Hayseed_MS
Spreader of "Endless Non Sequitur"
While it may be an issue - it cannot be listed as a downside to air suspension.
No, they do not make the suspension.
No, they do not make the suspension.
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I will be in the market for a used 2017 Model S in the next few months. Wondering if i should seek coil suspension models or air suspension? My plan is to keep the car long term and i am concerned air suspension could become a maintenance issue down the road. Though i have heard the folks here mention air suspension rides better.
What is the consensus on long term costs to maintain air suspension?
I will be coming from a non Tesla EV and wondering if air suspension is going to ride different from my current coil EV.
I wish I had read this a week ago. I live in an area of the USA that got a bunch of snow that never does so I have been driving on roads with quite a bit of snow. It has been maddening how I will raise the car to clear a drift and it will want to lower 3 secs later even though I am inching along.My car has had two shocks and an air distribution valve replaced (car would lose height when sitting for a few days), they were just chasing a slow leak so replaced multiple items.
The system is good but Tesla recently made it frustrating to live with via a software update, now the car is hell bent on getting to the lowest setting automatically and as soon as possible, I have on multiple occasions hit speed humps in urban areas and shopping centres because it decides to drop to low even though 15 seconds earlier I had set to to max height, you have to constantly hit the tiny text that says "Keep until 24 kmh (15 MPH)" or it'll drop without you realising. Previously it would always keep the set height until the speed thresholds where reached, it wasn't an opt in decision like it is now.
There are numerous problem reports. Google for stuff like the below:That said, I haven’t heard of the Model S air suspension being problematic on the forum.
While it may be an issue - it cannot be listed as a downside to air suspension.
No, they do not make the suspension.
Tesla recently made it frustrating to live with via a software update, now the car is hell bent on getting to the lowest setting automatically and as soon as possible, I have on multiple occasions hit speed humps in urban areas and shopping centres because it decides to drop to low even though 15 seconds earlier I had set to to max height, you have to constantly hit the tiny text that says "Keep until 24 kmh (15 MPH)" or it'll drop without you realising. Previously it would always keep the set height until the speed thresholds where reached, it wasn't an opt in decision like it is now.
It has been maddening how I will raise the car to clear a drift and it will want to lower 3 secs later even though I am inching along.
As I pointed out at 2017 Model 3 Reliability you had all 4 door handles replaced on a car.And then, we can talk about people who buy gas cars with hundreds of moving parts that scrape and move and slide, and no one ever gives them a thought, either. Yeah, go simple! They're always breaking and needing repair. On my S, about the only moving parts I replace are my windshield wipers. Four cars, two with 100K miles, now two new ones with 20K each.
There is no logic behind this change of operation they implemented, I guess the software team that thought this one up have never seen snow or speed bumps. It just doesn't work in the real world and this is one of those frustrating things with Tesla, they need to make operational changes like this menu options and not just put it in there with no actual description of what it is going to do in the release notes.I wish I had read this a week ago. I live in an area of the USA that got a bunch of snow that never does so I have been driving on roads with quite a bit of snow. It has been maddening how I will raise the car to clear a drift and it will want to lower 3 secs later even though I am inching along.
There is no logic behind this change of operation they implemented, I guess the software team that thought this one up have never seen snow or speed bumps. It just doesn't work in the real world and this is one of those frustrating things with Tesla, they need to make operational changes like this menu options and not just put it in there with no actual description of what it is going to do in the release notes.
It would work far better if we could choose....
Option 1 - Always lower suspension automatically (like they have it always do now).
Option 2 - Lower suspension only when above speed threshold once set (how it used to work).
Option 3 - Suspension height follows speed thresholds (eg always go to max height below 15MPH, always go low above 'x' MPH).
They wouldn't want option 3 though because that will probably make the system work much harder.
I understand how the 'keep' works, the problem is in real world operation it is terrible. Having to press two things to ensure your desired ride height doesn't unexpectedly drop is a step backwards. Picture this scenario.....They changed the way the UI works recently. I think you've not adapted to it.
I understand how the 'keep' works, the problem is in real world operation it is terrible. Having to press two things to ensure your desired ride height doesn't unexpectedly drop is a step backwards. Picture this scenario.....
You are on a long street that has 6 speed humps spaced say 100ft apart, you reach the first one and press 'Max Height'.
Old software - Car would keep Max Height until you went over the speed threshold for that setting (easy to manage).
New software - Car will drop to Low by the time you reach the next speed hump unless you press 'Max Height' PLUS press 'keep'.
I have also had it drop to 'low' even though I've pressed keep, I have no idea what criteria it needs to meet for it to decide it needs to drop, I think there is more than just speed now.
Either way adding the 'keep' option was idiotic and serves no benefit to the driver.
The benefit is that drivers were leaving their suspension height too high, causing strain to drive train parts and excessive wear
I haven’t seen this new behavior. Maybe not on all cars?I understand how the 'keep' works, the problem is in real world operation it is terrible. Having to press two things to ensure your desired ride height doesn't unexpectedly drop is a step backwards. Picture this scenario.....
You are on a long street that has 6 speed humps spaced say 100ft apart, you reach the first one and press 'Max Height'.
Old software - Car would keep Max Height until you went over the speed threshold for that setting (easy to manage).
New software - Car will drop to Low by the time you reach the next speed hump unless you press 'Max Height' PLUS press 'keep'.
I have also had it drop to 'low' even though I've pressed keep, I have no idea what criteria it needs to meet for it to decide it needs to drop, I think there is more than just speed now.
Either way adding the 'keep' option was idiotic and serves no benefit to the driver.
If the suspension system is that fragile then 'fixing' it in software by forcing the car low ASAP wasn't the correct solution.The benefit is that drivers were leaving their suspension height too high, causing strain to drive train parts and excessive wear, so we suffer because so many people were leaving their cars too high for too long for likely no good reason.
Yes, driving my kids to school I have to go over 10 on my round trip (which isn't that far), our local councils have an obsession with them.Do you really find that many speed humps that the base ground clearance is insufficient to cross without scraping, though?
The benefit is that drivers were leaving their suspension height too high, causing strain to drive train parts and excessive wear, so we suffer because so many people were leaving their cars too high for too long for likely no good reason. Do you really find that many speed humps that the base ground clearance is insufficient to cross without scraping, though?
Eh? What exactly is this excessive strain / wear that you are talking about?
* Tires?
* Axles?
* Motors?
* Suspension?
Driving on the "low" setting isn't going to save any type of wear on drivetrain components, and driving on "high" isn't going to cause increased strain either (logically).
It's about fuel economy, not durability.