Model Y Suspension and Ride Comfort Options

[Carbonmedic]

I have read the posts, regarding the MY rough ride. My 2021 MY has a very stiff ride and I'd really like to figure out how to make it softer and smoother without going with a super expensive air cushion system. All of the posts I've read about this were posted in April of last year. Is there any new information out there that may be more current?

I'd appreciate some new info on this topic.

Thanks, Group!

Rick

 

[buddhafree]

Does your car have 19" or 20" wheels? Smaller diameter wheels can soften the ride.

 

[tangible1]

I have read the posts, regarding the MY rough ride. My 2021 MY has a very stiff ride and I'd really like to figure out how to make it softer and smoother without going with a super expensive air cushion system. All of the posts I've read about this were posted in April of last year. Is there any new information out there that may be more current?

I'd appreciate some new info on this topic.

Thanks, Group!

Rick

tons of threads regarding the aftermarket coilover options; in order of price:
Unplugged Performance
Mountain Pass Performance
Redwood Motorsports
Any of these would likely work; which is best depends on your prior car experience, suspension knowledge, and expectations.
You will find these threads become highly subjective. There are few objective metrics that people can find common ground on.
Lead times on these are a couple months minimum

There are a couple air suspension kits out there, and there are some more race-oriented solutions. Much more $$$.

 

[thesmokingman]

I have read the posts, regarding the MY rough ride. My 2021 MY has a very stiff ride and I'd really like to figure out how to make it softer and smoother without going with a super expensive air cushion system. All of the posts I've read about this were posted in April of last year. Is there any new information out there that may be more current?

I'd appreciate some new info on this topic.

Thanks, Group!

Rick

There's no real comfort options as far as suspension out yet and nothing for a reasonable budget. Proobably the best option that you could dial in "more" comfort are coilovers but that's not really gonna get you to a Toyota/Lexus feeling car. You can sacrifice acceleration and get a taller tire, higher aspect ratio tire for more damping. That's probably the more cost effective way.

 

[Carbonmedic]

Thanks for the feedback. I have stock 19" wheels and would like a softer ride but I can tolerate.

 

[whisperingshad]

Thanks for the feedback. I have stock 19" wheels and would like a softer ride but I can tolerate.

Coilover kit, lighter rims will help, but not a Lexus type of ride for sure.

 

[ashegam]

decrease your PSI. This will greatly improve the ride comfort though slightly decrease your total range. Elon has mentioned this himself numerous times throughout the years. This would be a non-issue for daily driving and you can always increase your PSI for long trips where you want the extra range.

 

[Getlib]

why start a new thread? There are multiple of these exact same threads already.

 

[tangible1]

tons of threads regarding the aftermarket coilover options; in order of price:
Unplugged Performance
Mountain Pass Performance
Redwood Motorsports
Any of these would likely work; which is best depends on your prior car experience, suspension knowledge, and expectations.
You will find these threads become highly subjective. There are few objective metrics that people can find common ground on.
Lead times on these are a couple months minimum

There are a couple air suspension kits out there, and there are some more race-oriented solutions. Much more $$$.

I should add to my earlier post that in conversation with BILSTEIN today, they are working on Aftermarket kit for Tesla vehicles.
Tesla has become a bigger market and Bilstein thinks they can add to the party.
Also I should note that Bilstein makes dampers for Tesla currently, under OEM Contract (to Tesla Engineering specs, not Bilstein specs).

No timeline, no price point info, no spec info at this time.
What's important is that it will happen.

 

[thesmokingman]

I should add to my earlier post that in conversation with BILSTEIN today, they are working on Aftermarket kit for Tesla vehicles.
Tesla has become a bigger market and Bilstein thinks they can add to the party.
Also I should note that Bilstein makes dampers for Tesla currently, under OEM Contract (to Tesla Engineering specs, not Bilstein specs).

No timeline, no price point info, no spec info at this time.
What's important is that it will happen.

Nice work. Did you ask if they are going to supply struts or inserts on the front? I assume whole struts cuz I don't see this crowd cutting and fitting replacement inserts into their strut bodies.

 

[tangible1]

Nice work. Did you ask if they are going to supply struts or inserts on the front? I assume whole struts cuz I don't see this crowd cutting and fitting replacement inserts into their strut bodies.

Bilstein usually covers all bases when they enter a target market.
A complete coilover / strut selection only makes sense - springs and dampers must work together.
But inserts? I'm with you. Unlikely, but unknown.

But no, I did not ask specifics since it was clear the conversation was on background.
I'm satisfied that it will happen.
I've worked with them in the past many times, dialing in racecar strut insert comp/reb valving, etc.

 

[thesmokingman]

Bilstein usually covers all bases when they enter a target market.
A complete coilover / strut selection only makes sense - springs and dampers must work together.

But no, I did not ask specifics since it was clear the conversation was on background.
I'm satisfied that it will happen.
I've worked with them in the past many times, dialing in racecar strut insert comp/reb valving, etc.

