I have a p85+ with smart air. It’s definitely better than the coils. It also remembers the exact locations you instructed it to raise high.(for speed bumps or a driveway that is steep) It will raise automatically the nice time you visit that location.
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Smart air suspension vs regular on buying used S?
- Thread starter AcesUp
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S100D
Member
If the air suspension breaks, it can cost you approximately $1,000 per corner to replace. I have a 2016 Model S with standard suspension and it works great for me.
whitex
Well-Known Member
If repair costs were your main concern, you would not be driving a Model S (which is not the cheapest car to fix). If your Model S breaks, it can cost you thousands to repair (over $2K for MCU alone). A Toyota Corolla for example would be much cheaper per mile to drive.
All things have advantages and disadvantages. Feature value is always relative to the user. Everyone must pick what they feel is best for them.
Personally, I wish our S had coils instead of air. I find the air suspension too squishy and disconnected from the road for my tastes. I much prefer feeling the road more with coils.
That said, my wife thinks the air is awesome. After decades driving cars that were absolutely connected to the road she prefers the smoother ride. She also likes the GPS-linked automatic raising and lowering, which is definitely convenient.
I'm concerned that we'll eventually get hit with a repair bill from the air suspension, especially since our S now has 100k miles on it.
That said, my wife thinks the air is awesome. After decades driving cars that were absolutely connected to the road she prefers the smoother ride. She also likes the GPS-linked automatic raising and lowering, which is definitely convenient.
I'm concerned that we'll eventually get hit with a repair bill from the air suspension, especially since our S now has 100k miles on it.
whitex
Well-Known Member
SAS+ feels pretty connected to the road, more so than springs.
This is the first time I've read of this. How many corners are there, and do they all need to be replaced at the same time?
I didn’t realize that the newer version was noticeably better than the system in my 2015 S. That’s good to know.
ucmndd
Well-Known Member
The problem with generalizations is they’re so darn general.
While reliability or repair costs may not be the “main concern” of many/any Model S drivers, it’s certainly high up the list for many, myself included.
I bought a car I intend to put 300k miles on over the course of the 8 year battery and drive unit warranty. I picked options available at the time that had a deliberate focus on long term reliability and minimizing the source of problems. Coil suspension, no sunroof, RWD, no subzero package, etc.
Thus far that’s worked out reasonably well for me as I’m near 100k miles with no major problems (knock on figured ash).
My “main concerns” were a long range EV with a good warranty on the battery and drive unit and the best shot at reliability and reasonable cost of ownership over 8 years. In 2016 that resulted in a set of one. No regrets thus far...
geoffmanley
Member
whitex
Well-Known Member
SAS+ is not new, it was discontinued in May 2015. I was the plus suspension from P85+ in a P85D. I hear the new adaptive suspension can be really sporty, but I have never driven one as I don't have any interest in buying any new Teslas.
My 2015 85D has coil suspension and I do prefer it over standard air suspension because it just feels way better to drive (someone in the thread said SAS is too squishy, and I agree). I do miss the ability to occasionally lift the car up (I've had a few bad run ins with bumps where I scratched the undercarriage, oops), but otherwise coil is the way to go. I haven't driven a Raven to know how good the new suspension is, though.
If repair costs were your main concern, you would not be driving a Model S (which is not the cheapest car to fix). If your Model S breaks, it can cost you thousands to repair (over $2K for MCU alone). A Toyota Corolla for example would be much cheaper per mile to drive.
All things have advantages and disadvantages. Feature value is always relative to the user. Everyone must pick what they feel is best for them.
Not really true. Most things can be fixed diy. Emmc chip in Mcu can be replaced.
Rogue Synapse
Member
My P85D has the SAS+ and I actually wish it was “squishier”. It’s definitely more connected to the road than my friend’s coilover 85D. If you’re looking for a used S with a tight suspension, try the air suspension from a P85+, or P85D made in 2014-early 2015. Coil suspension is downright forgiving and buttery compared to those.
