Which Model 3 springs for a more comfortable ride?

[coleAK]

I once took a road trip in a buddies model 3. Love the torque and flat cornering. The car seems like an awesome performance commuter.

Once the trip was over, I immediately transfered to my Cadillac CTS with magnaride. Pardon the pun, but I was shocked. My plans of owning a model 3 are destroyed. Supple ride, alpha chassis flat cornering, and lively steering feedback. I am hoping Tesla can fix this, because I'll be a buyer when they do, but darn .. GM magnaride performance cars are sweet.

But with that you also get GM dependibility/reliability (questionable), quality (poor), sustainability (bankruptcies, Trucks keeping them afloat), and Cadillac world class depreciation (almost the worst in the business, thank you Rover?). Thinking of it has GM made a car in at least 15-20 years that anyone wants/buys? I’ll admit the new vette is awesome but it’s A day late and a dollar short, it’s the car they should have made 10+ years ago.

Sorry it was just too right down the middle for that one

 

[enigmata]

@Andrew , @MoreAgain thanks so much for your input on this thread. I was looking for solutions to the ride quality issues on my 4/2018 VIN 12XXX LR RWD and decided to go with Unplugged for the mild lowering springs.

Was told they would put on the V2s they just got in. Super happy with the customer service, although it was a three hour wait, it was a bit longer as they adjusted the rear springs to be a bit stiffer than the front after a test drive. They even test drove it with me (A++ to Jeff at Unplugged for taking the time to show the springs out and go over the details) after, and what a difference it was!

Car looks better aesthetically with about a 1" drop. Going over small bumps or potholes feels a lot softer than before, the cabin doesn't move as much, harsh jiggles are a thing of the past. What I didn't expect was the improved corner handling - previously would zip across a tight corner with some body roll, none at all now. Wife drove it as well and remarked it was a lot closer to her air suspension Model S.

So far no clunking or spring noise after 500 miles. I definitely do appreciate the more comfortable ride, but the improved handling was a bonus for me.

 

[PNWLeccy]

Hi @jpatrick1821 - So... at the moment I actually don't have the mild lowering springs on the car anymore. What ended up happening was that there was a clunking sound in the suspension when I would go over bumps at low speed. Unplugged Performance did some troubleshooting, but they couldn't find the culprit. I took it to Tesla in March, and they replaced the front stabilizer bar, but it still didn't solve the clunking.

I then had UP remove their springs and put my original springs back on, so I could take it back to Tesla service, in April. The clunking was still there - though it was less pronounced with the factory springs. Tesla confirmed they heard the clunking as well, and they replaced some components with the latest versions.

That solved the clunking, and -- get this -- improved the ride quality dramatically! I'm guessing my suspension now feels like most other Model 3's (where most people aren't complaining about the harshness of the ride...)

At this point I've got the lowering springs sitting in a box in my garage, and am considering whether or not I want to switch back to them. I I think the ride quality was still better with the UP springs than I currently have, but had my car driven like it does now from the beginning, I probably wouldn't have sought out the softer springs in the first place.

I don't love that the mild springs lowered the car quite a bit -- it may look good, but it means we do scrape things every once in awhile (I scraped going into our driveway once, which isn't particularly steep... and parking lots can be tricky under the front bumper). And, I don't love having aftermarket parts in place, since it voids the warranty for the suspension. But on the other hand, I did like the ride quality more...

So... you may want to talk to your service center, and ask them to change out your suspension components for the latest versions. (If I didn't have the clunking sound, I doubt they would have done it). If not, I'd say you should go with the mild springs!