Nah, both Koni and Bilstein produce strut inserts. I'd assume they'd sell full struts though for green considerations just selling inserts is better. However, like I wrote this isn't the crowd that is gonna cut up old struts and install inserts.

 

[tangible1]

Nah, both Koni and Bilstein produce strut inserts. I'd assume they'd sell full struts though for green considerations just selling inserts is better. However, like I wrote this isn't the crowd that is gonna cut up old struts and install inserts.

If you look at Bilstein's website they're all-in on complete coilovers and monotube shocks now.

 

[Wigan]

There's no real comfort options as far as suspension out yet and nothing for a reasonable budget. Proobably the best option that you could dial in "more" comfort are coilovers but that's not really gonna get you to a Toyota/Lexus feeling car. You can sacrifice acceleration and get a taller tire, higher aspect ratio tire for more damping. That's probably the more cost effective way.

I'm not a car guy at all, can you put 'taller tire, higher aspect ratio' into layman's terms? I have the 19" tires, does taller tire mean with more sidewall? I can't even guess what a higher aspect ratio might mean. What is an example of such a tire? Is there one that folks have used that have reported is softens the ride a little bit?

 

[tangible1]

I'm not a car guy at all, can you put 'taller tire, higher aspect ratio' into layman's terms? I have the 19" tires, does taller tire mean with more sidewall? I can't even guess what a higher aspect ratio might mean. What is an example of such a tire? Is there one that folks have used that have reported is softens the ride a little bit?

So the idea is to get more sidewall to better absorb the road imperfections, smooth out the ride a little.
To a small degree, tire pressure can also be adjusted to suit. But this only provides a very minor benefit. BTW, low AND higher should be tried.

The Model YLR standard suspension uses a 28" diameter tire on a 19" wheel. Size 255/45/19 is standard.
245=width, 45=aspect ratio (width to sidewall height), 19=wheel size.

It can accommodate a tire up to 29" in diameter (tall). That's a realworld max, although some might say a 29.5" would fit.
The determining factor for max tire diameter is the knuckle on the upper wishbone. There's close to 3/4" clearance above the tread of a 255/45 tire.
A 1 one inch added tire diameter adds 1/2 inch (above and below the tire equator) and it clears. That distance never changes regardless of wheel movement.

It gets tricky when considering tire WIDTH. This is really only an issue on the front, where the tires are turned L/R, and clearance needs to be determined.
You can eyeball this with the MY. Since the car rides so high, there's a lot of room.
Sitting in the car and turning the steering wheel lock-lock will show how much space is available.

Here's a link to sizing calculator, showing dimensions of various tire sizes of your choosing and comparison tools.

Tire Size Calculator

The best tire size calculator. Use our tire size calculator to find tire size specs and suggested tire sizes. Then check prices for all available tire sizes.

tiresize.com

 

[Pianewman]

Tangible1: "
The Model YLR standard suspension uses a 28" diameter tire on a 19" wheel. Size 255/45/19 is standard.
245=width, 45=aspect ratio (width to sidewall height), 19=wheel size."

Oops. Got it backwards. It's sidewall height to width...

"Aspect Ratio Is the ratio of the height of the tire's cross-section to its width. The two-digit number after the slash mark in a tire size is the aspect ratio. For example, in a size P215/65 R15 tire, the 65 means that the height is equal to 65% of the tire's width."

 

[tangible1]

Tangible1: "
The Model YLR standard suspension uses a 28" diameter tire on a 19" wheel. Size 255/45/19 is standard.
245=width, 45=aspect ratio (width to sidewall height), 19=wheel size."

Oops. Got it backwards. It's sidewall height to width...

"Aspect Ratio Is the ratio of the height of the tire's cross-section to its width. The two-digit number after the slash mark in a tire size is the aspect ratio. For example, in a size P215/65 R15 tire, the 65 means that the height is equal to 65% of the tire's width."

I also typo'd the width .... it's 255, not 245. Ah well, fat fingers.

 

[Tevo Solutions]

The rumours of Bilstein releasing suspension kits for the M3/MY have been around for some time.
We got tired of waiting, so developed our own Bilstein-based coilover kit for the Model 3 and we'll be doing the same for the Y as soon as we get ours off the ship in a couple of week's time.
The MY kit will be very much aimed at making the ride more comfortable, but we also expect the handling will improve too.

 

[whisperingshad]

Looks like more vendors finally...too bad they coming out around 3k, mpp came up to 3k now too...wanted the redwood but almost 4k so I went with mpp during a good deal time.

 

[Tevo Solutions]

Looks like more vendors finally...too bad they coming out around 3k, mpp came up to 3k now too...wanted the redwood but almost 4k so I went with mpp during a good deal time.

My personal opinion is if it's much less than that, the quality won't be good enough. The manufacturers/distributors/dealers are all getting a cut of the retail price. If a kit was to retail for $2k, corners will be cut on quality. There's too much cheap and nasty stuff being made already without adding to it and as we are a UK-based company primarily serving the UK/European market we also don't want to be shipping in parts and products from Taiwan/China to sell to someone in the UK. We're trying to reduce our carbon footprint just like everyone else.