My prior car is an audi allroad, which is famous for its unreliable air suspension. Ironically the thing that totals most allroads these days is actually a leaky sunroof or other water leaks into the interior.
What typically happens with the allroad air suspension is that a corner gets a leak, the owner ignores it and wears out the compressor as the compressor now has a much higher duty cycle to keep up with the leak. Now the owner has 2 things to fix....
The $1000 per corner price (give or take) typically includes replacing both the shock and the spring; again on the AR the front springs tend to leak 2-3x as often as the rears.
I prefer the air suspension; it is easy to work on, the parts (now) aren't that expensive if you get aftermarket clones of the originals, though the originals are actually not a bad choice considering that they last 80-140k miles and often shocks are totally worn out by then anyhow.
When looking for a used S I had a small bias against getting the air suspension but a much larger bias against a sunroof. Sunroofs leak and when they do they destroy random things in the interior and when they leak or fail they are a much fiddlier repair than "pull out the broken shock and put in a new one".
My perfect car would have been an 85d with solid roof, coils, winter package, solid roof; I got a 90d (first gen battery), solid roof, winter package, air suspension (2016 90d with 45k miles from tesla while they were still transferring free lifetime supercharging). I've got no regrets so far with my compromises; the car gets 277 at 100%, hasn't degraded in the 6 months I've owned it (actually it started at 249 @90%, now says it has 251@90%).
Ask me again in 6 years and I may have different things to say about it but so far I love the car.
What typically happens with the allroad air suspension is that a corner gets a leak, the owner ignores it and wears out the compressor as the compressor now has a much higher duty cycle to keep up with the leak. Now the owner has 2 things to fix....
The $1000 per corner price (give or take) typically includes replacing both the shock and the spring; again on the AR the front springs tend to leak 2-3x as often as the rears.
I prefer the air suspension; it is easy to work on, the parts (now) aren't that expensive if you get aftermarket clones of the originals, though the originals are actually not a bad choice considering that they last 80-140k miles and often shocks are totally worn out by then anyhow.
When looking for a used S I had a small bias against getting the air suspension but a much larger bias against a sunroof. Sunroofs leak and when they do they destroy random things in the interior and when they leak or fail they are a much fiddlier repair than "pull out the broken shock and put in a new one".
My perfect car would have been an 85d with solid roof, coils, winter package, solid roof; I got a 90d (first gen battery), solid roof, winter package, air suspension (2016 90d with 45k miles from tesla while they were still transferring free lifetime supercharging). I've got no regrets so far with my compromises; the car gets 277 at 100%, hasn't degraded in the 6 months I've owned it (actually it started at 249 @90%, now says it has 251@90%).
Ask me again in 6 years and I may have different things to say about it but so far I love the car.
No reason not to get the air suspension and plenty of reasons to. No leak problems with the Pano either. Even when I forget and leave it 15% open when raining, it's not been an issue.
Given the high probability of failure of these high $$ parts and my better SC being 2 hours away, I'm sorta glad mine came with the standard shocks (or whatever is under there), though the air suspension was kinda nice when I drove a loaner.
I have the standard suspension. I haven’t really compared the ride to the air suspension. Mine is fine. If you really want to be able to raise and lower, and to automatically raise for various parking locations, then get the air suspension. Otherwise I’d be happy with either.
That's interesting, I know Tesla stated their decision to go all glass was simply for assembly line reasons, but I know there were murmers that some of it stemmed from leaking/rattling issues owners were seeing regularly.
The typical issue with the sunroof is that it requires drains that run through the inside of the car to an exit point someplace outside the car. The drains get plugged, the drain hoses get brittle or pinched or come loose. The roof itself needs to be lubricated periodically as well. There are plenty of cars with holes in their roofs that never leak; plenty of cars that do (after 6-12 years). As with everything, you pay your money, you take your chances... But in the grand scheme of things, I'm more comfortable with leaking shocks than I am with a hole in my roof, but both are potential service headaches in a 12 year old car.
