Lowering the Model 3

[Firehuntah]

This thread's been dead for a while, let's see if I can revive it by finally showing this very unique (for Model 3 and Tesla in general) suspension setup here.

What I have on my Model 3 are Mountain Pass Performance comfort adjustable coilovers, fully modified to work together with air cups from Stanceparts, shorter Swift springs, Flyy Air spherical top mounts and lastly sealed rotational bearings from Destination Sideways. This is all to create a setup that offers great handling and a low ride height while still having the ability to clear obstacles like high speed bumps, steep driveways and the annoying concrete blocks at the Supercharger spots. People following me on Instagram or people checking the Netherlands/Belgium sub forums have seen it before but I never posted it here since I was still not satisfied with it. Actually started working on this setup in November 2020, expecting it to be difficult but a nice challenge I could probably complete within a few months. Turns out it was a lot more difficult than I thought to get this sort of setup working on a Model 3. Went through a lot of different revisions, which also meant I had to take apart the suspension many times (I honestly lost count but it's over 10). After the last modifications I made to it though, everything's been working very well without any issues and I feel it's finally ready to really be shown in full detail.

Front setup compared to OEM.

Front setup installed on the car. Combined with MPP front upper control arms. Sorry for the dirty photo, always difficult to keep everything inside the wheel arches clean during Winter.

Rear setup installed on the car. Combined with MPP their rear spring arms. Don't really have comparison to OEM but OEM was only a big fat spring on a big fat spring arm so yeah..

Current stance of the car with this setup. Things are changing soon though with new wheels coming up. Fitment going to be a lot better with those. Current fitment isn't bad by any means, especially the rear, but the front is definitely tucked in too much.

Now I'm not just showing the setup, I'm also showing it in action and sharing how to do it with a how-to video in case others are crazy enough to give this setup a go as well. As you can see in the video, it isn't an easy setup and requires a lot of different parts (also quite a few custom made ones) and patience. This really is for those who are really set on keeping their Model 3 on coilovers but still want the ability to lift when necessary. For most people though, I do think airride will still be the preferred and most fun option. This just offers better performance and reliability since you're essentially just driving on the coilovers.

In case you want any more info or help on getting this setup on your own Model 3, just send me a message.

 

[Luudcrs]

@Firehuntah

Very nice setup, looks sharp! What's the exact make/color of your wrap?

 

[Firehuntah]

@Firehuntah

Very nice setup, looks sharp! What's the exact make/color of your wrap?

Thank you! It's a nice setup to have for sure. Love being able to drive so low and still go anywhere I want with the car, even parking garages with steep ramps.

The wrap is Avery Dennison Satin Metallic Dark Blue. Pretty similar to yours I think, except it's the satin version and slightly darker.

 

[Luudcrs]

Thank you! It's a nice setup to have for sure. Love being able to drive so low and still go anywhere I want with the car, even parking garages with steep ramps.

The wrap is Avery Dennison Satin Metallic Dark Blue. Pretty similar to yours I think, except it's the satin version and slightly darker.

Thanks for the info. Looks great! I'm going on my 4th year with the wrap. It's gotten a lot of nicks in the front bumper. I'm looking to go satin instead of matte on my next one soon. Yours just went to the top of my list. Can't seem to stray away from blue!

 

[gearchruncher]

Did you notice any difference with the thrust/rotational bearings? The Model 3 front shock isn't a McPherson so it doesn't rotate with the wheel, so I think the only bind would come from the coil rotating as it's compressed, which should be fairly minimal with your stiff springs?

 

[TSportline]

@Firehuntah nice comprehensive setup.

We made a simple video for those needing installation instructions for any brand lowering springs.

 

[gearchruncher]

We made a simple video for those needing installation instructions for any brand lowering springs.

One interesting process I have come up with:
Once you have most aftermarket springs on, you don't need to remove the tophat to remove the shock/spring. The spring is short enough that it will be uncompressed (or nearly) at full droop. This can save a ton of time.

