Deciding on air suspension

[jcaspar]

I went with coils and am glad I did. I prefer a better handling car without the cushiness of air suspension and don't mind a little road feel. Realize that unless you actively raise the suspension, you are MORE likely to scrape with air as the standard ride height is lower. My driveway has a steep lip a the curb. My Viper took careful maneuvering to not scrape. My friends air suspension car scarped but my coil car does not.
The air definitely has a coolness factor that alone is nearly worth the cost.

 

[mspohr]

Wow! Talk about a split decision. One question that remains, although mentioned in one of the responses, is the after-warranty costs for maintenance/repairs. Does anyone have an idea what a trip to the service center for air suspension issues will cost on average?

I haven't heard of air suspension failures and they would still be under warranty so don't know about costs.
I have heard of other cars (notably Land Rovers) which have had expensive failures. However, recently browsing through a Land Rover catalog, I noticed replacement air bladders for only about $200 so I think prices have come down if it does come to that. Hopefully the technology has improved (or it could have just been a Land Rover problem).

 

[tfboy]

I remember reading somewhere that Tesla switched from one brand to Billstein. I can't remember exactly when or why. Could it have been due to a reliability issue?

 

[jmsurpri]

I have the air with the 19" wheels on my 85D, however I'm one of a few who feel the ride is quality is too harsh. I can feel a lot of the high frequency imperfections on city roads and it's pretty jarring. It feels quite a bit different than the air with 21s I test drove, which was very smooth. I have an appt with the SvC this week so hopefully they can root cause it (assuming there's something wrong with it).

Interestingly enough though, highway driving is super smooth and very enjoyable. With the air and autopilot, it is the most relaxing long distance driving car I've ever had.

 

[Edmond]

I remember reading somewhere that Tesla switched from one brand to Billstein. I can't remember exactly when or why. Could it have been due to a reliability issue?

Bilstein makes the damper ('shock'), and Continental makes the air spring. They're combined by Tesla into a unit; always have been. Plus suspension has stiffer dampers, but the air spring is the same on all.

A few of you Earthlings have reported a very rough ride with air springs, like a 'washboard effect'. We are suspecting that the lower bellows on the air spring has slipped down the damper in those cases, and the car is bottoming out on the damper. Remains to be proven though. I'm studying the construction.

 

[zambono]

Like many on here I just made a 90D purchase and skipped air suspension. They give major issues later on, and it seems to be with most brands.

 

[zambono]

I tried 19's on coils and 21"s on air.

21" on air surprised me as they felt noticeable more comfortable and handled better due to to 21" wheels

Could feel so much more Road and gravel with the 19" coils. I want that smoother ride, so 21" air it is, but damn that cost! Jesus christ of Nazareth

21 inch wheels don't provide better handling, if anything it was different tires. All weathers on 19 and probably summer on 21. Put some Michellin PSS on the 19 and it will handle better than the 21 with the same suspension.

 

[ElectroFroggy]

I would choose the suspension that makes sense for your driving style and local conditions. The ability to raise the suspension in the CO snow will give you a bit of extra ground clearance both under the car and in between the tires and inner wheel wells. You said you have a sloped driveway, so also sounds like a good option. However, if you savor your curvy mountain roads and love taking exit ramps at double the indicated speed limit then I would suggest passing on the air suspension. Have had air on two of my SUV's in the past and yes the highway ride is very nice. It's a given that long term an air ride system along with all its hardware components will be more expensive to fix.

 

[newtman]

It's curious that everyone that's saying air suspension doesn't handle as well...doesn't have air suspension. I don't put much cred in experiences from a 15 minute test drive.

 

[fillerup]

Air suspension for me, the wife hit enough curves when parking that it will make a difference. Out of all the options, air was an easy call for me as upgrading to aftermarket air will cost more than 2x what Tesla is charging.

 

[brianman]

Wow! Talk about a split decision.

Informed buyers. Confirmation bias. A little bit from each column.

 

[Fanatic1]

I have air on my MS 85D with 19 standard wheels and the handling is great, better than any ICE I've owned although I've never had AWD On any of my previous cars.

 

[glhs272]

I have air suspension and it works just fine. The ride is nice. The handling is nice. Being able to raise it up on occasion can come in handy. However, if I were to do it again I would not bother with it. I have driven coil equipped loaners and they feel just fine. They ride a little higher so they don't necessarily need to raise up in situations that the air suspension needs to. To each his own.

 

[Olle]

I had air suspension in my S for 3 years now and had loaners without it so I have been comparing and thinking about this same thing. Here are my 2 cents listed as pros and cons for air suspension:

pros

• the car stays level under maximum passanger and cargo load
• ability to raise car is useful over obstacles and deep snow
• slightly lowers highway energy consumption if set to auto adjust at speed
• car normally looks better as air susp normal is lower than non air.

cons

• adds weiht
• expensive repairs according to anecdotal evidence from friends with air suspension cars (non tesla)

 

[Stiction]

I love the air suspension. In order of handiness:

- Around here streets have dips at sides of roads for poor-mans storm drainage: Air takes this in stride while other cars scrape like mad. My driveway entrance has one and I can back in at a normal clip with no problems. Leaving my favorite food store..same thing..

- parking blocks and curbs..evil things. You can get the nose over them cleanly (and pull the fat butt of the car from sticking out farther than the cars next to you)

- speed bumps.

- putting on tire chains easier by jacking up to Very High

 

[tdjvfr]

I have a classic P85 with Air. I've had loaners with springs. They've made me appreciate my Air. Almost 4 years without any issues. The cars with Air look better parked due to the low stance.

 

[iridium]

I had the air suspension on my first MS and skipped it on my second. In both cases I had 19" wheels.

The raising and lowering was nice, but I never truly needed it and I can't tell the difference between the coil and air. In fact, I think I like the coils better.. but maybe I just like new cars better.

On one occasion the air suspension lowered itself onto the concrete bumper at the front of a parking space. I didn't notice this and backed out, which tore massive gashes in the tray under the front of the car and dislodged the entire front bumper.

 

[BobbyG]

I received my Model S in early June. During the test drive, I requested that we go to my house to check out the suspension. The car we were in did not have the air susp., and it bottomed out each time I pulled into the driveway straight regardless of speed. I could take it at an angle to avoid it, however this made the decision for us. I've got and have yet to hit bottom on my driveway or speed bumps.

 

[scottm]

I use air suspension mostly for the off-roadin' I do in the Tesla.. better clearance over cow pies.

Plus, I've filled mine with helium instead of air so it lightens the car.

 

[nano1966]

Air suspension= Mercedes or Lexus.

Coil suspension= Porsche or BMW.

I like Porsches and BMWs.