Koni Sport (yellow) installed!

[SLOspeed]

The front bump stops are shorter, so those might work as replacements for the rear shock. But the Tesla Parts Catalog only lists the rear bump stop part number, so it looks like those front bump stops are only available with purchase of a complete coil-over shock assemblies. Since KONI does not include new bump stops or shock bellow bottom perches, not a good solution that I know of.

I couldn't find separate part numbers for front springs or stops, either. Which is unfortunate because the stock front stop is dimensionally identical to how I trimmed the rears. Coincidence? The front stops appear to be a slightly firmer material, though.

The good thing is that these things aren't rocket science. There are aftermarket options available from a number of sources, plus a whole ton of different OEM varieties. They're a really useful tool for tuning the "feel" of the suspension, and how it reacts to things like trail braking. BMW (for one) has done a LOT of work in this area.

Below: Model 3 front, Model 3 rear, BMW E36 rear "sport", E36 rear "standard" (trimmed).

 

[Patrick_TX]

Everyone go outside and trim your rear bump stops right now. Seriously. I bet most people would be satisfied with the ride and handling of stock springs/shocks. Try this first before you buy Konis or coil overs.

The 3/4 turn of adjustment on the rear shocks was only necessary to deal with the shenanigans caused by riding on the stops. With them trimmed, the shocks should be set waaaaaaaayyyyy softer. Right now I'm at 1/4 turn out from soft front and rear, and it's pretty damn good. It's in the ballpark of a good BMW "sport" package. Something like an E46 ZHP, or an E34 560/6. It's good. There are a couple stretches of highway near me where there's still a tiny bit of "jacking down" in the rear, but barely noticeable. I may back it down to 1/8 turn from soft. I'm going to drive it for a few days and then see how I feel.

View attachment 993963

Thanks for this. Looking for ideas to soften the rebound in the rear of our new ‘23 RWD 3 & Y.

 

[FatM3]

I wonder of the highland is a short version since the car is lower, maybe we can use that on our older models?

 

[LightSaber]

Does anyone know the spring rate of E2 Springs that are used with Mid Range models?

I believe @SLOspeed mentioned:
E1D = 650 pounds/Inch (Standard RWD)
E2 = ? pounds/Inch (Mid Range RWD)
E3 DM = 720 pounds/Inch (Long Range AWD)
E3 PDM = 720 pounds/Inch (Performance AWD)

Tesla’s spring rates are generally 10-12k so I assume the E3 variants to be around there. Then is E1D around 8-10k?

Seeing whether E2 sits in-between since it’s slightly heavier than the Standard Range. Or perhaps the shock absorber is labeled E2 while using E1D or E3 DM springs.. if anyone can confirm.

I know Redwood Ohlin DFV Coilovers offer Swift Springs for their Grand Touring which is 6-9k. I’m guessing the higher rate (9k) is used at the front?

It would be nice to have a softer suspension using obtainable OEM springs off eBay or Facebook Marketplace without breaking the bank.

- - -

In regards to bump stops I’ve already cut mine 25mm front and 30mm rear and have gained additional comfort, however based on Unplugged Performance’s Coilover Installation video (6:58) they seem to cut it half way which is another 15-20mm. I’m thinking of doing the same since the bump stop is still being engaged occasionally whenever I’m driving through downtown Los Angeles terrain. I know coilover vs stock setup doesn’t exactly correlate 100% but this is from experience that they can be trimmed a bit more without causing damage to the dampers. I would however advise against fully removing or trimming them further than that.

 

[rajivloonia]

Does anyone know the spring rate of E2 Springs that are used with Mid Range models?

I believe @SLOspeed mentioned:
E1D = 650 pounds/Inch (Standard RWD)
E2 = ? pounds/Inch (Mid Range RWD)
E3 DM = 720 pounds/Inch (Long Range AWD)
E3 PDM = 720 pounds/Inch (Performance AWD)

Tesla’s spring rates are generally 10-12k so I assume the E3 variants to be around there. Then is E1D around 8-10k?

Seeing whether E2 sits in-between since it’s slightly heavier than the Standard Range. Or perhaps the shock absorber is labeled E2 while using E1D or E3 DM springs.. if anyone can confirm.

I know Redwood Ohlin DFV Coilovers offer Swift Springs for their Grand Touring which is 6-9k. I’m guessing the higher rate (9k) is used at the front?

It would be nice to have a softer suspension using obtainable OEM springs off eBay or Facebook Marketplace without breaking the bank.

- - -

In regards to bump stops I’ve already cut mine 25mm front and 30mm rear and have gained additional comfort, however based on Unplugged Performance’s Coilover Installation video (6:58) they seem to cut it half way which is another 15-20mm. I’m thinking of doing the same since the bump stop is still being engaged occasionally whenever I’m driving through downtown Los Angeles terrain. I know coilover vs stock setup doesn’t exactly correlate 100% but this is from experience that they can be trimmed a bit more without causing damage to the dampers. I would however advise against fully removing or trimming them further than that.

Did You trim with stock dampers ? Also trimmed for both front and rear or just the rear.
Please do update your experience with trimming them half

 

[SLOspeed]

Quick update:

The difficulty I had in finding a good setting was apparently due to a defective shock. The last time I pulled them out to adjust them, I realized that one had considerably more compression damping than the other. One is a bit firmer to compress than the stock shocks, and the other takes nearly my whole body weight to compress. Obviously they're set the same. No wonder it never "felt" good.

Koni's warranty is kind of a joke. You need to SEND them your old shocks (at your expense) so they can evaluate them. Then they'll send you new ones if they feel like it. They wouldn't tell me how long it would take. I don't know for sure which shock is bad, so I would need to send both.

