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"Refreshed" Model S model VIBRATION tracking and information thread!!!
- Thread starter jebinc
- Start date
Tiger
Active Member
If you hold/press your head against the headrest, while driving rather slow on any of the suspension settings, does it ever stop rattling? I'm on Model X Plaid.
I am pretty sure much of this to be true? Drew is the one who retrofitted the front motor into the Model S. The Model S was initially designed as a rear wheel drive sedan. The front cradle was not designed to hold a motor. So he had to mount it very high. The resulting steep angles in the universal joints in the halfshafts has been theorized in this thread to be the culprit for the vibration problems we are seeing in the refreshed S onward. I have been saying to myself I if ever get a chance to talk to Drew (or Lars) I would try to ask him off the record, without a mic or any blame, what he thought we should do to fix the vibration problems in the S. I was thinking of this again when I read Lars's X post below to Drew referencing "halfshaft stiffness". 
Exactly. The S (in any form) was never designed for a motor up front; that was an after thought.I am pretty sure much of this to be true? Drew is the one who retrofitted the front motor into the Model S. The Model S was initially designed as a rear wheel drive sedan. The front cradle was not designed to hold a motor. So he had to mount it very high. The resulting steep angles in the universal joints in the halfshafts has been theorized in this thread to be the culprit for the vibration problems we are seeing in the refreshed S onward. I have been saying to myself I if ever get a chance to talk to Drew (or Lars) I would try to ask him off the record, without a mic or any blame, what he thought we should do to fix the vibration problems in the S. I was thinking of this again when I read Lars's X post below to Drew referencing "halfshaft stiffness".
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n2mb_racing
Active Member
Yup. And presumably redesigning the frame was too expensive for the refresh. I don't know why they couldn't have shifted the motor down lower, though.
WilliamG
Hinge Fanatic
Never confirmed that this is the case. Remember my S didn’t exhibit the vibration issue for 1400 miles.
Anyone else have intermittent vibration at full throttle? I think this could be due to uneven/irregular road surfaces? It almost feels like the front tires are losing traction and you feel a high frequency vibration in the pedal. I don’t believe the front tires are slipping as if you get out you can smell burnt rubber on the rears but not front. Makes sense with a single motor vs 2.
On other surfaces the full throttle acceleration has no vibration.
On other surfaces the full throttle acceleration has no vibration.
I am so bummed. The S is the only Tesla I have ever been interested in. Everything about it is so cool, looks too bitchin on the road, the driving position, the ride, the space! I guess I will drive my S75 into the ground. However, When version 12 was delayed a bit for us legacy owners until last week, I realized that as soon as FSD is no longer available on legacy HW3 Tesla's, I will have to upgrade. Omar seems to think the Cybertruck is better than his Plaid S, then there is the Roadster? I think I will probably spin the wheel, buy a new S, hope it does not exhibit the vibration issues, and dump it if it does.
The S plaid is Tesla’s only viable product for me. It’s one of the very best looking sedans on the market. But you can see how they designed the rest of their vehicles. The performance makes the car worth the cost.
n2mb_racing
Active Member
I think they are going to have to deliver something for all the people who paid for FSD on legacy hardware. It's going to be a mess. I don't know how long they will keep supporting the older hardware, but at least until they can legally call "FSD" complete, I'd guess.
WilliamG
Hinge Fanatic
I really wouldn't overthink it. With the 2023.44 update, Tesla tweaked the motor output to, for the most part, mitigate the vibration in the 35-50mph range. Is it 100% gone? Nope. Would people make a big fuss about it today? Probably not, for the most part. I also don't think it's anything to do with shafts given it can be variable day to day, but what do I know...
That's could be an extremely expensive short term experiment, given the soul crushing depreciation of these vehicles from new.
Wait did they nerf the S in the 35-50 MPH range?
Like... one of the most commonly driven in ranges?
It likely will. I dumped mine for this very reason. However, some people are more sensitive to it than others here.
Nothing is needed. At lower throttle it appears to be more rear biased than previously. And full throttle it still makes peak power / torque. The time spent in that range at full throttle is so miniscule that you’ll never notice any vibrations
WilliamG
Hinge Fanatic
Yep. Nothing was nerfed. Just low throttle maps more to the rear, exactly.
n2mb_racing
Active Member
They likely did what I suggested almost 2 years ago. Shifted power to the rear motors under light acceleration in the 40-50 mph range. I don't think they changed the power under wide open acceleration. It still feels very strong. But, that is why we lost ~2 miles of range.
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