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Model 3 Performance suspension is smoother?

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Maaz

Active Member
Oct 6, 2014
1,130
940
Torrance
Hey everyone I am a little confused and was looking for some clarification, Currently I have 5 model 3s in my household and 1 Model X. Previously I have also had 2 Model S’s and just sold my launch Model X. So I’ve driven many different variations of Teslas with different size wheel setups and all. My question is my LR RWD Model 3 with the 20 inch rims feels how I would expect a car with upgraded performance wheels to feel, a little rough on the road and definitely feel all types of bumps in the road. The same is what I experienced when I upgraded both my Model Xs to the 22s. However since the first day I received my Performance Model 3 I was confused and pleasantly surprised how smooth the car was and how amazing and comfortable it felt over all types of bumps and road types, even had multiple passengers comment on the fact. I know the Performance 3 has lowered suspension but is there an upgrade they do specially for the performance models that isn’t listed officially ?
 
The suspension is really soft from my perspective in the Performance. I hate to think what the lesser model 3 range variants have, feathers or something I guess instead of springs... US cars are usually tuned like big bouncy castles from European perspectives.
 
It’s funny, but I’ve test driven the RWD 3 once, rented one on Turo for a day and test driven the Performance 3...I’ve also ridden in the back seat on all occasions while others drove. Even the regular test drives were lengthy (it helps to go on slow days). I pay KEEN attention to ride quality on all test drives and my assessment of the performance 3 was actually the same. I was pleasantly surprised but this. I have to believe this is a combination of damper tuning and what is likely a softer tread on the performance oriented tires.

One caveat to this is Tesla’s ever changing suspension part numbers, Most folks are aware that the very earliest RWD Model 3s had a very stiff suspension, and Tesla changed it in late December. However, if you look at the online catalog you will see a number of part number changes for the dampers. in short, depending on when the car was made you could have a different damper. Last time I looked though, the dual motor and perf dual motor cars only had one suspension version each so less changes there.
 
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I think the suspension Tesla is shipping on current Model 3s is softer than what was shipping a year ago. I noticed a significant difference in feel between a friend's brand new 3D compared to our August 2018 3D. I prefer the stiffer suspension of our 2018 car, but I'm probably in the minority.
 
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I've noticed this as well - test drove a P3D+ and was shocked by the compliant ride. Picked up my P3D- and the springs felt considerably stiffer. Who knows.

So you think the ride isn’t as good as the P3D+? That’s what I was waiting for but heard of some P3D- are available near by and plan on upgrading my own wheels and lowering if I went that route but have also heard how good the suspension was on the + and don’t want to pass that up
 
So you think the ride isn’t as good as the P3D+? That’s what I was waiting for but heard of some P3D- are available near by and plan on upgrading my own wheels and lowering if I went that route but have also heard how good the suspension was on the + and don’t want to pass that up
Depends on what you mean by 'good' - the P3D+ suspension seems to be a nice balance between handling & comfort. But I didn't want the 20" wheels, and I knew I could get better handling out of an aftermarket solution like the MPP sports coilovers. But my priorities might be different than yours - I don't care if the ride is spine-shattering as long as the car handles like it should. So I figured I'd save the $5K and spend it on tires & suspension.
 
Depends on what you mean by 'good' - the P3D+ suspension seems to be a nice balance between handling & comfort. But I didn't want the 20" wheels, and I knew I could get better handling out of an aftermarket solution like the MPP sports coilovers. But my priorities might be different than yours - I don't care if the ride is spine-shattering as long as the car handles like it should. So I figured I'd save the $5K and spend it on tires & suspension.
Thanks for the feedback. Still a tough decision to make.