Knowing this, you can:
1) Jack up front axle of car
2) Unbolt sway bar from shock
3) Support lower control arm with jack, jack up ~1 inch from full droop until the shock compresses a bit.
4) Unscrew nut(s) off top of shock, located in the tophat. Take off rubber tophat seal if still present.
5) Unbolt upright from FUCA at the outer ball joint pinch joint
6) Lower jack. Spring will now be fully uncompressed
7) Unbolt shock from lower control arm
8) Raise FUCA all the way up (may need to unbolt ABS wire)
9) Remove shock. Takes a bit of angling. I find moving the lower part towards the brake works, then lowering it, then angling it out

To re-install, do the reverse. Only trick is that when you jack the assembly back up, you have to get the shock aligned into the tophat, which can take some fiddling. Just jack up slowly and push gently to get it aligned. Once in, jack up until you can get the nut on the threads at least a few full turns. Then bolt the car all together, lower it onto the tires, and finalize torqueing these tophat nuts.

Once you're good at this, it's about 5 minutes each way.

 

[Firehuntah]

Did you notice any difference with the thrust/rotational bearings? The Model 3 front shock isn't a McPherson so it doesn't rotate with the wheel, so I think the only bind would come from the coil rotating as it's compressed, which should be fairly minimal with your stiff springs?

Yep, there's a difference for sure. I understand your thinking that the Model 3 front shocks don't rotate. That's actually what I thought as well as it's indeed no McPherson. Unfortunately though as I found out the Model 3 suspension is very odd and the front shock does actually rotate a bit while steering. This was causing the air cups to twist over time. That's why I needed these rotational bearings to stop that from happening. All rotation is happening in this bearing now, no more issues with twisting. But to fully make sure they wouldn't ever twist again (as that can cause them to rip the air lines), even if the bearings would get stuck for some reason, a modification to the air cups is necessary too. Anyway to get back to the differences of the rotational bearing, steering definitely got smoother and no more spring bind noises which I did occasionally have before. So they're pretty nice to have.

@Firehuntah nice comprehensive setup.

We made a simple video for those needing installation instructions for any brand lowering springs.

View attachment 780924

Thank you! Was rather annoying at times since I had a lot of issues to solve. Mainly because I tried to keep the OEM rubber top mounts at first. But that just wasn't working out. Fortunately it is possible to just order spherical top mounts for the Model 3 from 2 of the air strut suppliers (Flyy Air and Air Demand). These definitely solved most of the issues I had.

Great guide for the lowering springs. Will be very helpful for people wanting to install them.

 

[Mister.T]

@Firehuntah , awesome job R&D'ing (or more trial & erroring it)! Have you considered reaching out to MPP and/or Stanceparts to come up with an out-of-the-box solution based on your setup? I've always wanted aircups alongside a coilover setup (for the exact same reasons as you) but never found any easy solutions. Would love to add aircups to my MPP coilovers if these companies make a complete package.

 

[Motion122]

Did you notice any difference with the thrust/rotational bearings? The Model 3 front shock isn't a McPherson so it doesn't rotate with the wheel, so I think the only bind would come from the coil rotating as it's compressed, which should be fairly minimal with your stiff springs?

Oh, it rotates alright! Thrust sheets/bearings will help and so will articulating upper mount. Without the articulating upper mount there is a bunch of bending loads on the shock as the vehicle steers causing the spring/shock/mount to misalign slightly.

 

[Motion122]

Yep, there's a difference for sure. I understand your thinking that the Model 3 front shocks don't rotate. That's actually what I thought as well as it's indeed no McPherson. Unfortunately though as I found out the Model 3 suspension is very odd and the front shock does actually rotate a bit while steering. This was causing the air cups to twist over time. That's why I needed these rotational bearings to stop that from happening. All rotation is happening in this bearing now, no more issues with twisting. But to fully make sure they wouldn't ever twist again (as that can cause them to rip the air lines), even if the bearings would get stuck for some reason, a modification to the air cups is necessary too. Anyway to get back to the differences of the rotational bearing, steering definitely got smoother and no more spring bind noises which I did occasionally have before. So they're pretty nice to have.



