Tethlaaaa
Member
Thanks to updating! I'm DEFINITELY gonna get front and rear dampers and do this as well on my 2022 Model 3 LR.
I drove a Highland the other day, and it's SOOOOO much better than my Model 3 lol.
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Highland suspension on 2019 Model 3
- Thread starter Guod
- Start date
I drove a Highland the other day, and it's SOOOOO much better than my Model 3 lol.
So according to this the fronts are cheaper compared to the rears? Front shock and spring for 185 while rear shock + spring 260?
Also for the rears I think you got the part numbers swapped
Sorry for the noob question here. Do the fronts come as an assembly (shocks + springs)?
Also how did you go about ordering the parts? I tried yesterday but cannot access the Tesla parts store with my Tesla account (app account)
You can only purchase the fronts as an assembly from Tesla, meaning the springs are already part of the shock and you won't need to use any spring compressors to install the springs, which some people do not feel comfortable using (lots of energy stored in a compressed car suspension spring)
What worked for me is going to my local Tesla service center and requesting the exact part numbers I need. You can also go to the app and do it there by sending them a message that you only want to order parts, but I'd rather have someone's full attention, which is why I ordered them in-person.
makaveli++
Member
Thanks for you feedback !
Any thoughts on getting those front and rear dampers installed on a TM3 PERF 2019 ?
Without changing the springs this might keep the same height than before and have no incidence on ride stock control ?
Indeed, captain obvious!
How do you know?
What are their profit margins?
Keeping stock springs, all other things being equal, will result in the original ride height.
However, the spring and shocks must be matched so that the shock dampens isolation equally for the compression and the rebound. If the shock is design for higher ride height but you lower it with shorter (TM3P) springs, it's range of compression travel will be limited, and you will be hitting bump stops way too early, and way too frequently. That is neither a pleasant, nor desirable experience for either the driver, or the shock.
The problem with the original TM3P shocks is that Tesla did just that - install shorter springs (on early 2019 TM3P's) without updating shocks. Consequently, you are riding bump stops and it's a highly suboptimal experience.
HTH,
a
Sweed269
Member
The stock bottom out is the same between all the versions of a specific model. It's usually a mechanical limit. The front of both the 3 and Y have very limited extra travel but the rear you can add 10mm+ to with aftermarket suspension, but at a risk of battery damage.
The right way to lower is with a significantly stiffer spring rate and more damping.
Spring rate balance front to rear is more important IMO and has massive effect on ride comfort.
Stock springs are way too soft and don't have enough low speed damping. Combine that with hitting the bump stops constantly and your ride sucks. The shocks also have too much high speed compression damping causing harshness.
The right way to lower is with a significantly stiffer spring rate and more damping.
Spring rate balance front to rear is more important IMO and has massive effect on ride comfort.
Stock springs are way too soft and don't have enough low speed damping. Combine that with hitting the bump stops constantly and your ride sucks. The shocks also have too much high speed compression damping causing harshness.
Tethlaaaa
Member
Lol it's becoming more and more apparent that Tethla did everything wrong with first gen suspension XD
I think many are waiting how spring situation develops.. as one member installed those and car then sat around 1.5-2cm higer than originally.. waiting to see if it sacks down after a while..
This is an overblown concern. Springs that are fully relaxed during suspension work need to be used for some time before they settle back into their original height.
Yes, technically these dampers do exhibit a small restoring force because of the gas chamber in the monotube, but even I can overcome that force with my own strength. That is negligible.
TL;DR: Spring determine ride height, not damper.
out with the old, in with the new
The old dampers, when compressed by hand, rebounded much, much slower than the new dampers.
Took about 2.5 hours to do the rears.
The old dampers, when compressed by hand, rebounded much, much slower than the new dampers.
Took about 2.5 hours to do the rears.
Nice. Did you lift the bellows up to compare the new bump stops with the old, to see if they are dimensionally the same?
I noticed a gap between the bellow perch and the bellow on your old rear shock not present on the new shock. The old bellow appears to be the same part, so was thinking the shock travel is not the same with the new shock, thus, bump stop must also be different.
Same bumpstop. Old dust cover is just a little shorter with age.
2017-2023 Model 3:
2024 Model 3:
No, he is saying that after removing the old shocks from the car and manually compressing both new and old shocks, he noticed that the old shocks rebounded from compressed state much slower than the new ones.
City and Highway driving can be just as harsh depending on the size of the bumps.
ANY 50+K mile shock is liable to have lost some gas, thus leading to lower compressing/rebound forces vs. new.
The loss is very gradual, over many years, and is virtually impossible to detect and perceive unless you take a shock out and compare it side-by-side with a new one.
This is not to suggest that new Model 3 Highland shock has higher compression or rebound force. The opposite may very well be the case.
But, by the virtue of being new, it will <currently> have higher rebound rate when comparing 0 mile new vs. 50+K mile old OEM shock.
As to effect of riding on dead shocks?
It will not be rebounding as quickly, will allow corner to compress further (until shock hits bump stops, then sudden arrest of travel), or failing to dampen the isolation with a single compression->rebound cycle (aka bouncing around). Basically, the car will bounce more, and dive deeper under weight transfer.
To be specific, after I had installed my stiffer and marginally lower Ohlins' kit, the nose of the car stopped rising during acceleration, or dipping under braking. The front mud flaps no longer scrape under any circumstances - not coming into my driveway, not leaving it, nor going over train tracks. In the past, they used to scrape all the time.
HTH,
a
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