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Deciding on air suspension
- Thread starter BobbyG
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- Driving Dynamics Model S
tagpats
Member
I regret not getting it. I took a second test drive with my sales guy and tested out the car on my slightly steep driveway. Drove an air suspension model set to standard, which is supposed to be slightly lower than a coil car. Pulled in and out and backed in and out. No scrape. Got the new car without air suspension as a result of my test and then discovered that it does brush the under side of the front, it's just so slight you can't hear it inside the car. I really have to baby it in order to avoid a more significant scrape. Have not needed it any place other than my driveway, however. Unless I move, I will be getting air suspension on my M3, assuming it is an option, just so I can come in and out of my driveway with more ease.
Wanted it (actually I was fixated on it as a requirement) until I took the test drive multiple times in both the air and non-air versions. I noticed a consistent yaw motion or wiggling every time I put the vehicle through a long left/right turn while accelerating through that turn, i.e., a turn like a tight exit ramp or twisty road. The yaw is slight but there. Outside temperature was in the high 80F range. It's shocking considering how very tight the chassis is. Of course the advantage of raising the vehicle in certain situations is handy; it really depends on your needs. For ethos, I'm a previous owner of a 911 with PDCC (apples and oranges definitely) and a Jeep Summit with an adjustable suspension, which perhaps explains my initial fixation. So the non-air option was clear-cut for me despite occasional trips out to the VA-WV border. Heck the 911 could handle steep angles easily with a 45-degree approach angle and going slow so I'm not that concerned about not having an adjustable suspension when I think about it. Would have been nice to lower the setting for places like the toll road but my salesman said in response to my question that the computer doesn't take the vehicle to the lowest setting until after you cross a threshold speed of about 90 or 100 mph if I remember correctly. Hahaha, I think that's just not going to happen anymore considering the density of traffic now in the DC metro area and probably not a good idea considering the condition of the roads, too. The non-air version had a more precise steering (when both were in sport steering mode). I thought the non-air version exceeded my expectations for vehicle control dynamics relative to a 911/991. The center of gravity is amazing in comparison to a Porsche.
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FlatSix911
Porsche 918 Hybrid
The aerodynamic advantage increases as speed goes up, but it's not zero at 50. Originally 50 was the default, and was only changed due to the two fires--however the skid plates added fixed that problem. Also the handling is better when set to low.
I was in the same position a few months, decided to went with air...
Here's my take after driving for 4 weeks..
If this is a Model 3, no.. it is a 100K car, so yes; it should be standard.
Here's my take after driving for 4 weeks..
- You don't use the height selection 99% of the time.. once the height is adjusted for a particular location, it remembers it and you don't have to touch it again. Nice not to scrape the bottom of the car.
- I do notice, as the height increases, the suspension becomes more stiffs.
If this is a Model 3, no.. it is a 100K car, so yes; it should be standard.
Oh OH..!!
I just thought of another reason why air suspension is excellent.
For some certain songs, when they play, you simply must slam the car while cruising the boulevard. At low speed.
My kids can predict songs where I reach for the button to slam. I also put my shades on, even if it is dark outside.
I just thought of another reason why air suspension is excellent.
For some certain songs, when they play, you simply must slam the car while cruising the boulevard. At low speed.
My kids can predict songs where I reach for the button to slam. I also put my shades on, even if it is dark outside.
If I back into my driveway, the air suspension is useful to me. However, I don't use the adjustment that often, and a higher ride height feels counterintuitively rougher. As some others mentioned, the air suspension sits a little lower at its normal setting than the coil suspension, so maybe if I had coil suspension, I would not need to adjust the height when backing into a driveway.
BnBinAlpine
Member
I've been weighing the pros and cons of this, so appreciate this thread.
I was initially leaning to NOT purchasing this option, but after reading thru all of the responses, I recalled two experiences where having air suspension would have saved significant damage:
1. Pulled into a business with the concrete berms/wheel stops that hadn't had the rebar pounded all the way in. After scraping over them, I tried backing up. The rebar posts caught the front fascia/bumper and would have ripped it off. Two guys were watching and yelled stop. They lifted up the front end just enough to barely clear. I suspect having air suspension would have gotten me out of that.
2. After parallel parking, my passenger opened their door and the bottom hit the sidewalk so they could barely squeeze out. Returning, they opened the door which now swung out further with no weight in the car. When they got in, the door wouldn't budge. Had them exit and drove to the corner to pick them up.
So while rare, these events and some of the others noted here have put my vote into the "buy it" column.
I was initially leaning to NOT purchasing this option, but after reading thru all of the responses, I recalled two experiences where having air suspension would have saved significant damage:
1. Pulled into a business with the concrete berms/wheel stops that hadn't had the rebar pounded all the way in. After scraping over them, I tried backing up. The rebar posts caught the front fascia/bumper and would have ripped it off. Two guys were watching and yelled stop. They lifted up the front end just enough to barely clear. I suspect having air suspension would have gotten me out of that.
2. After parallel parking, my passenger opened their door and the bottom hit the sidewalk so they could barely squeeze out. Returning, they opened the door which now swung out further with no weight in the car. When they got in, the door wouldn't budge. Had them exit and drove to the corner to pick them up.
So while rare, these events and some of the others noted here have put my vote into the "buy it" column.
I had to lower a coil suspension 1" in front and 1'25" in back, before scraping once in a blue moon. I empathize more with coils coming high aesthetically, than their being a clearance risk. SAS is a little softer, and a little lower feedback than coil. I find it easier to put the car where I want it, with a standard coil suspension.
RamgeRover
Member
Mercedes, Lexus, Porsche, and BMW all offer air suspensions (or hydraulic suspensions) on some/all of their cars.
This is probably a dumb question but does the air suspension actually raise minimum ground clearance or just the body/angles? Also, my 2 cents is that it's nice to have but not a necessity unless you drive a lot of tough drive ways/speed bumps. For snow where I live the extra 1.3" probably isn't going to make a big difference, if you get the kind of snow where ground clearance matters you're probably going to want more than the air susp max anyway.
mspohr
Well-Known Member
I got it because we have a lot of snow but I love it every day because it makes the ride a lot smoother and quieter. Had a loaner with coils this week and was surprised at how much road tire noise came through. Steering also seemed less precise.
NikeWings
Active Member
Consider Van Nuys Boulevard for your next vacation.
Street cruising & bouncing was immortalized here.
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