POLL: vibration felt when slightly accelerating refresh Mode S Plaid or LR

[aerodyne]

They all do it. Not a matter of if, just when. Amazed you’ve managed 2k miles without vibrations!

Feel like I'm gonna be driven to drink...

 

[Luisito]

They all do it. Not a matter of if, just when. Amazed you’ve managed 2k miles without vibrations!

Yep, mine started just over 2k miles in. I currently have over 20k miles driven. Vibrations are exactly as everyone describes it. This is with both 19” SV104 and stock 21” wheels. Just read how you guys troubleshot the issue, great job!

Lowering mine in my neck of the woods is not a great idea.

 

[jebinc]

Yep, mine started just over 2k miles in. I currently have over 20k miles driven. Vibrations are exactly as everyone describes it. This is with both 19” SV104 and stock 21” wheels. Just read how you guys troubleshot the issue, great job!

Lowering mine in my neck of the woods is not a great idea.

I too have the SV104's! And also the same vibration results....

 

[NeuroRad]

Just a new, personal experience, re: mitigating the vibration... So here goes!

First, and also last, thank you to @jebinc for being an awesome friend and helping (well, he basically did it himself) install n2itive's lowering links on the front of my 2022 Model S Plaid. This has been an interesting journey.

But let's recap:

Mid-2021, I picked up my first Model S Plaid. It did not exhibit any driveline vibration until 1,500 miles. I knew what the vibration felt like since I had driven @jebinc's. I drove his car back in 2021, and he drove mine. We both agreed mine had none, but his was... not good at all. Ironically, my car vibrated on the way home from him, and never stopped until the day it was bought back (for... so many issue I'm not going back over).

Mid-2022, I picked up my new Model S Plaid. This one vibrated from day 1. It wasn't terrible at first, but it's gotten worse as the winter has dragged on. Whether this is temperature related or mileage related, I can't say. I'm at 2500 miles now and the vibration is bad. In fact, while it started bad from around 37mph upwards, as time has gone on it's become bad from around 31-32mph and up. Peak vibration around 41-43mph, and then tapering off toward 50mph and upwards (though never fully gone). As with the 2021, putting the car into Track Mode with fully rear bias completely removes the vibration.

Now, and @jebinc will correct me if I'm wrong, - some time ago he had installed the n2itive links on the front and rear to try and tame the vibration. He ended up removing the rears, leaving just the front lowering links on. So, on his car, just the fronts, set to 2.4mm = a significant reduction in vibration, so much so that it's not even really bothersome anymore unless you really look for it. If it was 100% vibration before the links, it's now 15% after. I confirmed this by driving his car before and after, last year.

Now, lowering even further might help more, but these cars - for many of us - need to be daily drivable, especially up steeper driveways.

That brings us to today, February 8. I popped over to @jebinc to install his 2x spare lowering links on the front of my car. He drove my car first, so he could experience the stock vibration, and yep - he agreed it's bad. Front links installed, again at 2.4mm, we went for a drive, with both of us taking turns driving. What. A. Difference. Once again, if it was 100% vibration before the links, it's 15% after. Not gone, but actually not insanity-making like it used to be for me. We went out for lunch, to give the car a break, - and again, vibration did not change from its great reduction. I then drove the 40 minutes home, and - again - such a dream compared to what it was.

Note: The car needs to be left in Low suspension setting for the links to make themselves known. I did test this extensively on the way home. If you are cruising at slight load at ~40mph in Low, and switch to Medium, the vibration makes itself known immediately. So it's clear having the car very slightly lower than factory Low in the front is the key to unlocking a less stressful ride. This small amount of lowering is something I believe Tesla could pretty easily offer in software to mitigate the vibration, but thus far they don't seem interested in doing so. We know they can, because in Cheetah stance the car lowers itself in the front even lower than what the links offer. I should have taken a picture of the car before swapping in the links, but... I didn't. In any case...

Here's the car in Very High, with front n2itive links installed:

View attachment 904871

Here's the car in Low, with front n2itive links installed:

View attachment 904873

Here's the car in Cheetah Stance, with front n2itive links installed:

View attachment 904875

So, for right now - and for today, results are very positive. I'll be monitoring over the coming days. Thanks again, @jebinc . You're a real pal.

Nice writeup.

N2 links on mine didn’t seem to change the vibration. -4, -4.25

 

[WilliamG]

Yep, mine started just over 2k miles in. I currently have over 20k miles driven. Vibrations are exactly as everyone describes it. This is with both 19” SV104 and stock 21” wheels. Just read how you guys troubleshot the issue, great job!

Lowering mine in my neck of the woods is not a great idea.

It's not a huge lowering, though of course it IS lower. Seattle is pretty crazy with the hills and driveways, and so far it's not been an issue. I definitely raise it up for really steep driveways, of course...

 

[WilliamG]

Nice writeup.

