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P85D Ride too Harsh?

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AMN

Member
Supporting Member
May 24, 2013
463
3,062
MSP, NYC, BZN
I have just over 3,200 miles on P85D and the suspension got a little too jittery at this point. Our P85+ that we drove for over 22,000 miles and traded for this car rode much better.
I have had quite a few high performance cars over the years, so I don't mind firm ride but our P85D now rides much harsher than our lowered and beefed up 911TT with over 750HP. In our 911 I can make a phone call without sounding like I am sobbing every time I go over a minor imperfection on the road.

Also, I have only driven this car on soft 19" snow tires. I have a set of 21" HREs with summer rubber that I am afraid to put on next week. I suspect it may result result in us exploring options.

I don't want to sound negative because I love the car. Although it's definitely a stretch for Tesla to think that people will drive it daily in any climate and any conditions, which I think was their original intent.

Anybody else with similar thoughts?
 
I have just over 3,200 miles on P85D and the suspension got a little too jittery at this point. Our P85+ that we drove for over 22,000 miles and traded for this car rode much better.
I have had quite a few high performance cars over the years, so I don't mind firm ride but our P85D now rides much harsher than our lowered and beefed up 911TT with over 750HP. In our 911 I can make a phone call without sounding like I am sobbing every time I go over a minor imperfection on the road.

Also, I have only driven this car on soft 19" snow tires. I have a set of 21" HREs with summer rubber that I am afraid to put on next week. I suspect it may result result in us exploring options.

I don't want to sound negative because I love the car. Although it's definitely a stretch for Tesla to think that people will drive it daily in any climate and any conditions, which I think was their original intent.

Anybody else with similar thoughts?
It might be a stretch but ask them to check you rear shocks. I expected a firmer ride than my Sig but my D seemed quite hard. Recently I noticed an unusual rattle going over large bumps at low speed so asked them to check it when I was getting my snow tires off. They gave me a D for a loaner that was a lot smoother. Turns out the left rear shock was broken and I am quite happy now after they replaced it.
 
I went from a coil suspension P85 that I lowered (used lolachamps method and had the perch c-clip moved down 1") and also had 22" wheels with 35 series in front and 25 series tires in rear. The suspension rode better than my air suspension P85D On low setting that's for sure! I notice the same thing, on the low setting the air suspension rides much more stiff than my previous setup which I found very strange. Also, on my P85D I have the OEM grey 21's and Michelen Pilot Cups.
 
Ditto AMN. BTW, did you ever do anything about it? P85D acceleration is great, but the ride you experience every day is important unless you bought the car just to drag or track race. As for me, it's my commuter.
 
I went from a P85 (19" wheels) to a P85D (19") and the ride is far superior in the D. The handling is certainly more sporty, with quicker steering and more planted cornering, but to me that is a positive. I always thought the P85 was way too loose in the rear end.
 
we are trading up from the P85+. I enjoyed the performance experience of the + but in the end we opted more for the luxury family car experience this go round and specifically went for the S85D rather than the P85D for the smoother ride. I test drove a variety of configurations and am quite happy with the overall experience in the S85D.
 
I truly don't understand anyone saying the D rides too harshly or uncomfortably. Maybe it's a matter of taste, but I can't fathom a reaction that extreme. I'd check with the service center and make sure that your car is actually riding the way it is supposed to. If you aren't satisfied they are really comparing and feeling it, then ask to try out another D. If they all feel the same to you, then guess it's just taste, but be sure.
 
I had the P85+ with 21" and currently have a P85D with 19". Being a performance vehicle tuner, shop owner and mechanic.. I can tell you that the P85D does ride more "harsh" and I can tell you why... The air suspension on the P85D is different than the one in my P85+, the part numbers are different so the only thing I can think of is.. that it's set to basically act like a heavier spring. The P85D has few hundred extra pounds and I'm assuming they compensated by changing the settings and design of the air spring for the dampening settings as well as acting like a heavier spring (more psi to maintain same ride height).

