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Smart Air suspension confirmed for Model 3

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On the MS there are four settings. 'Standard' is #3 of four. 'High' is #4 of four. It appears there is about ~3/4" more height between #3 and #4 settings. MS owners, correct me if I am wrong.
I want to correct myself. The MS has four settings - low, standard, high, very high. The height difference is referenced in the post below.

Found the spec on Tesla support page: Model S Specifications and also on the web site toward the bottom: Model S | Tesla
  • Clearance 5.3"(Dual Motor)*, 5.5"(RWD)*
    With air suspension 4.6" - 6.3"
So the "Very High" setting appears to only give less than an inch with a single RWD motor. I also think the low point of the undercarriage is somewhere farther under the car. I also wonder if the spec accounts for Tesla adding undercarriage protection for the battery case?

So being able to drop a single motor variant one inch closer to the ground provides how much more range efficiency? That spec might be a little bit more difficult to ferret out.

*Ground Clearance Reference for Base 75kW, Curb Condition

So, ground clearance is going to be ~1" higher on AWD (6.3 - 5.3) and ~3/4" higher on RWD. (6.3 - 5.5). The ground clearance for the Model 3 with coil springs is listed at 5.5".
 
Do you want AWD? Because it sounds like it's going to be bundled with AWD. And I imagine that for most people that'll matter more than air suspension.

Honestly, you're in Orange County, so you probably rarely if ever need AWD and an adjustable ride height. Unless you make regular trips to Tahoe or something...

Yes, I want AWD, I ski 50 days a season and am regularly making the run to Mammoth. I am a first day reservation holder and will be waiting for AWD.
 
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I really wanted my M3 to have dual motors and smart air suspension, but I am currently at $59,565, out the door. Still need replacement wheels, a wall charger, flat tire kit, all weather floor mats, window tinting, maybe Opti-Coat, and the list goes on. Waiting to increase the out the door cost of my car to $66,051, is not a winner for me.

I'm already miffed that the car and every Tesla comes with the autopilot hardware installed, whether you want it or not. How much does the autopilot hardware add to the production cost of the car?...Maybe $6,000-$10,000?? I've said it before in other posts, Tesla needs to put the autopilot hardware in a Tesla when the customer requests autopilot, and not before. How many people would like to pay maybe a $25,000 Model 3 starting price because Tesla didn't add all the useless autopilot hardware to the car that people don't want? There are lots of cars on the street with auto-braking and they don't have autopilot.

Sorry...the autopilot crap really ticks me off because I hate paying for what I will never use. Without it I just might be able to get smart air suspension.
 
Elon Musk just confirmed on Twitter that smart air suspension is coming to the model 3. For those of you S owners with and without smart air suspension (X owners with it too) is it worth it? I have no special driveway or other circumstances I would need it on a regular basis. Should I spend the cash to get it? Please let me know your thoughts.
Yes! Get it!
 
The Mercedes air suspension is a pain and super expensive, but that's a pretty long term thing. They usually don't fail before your warranty is up so you have to pay out of pocket.

I'm thinking about it cuz I live in an area where they have those weird rounded curbs and driveways don't have a smooth ramp. There's no difference between a driveway and a regular sidewalk area. It's like driving over a speedbump every time you want to go up your driveway. The main thing holding me back is a neighbor has a 911 and it's front spoiler seems fine.
 
Awesome, somehow didn't know about that Wiki yet.. the auto-lowering at speed makes me wonder what happens if you waver around that speed.... 59, 60, 61, 59.. does it bounce up and down? ;-)
No, if you drive over 60 miles per over it will lower until you push in that the car should rise or you come to a road where you have saved that it will drive in high or very high.
 
MY last MB with air suspension went 165,000 miles with zero problems. I sold it then so I don't know if it lasted longer. From what I read and hear air suspension problems are far less frequent than people imagine. I don't personally know since I've never had a failure, but I suppose they are pretty expensive to repair.

How long does the suspension last on the typical inter-city bus?

Parents' E-class failed at around 50,000 miles. Cost about $1,000 to fix one and their mechanic is super cheap.
 
I think there are a few things you need to ask yourself.

-Are you planning to keep the car past its warranty period? These things eventually fail, and when they do, it is not cheap. I had them replaced on my Mercedes GL and had it not been under warranty, it would have cost over 2k.
-Do you care about getting the full tax credit? The way things are looking now, AWD waiters are at risk of receiving the full tax credit. You still might get partial, but will this be worth it to you?
-Do you plan to load your car with alot of crap for long trips? As someone mentioned earlier, this definitely helps keep the car level and probably safer to drive with less wear on your suspension components. But being that this is a small sedan and not an SUV, this probably won't be the case for many people.
-Are you doing it for function? If you need it to get over an awkward driveway/path on a daily basis, then you're gonna want it. If you like make hard turns around corners or like to drive aggressively on windy roads, then I think the 1" difference will help reduce body roll.
-Are you doing it for looks? From what it sounds like on an S, it lowers the car 1". Will that 1" difference justify the cost? Not to mention when it is lower is might make the ride a little more rough. If you're planning to get the 19" wheels, then I don't think its necessary as the car looks pretty darn good a the current coil height. Maybe someone can photoshop the simulated lower ride height for reference? Or google how the difference looks on an S? I couldn't find any photos.