sleepydoc
Well-Known Member
that was a pretty dramatic accident - I wouldn’t draw any conclusions at all from it. If the earlier post was correct and there were no significant injuries then that in and of itself is impressive.
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Comfort Suspension Not Much of an Improvement
- Thread starter Engi_Nerd
- Start date
We don't own a Model Y, but I am pretty keenly attuned to suspension settings (much to my wife's angst as I go on and on and on about NVH, etc.). Anyway, we have test driven a Model Y Performance in the past and even Turo'd a MYLR (w the 20" induction rims) for 2 days (put 200 miles on it). The MYP (2021?) I test drove was, well, not good with regard to suspension. I took it on my local "test roads" and it was almost comically bad...the washboard surface road really set off the boominess and buffeting and it just had an excessive amount of head toss and was just busy...fatiguing. The MYLR on 20s was driven a while later (still a year ago). It was definitely better than the MYP - still not great, but a decent notch better. At one point I hopped in the rear seat while my wife drove...yeah, not fun back there. The MYP has a lower suspension, but I think it is valved slightly firmer too - when you combine that with the 21s...well, not good.
Flash forward to this past weekend and I test drive a 2023 MYP (January build). I snapped a pick of the rear shock # and it was the latest "F" revision per the EPC catalog. It was still firm - really too firm and too busy. HOWEVER, on my "washboard surface test road" there was no denying it was better than the last MYP I drove. The old MYP just tossed and boomed/buffeted the whole time. The 2023, conversely, only did it on the worst sections (note: I even pulled over and quickly adjusted the hatch stops to try to get it a bit better - could not...only had a 30 minutes for test drive!). So, it does appear to be a noticeable amount better, but I could see where some people might not notice it unless you were doing some back to back tests on the same segments (or were obsessed with suspension feel like me). Tomorrow, I am scheduled to test drive again...but this time a 2023 MYLR with the 19" Gemini wheels - "theoretically" the smoothest combo. I say "theoretically" as tire pressure, tire compound, sidewall stiffness, etc. all come into play here. Indeed, I replaced the older DWS06 tires on our Volvo XC60 with the latest DWS06+ and it definitely feels smoother (admittedly, there is more new rubber there so....yeah...variables).
Finally, I have some similar experience with our Volvo XC60 R-Design. The Volvo had 17, 18, 19 and 20" wheel options. The R-Design had the 20" wheels and sport suspension. I knew right when we got it it rode too firm. After 90 days I had paid analyzed the ride to death and determined 90% of the problem was with the rear suspension. So, I ordered the base touring suspension rear springs and shocks, climbed underneath and swapped the sport springs/shocks for the base touring units...best....move...ever. Zero regrets. For those of you with older cars, no need to "buy a new one" IMO. If you do a test drive of a new one, I suggest finding a road near the test drive location that is marginal. Drive to the appointment in your Model Y, drive on that road, and then take the new car out on the same road for back-to-back comparison. IF you believe there is a decent difference, consider just buying new suspension components (struts, shocks, and springs) and swapping them over (or paying your favorite shop to - there is nothing Tesla specific in these parts of the car. Heck, I might even suggest starting with the REAR first and just do the shocks and springs (note: I am assuming Tesla changed the springs too...but it may have just been the dampers). You MYP guys can take it a step further if you are willing to give up the slight drop - you could put the regular dual motor shocks/springs in there (i.e. what I basically did on my Volvo).
Just my .02!
Flash forward to this past weekend and I test drive a 2023 MYP (January build). I snapped a pick of the rear shock # and it was the latest "F" revision per the EPC catalog. It was still firm - really too firm and too busy. HOWEVER, on my "washboard surface test road" there was no denying it was better than the last MYP I drove. The old MYP just tossed and boomed/buffeted the whole time. The 2023, conversely, only did it on the worst sections (note: I even pulled over and quickly adjusted the hatch stops to try to get it a bit better - could not...only had a 30 minutes for test drive!). So, it does appear to be a noticeable amount better, but I could see where some people might not notice it unless you were doing some back to back tests on the same segments (or were obsessed with suspension feel like me). Tomorrow, I am scheduled to test drive again...but this time a 2023 MYLR with the 19" Gemini wheels - "theoretically" the smoothest combo. I say "theoretically" as tire pressure, tire compound, sidewall stiffness, etc. all come into play here. Indeed, I replaced the older DWS06 tires on our Volvo XC60 with the latest DWS06+ and it definitely feels smoother (admittedly, there is more new rubber there so....yeah...variables).
