Some interpretation here....there are shipping pressures which approach the Max Cold stamping on the sidewall. Certainly no need for that, and it's damaging to treadwear. That pressure should have been reduced in new car prep. There is the GVWR tire pressure setting shown on the label on the door jamb or door shut-face, which is only needed when carrying the maximum load of passenger and cargo weight, usually no need for that and it will harshen a normal daily driver ride. The owner's manual should specify typical inflation pressures. Variation of a couple of pounds are not usually harmful and may be used to tune ride/handling characteristics....if you prefer 30psi to 32psi, for example, but more than that is not advisable. TPMS should not activate for a +/- 2psi versus nominal for all four, but may be more sensitive if it notices one of the three is varying. Remember to check tires when cold, first thing in the morning, for example, monthly, and when outside ambients change.
-
Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
Model 3's Ride Quality
- Thread starter BobRoberts
- Start date
Some interpretation here....there are shipping pressures which approach the Max Cold stamping on the sidewall. Certainly no need for that, and it's damaging to treadwear. That pressure should have been reduced in new car prep. There is the GVWR tire pressure setting shown on the label on the door jamb or door shut-face, which is only needed when carrying the maximum load of passenger and cargo weight, usually no need for that and it will harshen a normal daily driver ride. The owner's manual should specify typical inflation pressures. Variation of a couple of pounds are not usually harmful and may be used to tune ride/handling characteristics....if you prefer 30psi to 32psi, for example, but more than that is not advisable. TPMS should not activate for a +/- 2psi versus nominal for all four, but may be more sensitive if it notices one of the three is varying. Remember to check tires when cold, first thing in the morning, for example, monthly, and when outside ambients change.
Sparky
Member
@BobRoberts
Lot's of good tips here. Sorry to hear you're first impressions aren't all good.
Curious, what car you're coming from? I have an X and for sure the 3 is not the ride of the X but it's one of the things I love about it. It's a quicker, more connected to the road ride.
I just drove mine home from the Fremont delivery center Friday. 250 miles of I-5 is a fairly complete CA freeway "experience". I noticed no steering wheel vibe from 0 to the usual I-5 left lane speeds
. So, that's sounds like something to be fixed.
Yes, the ride is stiffer than my '13 coil spring S and certainly than my X. Also a bit noisier.
But, I loved the ride and found the seats so comfortable that I had no driving fatigue at journey's end.
Lot's of good tips here. Sorry to hear you're first impressions aren't all good.
Curious, what car you're coming from? I have an X and for sure the 3 is not the ride of the X but it's one of the things I love about it. It's a quicker, more connected to the road ride.
I just drove mine home from the Fremont delivery center Friday. 250 miles of I-5 is a fairly complete CA freeway "experience". I noticed no steering wheel vibe from 0 to the usual I-5 left lane speeds
. So, that's sounds like something to be fixed.Yes, the ride is stiffer than my '13 coil spring S and certainly than my X. Also a bit noisier.
But, I loved the ride and found the seats so comfortable that I had no driving fatigue at journey's end.
insaneoctane
Well-Known Member
One way to narrow down the potential "fixes" (tuning) is to simply load the frunk and trunk with a few hundred pounds of sand bags (or cement bags) from home depot. If it's the "pickup syndrome" that @McRat mentioned, you would notice increasing compliance with additional load....
PS - If you go this route, I would recommend putting the bags in fresh trash bags to keep your car clean!
PS - If you go this route, I would recommend putting the bags in fresh trash bags to keep your car clean!
Suspension bushings and 'stiction' do indeed get softer with miles.
While I don't know the specifics of the Model 3 suspension, on many cars, the ends of the sway bars are captive by an upper and lower bushing. Loosening the preload on these will reduce the effective spring rate for the first inch, at a small increase in body roll.
About the Audi. It is a $45k? ICE car with a 4 banger? So it better have a high end suspension since it only has a 220 horse drivetrain at that price point. It's powertrain is probably $20k cheaper than a Model 3 LR. And the Audi probably has more miles to soften it up.
While I don't know the specifics of the Model 3 suspension, on many cars, the ends of the sway bars are captive by an upper and lower bushing. Loosening the preload on these will reduce the effective spring rate for the first inch, at a small increase in body roll.
About the Audi. It is a $45k? ICE car with a 4 banger? So it better have a high end suspension since it only has a 220 horse drivetrain at that price point. It's powertrain is probably $20k cheaper than a Model 3 LR. And the Audi probably has more miles to soften it up.
Interesting. The 3 reminds me quite a bit of my old TT in terms of ride quality (not handling of course, the 3 mops the floor with it).
Sadly...as predicted:
Suspension / Ride Quality / Handling - Too firm or Just Right?
Didn't take long and I still predict it will become a common complaint (note: I have seen several more reviews since I wrote the post above and virtually ALL comment on the firm ride and some folks are even describing it as harsh).
