New to Model 3

[EvStark]

We just got a Model 3 stealth performance, mainly for short errands around town. We also have a model S performance with adaptive suspension. The 3 is so much more fun to drive and the steering is really lively. However SOC has such a huge impact on 0-60 times in the 3.

Had a few questions for this forum

1. The suspension is a bit firm, even on the 18s with 40psi. I’m obviously not expecting it to be similar to S, but I hate the aero wheels and would like to replace them with 20”s. How worse will that make it?
2. The phone key keeps disconnecting. It’s irritating to open the app and unlock it every once in a while. If we buy the key fob does it automatically lock when we walk away, like the S ?
3. The heaters are much better than the S, but it feels like they are burning my legs after a while. Has anyone seen climate on auto pushing majority of air to the foot area ?

And lastly, what’s with the haters. We have had a couple of folks in pick-ups cut us off and get annoyed with the car for some reason. Never happened in the S.

 

[alexgr]

1) I agree that the suspension is firm on 18" wheels, this made me not go for thinner wheels. No info on experience on thinner wheels though, sorry.
2) Some phones have better friendship with Model 3 than others. There are some possible tweaks on your phone you could do keep connection. Also, I don't see why you need a key fob when Tesla cards work perfectly even when inside wallet.
3) you may have a sensor issue. Watch this ... and potentially contact Tesla to check your sensor:

 

[drock1091]

For #2, make sure always allow location, background app refresh, and bluetooth is on is on for the Tesla app.

 

[dhrivnak]

On 3 I assume you have gone to the HVAC screen and adjusted the airflow. There are not vents like a traditional car. And is the car new? I did not know they still made a performance stealth. That is the car I wish I had.

 

[SMAlset]

#2 — I have the first version of the key fob for the Model 3 and it does not. After a number of requests however Tesla came out with a key fob that acts like the Model S’ so a new one would be the one to buy.

There was a time early on with the Model 3 where the phone connection was more problematic, in part as I understand because of how different phone manufacturers handle bluetooth and thereby creating some inconsistencies. I have an iPhone X on latest OS and have rarely had problems for sometime now.

@droc9991’s advice is spot on. Also we have found that men in particular who have their phone in their rear pants pocket have sometimes had issues approaching the car and having it unlock. Believe it’s due to the bluetooth signal and body blocking/interfering with the signal. Phones reported held in hand or kept in front pockets don’t seem to have this problem. I can add that depending on where my phone is in my purse and how the purse is orientated when approaching the car I have on occasion had the car not be able to get the bluetooth signal (phone buried under things in a big purse can cause the issue).

You also want the Tesla app to be set to your car if you have more than one Tesla in your family on your account, same if you use the app for solar.

Before buying a key fob I’d recommend trying the above advice and see if it solves your issue being connected as you approach.

 

[SMAlset]

As for #3, check the manual for fan/heat control settings. I don’t use the Auto setting and only rarely feel the need to add lower fan heat to my legs but then am in a more temperate climate. When I do select it it works fine however and as the cabin heats up I will turn it off. Preheating your car in winter may help eliminate cold feet as well. With the seat heater on and heater front dashboard’s fan on I’m usually fine with that setting and after a few minutes can turn the seat heater off.

 

[SMAlset]

If you do use your key card to open the door, be mindful the car does not lock on walk away even if set for that option (see Manual, only works for phone key use), and you’ll have to tap the card to the B pillar to have it lock on exit just as you did to enter. You can see that the car is unlocked by checking your app or if you have the fold mirror option selected, the mirror won’t fold on exit either.

 

[KenC]

We just got a Model 3 stealth performance, mainly for short errands around town. We also have a model S performance with adaptive suspension. The 3 is so much more fun to drive and the steering is really lively. However SOC has such a huge impact on 0-60 times in the 3.

Had a few questions for this forum

1. The suspension is a bit firm, even on the 18s with 40psi. I’m obviously not expecting it to be similar to S, but I hate the aero wheels and would like to replace them with 20”s. How worse will that make it?
2. The phone key keeps disconnecting. It’s irritating to open the app and unlock it every once in a while. If we buy the key fob does it automatically lock when we walk away, like the S ?
3. The heaters are much better than the S, but it feels like they are burning my legs after a while. Has anyone seen climate on auto pushing majority of air to the foot area ?