To sum it up, the "D" with 19" rides like as though as it has a slightly stiffer dampener in it's air shock than the P85+ on 21".

While on the topic, with 19".. I could easily feel the flex in the taller side wall of the tires vs the low profile 21".. I got the 19" because I wanted to save the funds for aftermarket wheels. :)..

Larry
 
From the end of April the part numbers for SAS is the same for all the D models and not unique for P85D anymore. They also removed the text saying "specially designed performance suspension".

Ah.. if that's the case I need to take a ride in the newer D.. cuz.. the one I have.. made in Jan.. it's so stiff I'm afraid to put 21-22" wheels back on considering how stiff it currently rides. And i'm a guy who likes sporty cars!

Larry
 
My understanding from engineering was that the air springs are the same rate (from the start of PD production) and only shock valving (damping rates) were changed. Perhaps Tesla has now removed the special spec'd dampers. If they have, I am very glad I got the January delivery as compliance was one of my issues with MS and, in my opinion, it simply got better going from P85 to P+ and then to PD. They also must have made the sway bars smaller on the PD when compared to my P+ as the head snatch going over speed bumps or hitting a pot hole with one front wheel is back down to my old P85 levels. There did not seem to be a roll issue with the car so I feel the smaller bars are a good choice.
 
My understanding from engineering was that the air springs are the same rate (from the start of PD production) and only shock valving (damping rates) were changed. Perhaps Tesla has now removed the special spec'd dampers. If they have, I am very glad I got the January delivery as compliance was one of my issues with MS and, in my opinion, it simply got better going from P85 to P+ and then to PD. They also must have made the sway bars smaller on the PD when compared to my P+ as the head snatch going over speed bumps or hitting a pot hole with one front wheel is back down to my old P85 levels. There did not seem to be a roll issue with the car so I feel the smaller bars are a good choice.

Darn I wrote a whole reply and it disappeared lol.. Anyways.. yea that makes sense that the dampening rates would cause the car to feel stiffer over bumps on the road. I just wish I could have it like my previous vehicle... where the shocks are adjustable so it could be firm on the track and softer on the road. On my commute I get the chance to roll the body of the P85D with some hard cornering. If I could have it my way.. I would have dynamic chassis control that controls hydraulic sway bars, dampeners and air spring all together.. oh and brake torque vectoring but the first three I mentioned would keep the car perfectly flat thru a turn without taking away ride quality. I'm sure all that tech will come soon enough, I was just spoiled and wish I could have it on the D heh

P.S. I recognize your username.. do you use to have a Porsche or are you a forum member on 6speedonline?.. or am I dreaming.. lol

Larry
 
I worked with some Porsche ECUs in a previous life which is likely how I ended up on the Porsche forums.

Your desired suspension sounds an awful lot like my McLaren :) And yes, it is truly amazing what they have done with the hydraulic suspension.
 
Odd, I just drove a P85D loaner for a day, and liked it much more that the P85+ I had driven. The P85+ was too harsh for me.


Just the opposite for me. I just had a P85+ as a loaner and it was soft and compliant compared to the go cart washboard unforgiving stiff harshness of my P85D. I lowered the pressure of the 19" wheels to 45 and then 40 because the SC said the reason for the harshness was the 50 PSI in the tires. I raised them back up to 45 for safety. The P85+ loaner had 21" wheels and was a far softer ride. Still firmer than the regular 85 and P85 but nothing like the PD.

Given that users are seeing completely the opposite between the two cars leads me to believe there's an actual issue with my PD that needs to be discovered and fixed. The compression and rebound damping seem absurd for an aggressive street setup. My PD is even aggressive for a track unless it's perfectly smooth.