Finally, I have some similar experience with our Volvo XC60 R-Design. The Volvo had 17, 18, 19 and 20" wheel options. The R-Design had the 20" wheels and sport suspension. I knew right when we got it it rode too firm. After 90 days I had paid analyzed the ride to death and determined 90% of the problem was with the rear suspension. So, I ordered the base touring suspension rear springs and shocks, climbed underneath and swapped the sport springs/shocks for the base touring units...best....move...ever. Zero regrets. For those of you with older cars, no need to "buy a new one" IMO. If you do a test drive of a new one, I suggest finding a road near the test drive location that is marginal. Drive to the appointment in your Model Y, drive on that road, and then take the new car out on the same road for back-to-back comparison. IF you believe there is a decent difference, consider just buying new suspension components (struts, shocks, and springs) and swapping them over (or paying your favorite shop to - there is nothing Tesla specific in these parts of the car. Heck, I might even suggest starting with the REAR first and just do the shocks and springs (note: I am assuming Tesla changed the springs too...but it may have just been the dampers). You MYP guys can take it a step further if you are willing to give up the slight drop - you could put the regular dual motor shocks/springs in there (i.e. what I basically did on my Volvo).
Just my .02!
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Why would you want a "comfort" suspension when you buy a "performance" car/suv/cuv??
Because most of the time spent driving is on poorly maintained roads, not a race track.
Mr. Wonderful
Member
I went ahead and ordered a MYP after owning a 2021 MYLR.
I don't think the suspension will be a concern here in FL on our mainly smooth roads.
My neighbor has a 2022 MYP and has no complaints.
I don't think the suspension will be a concern here in FL on our mainly smooth roads.
My neighbor has a 2022 MYP and has no complaints.
Buying a performance model does not mean you need to takt it to the track.
sleepydoc
Well-Known Member
I bought a long range car, not a performance car.
No, just an ‘I have some standards when it comes to ride’ edition.
But you do need to drive it on roads.
I am definitely considering the 18s, though a bit uncertain if the added sidewall could worsen the bounciness of the new comfort setup. The reduced cost of the smaller tires is also very appealing, considering how fast the Model Y smokes them.
I also haven't yet experimented with reduced PSI or new tires on the 19s. Going to Vredsteins aired down a few PSI markedly improved things on our 2021.
Most tesla tires last around 35k miles which is about normal range. It all depends on how you drive and road condition.
sleepydoc
Well-Known Member
Sorry if I mixed you up with other posters. Many people have tried to tell me and others "you bought a performance car. you should expect a harsh ride" and I was pointing out that that argument doesn't apply to the LR or 7 seat versions.
Just that fundamentally the Model Y is a passenger car that needs to handle roads, even if it's a MYP.
Ostrichsak
Well-Known Member
That's far too broad of a statement since there are so many variables but I'll just say in equally broad fashion: I've never got even half of those miles out of a set of tires on any of the Teslas that I've ever owned.
I didn’t go down the 18 inch wheel route because I thought that that would be is a little too much for my MYP.
On the flipside, I did grab a set of 20in Uber turbine wheels for the M3P.
Then, for giggles, I put the OEM 20 inch tires (Goodyear F1 asymmetric) on the car to see how it would handle, bumps, end, if the range would improve dramatically. (they’re really not awesome tires… But for the initial testing, they work pretty well.)
I found:
1) 30 miles better range
2) tires are slightly proud, preventing the wheels from being damaged if you hit a curb while parking, etc.
3) a dramatic improvement over hitting bumps and feeling every little thing in the road
i’m pondering getting the MPP suspension update….. which would pretty much round it all out
Holy crap you’re getting 35,000 miles out of a set of tires….