Thank you! Was rather annoying at times since I had a lot of issues to solve. Mainly because I tried to keep the OEM rubber top mounts at first. But that just wasn't working out. Fortunately it is possible to just order spherical top mounts for the Model 3 from 2 of the air strut suppliers (Flyy Air and Air Demand). These definitely solved most of the issues I had.

Great guide for the lowering springs. Will be very helpful for people wanting to install them.

Excellent R&D! Have you looked at KW HLS before this project?

I can source spherical upper mounts should anyone needs them in the future.

 

[Firehuntah]

@Firehuntah , awesome job R&D'ing (or more trial & erroring it)! Have you considered reaching out to MPP and/or Stanceparts to come up with an out-of-the-box solution based on your setup? I've always wanted aircups alongside a coilover setup (for the exact same reasons as you) but never found any easy solutions. Would love to add aircups to my MPP coilovers if these companies make a complete package.

Thank you! Was a lot of work but paid off in the end. I've been in contact with both MPP and Stancepart throughout this whole project but I honestly don't think there's that much interest to be able to develop a complete air cup package for the Model 3 to sell. By only making/selling a few sets a year I'm sure it'd be very expensive. I've been considering it myself but I'd have to source parts from different parts in the world, to then again send them to different parts in the world. So I just don't think that's going to work out. It's not too difficult to do it yourself though, with all the info I released now. Just need to get a few things custom made or modified. But after that it's all pretty easy and straightforward.

Excellent R&D! Have you looked at KW HLS before this project?

I can source spherical upper mounts should anyone needs them in the future.

Thanks! Yeah I did and I really like that setup as well. It's just that I prefer to use air over hydraulics. And honestly KW HLS is way overpriced for what it is. Benefit with HLS is that you can use the OEM top mounts though. Since the part that lifts the car sits below the spring. With the air cups that isn't possible, they're always above the spring. So you always run into issues using the OEM top mounts. Nothing bad about spherical top mounts though, besides them being a little bit noisy. They do feel great though.

 

[Motion122]

Thank you! Was a lot of work but paid off in the end. I've been in contact with both MPP and Stancepart throughout this whole project but I honestly don't think there's that much interest to be able to develop a complete air cup package for the Model 3 to sell. By only making/selling a few sets a year I'm sure it'd be very expensive. I've been considering it myself but I'd have to source parts from different parts in the world, to then again send them to different parts in the world. So I just don't think that's going to work out. It's not too difficult to do it yourself though, with all the info I released now. Just need to get a few things custom made or modified. But after that it's all pretty easy and straightforward.



Thanks! Yeah I did and I really like that setup as well. It's just that I prefer to use air over hydraulics. And honestly KW HLS is way overpriced for what it is. Benefit with HLS is that you can use the OEM top mounts though. Since the part that lifts the car sits below the spring. With the air cups that isn't possible, they're always above the spring. So you always run into issues using the OEM top mounts. Nothing bad about spherical top mounts though, besides them being a little bit noisy. They do feel great though.

I had spherical top mounts on my MCS 2WNR. Complete freed up the front damper and allows it to articulate.

 

[Firehuntah]

I had spherical top mounts on my MCS 2WNR. Complete freed up the front damper and allows it to articulate.

Yes it's really great for sure, I love having them on my Model 3. Feels quite good with them. Only downside is the noise from the bearings and little bit more harsh than the rubber OEM top mounts. So yeah.. I think if possible I'd definitely still take the rubber OEM top mounts over spherical since noise in an EV is never really cool.

 

[dfwatt]

Yes it's really great for sure, I love having them on my Model 3. Feels quite good with them. Only downside is the noise from the bearings and little bit more harsh than the rubber OEM top mounts. So yeah.. I think if possible I'd definitely still take the rubber OEM top mounts over spherical since noise in an EV is never really cool.

Yes and since the top hat rubber isolation is one of the most critical isolating pieces in the suspension in terms of preventing the grain and noise of the road from being transmitted into the structure and introducing extra NVH for the driver and passengers, for road cars this is not an option.