I wish I would have spent a few hundred more for the UPP "comfort" coil overs. For me, the Konis have been a colossal waste of time and money.

 

[LightSaber]

Did You trim with stock dampers ? Also trimmed for both front and rear or just the rear.
Please do update your experience with trimming them half

I advise trimming the stock dampers in half or 3/5 if you want to feel safe although it’s really not necessary. Even on terrible LA roads I’ve never once hit the bump stops after trimming even when one of my suspension bushings were broken throwing the car into a lopsided frenzy to compensate the diagonal motion so you should be good.

Before changing 4 different suspensions I had an overly stiff 2022 OEM Long Range that even when over-dampened (contrary to most of them being under-dampened) was still hitting into the bump stops.

I don’t use Koni’s anymore but here’s a photo of the final length before I switched to a 2023 Performance (OEM) suspension (damper and spring). Although you don’t need to, I recommend pushing them in the correct orientation to the end of the dust boot when reinstalling so it doesn’t just wiggle around. The photo shows the rear whereas the front should be even shorter by 10mm as it’s stiffer.

 

[MK__]

I'm tuning my Koni Sportss. Went from MPP comfort coilovers to Konis. Put stock springs on (2019 M3P).
Tried full open, rebound is way too fast; half turn on the rears, still feels fast. Not sure when I'll have a time window to add another half turn. Trimmed the bump stops to 2/3 length on the rear. There should probably be a thread of settings once enough folks put the Koni Sports on.

Happy to be back up to stock ride height for now.

_MK

 

[amoney805]

@SLOspeed I see you're local. Did you do the install yourself, or is there a shop you can recommend?

 

[MK__]

I'm up to 1 full turn in the rear and the rebound is still too fast. Not sure if I should go half turn or 3/4 turn to tame these springs. I'm going to be pushing close to max adjustment. Fronts are at 1 and 1/4 turn and are feeling pretty good. Hard to be certain until I tame the rears...

_MK

 

[BUCKM3P]

I advise trimming the stock dampers in half or 3/5 if you want to feel safe although it’s really not necessary. Even on terrible LA roads I’ve never once hit the bump stops after trimming even when one of my suspension bushings were broken throwing the car into a lopsided frenzy to compensate the diagonal motion so you should be good.

Before changing 4 different suspensions I had an overly stiff 2022 OEM Long Range that even when over-dampened (contrary to most of them being under-dampened) was still hitting into the bump stops.

I don’t use Koni’s anymore but here’s a photo of the final length before I switched to a 2023 Performance (OEM) suspension (damper and spring). Although you don’t need to, I recommend pushing them in the correct orientation to the end of the dust boot when reinstalling so it doesn’t just wiggle around. The photo shows the rear whereas the front should be even shorter by 10mm as it’s stiffer.

View attachment 1027570

Does Koni recommend you cut the bump stops in half if you are running stock springs? So when I install my Konis, I would need to cut the bump stops for the rears or all around?

 

[LightSaber]

Does Koni recommend you cut the bump stops in half if you are running stock springs? So when I install my Konis, I would need to cut the bump stops for the rears or all around?

The front bump stop is harder than the rear as that goes through the initial impact. I believe it use to be shorter than the rear but based off memory I reckon they were the same length (perhaps on years 2021+).

Koni’s or Stock trim them the same amount as my previous photos have shown.

 

[MK__]

I'm up to 1 3/4 turns front and rear. There is like 2 1/4 - 2 1/2 turns total.
The car is starting to feel good in terms of fast rebound. It is, however, far from that controlled BMW feeling I was used with the Koni Yellows on my old E46. I'm also starting to get more booming on bigger/square edge bumps. Like the rebound it starting to get too slow, yet, I'm still getting that tossed sensation when it's too fast. As if the top out rebound is not well controlled.

Also, forget track setup with Koni Yellows, you can barely manage the stock springs for street before you max out the settings. I'm baffled. Did Koni not do their homework? I have an email out to them to get their input. There is a possibility my shocks are faulty as well?

_MK

 

[MK__]

Is there a compiled part number list of various springs for the model 3?
The rear coils I have are 1044472-94-A (E3 RWD / P DM fitment per label). I see there are other like 1044472-00-A.
I'm wondering if I'm "lucky" with extra stiff springs? And if I can source an alternative PN to soften up the experience without losing ride height.

_MK

 

[LightSaber]

From my 2023 Performance is

Strut: 1044363-04-C
Spring: 1044379-04-C

Shock: 1044461-01-E
Spring: 1044472-04-A

I would say springs are slightly stiffer than 2022 Long Range I had previously. Overall better than the 2021 Performance I bought the car with.

 

[CAredM3]

@SLOspeed I see you're local. Did you do the install yourself, or is there a shop you can recommend?

It's a drive for you, but 1v1 Motorsports in Santa Maria will do Tesla suspensions.

 

[amoney805]

It's a drive for you, but 1v1 Motorsports in Santa Maria will do Tesla suspensions.

Not far at all. I've been contemplating going to ZEVcentric in Fremont since they're a one stop shop but good to know about other options. Thanks!

 

[amoney805]

It's a drive for you, but 1v1 Motorsports in Santa Maria will do Tesla suspensions.

So much for that shop. 1k to install Tein Endurapro shocks. I nearly spit out my milk!

 

[LightSaber]

So much for that shop. 1k to install Tein Endurapro shocks. I nearly spit out my milk!

That cray.

Cheapest I’ve seen Facebook Marketplace people install suspension is $300-400 and shops are $600-700. At $1,000 for the EnduraPro’s is laughable as that’s way easier than Flex Z’s.

 

[amoney805]

i think I'll head up to ZEVcentric. It will be cheaper and they include an alignment.