I get like 20 if I’m lucky
So as part 2 of my post above...
We test drove the 2023 Model Y Long Range with the smallest wheels (19” Geminis) and the “new for 2023 Comfort Suspension” – aka the latest suspension part number. We had Turo’d one with the 20” induction wheels back in 2021 for two days – so comparing to that and the 2023 Model Y Performance we drove on Saturday. Unlike the drive on Saturday though, we had a full hour this time around (back to back test drives scheduled)
The details (focusing mostly on the suspension):
- Power – So after 30 mph or so, the MYP and MYLR feel very similar power wise. Below 30 is where they MYP shines, but it feels less like a “power” difference per se and more like a very, very soft throttle map. It’s almost more annoying than just being “less power” as it feels totally artificial (like a really old school turbo lag where you wait and wait and wait….and then boom. I mean it’s fine of course and not a deal breaker for a MYLR (especially since freeway acceleration for passing feels about the same as a MYP), but I just wish it felt a little less obviously neutered.
- Suspension / Ride / NVH
- Compression - So, I only had to drive about 10 feet in the parking lot before I could tell the compression setting on the shocks was considerably softer than the performance suspension. To be clear, this was NOT just the tires. Yes, the low profile tires on the MYP certainly contributed to the transmission of more road surface info, BUT there was simply a much more gradual compression with more travel, etc. This translated into simply less "busyness" at low speeds and less head toss over surfaces that seemed fine. Also had less impact harshness on expansion cracks. After about 10 or 15 minutes of driving, I felt it drove a lot more like our Volvo XC60 (with Koni FSD in front, stock in back on 20s) than the MYP did…at least from a compression perspective. Unfortunately, it still showed a weakness…rebound
- Rebound - When hitting bumps (small or large) it just doesn’t settle on the rebound as quick as it should. There is no “one and done bounce” where it just takes a set after the initial rebound. So you end up with a bit of a “wallow” that is also somewhat annoying. The MYP had constant movement because of the “too stiff” compression, whereas the MYLR kept moving because the rebound is underdamped. On the freeway that translated to a bit too much uuuuupppp/dooooown....sure to be appreciated by parents of kids subject to motion sickness. Not terrible, but still a flaw.
- NVH – So, we drove it on my washboard surface “test road” and it had less of the boom/buffeting than the MYP but surprisingly not that much less. Heck, it may have been almost the same…ugh! Now, on any other surface we drove on it was tolerable…but still. I would definitely be heading down the same booming/buffeting rat hole again that I did with my Model S. At least the Model Y guys already have a giant thread on it (vacuum tubing in the hatch seal and the 3d printed hatch stops seems to be promising partial fixes).
- Performance Feel – So this one was a bit surprising and definitely a combination of the suspension and tires. The MYP felt connected to the road with the 21s – not as it “it is so stuck and rides on rails” junk but as in “I can tell exactly what these tires are doing and I feel no disconnect between the road surface and the wheel/seat” and "even movement of the pedal or wheel directly translates to immediate movement of the car. The low profile performance tires combined with the firm compression setting shows here. When you hit that throttle on the MYP, it was just there and you knew what the car was doing. The MYLR was a surprise in that it felt noticeably more disconnected…much moreso than I would have imagined had I not test driven them so closely together. It isn’t some terrible mess or anything, but an obvious delta.
- Summary – Both of the comfort versions of the latest suspensions (performance and regular) are better than their predecessors and both still have drawbacks. In reality, the base suspension is simply better for most people in most situations and I might be inclined to lean toward that suspension overall (and just be a bit sad about the disconnected feeling). If I purchased a new MYP, I would probably try to “live with” the new comfort performance suspension for a while to see if I could get used to it, BUT I also would consider swapping in the base suspension and hope the 21s/performance tires would help walk a middle line on the whole “connected” feeling. Swapping to the 19s on the performance suspension probably won’t result in a ton of ride quality improvement (IMO). I would also start at the rear first (like I did with our Volvo).
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