And lastly, what’s with the haters. We have had a couple of folks in pick-ups cut us off and get annoyed with the car for some reason. Never happened in the S.

1) Have you taken off the wheel covers? If you think the 18s give a firm ride, can you imagine the 20s? I'd try lowering the pressures. You don't need to run 40psi.
2) As has been mentioned, make sure you have Location Always, on.

As for the haters, perhaps your regen setting is activating the brake lights when you lift off the throttle, and the pickup drivers think you're brake checking them.

 

[EvStark]

Thanks everyone for the responses. These are really helpful

• With the phone key it was the low power mode on my iPhone killing the connection. Turning that off has made it better. It still couldn’t detect once but much better than before.
  
• There certainly seems to be a problem with the sensors as @alexgr pointed out. I’ll get it checked out.
  
• I’ll lower the pressure further to about 38 and see if that helps

This is our fourth Tesla so we are both fairly familiar with the regen braking and try to make sure not to appear like we are brake checking during regen. Hoping what we encountered were just isolated incidents.

 

[Kat Jacks]

I had some trouble with other drivers rushing past me then cutting in front; pickups revving up at stop lights. Now, after 5 months, not so much. They are just jerks who are jealous because we have the best cars on the road!

 

[Gasaraki]

We just got a Model 3 stealth performance, mainly for short errands around town. We also have a model S performance with adaptive suspension. The 3 is so much more fun to drive and the steering is really lively. However SOC has such a huge impact on 0-60 times in the 3.

Had a few questions for this forum

1. The suspension is a bit firm, even on the 18s with 40psi. I’m obviously not expecting it to be similar to S, but I hate the aero wheels and would like to replace them with 20”s. How worse will that make it?
2. The phone key keeps disconnecting. It’s irritating to open the app and unlock it every once in a while. If we buy the key fob does it automatically lock when we walk away, like the S ?
3. The heaters are much better than the S, but it feels like they are burning my legs after a while. Has anyone seen climate on auto pushing majority of air to the foot area ?

And lastly, what’s with the haters. We have had a couple of folks in pick-ups cut us off and get annoyed with the car for some reason. Never happened in the S.

1. 20"? A lot worst.
2. That is the fault of your phone. Make sure your phone is not putting your Tesla app to sleep or "optimizing" it. Turn off all poer saving features for the Tesla app.
3. Normally all cars pushes the hot air out of the foot well area because warm air rises, my Subaru did this. I have no issues with the Tesla making the foot well hot, it always seems to push air out of the front and the footwells. However someone on Youtube complained about that, might be a temp sensor issue. The temp sensor is right above the phone charger area.

4. Yeah there are a lot of Tesla haters out there. One time I was driving normally and I changed lanes and slowly pasted someone that was in front of me. As I looked to my side I saw that they were sticking their middle fingers out at me. I just kinda smiled because it was so absurd to me that actually happened. They were driving a Chrysler 300. I hope their car breaks down on the side of the road and catches fire.

 

[EmOne]

1. 20"? A lot worst.
2. That is the fault of your phone. Make sure your phone is not putting your Tesla app to sleep or "optimizing" it. Turn off all poer saving features for the Tesla app.
3. Normally all cars pushes the hot air out of the foot well area because warm air rises, my Subaru did this. I have no issues with the Tesla making the foot well hot, it always seems to push air out of the front and the footwells. However someone on Youtube complained about that, might be a temp sensor issue. The temp sensor is right above the phone charger area.

4. Yeah there are a lot of Tesla haters out there. One time I was driving normally and I changed lanes and slowly pasted someone that was in front of me. As I looked to my side I saw that they were sticking their middle fingers out at me. I just kinda smiled because it was so absurd to me that actually happened. They were driving a Chrysler 300. I hope their car breaks down on the side of the road and catches fire.

1. Have you actually compared? I have M3P and was pleasantly surprised by the ride quality which I would describe as firm, well-damped, rather like my M cars (E90 M3 and 1M) tho not quite so firm as the 1M...and I live in Chicago! When I switched to my Vredestein 18" 235/45 winters, I expected a noticeable softening...and that is exactly what I got; noticeable but not very. The ride was developed by some good engineers with the 20" wheel/tire combo in mind and they delivered a well-engineered solution IMO. I can add that I have certainly had some encounters with pot holes and tho some have claimed the 20's to be fragile, mine remain perfect.

