Install cost on lowering springs? (coils, Model S)

[beezel]

I'm curious what you guys who have lowered your coil-suspension Model S's have paid for install? The springs themselves are fairly cheap, but my local shops (even the one that track preps BMW and Porsches) are giving me the "OMG TESLA WHAT" line and quoting 1500-2000$ in labor. This is something I've done before in my garage (when I had one) without much issue, so I'm trying to gauge what the disconnect is here.

And in that vain, anyone in the Portland/Seattle area want to help a brother out?

Thanks!

 

[meomyo]

isnt the s already so low with coils??? I mean seems like it....if anything i think raising it a bit would be cooler..I get the whole hug the road thing like tuner cars do but any lower and you hit a bump wouldnt it kind of suck?

 

[beezel]

I don't know what cars you've been seeing, but stock coils are very high. I have HUGE wheel well gaps on my 21s. I am not in the least bit concerned with height, and all the review I've seen on the T-Sportline springs are that they wish they were another .5" lower. I read they are still higher than 'low' mode on air-bag cars. This guy has pictures, and his car STILL has a ton of wheel well gap: Review: TSportline Lowering Springs

 

[meomyo]

wow...have the basic 19" wheels which are fine and ride better then 21's anyhow but i think the car is really low for a sedan. Getting out for an older person isnt easy(grandma)

 

[beezel]

I had the 19's. Could not stand the look. I could fit my entire fist in there! Inexcusable for a $100k car, IMO. Thankfully, I am not a grandmother and I don't plan on making my car a granny-taxi, so I can tune it how I want it.

 

[meomyo]

relax...i didnt realize some like it even lower. Sorry.And its not a granny taxi but sometimes i take my grandma out to eat even my mom has a hard time getting in and out.

 

[Lasttoy]

Huh? I have to raise mine at every speed bump. It used to hit , now I stop and raise it when I see a bump.

 

[meomyo]

Huh? I have to raise mine at every speed bump. It used to hit , now I stop and raise it when I see a bump.

have coils and speedbumps even at super duper slow speeds can be hell..cant imagine the s any lower

 

[MilesAxleRod]

I'm curious what you guys who have lowered your coil-suspension Model S's have paid for install? The springs themselves are fairly cheap, but my local shops (even the one that track preps BMW and Porsches) are giving me the "OMG TESLA WHAT" line and quoting 1500-2000$ in labor. This is something I've done before in my garage (when I had one) without much issue, so I'm trying to gauge what the disconnect is here.

And in that vain, anyone in the Portland/Seattle area want to help a brother out?

Thanks!

Have you lowered your car yet?
I bit the bullet and bought the springs from tsportline. I installed them myself. The front ones were fairly easy, the rear ones were a pain. I do wish they were half inch shorter, but now it looks better than before. It's like the difference between an regular Honda Accord and having the Honda Accord sport. I forgot to measure the ground to fender clearance before, but now they're about 29 inches.

 

[beezel]

Have you lowered your car yet?
I bit the bullet and bought the springs from tsportline. I installed them myself. The front ones were fairly easy, the rear ones were a pain. I do wish they were half inch shorter, but now it looks better than before. It's like the difference between an regular Honda Accord and having the Honda Accord sport. I forgot to measure the ground to fender clearance before, but now they're about 29 inches.]

Thanks Miles, really great reply! Can you tell me what the hard parts were regarding the rear? I only have a jack and some basic hand tools at my disposal. Was it just angles and frustration or actual roadblocks?

 

[MilesAxleRod]

Thanks Miles, really great reply! Can you tell me what the hard parts were regarding the rear? I only have a jack and some basic hand tools at my disposal. Was it just angles and frustration or actual roadblocks?

Well, once you get the wheel off and the liner. It looks simple. There's 3 nuts at the top that hold the strut and the 1 nut/bolt at the bottom of the strut. The 3 nuts at the top are easy to remove, the nut at the bottom is easy, but the bolt is hard. The spring/shock is wanting to push down and the rest of the suspension (control arm/sway bar) is wanting to push up. So I compressed the springs with a pair of compressors and was able to get it out. I had to loosen up the rest of the suspension (which I didn't want to do since it had the factory pre load) but after loosening it I was able to get it down. Once I got it down into the wheel well, it's a pain angle wise to try to get it out. I just ended up disassembling it in the wheel well, changed the spring and reassembled it in the wheel well. Someone said it's similar to a Mercedes but I couldn't find videos on it that's similar.