 

[Motion122]

Yes it's really great for sure, I love having them on my Model 3. Feels quite good with them. Only downside is the noise from the bearings and little bit more harsh than the rubber OEM top mounts. So yeah.. I think if possible I'd definitely still take the rubber OEM top mounts over spherical since noise in an EV is never really cool.

It's not really that bad. Noise level is the same on strut cars with camber plates.

People complain about camber plate noise as well. Want a race car part on a street car? You will get some NVH for sure! That said KW CS camber plates and Tein pillow mounts are some of the best ones I have seen that are actually quiet.

 

[Firehuntah]

Yes and since the top hat rubber isolation is one of the most critical isolating pieces in the suspension in terms of preventing the grain and noise of the road from being transmitted into the structure and introducing extra NVH for the driver and passengers, for road cars this is not an option.

True for the most part but I wouldn't go as far as saying it's not an option for road cars. I daily my Tesla and while there's some added NVH for sure it's still pleasant to drive on the road without it being too harsh. Now my spherical mounts are a bit different than the usual ones though, the spherical bearing actually is surrounded by rubber so noise definitely is dampened a bit. Though the OEM mounts do still offer more comfort, that's for sure.

It's not really that bad. Noise level is the same on strut cars with camber plates.

People complain about camber plate noise as well. Want a race car part on a street car? You will get some NVH for sure! That said KW CS camber plates and Tein pillow mounts are some of the best ones I have seen that are actually quiet.

Yes it's not too bad overall. Just on bad roads at lower speeds you can definitely hear some noise and it's a little more harsh. I don't mind it too much, I'm just mentioning it so others can decide if it's something they want or not. Because I know not everyone wants to have added NVH to their EV.

 

[dfwatt]

True for the most part but I wouldn't go as far as saying it's not an option for road cars. I daily my Tesla and while there's some added NVH for sure it's still pleasant to drive on the road without it being too harsh. Now my spherical mounts are a bit different than the usual ones though, the spherical bearing actually is surrounded by rubber so noise definitely is dampened a bit. Though the OEM mounts do still offer more comfort, that's for sure.



Yes it's not too bad overall. Just on bad roads at lower speeds you can definitely hear some noise and it's a little more harsh. I don't mind it too much, I'm just mentioning it so others can decide if it's something they want or not. Because I know not everyone wants to have added NVH to their EV.

I'm fine with everything you're saying. I just think that the average enthusiast needs to know that these kinds of non isolating top hats will cost them in terms of some loss of nvh control. And if their car is shared with a spousal unit, you can bet your bottom dollar the wife will not be happy.

 

[Motion122]

True for the most part but I wouldn't go as far as saying it's not an option for road cars. I daily my Tesla and while there's some added NVH for sure it's still pleasant to drive on the road without it being too harsh. Now my spherical mounts are a bit different than the usual ones though, the spherical bearing actually is surrounded by rubber so noise definitely is dampened a bit. Though the OEM mounts do still offer more comfort, that's for sure.



Yes it's not too bad overall. Just on bad roads at lower speeds you can definitely hear some noise and it's a little more harsh. I don't mind it too much, I'm just mentioning it so others can decide if it's something they want or not. Because I know not everyone wants to have added NVH to their EV.

I agree. Just like camber plates the NVH is limited to low vehicle speeds only. Once you get going you don't really hear the mounts anymore.

 

[Hayden]

Thanks! I guess there are better ways to measure, but I initially measured ground to fender (vs hub to fender or edge of wheel to fender) and got ~28.5" front, ~28" rear.

I switched to millimeters for more accuracy so officially 725mm and 710mm, and targeted an equal ground-to-fender height of 690mm for each. This meant lower front by 35mm (or 1.37") and rear by 20mm (or .78")

Only been 2 weeks, and haven't seen a drastic change in range, so at least it hasn't gone down for now. MPP also mentioned the rear will settle a little lower over time (RWD), so account for that with the techs.

Good luck with your install!

I lowered my SR+ with Eibach pro but at the front there is still a lot of space between the tire and the wheel arch. Two fingers in the back, but three fingers in the front. Is this normal?