

Also I do want some performance tires, but i heard they decrease range quite a bit. Is this true?

Any other mod recommendations?

 

[XLR82XS]

I do! I have the Eibach pro-kit and it's great - factory sway bars though. The stickier the tire compound (i.e. summer only) the more range takes a hit.
There are plenty of thread here on this subject - search is your friend.

 

[Vines]

For some perfect street tires look no further than the factory 20" Michelin P4S in 235/35-20-TO. Hugely sticky when pushed hard, awesome in the rain, and expensive. They actually last pretty long even when abused. Penalty is about 40-60 wh/mile

As far as the suspension setup, the pro-kit might do you quite well, or even better a matched set of springs and struts.

I recently put the MPP sport adjustable kit on my car, and its amazing how much better it handles, even from P3D+ spec. Its remarkably compliant still for what it does.

 

[Skione65]

For some perfect street tires look no further than the factory 20" Michelin P4S in 235/35-20-TO. Hugely sticky when pushed hard, awesome in the rain, and expensive. They actually last pretty long even when abused. Penalty is about 40-60 wh/mile

As far as the suspension setup, the pro-kit might do you quite well, or even better a matched set of springs and struts.

I recently put the MPP sport adjustable kit on my car, and its amazing how much better it handles, even from P3D+ spec. Its remarkably compliant still for what it does.

^^^^This! Mich PS4S Summers and NEVER look back. Awesome tire. Hands DOWN! Enjoy!

Ski

 

[ULEWZ]

Hello, Anyone else love canyon carving?
Used to do it all the time in my AMG. I want to start setting up the tesla to be a bit more enjoyable.

Should I get the Eibach pro-plus kit which includes lowering springs & front, rear sway bars?

Also I do want some performance tires, but i heard they decrease range quite a bit. Is this true?

Any other mod recommendations?

I have no experience with the Eiback products, but I do with the MPP Sport Coilovers. They transform the car. Trying to drive Little T fast with my stock Model 3 Performance was not fun. Wallowed in the corners and felt very unsettling. Not so anymore with the MPPs. I am also a huge Michelin PS4 fan, and have run them on since they came out. Love the grip and handling. I have traveled to Post Falls Idaho and Austin Tx with those tires, and I made it to each supercharger no problem, so the range is not an issue for me. Try limiting your stops to under 200 miles and you will be fine (that is doing 80+ where the range takes a serious hit). I am a former Corvette owner and I hit the canyons at least once per month leading a bunch of Corvettes, and other cars like a Viper. When the Granada Hills supercharger opens, we can meet there and hit the twisties. Most of the good roads are within 15 miles of this location.

 

[Mrbattery123]

I have no experience with the Eiback products, but I do with the MPP Sport Coilovers. They transform the car. Trying to drive Little T fast with my stock Model 3 Performance was not fun. Wallowed in the corners and felt very unsettling. Not so anymore with the MPPs. I am also a huge Michelin PS4 fan, and have run them on since they came out. Love the grip and handling. I have traveled to Post Falls Idaho and Austin Tx with those tires, and I made it to each supercharger no problem, so the range is not an issue for me. Try limiting your stops to under 200 miles and you will be fine (that is doing 80+ where the range takes a serious hit). I am a former Corvette owner and I hit the canyons at least once per month leading a bunch of Corvettes, and other cars like a Viper. When the Granada Hills supercharger opens, we can meet there and hit the twisties. Most of the good roads are within 15 miles of this location.

Good to know. I haven't been to Little T in a while, and mostly prefer roads like ACH, Big T, Mulholland. Ever since I got rid of my AMG, I've been canyon carving on my sport bike. I do believe the Tesla can handle well with the right mods. I hope they do open more superchargers in the Valley! They're neglecting us here. The great thing about Malibu is that they have a supercharger down there as well for post canyon charging. My car has been in the bodyshop for over a month now getting repaired from a hit & run to the rear fender. I'm interested in some Tesla group ride in the canyons!

