dennis
Model S Plaid
I was interested in getting those lower control arms to remove that floaty feeling in the back of my P85, but I was told that they couldn't install them on my car without changing the subframe as well. In the end, I chose to go for it anyway and to upgrade the other suspension components while we're at it. Here are all the parts that were installed:
Rear subframe
Rear lower control arms
Rear upper link
Rear toe link p+
Rear integral link p+
Rear stabar passive suspension p+
Pilot Super Sport 245/35ZR21 tires
Total out-the-door cost: < $6k
I decided not to upgrade the air spring modules. It would have cost close to $10k (for parts, labor, and tax) and I wasn't sure I wanted the firmer ride anyway. This is my daily driver and I like the comfortable ride of my P85.
For wheels and tires, I chose to go with a square setup with Pilot Super Sports instead of the staggered setup with PS2's. I couldn't justify spending between $6k and $9k (depending on whether I could keep the existing front wheels) for tires that are almost twice as expensive, that you can't rotate and that provide little additional grip (at most 7% based on tire section width calculation).
I’ve only been driving the car for a few days but so far I’m happy with the retrofit. The car definitely handles better in the turns and under heavy acceleration. It feels more planted and goes where you point it without getting squirrely. I did notice an increase in noise though but that could be partly due to the tires being brand new.
Laurent it is really great that you were able to do a partial upgrade. You may be the first! That is the direction I would have gone if I had been able to test drive a car with the partial upgrade. A couple of questions for you:
Did Tesla do the retrofit work?
If not, were there any problems with ordering the parts? I was under the impression that Tesla would not do any subset of their tested configurations. I'm surprised you were able to go with those suspension parts and a square set up for the tires and wheels.