Possible air suspension height settings issue

[robaross]

Does that mean it lowers the vehicle after you drive over the parking bumper and place the gear selector in park? Doesn't it rise back up when you shift into Drive or Reverse?

 

[Robert.Boston]

Why would the car go to Low when parked? I'd want it to go to High 1 to make it easier to enter and exit. This should be programmable.

 

[ohh]

Why would the car go to Low when parked? I'd want it to go to High 1 to make it easier to enter and exit. This should be programmable.

+1
If not in the same position as you arrived, then default should be HIGH, instead of LOW.

 

[JakeP]

I second that motion. We should add this to Rod and Barbara's list of software enhancement requests on the TM forum.

 

[smorgasbord]

Why would the car go to Low when parked?

Maybe they don't want to give ex-Roadster owners vertigo. :biggrin:

 

[stevezzzz]

I just had my test drive last week while in florida, and was told by my co-pilot that the S automatically goes to LOW when set to park.

I saw this in real time by looking at the car's reflection in the store window whilst in the driver's seat.

This should be adjustable by software to prevent such curb rash.

If the S really does go to Low when in Park, it's a bad design decision, in my opinion. At the very least it ought to be a configurable option and in the meantime the delivery specialists should be trained to warn new users about it.

I called this in to the Ownership Experience desk this morning: the rep had no insights for me but promised to look into it. I'll let y'all know when I hear back.

 

[CyberDutchie]

Did the nose cone really fall off? How did you get it back on, and how is it attached?

 

[shokunin]

I must be the only one that wants it to go low when parked. I hate seeing sedans with large rims with low profile tires and a 4" gap in the wheel wells. Or go low when the locked.

 

[DrComputer]

The warning card that come with the car says that the air suspension "may" adjust itself to level the car even when the car is off. This is why they have a tow mode that disables the air suspension. So, if you park the car and then passengers exit or you fill or empty the trunk or frunk, the can may change its height while parked and off.

 

[contaygious]

Probably less of a power consumption issue and more of a mechanical cycling issue. You probably wouldn't want the air suspension cycling up and down every time you stop at a stoplight or slow down.

Can someone please confirm if the car is put into high and then turned off does it stay in high when you get back in? I'd like to know please because I have to go into high to get in And out of my driveway thx!

 

[mknox]

The warning card that come with the car says that the air suspension "may" adjust itself to level the car even when the car is off. This is why they have a tow mode that disables the air suspension. So, if you park the car and then passengers exit or you fill or empty the trunk or frunk, the can may change its height while parked and off.

It's curious why Tesla would have implemented it this way. I would expect that when the car is "off", it does nothing at all. When you get back in and the car comes back on, then fine, let it re-adjust for passengers or load that has come on board, but why worry about auto leveling when the car is "off"? Seems like it causes more problems than it solves.

 

[stevezzzz]

Did the nose cone really fall off? How did you get it back on, and how is it attached?

I didn't say the nose cone fell off the car, rather that the nose of the car fell off the parking bumper as I backed out. In looking at the scratch marks in the plastic, I can see exactly how much the front end end of the car dropped because the scratches stop just before the rounded front lip reaches the vertical. The scratches also confirm that the damage occurred when backing out rather than nosing in: there would have been a lot more damage otherwise. I probably ought to post a photo to clarify what I'm trying to say here.

 

[jerry33]

I didn't say the nose cone fell off the car, rather that the nose of the car fell off the parking bumper as I backed out.

I too read it as the nose fell of the car.

 

[stevezzzz]

I too read it as the nose fell of the car.

I'll have to be more careful constructing my sentences, then.:smile:

In new news, Tesla sent me some documentation which arrived today: in it is the Model S Quick Guide For Owners. On p. 14, in the section "A Unique Driving Experience", it states:

"If your Model S has Active Air Suspension...it also lowers to load and unload passengers."

Well, knock me down with a feather. But when does it lower to unload passengers? In my experience it's already at the Standard setting when you roll to a stop, unless you've raised it manually. And why does it lower to unload passengers? For me, it's a lot easier getting in and out if the suspension is raised to the Very High setting.

I played with the suspension settings just now. I'd left the setting at Very High after driving it this afternoon and putting it on charge: when I got in the car it was still set at Very High. After a short drive and returning to the garage, the suspension had automatically been lowered to Standard. I put the car in Park and watched: nothing moved. I opened the door and watched: nothing. I manually set it to Low, but I didn't see any change. I manually set it to Very High, and it raised first the rear end of the car and then the front end of the car to the new height. I manually set it to Low, and it gave me an error message saying that setting was not allowed. I manually selected Standard, and it gave me the same error message. So there it sits in my garage, at the Very High setting, where I'd want it anyway, for ease of entry.

There must be more to this than I've discovered so far, but at least I've plotted a few more data points.

 

[NigelM]

How high are the parking bumpers in Colorado?? I parked here today at two places and both were low enough for me to ride above them if I needed too. I should mention that driving the Roadster I'm used to pulling up to parking bumpers without pulling over them (even when I can't see them). BTW, I'm glad you raised the subject to think about it because it's impossible to see the front of the hood from the drivers seat.

 

[stevezzzz]

How high are the parking bumpers in Colorado?? I parked here today at two places and both were low enough for me to ride above them if I needed too. I should mention that driving the Roadster I'm used to pulling up to parking bumpers without pulling over them (even when I can't see them). BTW, I'm glad you raised the subject to think about it because it's impossible to see the front of the hood from the drivers seat.

Yeah, well, the one I rode over was low enough so that when I parked I didn't touch it, but then the car lowered itself. I'm with you on the roadster protocol: I learned early not to try and overrun the parking bumpers. But with the S, that nose is just so far out there...I haven't quite got the sense of where it ends, yet.

 

[gg_got_a_tesla]

And, I think, if we were to choose to avoid putting the nose over the parking bumpers altogether, then, the Model S is long enough that we might leave the butt hanging out well into the drive lanes between parking spots!

Hmm... not a good problem to have in cramped parking lots.

 

[NigelM]

Yeah, well, the one I rode over was low enough so that when I parked I didn't touch it, but then the car lowered itself.

The two I visited were both low enough that the car would easily ride above them in the standard height setting.

And, I think, if we were to choose to avoid putting the nose over the parking bumpers altogether, then, the Model S is long enough that we might leave the butt hanging out well into the drive lanes between parking spots!

I didn't find that, but our parking spots tend to be generously spaced; we have a lot of old folks and plenty of Canadian snowbirds who seem to be over-cautious drivers.

 

[mknox]

Yeah, well, the one I rode over was low enough so that when I parked I didn't touch it, but then the car lowered itself.

This is where a front park assist sensor would come in real handy. My current car is extremely low at the front end, and I have to be careful parking at even the lowest of parking curbs.

 

[kevincwelch]

I played with the suspension settings just now. I'd left the setting at Very High after driving it this afternoon and putting it on charge: when I got in the car it was still set at Very High. After a short drive and returning to the garage, the suspension had automatically been lowered to Standard. I put the car in Park and watched: nothing moved. I opened the door and watched: nothing. I manually set it to Low, but I didn't see any change. I manually set it to Very High, and it raised first the rear end of the car and then the front end of the car to the new height. I manually set it to Low, and it gave me an error message saying that setting was not allowed. I manually selected Standard, and it gave me the same error message. So there it sits in my garage, at the Very High setting, where I'd want it anyway, for ease of entry.

Stevezzzz, I'm sorry, but there's something I am not quite understanding in your description. Can you program a setting such that every time you stop to park the suspension adjusts to "high," or do you manually have to set it to "high" every time you park?

Thanks a lot.