Here are the parts they added for the stabilizer update in March:
Correction: Link - Stabilizer Bar - Front - Pair
NUT,HF,M12-1.75,[10],ZNNI,PTP (1111543-00-A). (Quantity 4)
STABAR LINK ASSY, FRONT-RIGHT (1044396-00-D). (Quantity 1)
STABAR LINK ASSY, FRONT-LEFT (1044391-00-D). (Quantity 1)

And the parts they added to fix the clunking -- which also improved the ride quality in April:
Correction: Spring and Damper Assembly - Front - LH
DAMPER ASSY, FRONT-LEFT,COIL,RWD,E3(DEV) (1044364-91-E). (Quantity 2)
Correction: Spring and Damper Assembly - Front - RH
DAMPER ASSY,FRONT-RIGHT,COIL,RWD,E3 (1044369-91-E). (Quantity 1)

@Andrew - What is your VIN? I have 35XXX LR RWD and I hear a lot of clunking on even mildly bumpy roads and the ride is quite harsh. I'd like to see what version of these front coils I have - are you able to see the Front coils part number from inside the wheel well?

I've taken it in before for the clunking and harsh ride but they just shrug it off as not an issue. And I can't do a ride along w/ them now due to COVID-19.

 

[Andrew]

Hi @PNWLeccy, sorry for taking a bit to reply. My VIN is 001576... so it's a very early one, built late December 2017.

I have the Unplugged Performance Mild Lowering Springs on the car now, and the factory springs are in storage so I can't take a look... But I pulled up the service records for ya.

We had the front springs replaced twice (and the stabilizer bars and ball joints replaced two or three times as well). First was February 2018 and was the "suspension fix" that was a service bulletin:

Concern: per service bulletin perform upgraded suspension
Corrections: Front Suspension (including Hubs) General Diagnosis. Upgraded front suspension components per bulletin
Corrections: Links - Front Suspension - Lower - Aft - LH/RH. Upgraded front suspension components per bulletin
DAMPER ASSY FR LH RWD, COIL E3 (1044364-01-E) x 1
DAMPER ASSY FR RH RWD, COIL E3 (1044369-01-E) x 1
RR SPRING, COIL 74.7-7250 E3 RWD, E3 DM (1044472-01-D) x 2
RR DAMPER ASSY - COIL RWD (1044461-02-C) x 2
RR LWR FORE LINK ASSY (1044444-00-A) x 2​

Then in April 2019, which is what actually fixed the clunking... This was after we installed the mild springs, and then UPP removed them and reinstalled the factory springs, so Tesla would address the clunking:

Customer states while travelling at slow speeds over bumps there is a clunking
noise present from suspension, mostly at the front passenger's side of the
vehicle
Verified concern while driving over rough roads a clunking noise can be heard
coming from the right front strut. Lifted vehicle and inspected suspension
components, no signs of damage or loose fasteners were found, but there
were signs the the suspension was components have been removed prior.
After further diagnosis found both front strut assembly clunking while driving
over a rough road. Replaced both strut assembly and road test to verify fix, no
noise was found after replacement

Correction: Suspension - Rear (Check Torque)

Correction: Spring and Damper Assembly - Front - LH
DAMPER ASSY, FRONT-LEFT,COIL,RWD,E3 (DEV) (1044364-91-E) x 2

Correction: Spring and Damper Assembly - Front - RH
DAMPER ASSY,FRONT-RIGHT,COIL,RWD,E3 (1044369-91-E)
​

Once they fixed the clunking, I went back to Unplugged and they reinstalled the mild lowering springs. I've been much happier with the ride quality since (though I do wish the car hadn't been lowered -- we do tend to scrape things at times because of the lower clearance).

Hope that helps!

 

[TwoK4drSi]

I just upgraded my coilovers to Unplugged and am super impressed. I'd really encourage anyone thinking about getting only the new springs to really think about spending a little more and getting the coilovers, it's a whole new world!

The stock shocks really don't seem to have the best dampening curve and aftermarket ones are a big step up. This means that the aftermarket coilovers can give you a more firm/better handling ride and give better ride comfort over bumps.

Yeah I’m on springs right now and considering going to coils. Shoulda gone that route in the first place for adjustability alone but not many people had options in 2018. Leaning towards @UnpluggedP as well. Also a fellow VMR fan

 

[Andrew]

I kinda wish I went with the coilovers instead, if only because then I could have kept the stock height (and still gotten the softer ride). Of course, they cost significantly more... As far as ride quality, though, I'm quite happy with the mild lowering springs.