N2 links on mine didn’t seem to change the vibration. -4, -4.25

Interesting. Maybe lowering the rear offsets the front changes? I do wonder if the geometry gets messed up again when you lower the rear as well, but then again @jebinc lowered the rear, too, and the vibration was still mitigated. In any case, you don't need to do the rear, - per my current experience, though I need more time behind the wheel...

 

[jebinc]

Interesting. Maybe lowering the rear offsets the front changes? I do wonder if the geometry gets messed up again when you lower the rear as well, but then again @jebinc lowered the rear, too, and the vibration was still mitigated. In any case, you don't need to do the rear, - per my current experience, though I need more time behind the wheel...

Yes, but, IIRC, my front was lower then the rear as I always preferred a bit of a rake.

The backstory

Jebinc’s Plaid Vibration Experiment Results!!!

First, please refer to the thread below for detail information about this affliction, as that will not be discussed in this thread. https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/refreshed-model-s-model-vibration-tracking-and-information-thread.249344/#post-6202310 Second, I’m not recommending any...

teslamotorsclub.com

 

[uthatcher]

They all do it. Not a matter of if, just when. Amazed you’ve managed 2k miles without vibrations!

My 2021 MSP at 20,000 miles had no vibration. That one was smooth as glass all the time.

 

[WilliamG]

My 2021 MSP at 20,000 miles had no vibration. That one was smooth as glass all the time.

I question this. Hairy eyeball and all…

 

[uthatcher]

I question this. Hairy eyeball and all…

I know, I know. But it’s true. I’m super sensitive and picky about vibrations. And that first car did not. And even after knowing about it my brain searched for it, in its own weird way wanting to find a vibration. But it wasn’t there.

My current MXP has it when first pulling out after sitting for some time.

 

[WilliamG]

I know, I know. But it’s true. I’m super sensitive and picky about vibrations. And that first car did not. And even after knowing about it my brain searched for it, in its own weird way wanting to find a vibration. But it wasn’t there.

My current MXP has it when first pulling out after sitting for some time.

Wish I could explain that. I can’t.

 

[lbowroom]

Wish I could explain that. I can’t.

My ‘21 also has never had vibration but you don’t believe me either. If it makes you feel better, the dash rattles…

 

[Duke846]

My ‘21 also has never had vibration but you don’t believe me either. If it makes you feel better, the dash rattles…

Wish I could explain that. I can’t.

I can explain it!!!!!!!! (WilliamG and jebinc)
First what is it?

Phantom vibration — that phenomenon where you think your Tesla S is vibrating but it's not — has been around only since the refresh age. And five years ago, when its wider existence became recognized, news organizations, covered the "syndrome" as a sign of the EV encroachment in our lives.
How do you stop phantom vibration syndrome?


Of those who experienced phantom vibrations, 43 (39%, 30% to 48%) were able to stop them. Strategies for stopping phantom vibrations included taking the tesla off high vibrate mode, changing the location of the ride height, and using a different tesla (success rates 75% v 63% v 50%,

 

[n2mb_racing]

Wish I could explain that. I can’t.

Yeah, I drove a '22 LR S that definitely didn't have the vibration. My Plaid definitely does. I'm sure it's about tolerances and some cars are just over some limit in dimensions that causes it to happen.

 

[Bull]

My 2021 MSP at 20,000 miles had no vibration. That one was smooth as glass all the time.

My June 3, 2021 build Plaid also has no vibration at all. I have over 25k miles on it now and still smooth. Maybe there was something about the very early builds.

 

[uthatcher]

My June 3, 2021 build Plaid also has no vibration at all. I have over 25k miles on it now and still smooth. Maybe there was something about the very early builds.

Could be. I don’t recall the build day on mine but I picked it up on June 29th, so it was way early.

 

[n2mb_racing]

My June 3, 2021 build Plaid also has no vibration at all. I have over 25k miles on it now and still smooth. Maybe there was something about the very early builds.

Mine was built Oct 20, 2021 and it vibrates bad.

 

[WilliamG]

My June 3, 2021 build Plaid also has no vibration at all. I have over 25k miles on it now and still smooth. Maybe there was something about the very early builds.

Mine was built June, 2022. The vibration is awful. You can even hear it as a resonance through the cabin, and feel it through the center console/arm rest - as well as the pedal/yoke.

Since links were installed on the front of the car, the vibration is so far significantly less, though not gone.

 

[Duke846]

Mine was built June, 2022. The vibration is awful. You can even hear it as a resonance through the cabin, and feel it through the center console/arm rest - as well as the pedal/yoke.

Since links were installed on the front of the car, the vibration is so far significantly less, though not gone.

 

[NeuroRad]

Mine was built June, 2022. The vibration is awful. You can even hear it as a resonance through the cabin, and feel it through the center console/arm rest - as well as the pedal/yoke.

Since links were installed on the front of the car, the vibration is so far significantly less, though not gone.

So are you insinuating different model s have different driveline angles? How else can you explain some apparently not having vibration.