New owner - noticing excessive body roll

[AcesUp]

Just got car few days ago and fine on city streets but when I get on our tollway which has newly paved roads with some nice twists here and there the car has a strange side to side reaction. Even though I've been driving an Audi S5 and CLk55 AMG lately before theTesla arrived I certainly don't expect it to bite down into those curves like those cars do however this still doesn't seem right. Even our 2016 Honda Pilot doesn't behave this way on those roads and it is far from a good handling vehicle.

M3 is SR+ and is running Michelin Primacy tires on the base Aero wheel. Generally I've done well with any kind of Michelin and wonder if these are made differently for EVs or something. I might take some air out and see what happens. They are at 46 psi now. I'd give up some range to have better handling. Also the car sits a bit high and maybe that has something to do with it or maybe Tesla hasn't quite developed a good suspension setup for the base car.

Anyway has anyone else noticed what I'm talking about? Otherwise hard to complain about the vehicle but handling is important to me.

 

[jyalpert]

Not for me. I find the suspension and steering to be some of the high points of the car. Well damped, good transient characteristics, not much body roll. Steering is direct and mid-corner adjustments are relatively immediate due to the good damping and low CG.

You could put on a better tire like the Pilot 4 that comes on the Performance model (and are probably more like whatever is on a CLK55 or a S5), but wouldn't that make the body roll worse due to higher cornering forces?

I guess check for broken/missing end links, or leaking shocks? Lots of people on here actually seem to find the suspension too stiff, actually.

 

[mcbarnet007]

tire is your problem. Upgrade to summer tires with at least 19 inch wheels and the side to side reaction will go away.

 

[Magnets!]

My Peformance model out handles my Audi S4...both on Pilot Sports, so ya hard to compare an S5 with sport tires with the Tesla with all season tires. I heard you can get 18" pilot sports with the acoustic foam. Reducing your air pressure a bit may help too.

 

[Triplett]

The OP has an sr+, you have a Performance,that's the difference.

Do people who own Bolts and Priuses complain about the non-performance of those cars too?

Just because a $40,000 car goes quick in a straight line is no reason to believe you just bought a track car.

 

[Leafdriver333]

But OP is saying his Honda Pilot SUV doesn't have this much body roll.
I don't think the matter is 18" tires on SR+.

 

[TMThree]

The car is "floaty"

It's a combination of the tires and the softer suspension. The car originally shipped with stiffer springs but people complained about the harsh ride.

 

[Magnets!]

The OP has an sr+, you have a Performance,that's the difference.

Do people who own Bolts and Priuses complain about the non-performance of those cars too?

Just because a $40,000 car goes quick in a straight line is no reason to believe you just bought a track car.

SR+ and performance have same suspension....although some performance models have ½" shorter springs which makes very little difference in body roll. Don't think mine came with the ½" shorter springs.

 

[Triplett]

I'm not sure you are correct on that bit it's 2 am so I can't fact check.

 

[groovidad]

I have noticed some slight body roll when taking long curves at 40+ mph. Was thinking about anti-sway bars, front/rear. Anyone?.............

 

[Sophias_dad]

The SR/+ is apparently also 450lb lighter because its carrying a smaller battery, making the center of mass higher too. I doubt Tesla would have retuned the suspension for that difference. It'll ride higher than an LR or LRAWD, both of which are a half inch or so higher than a P already.

 

[Bill Foster]

SR+ here. I wouldn’t say it rolls more then other cars. Handles well. 19’s here though.

Also I can’t imagine lowering the tire pressure would be the right move

 

[raptor5244]

Sway bars are what control the level of body roll. You can get stiffer swaybars but you will realize the limits of the Primacy tires on the SR+ real quick. Summer tires plus swaybars will make a big difference when you chuck it into a corner.

Adjustable Sway Bars for Tesla Model 3 - Unplugged Performance

 

[coleAK]

Tires and larger wheels would do nothing for body roll. I would have service check out the suspension. If all is good then you could look at sway bars like Raptor said. Also good point @Sophias_dad about the weight difference being ~10% less and Tesla probably didn’t adjust the suspension. I’ll also agree with what others have said that Tesla could have softened the ride given all the complaints about too harsh a ride.

 

[jyalpert]

Obligatory note of caution regarding heavier sway bars. They are not a panacea. Sways will indeed limit body roll, but at the expense of ride quality and often motion control.

I'm also not clear about the relationship between lighter weight vs. body roll. Less weight on the same springs = higher center of mass, but also less weight transfer. The torque about the roll centers will have a longer moment arm but lower force. I'm too lazy to do the math, but those two things cancel out to some degree.

 

[Bill Foster]

Obligatory note of caution regarding heavier sway bars. They are not a panacea. Sways will indeed limit body roll, but at the expense of ride quality and often motion control.

I'm also not clear about the relationship between lighter weight vs. body roll. Less weight on the same springs = higher center of mass, but also less weight transfer. The torque about the roll centers will have a longer moment arm but lower force. I'm too lazy to do the math, but those two things cancel out to some degree.

In the multiple cars I’ve added larger sway bars too over the years I haven’t noticed much change in ride quality with bigger bars. It might but it’s very slight in my experience.

 

[raptor5244]

In the multiple cars I’ve added larger sway bars too over the years I haven’t noticed much change in ride quality with bigger bars. It might but it’s very slight in my experience.

Agreed. Stiffer swaybars don’t make much difference when cruising down the highway. However, you will notice a harsher ride when you hit bumps with each wheel independently as the stiffer swaybars acts like a solid axle and transfer more of the impact to the other wheel. If you want flatter and sharper handling a swaybar upgrade is a great band for the buck mod.

 

[youngmcdonald]

Is it the way RWD behaves when accelerating while taking a sharp corner that you’re perceiving as body roll? I am not a car savvy person at all but I do notice a weight shift when I suddenly accelerate while taking a sharp turn — very different feeling coming from an all wheel drive (Subaru).

I have the SR+ too. RWD.

 

[jyalpert]

Agreed. Stiffer swaybars don’t make much difference when cruising down the highway. However, you will notice a harsher ride when you hit bumps with each wheel independently as the stiffer swaybars acts like a solid axle and transfer more of the impact to the other wheel. If you want flatter and sharper handling a swaybar upgrade is a great band for the buck mod.

Agree, it's the best bang for the buck suspension mod there is. But it's a tradeoff, and it's possible to overdo it. Too much bar and you get skippy over rough roads, and the dampers become overwhelmed so the car never settles.

 

[silentsnow31802]

I believe the SR models are missing a sway bar or two from the factory.