Speed bumps, adaptive suspension, and height adjustment question

[Mike Hawk]

Silly question.

Kid's school has 5 speed bumps, the skinny ones that are a quick up and down. They are hell in my Model 3 Performance, I have to take them at like 2-3 mph, the posted speed limit is 15 mph.

I've never had an air suspension before. Would setting the X (20s) that I have on order to high help any with comfort or is it just a clearance thing with the height adjustment settings?

Basically what's the best settings to attack brutal speed bumps that you have to deal with on the daily. Assuming comfort and high? I'll probably be cruising in sport and low or very low every where else. Might even look into lowering links.

Can't wait to dork out with all the new suspension settings!

 

[drmanny3]

From what I have read, the 2020 Model X will remember based upon GPS where you raised the car to engage the speed bumps. I as yet have not experimented with this to really verify. On another note my NSX has 4 corner adjustable struts. If I have the car set on comfort and hit one of the speed bumps my car will react by allowing the struts to move over a wider range of height. this makes the transition feel more smooth. The problem is that the increased travel allows my rear carbon fiber facia to hit the speed bump. So when I approach a speed bump I quickly set the ride to sport plus to tighten everything up. The result is a harder riding car but no potential damage. There is always a trade off. My ride height is not adjustable like the Tesla. So if you raise the car just before the speed bumps, then the range of travel increases and so should the smoothness. I can add a lift kit that will remember based upon GPS where I lift the car. Cost us around $5k installed.

 

[Genie]

I have the raven suspension and I would still take those speed bumps at -3mph. That type of speed bump is very good at it’s job, better than the X will be even with 20’s.

 

[mxnym]

Since you said "on order" I assume you are getting a plaid (generation, not sure if there is another name). As such, this information may not be helpful, but I thought I would drop it here anyway. On the original (pre-raven) air suspension, the ride actually gets stiffer as you increase the height. I don't remember the explanation for this, but I do believe I read one somewhere in these forums. The thread I am vaguely recalling also had comments implying that the ride is even softer at low than at standard, but I can't personally corroborate that claim at this time.

 

[ngng]

Slow down. Normal and high is more damp, but it's not gonna make the bumps disappear

 

[Mike Hawk]

Tesla gave me a '17 X 100D with 20' rims as a loaner this week and I tried the bumps at low, standard, high. TBH I can't really tell that much of a difference other than it's a bit less jarring staying in standard or high. The '17 doesn't have adaptive settings, just height settings. Adaptive didn't come around until the Rave.

One of these days when the school is empty I'll see just how close the car is to scraping when on very low.

Yeah, just gonna have to take them slow. I guess I was expecting magic or something, hopefully the '22 with the adaptive updates and all that jazz will be better. The '17 X DID feel a bit better on any setting going over some known road bumps in my neighborhood so that's a good sign that the X can be a bit more comfy that the Performance 3.

 

[ngng]

Tesla gave me a '17 X 100D with 20' rims as a loaner this week and I tried the bumps at low, standard, high. TBH I can't really tell that much of a difference other than it's a bit less jarring staying in standard or high. The '17 doesn't have adaptive settings, just height settings. Adaptive didn't come around until the Rave.

One of these days when the school is empty I'll see just how close the car is to scraping when on very low.

Yeah, just gonna have to take them slow. I guess I was expecting magic or something, hopefully the '22 with the adaptive updates and all that jazz will be better. The '17 X DID feel a bit better on any setting going over some known road bumps in my neighborhood so that's a good sign that the X can be a bit more comfy that the Performance 3.

I have a 16 and am curious about th adaptive. Interesting you think the 17 rides better haha

 

[Mike Hawk]

OP back again.

I picked up my X Plaid on 20s back on 8-5 so I have almost 1k miles and a few weeks under my belt.

My thoughts, I don't like GPS High

I have a the kid's school and the driveway where I work that has the most need for height adjustment. My problem is I need to scoot out of school quickly and I want to be in low/very low so it won't mess up my half shafts, so this "Keep high till 35" won't work for me. I also come in hot (or slow) and the location based raise might not be ready by the time I'm at the first speed bump.

So for now I just manually raise to medium at school/work and lower once I'm clear of obstacles before I leave the parking lot.

Kinda annoying and I should probably just leave it in the stock "low" setting all the time, but I'm a tweaker so I like to put it to be very low when I'm on the highway / cosmetics reasons.

As for comfort vs sport, bleh. I'm getting to old, get off my lawn! I'm just keeping it in auto now 24/7 and kinda love that it'll go-to comfort if I engage auto pilot. Only time I'll go in sport is if I'm hotdogging it showing the speed to my friends and their first ride.

In my perfect world there'd be a neural implant so I could just think what height and comfort setting I'm in the mood for.

I'm eyeying lowering links and making the stock low be the "very low". Problem is the better half steals this car too and I don't think she'd want to have to be aware and/or adjust the suspension as the need arises. She just wants to get in and go.

TL;DR:. Choices are nice but just gonna stick to the standard "low" and auto damping settings 95% of the time.

 

[SfBonsai]

Im pretty critical of Tesla suspensions. It is the one area (or maybe one of just a few areas) that didn't get the attention it deserved. To produce the best car or E car in the world.......one of the most basic premises is too have a smooth ride. I love the tech and much of what's in my X plaid, but ride comfort is not one of them. I have had a Y performance as well. Try an audi Etron and you will see what an air suspension is capable of. For 150K, the ride should be able to vary from floating on clouds to performance. Come on Tesla......dont give the Germans any advantage!