To the OP, here's my advice: Don't do anything yet! Don't invest in new tires as they will likely make only a tiny amount of difference (if any). Drive the car for a few weeks. You will actually start to "adapt" to the firmer ride (at least somewhat) - sort of a weird human nature thing. You can always lower the air pressure by a few pounds, but expect only modest gains as the basic issue is really the damper tuning and no amount of "tire" changes is really going to alter that.
Your plan B after a few months if you don't adapt? Sell it.
Suspension / Ride Quality / Handling - Too firm or Just Right?
Didn't take long and I still predict it will become a common complaint (note: I have seen several more reviews since I wrote the post above and virtually ALL comment on the firm ride and some folks are even describing it as harsh).
To the OP, here's my advice: Don't do anything yet! Don't invest in new tires as they will likely make only a tiny amount of difference (if any). Drive the car for a few weeks. You will actually start to "adapt" to the firmer ride (at least somewhat) - sort of a weird human nature thing. You can always lower the air pressure by a few pounds, but expect only modest gains as the basic issue is really the damper tuning and no amount of "tire" changes is really going to alter that.
Your plan B after a few months if you don't adapt? Sell it.
pilotSteve
Active Member
Yes to the above. My first S85 had air suspension, my 2016 S90D has coils. I noticed immediately how much rougher the coils were on anything but very smooth pavement. At first I was panicked: did I make a terrible mistake not choosing air? After quite a bit of experimentation I've found that the TIRES will break in after 2-3 thousand miles and make the ride much more acceptable. So if possible, I advise being patient and deciding again after a couple thousand miles of driving if you don't find it better.
Last edited:
This is precisely why I didn't reserve a Model 3. I can't imagine buying a car without testing it out first. The simple fact is that there is not a car for everyone.
What your describing (except for the steering wheel vibration) is perfect for me. I like a suspension that's a bit more firm, and I currently have a 70D which suits me just fine.
On the positive side of things you can likely sell it without incurring a loss.
What your describing (except for the steering wheel vibration) is perfect for me. I like a suspension that's a bit more firm, and I currently have a 70D which suits me just fine.
On the positive side of things you can likely sell it without incurring a loss.
Wait a minute. You are a Tesla owner and you say, "...I took it into the DEALERSHIP..."????? How can you own a Tesla and refer to their service centers or showrooms as DELEARSHIP????
K-MTG
Sunshade Captain of TMC
If I were to buy the 3 again...I would get air suspension over EAP.
Anybody who thinks their M3 has a harsh ride, come for a ride in my 3/4 ton straight axle pickup (which I drive 250+ miles a week). When you get back in your M3, you'll be thankful of just how plush the ride is .
.
Petra
Member
Glad to hear it! The P85+ and early P85D with the plus suspension are my two favorite versions of the Model S, with my only complaints being that I'm not a fan of Tesla's air suspension implementation and they didn't take the suspension tuning far enough.
As an FYI, I Think the early P85D suspension is actually firmer than my P85+. I had an early P85D (as in December 2014 early) as a loaner once and it was defintely stiffer. If AZ_Rael thinks it is "not quite as stiff as our early P85D..." then the 3 is probably still pretty firm.
I am disappointed Tesla didn't offer a base and sport suspension tune (much less a fancy adaptive suspension...of course the S doesn't even offer that).
I am disappointed Tesla didn't offer a base and sport suspension tune (much less a fancy adaptive suspension...of course the S doesn't even offer that).
Respectfully, but totally and strongly disagree, based on street and test-track experience.
Before taking such a loss on an entire vehicle, I repeat the value of first changing tires.
If LeBron didn't play well in wing-tips, you would trade him before giving him basketball sneakers?
Accustomed to a Prius C for the last 8 years, I suspect I won't even notice this roughness and will probably lose my collective fluids over the increased performance.
I probably should have been more specific here. The OP already has the 18" rims so there is no opportunity to go with a smaller rim and get a tad more sidewall (not sure there are any 17" rim options that will clear the brakes, etc.)...even then, it would only be 1/2". Beyond that, I think the 18" tires are a Michelin MXM4s (a grand touring tire). It's not like the car is equipped with rigid sidewall runflat tires. Any gain can probably be simulated by lowering the tire pressure on the current tires by 5 lbs or so and driving on that for a day (and I doubt new tires will get that level of gain).
As a comparison, we purchased a 2012 Volvo XC60 RDesign new with the sport suspension. It had 20" rims and rode rough. That car had 17, 18, and 19" rim options as well. I paid attention to the ride for 3 months and felt it was primarily the rear dampers causing most of the issue. As luck would have it, we got a base XC60 loaner one day with the 17" rims and base suspension. Impact harshness was almost identical to our car despite the extra rubber, but I could tell the suspension just had more give. I ended up climbing underneath our RD to swap out the rear springs and shocks (to the base units)...well worth it.
As an aside, I am now running the base 19" rims on my P85+, but I swapped out the 21s less because of the ride (surprisingly not much difference given an extra inch of rubber) and more because of the noise..PS2s have awesome grip, but are noisy on Texas' concrete freeways!
Similar threads
