As I am new here, perhaps others are more familiar with the history. Did the + require air suspension and 21's?
Perhaps then the only way you get the tuned suspension now is if you have those two options?
How noticeable of a difference was the + suspension to the regular p85 with 21's and the air suspension?
I am coming from driving exclusively sporty cars my whole life, and the last thing I want is a floaty suspension. I am expecting something on par with a porsche Panamera.
Welcome to the forum. Yes, the P85+ did require the air suspension and 21" staggered rims (245frt/265rear). It also had a tuned suspension and upgraded suspension parts (I forget which ones), but some people have been able to "plus-ify" their P85 into P85+ by added these parts and rims.
The difference between the + and the P85 is very noticeable if you're used to powerful sport sedans. My other car is a 2002 BMW M5, and I found the P85+ to handle in a similar fashion to the M5.
I think most people coming from a different car to the Model S, and particularly the P85+ are totally WOWED and floored by the acceleration and the handling.. but for me, coming from an M5, it was more like "that's real nice!"
. Of course, the P85+ totally kills in 0-60 acceleration, but you can tell the top end falls back compared to the M5 which still has plenty of pulling power at higher speeds. But how often am I driving that fast? Almost never. This past week I've been taking my M5 out for a bit just to keep it running and not sit, and still, compared to the P85+, it's still a blast to drive (but no, not nearly as much as the P85+).
I drove a P85 during my first test drive, with 19" all-season tires, and it was "floaty" compared to the M5.. but when I went back for the second test drive in a P85+.. wow, nice and firm and a good feel for the road. Now I didn't drive a MS with coil springs, so I can't compare that to the air suspension. But I'm very happy with the P85+. I feel no compelling need to upgrade to the "D" (as I'll be using the M5 with winter tires for driving in the snow).
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Also, in order to save money on tires, I de-staggared my rims, so I now have 8.5" rims all around and 245/45/21s tires (Hankook Ventus) so I can rotate the tires and not spend $500 per tire replacement. Car still handles pretty much the same as the Pilot Sport OEM tires.