- - - Updated - - -

Darn I wrote a whole reply and it disappeared lol.. Anyways.. yea that makes sense that the dampening rates would cause the car to feel stiffer over bumps on the road. I just wish I could have it like my previous vehicle... where the shocks are adjustable so it could be firm on the track and softer on the road. On my commute I get the chance to roll the body of the P85D with some hard cornering. If I could have it my way.. I would have dynamic chassis control that controls hydraulic sway bars, dampeners and air spring all together.. oh and brake torque vectoring but the first three I mentioned would keep the car perfectly flat thru a turn without taking away ride quality. I'm sure all that tech will come soon enough, I was just spoiled and wish I could have it on the D heh

P.S. I recognize your username.. do you use to have a Porsche or are you a forum member on 6speedonline?.. or am I dreaming.. lol

Larry

Me too. Much longer than the one that I ended up rewriting. How strange.

- - - Updated - - -

The Corvette I had with Z51 was somewhere in between the P85+ and the PD. I've never driven a car as stiff as the PD.
 
I am going thru the same issues with my one month old P85D. Before I orderer my car I test drove 3 different P85D's and found them not too harsh. After driving my car for about a week I found the ride to get really harsh on the same roads I always commute on. I even bought a set of 19" wheels to see if the 21" wheels where the culprit but they seemed to make it even worse. I also noticed that the feel of the suspension varied dramatically from day to day. One weekend I finally decided to remove the Air Suspension fuse and to my surprise the ride was great. After installing the fuse again the car returned to the harsh ride. My SC just read the suspension controller logs and found errors. I hope that they will be able to fix the issue now. I know that the car is not supposed to be this harsh. Try to drive another P85D to see if the harsh ride is a malfunction of your particular car.
 
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I am going thru the same issues with my one month old P85D. Before I orderer my car I test drove 3 different P85D's and found them not too harsh. After driving my car for about a week I found the ride to get really harsh on the same roads I always commute on. I even bought a set of 19" wheels to see if the 21" wheels where the culprit but they seemed to make it even worse. I also noticed that the feel of the suspension varied dramatically from day to day. One weekend I finally decided to remove the Air Suspension fuse and to my surprise the ride was great. After installing the fuse again the car returned to the harsh ride. My SC just read the suspension controller logs and found errors. I hope that they will be able to fix the issue now. I know that the car is not supposed to be this harsh. Try to drive another P85D to see if the harsh ride is a malfunction of your particular car.

Why did you remove the fuse? Did the SC direct you to do so or were you just trying things out?

I can't figure out how remove the fuse could make a difference. The the height is adjustable but the spring rate is not adjustable nor is the valving on the gas Bilstein shocks.
 
Why did you remove the fuse? Did the SC direct you to do so or were you just trying things out?

I can't figure out how remove the fuse could make a difference. The the height is adjustable but the spring rate is not adjustable nor is the valving on the gas Bilstein shocks.
I don't know either. I was so fed up with the bumpy ride that I just tried something. Again, I even bought 19" wheels because they should give a softer ride. I think in my case there is something wrong with the suspension controller or maybe with one of the shocks that "confuses" the system. They are still trying to figure out what the problem is. Fact is, my car was perfectly comfortable when I got it and then it changed its personality. I drove a P85 for 40'000 miles and the P85D is just a bit more tight over bumps when the car is working as its supposed to. By riding comfortably after removing the fuse it showed me that the system is not working as it's supposed to.
 
I don't know either. I was so fed up with the bumpy ride that I just tried something. Again, I even bought 19" wheels because they should give a softer ride. I think in my case there is something wrong with the suspension controller or maybe with one of the shocks that "confuses" the system. They are still trying to figure out what the problem is. Fact is, my car was perfectly comfortable when I got it and then it changed its personality. I drove a P85 for 40'000 miles and the P85D is just a bit more tight over bumps when the car is working as its supposed to. By riding comfortably after removing the fuse it showed me that the system is not working as it's supposed to.

The only part of the suspension that can be controlled electronically is the ride height. The spring rate might change slightly depending on height but not much. Compression and rebound damping are fixed unlike most other cars in the price price range where it can be adjusted.

So I'm at a total loss how removing a fuse could change the "harshness" of the suspension. I'm smelling a little bit of placebo here.