Model Y motion sickness

[NigelM]

Picked up a new MY in June and multiple family members (incl myself!) have gotten motion sickness sitting in the back seat. Recently caught up with an old Tesla friend and mentioned this...

He told me that there was a design issue with a small part of the rear suspension that causes an almost imperceptible amount of up-down motion when there is no weight in the trunk. Figurative lightbulbs flashed as I realized that we hadn't experienced any motion sickness on road trips with a full car and it only happened to people seated in the back. Seems like there's no public acknowledgement and no fix other than adding 50-100lb of weight in the trunk.

Wondering how widespread this is...

 

[WattsappMTL]

If you

Picked up a new MY in June and multiple family members (incl myself!) have gotten motion sickness sitting in the back seat. Recently caught up with an old Tesla friend and mentioned this...

He told me that there was a design issue with a small part of the rear suspension that causes an almost imperceptible amount of up-down motion when there is no weight in the trunk. Figurative lightbulbs flashed as I realized that we hadn't experienced any motion sickness on road trips with a full car and it only happened to people seated in the back. Seems like there's no public acknowledgement and no fix other than adding 50-100lb of weight in the trunk.

Wondering how widespread this is...

I've found that the ride smoothes out significantly when the car is heavily loaded, and it seems the more in the back, the better. If you have rear-seat passengers, you've already added some weight to the car. I'm carrying extra ballast to make the ride more tolerable when I'm alone, which is most of the time. MY does handle irregular surfaces very badly - this causes pronounced body roll, much more than M3. Perhaps that's part of the problem for your passengers. I really wish the sway bars were stiffer to control this better. The suspension also creates a lot of body movement over bumps and there is an odd fore-and-aft chugging motion that happens on certain sections of road I drive on. I have no idea what is triggering it, but it always happens in those locations. It's really noticeable if you hold your head close to the headrest. I've never seen any acknowledgement from Tesla that anything needs to be improved.

 

[maus92]

It probably the visual illusions you are picking up unconsciously because of the glass roof, along with any minor suspension quirks. Actually, getting car sick is not unusual for rear seat passengers in any car for those who are susceptible to such things. Some people will also get sick in the front passengers seat, but unsurprisingly will not if they are driving.

 

[miracj]

I do think that Tesla is the car I want but would like your input on best approach. I do feel now that Y is too big for me and smaller Teslas may handle bad weather in NY just as confidently.

1. Get 18 inch tires with soft ride, and if not enough aftermarket air suspension.
2. Trade Y for 3, then do above.
3. Get upcoming S, with air suspension.
4. Get a new Lexus.

Some people have taken the edge of the bumpiness by reducing air pressure in the tires from 41 PSI to 38 PSI. You can try that, but the tires will wear a bit faster.

But for the best ride, I'd go with the air suspension of the Model S (or X).

However, if you keep the Model Y, you should consider adding a coilover from Unpluuged Performance, Mountain Pass or Redwood Motorsports. They range in cost, and most people will swear by them, whichever one they got. It won't be a Lexus feel, but will improve the bumpiness immensely. Read the various threads here on the forum about each.