 

[clerks]

However SOC has such a huge impact on 0-60 times in the 3.

as a New owner of an M3P, this comment caught my attention the most. I bought a car I thought pushed 475HP and was disappointed to learn that’s really only true at or above 80 percent SOC. For those with M3P, how big of a deal is the drop off in daily driving. I read that it does not actually affect 0 to 60 and is really only applicable to higher speed acceleration and hence is not really notice in daily driving. Are my concerns justified or is this now not deals. Fwiw my daily commute averages 35 miles round trip for for 90 percent of my driving I’ll be between 90 and 75 SOC.

 

[sduck]

Regarding 2: For the first year I had my car I used my iphone X as the key, and it worked really well - I'd say flawlessly, but there were those 1 out of 50 or so times it didn't work, and I'd have to fumble with my phone to get it to work. Not really a big deal, not enough to complain about. Because I'm a accessory slut, I bought the first keyfob, just to round out the ensemble, you know? Never used it. When they came out with the newer version, I also got one of those, just to say I did. Just as an experiment, I decided to try using it for a week or so. That was over a year ago, and I'm still using it. It's much more reliable. It ALWAYS works. And you have much faster access to the frunk (which I use a lot). And those awkward times you need to give your car to service or a valet parker or your wife it's much more convenient - no complicated explanations on how to use the card - it just works. And yes, walk away locking works perfectly. If you're the kind of person who doesn't carry keys anymore - a lot of people are like that - it wouldn't make sense. But I have to carry around a bunch of keys, and have had fobs on there most of my life anyway, so it fits right in.

 

[Black306]

as a New owner of an M3P, this comment caught my attention the most. I bought a car I thought pushed 475HP and was disappointed to learn that’s really only true at or above 80 percent SOC. For those with M3P, how big of a deal is the drop off in daily driving. I read that it does not actually affect 0 to 60 and is really only applicable to higher speed acceleration and hence is not really notice in daily driving. Are my concerns justified or is this now not deals. Fwiw my daily commute averages 35 miles round trip for for 90 percent of my driving I’ll be between 90 and 75 SOC.

It depends on your driving style. If you’re heavy footed on the freeway, you’ll notice more of an impact with lower SOC.

Personally, I generally don’t go on long drives with the Model 3 so my SOCs are normally over 60%. Plus, I’m not heavy footed on the freeway (city streets....no comment ), so I don’t really have a concern. The car is still quite peppy at ~60% SOC from a dig.

 

[akenham]

To put some numbers on it this thread from wugz gives some values for the Model 3 AWD Peak Power vs. State of Charge
and there's some quite nice charts from Mountain Pass Performance for the LR RWD here

As wugz says in the first link:

"you're not significantly down on power by daily charging to say 70% vs 90% (minuscule battery degradation differences notwithstanding)."

and

"If resistances remain constant, the power curve is almost certainly defined by the battery voltage at the various states of charge."

beware that the values above 90% aren't useful in the test because the battery was warming up.

 

[HenryT]

One time I was driving normally and I changed lanes and slowly pasted someone that was in front of me..

Not surprised you got the finger!

 

[Gasaraki]

as a New owner of an M3P, this comment caught my attention the most. I bought a car I thought pushed 475HP and was disappointed to learn that’s really only true at or above 80 percent SOC. For those with M3P, how big of a deal is the drop off in daily driving. I read that it does not actually affect 0 to 60 and is really only applicable to higher speed acceleration and hence is not really notice in daily driving. Are my concerns justified or is this now not deals. Fwiw my daily commute averages 35 miles round trip for for 90 percent of my driving I’ll be between 90 and 75 SOC.

Yes. State of charge does affect the 0-60 times. For max speed keep it above 75% charge.

 

[SageBrush]

With the phone key it was the low power mode on my iPhone killing the connection. Turning that off has made it better. It still couldn’t detect once but much better than before.

My phone has not changed but nowadays I don't have problems so Tesla must be improving things.

Back when it was an annoyance I thought about buying an NFC ring. It is a really good idea.

 

[Needsdecaf]

The Model 3 suspension is not great. Suggest you invest in some quality coilovers before you spend the money on wheels.