Model X Ride Quality

[bjm]

I have had my Model X 90D with 20 inch wheels and Continental tires for 3 months and 3000 miles. The ride quality is very rough and I am wondering if anyone has had any luck in dealing with this issue.

The ride didn't seem particularly harsh for our first road trip of a 1000 miles from the Bay Area to Oregon. When we returned my wife noticed that she couldn't rest her head on the passenger head rest without it getting bounced around uncomfortably. Now she is reluctant to ride in the car because there seems to be very little in the way of shock absorption from bumps in the road. I have to agree that the ride is very harsh and not particularly pleasant.

I took the car to the service center and they checked it out and a service manager rode in it with me. Nothing out of the ordinary was found. I compared it with a demo Model X - not a huge difference. He didn't have any suggestions to improve the ride other than take a few psi out of the tires.

I had a 2013 Model S with Continental shocks for 3 years - the ride was great and very smooth. Vastly different from my Model X.

Any suggestions?

 

[kazkioken]

Hrmm it's all relative. I find my X on 20's to be much more comfortable than when it had the 22's - which is to be expected. But my point of reference is a much harsher ride from track cars like my old Lotus and our current other car is an Alfa Romeo. So, if you are comparing to a Cadillac I think you might have a different opinion? But for what it's worth here in Los Angeles where the surface streets are in terrible shape and the highways are mostly concrete we find the X to be more on the luxurious side of the scale. It's no Mercedes but it's well damped, it's not the most quiet but it is comfortable. We have our tires at 41psi...

 

[X Fan]

Must be something wrong with vehicle or you're off roading.

17k on my x and still drives fabulously and I much prefer it over my previous BMW X5.

 

[bushburner]

The x is the best riding car that I have owned. I love it, firm, but smooth and not bouncy. I currently own a mb and a Porsche with air suspension too.

 

[travwill]

Love how the X rides. Passengers usually complement how smooth it is and the ride quality overall. It is WAY better than our BMW X5 that is pretty stiff and you feel every single bump on road, maybe due to its runflats also.

 

[PedanticOne]

Love how the X rides. Passengers usually complement how smooth it is and the ride quality overall. It is WAY better than our BMW X5 that is pretty stiff and you feel every single bump on road, maybe due to its runflats also.

Yeah, runflats are notoriously hard-riding. I just had a ride in a Model S and it was quite smooth, but I do remember the X test drive being a little more firm. But my current vehicle is a Jeep, and before that I had a GT3, so I think it will be quite luxurious to me.

 

[muleferg]

Do like Tom Brady, Defla8te

 

[3s-a-charm]

View attachment 206955 Do like Tom Brady, Defla8te

Oh I hate seeing a black/tan Model X. Makes me miss my black Model S and now I want to change my X order to black again! Beautiful!!

 

[Khanhvngo]

Hi to OP.

I agreed with you on the hardness of the ride, We own the x with 20" wheels and it was smooth quite and comfortable. We got a loaner that had 22" wheels and right off the bat It felt like a tank to me. Very heavy drive, not as smooth and agile. Best way i can describe it is " drive like a tank"

When we go our x back, right away I felt that smooth and agile feel again. I would have to say that the wheel size matter a lot! the 22" has less side wall then the 20" which cushion and dampen the road and I think makes everything smoother!

My suggestion would be to try out a x with 20" and see if you can feel the different! You might have to go down in wheel size to fix the issue!

 

[philinsf]

My P90X is running 20" wheels with Michelin Latitude 3s. I find the ride a little on the rough side when inflated to 42 PSI specified.

 

[Diavel]

Reason why the x rides hard is because it's built for performance so you won't get the lexus/Cadillac type feel to it.

If you want a softer ride, put the suspension on high (NOT very high) and that is the softest ride.

Keep in mind after going faster the suspension will naturally lower so standard for aerodynamic and stability reasons.

 

[krazineurons]

My suggestion would be to try out a x with 20" and see if you can feel the different! You might have to go down in wheel size to fix the issue!

OP already has 20" tires not 22.

 

[krazineurons]

If you want a softer ride, put the suspension on high (NOT very high) and that is the softest ride.

Is there a table indicating what suspension settings suit what conditions? I am getting my X next week and would really love to know what should I set it to by default.

 

[polymathic]

Is there a table indicating what suspension settings suit what conditions? I am getting my X next week and would really love to know what should I set it to by default.

Standard is where it should be at. Higher, and you have speed restrictions. Lower, and you have premature tire wear. I have it set to drop to low on very high speed only.

 

[iamkevin38]

I have had my Model X 90D with 20 inch wheels and Continental tires for 3 months and 3000 miles. The ride quality is very rough and I am wondering if anyone has had any luck in dealing with this issue.

The ride didn't seem particularly harsh for our first road trip of a 1000 miles from the Bay Area to Oregon. When we returned my wife noticed that she couldn't rest her head on the passenger head rest without it getting bounced around uncomfortably. Now she is reluctant to ride in the car because there seems to be very little in the way of shock absorption from bumps in the road. I have to agree that the ride is very harsh and not particularly pleasant.

I took the car to the service center and they checked it out and a service manager rode in it with me. Nothing out of the ordinary was found. I compared it with a demo Model X - not a huge difference. He didn't have any suggestions to improve the ride other than take a few psi out of the tires.

I had a 2013 Model S with Continental shocks for 3 years - the ride was great and very smooth. Vastly different from my Model X.

Any suggestions?

I have the exact issue. I have a 2106 X and a 2017 S with coil. The S ride is much better. The X ride is not as good as my daughter's little BMW i3 with four tiny tires.

 

[Pandamoanium]

Hrmm it's all relative. I find my X on 20's to be much more comfortable than when it had the 22's - which is to be expected. But my point of reference is a much harsher ride from track cars like my old Lotus and our current other car is an Alfa Romeo. So, if you are comparing to a Cadillac I think you might have a different opinion? But for what it's worth here in Los Angeles where the surface streets are in terrible shape and the highways are mostly concrete we find the X to be more on the luxurious side of the scale. It's no Mercedes but it's well damped, it's not the most quiet but it is comfortable. We have our tires at 41psi...

4C?

 

[T3xrr]

4C?

Do 22 inch wheels wear the tires a lot faster???

 

[X Fan]

I have the exact issue. I have a 2106 X and a 2017 S with coil. The S ride is much better. The X ride is not as good as my daughter's little BMW i3 with four tiny tires.

Well, your one post leads to some speculation...do you really have an X or are you just a short?

Approaching 30K miles and hands down the X is better than my previous 4 BMW X5's and my wife's Porsche Macan.

 

[sohandso]

Well, your one post leads to some speculation...do you really have an X or are you just a short?

Approaching 30K miles and hands down the X is better than my previous 4 BMW X5's and my wife's Porsche Macan.

4C?

My 60D X on 20' Latitude tire is comfortable in most of the case under standard setting and quite similar to my golf 6 gt with lowered suspension, good handling. However,in some cases, the car is quite bouncy if the crossing lane, i believe that it may due to the long wheelbase, some address it to the stiffness of the upper part of the frame.

 

[Peteybabes]

My car has the 22's and it's a rough/firm ride. certainly not comparable to MB or Lexus, but I would be more ok with it if my car didn't make so much noise over bumps.

Almost embarrassing, nothing like a Porsche or BMW for interior fit and finish...all sorts of rattles, etc.