 

[vogz]

Don't waste your time with lowering springs only if you are actually interested in improved handling OP. The spring rate of the Eibachs will not be well matched to the factory dampers. A good set of dual adjustable coilovers like the MPP sports and good tires are all you really need for canyon carving. Transforms the car.

 

[ULEWZ]

Good to know. I haven't been to Little T in a while, and mostly prefer roads like ACH, Big T, Mulholland. Ever since I got rid of my AMG, I've been canyon carving on my sport bike. I do believe the Tesla can handle well with the right mods. I hope they do open more superchargers in the Valley! They're neglecting us here. The great thing about Malibu is that they have a supercharger down there as well for post canyon charging. My car has been in the bodyshop for over a month now getting repaired from a hit & run to the rear fender. I'm interested in some Tesla group ride in the canyons!

Little T is only 15 min from my house, so I use it for testing suspension bits. Lots of undulations, and very tight. I avoid Malibu like the plague due to the millions of bicycle riders two and three abreast, sportbike riders riding over their heads crossing over the double yellow (I was a fast sportbike rider for years, so I should know), and the high quantity of LEOs, but the roads are fantastic. I think it will be difficult to get more than a couple of Tesla twisty drivers to join in, but you never know. Favorite runs are:
Little T, Lower Big T, Bouquet Canyon, Spunky Canyon, Angeles forest, ACH, 9 mile (upper big T), Soledad canyon, Aliso Canyon, San Francisquito Canyon, Lake Hughes, Hwy 33, hwy 150, Cerro Noroeste past Pine Mountain (my favorite, but a long day).

 

[Kimmi]

I will add Glendora Ridge Road to your list.

 

[MoreAgain]

When you are down south don't miss S6 (South Grade Rd.) up Palomar. I'd much rather go out alone or in a very small group for the open road though. I joined a local car club up it recently and even with my RWD on mild springs I had to keep stopping to get some space to play. Agree with all the comments on c/o vs. springs, definitely the better way to go.

 

[ULEWZ]

When you are down south don't miss S6 (South Grade Rd.) up Palomar. I'd much rather go out alone or in a very small group for the open road though. I joined a local car club up it recently and even with my RWD on mild springs I had to keep stopping to get some space to play. Agree with all the comments on c/o vs. springs, definitely the better way to go.

Parades are not my thing. We meet at the stop signs, and never start a new direction without waiting for the back markers. Never Gone towards San Diego way, but have had a few corvette friends show up for our roads.

 

[jbarnette]

My RWD LR Model 3 on MPP sport coil overs feels great on Old Spicewood Springs Rd. or Lime Creek Rd. near Austin. My prior cars are 6MT Sport package BMW 335i and 535i (still have as old BMW depreciation exceeds the grin factor and non-M BMWs no longer feel the road). The Model 3 both is more powerful and handles better.

 

[ST3LLA]

Wanted to check in and see if you went the route of springs or coil overs? I am currently in the market to upgrade the way my ’21 M3LR sits and initially looked at springs because of cost but it sounds like if you want to ACTUALLY improve performance, coil overs is the way to go?

 

[tm1v2]

Wanted to check in and see if you went the route of springs or coil overs? I am currently in the market to upgrade the way my ’21 M3LR sits and initially looked at springs because of cost but it sounds like if you want to ACTUALLY improve performance, coil overs is the way to go?

@ST3LLA Given how underdampened the 2021 Model 3 feels in hard canyon driving, with the weight bouncing and shifting and never settling down, it's hard to imagine changing springs alone will fix that.

Redwood Ohlins DFV in "Performance Sport" transformed the handling of my 2021 M3P. I set mine to about stock M3P height, I need my ground clearance, but you can lower of course if you want. The MPP FLCA bearings were a worthy upgrade too. The steering feel and response in high speed turns is excellent now, so much better than the slow, rubbery reactions it had stock.

I have a stark memory of being behind an obviously lowered Model 3 on the highway right after I installed my coilovers, wondering what their suspension setup was. Then we went over some dips and I saw their butt bouncingg...pretty sure that was lowering springs on the stock dampers.

If you just want to lower for looks, sure use lowering springs, obviously much cheaper, but if you want a handling upgrade I wouldn't bother.