Ride quality for refreshed S with lowering links

[DayTrippin]

For those who have gone with lowering links (I don't really care what brand) on a refreshed S, how has your ride quality been? How is it on rough roads in the default ride height?

I am considering going with them to reduce wear on the front half shafts. As an experiment today, I rode around with my default driving position as low. The roads here in Dallas where I was driving were beating the hell out of me and the car. I had numerous times where the car would bottom out. I tried playing with the suspension settings and if I stiffened it up, then it didn't bottom but wasn't very compliant over the bumps. Make it softer and it bottomed even easier. I couldn't seem to find anything that seemed to work well.

My assumption is that if I put the lowering links in, the default ride height will in effect be what my low currently is. The low height will be even lower. Not sure how safe that will be on the highways here. Don't really want the batteries to contact the ground and sometimes I feel the default low setting is already pushing it.

If that is an accurate assumption of how they will work, then the reduced wheel travel is going to result in unacceptable ride quality. It will just beat the heck out of the car. So not really sure if the benefits outweigh the risk and worse ride. In Florida, it likely wouldn't be an issue but here I was shocked how at how bad it was.

 

[Aggmeister2010]

My wife is picky when it comes to ride quality, and she describes it as "fine." Hopefully that helps.

 

[drunkenbuda]

No complaint from my wife and kid. -6 all around.

 

[Dannietjoh]

Thats how lowering a car works; you bottom out easier with air suspension the ride becomes smoother the lower the car is, there is no trick to the lowering links other than that it makes the car think it’s a different hight than it really is.
The old n2itive links even allowed setting a higher ride hight, my guess is that would feel like having no suspension at all at the highest setting.
I ride on lowest all the time, with lowering links at about -1inch which is fine for the roads over here, but I do bottom out easily on speed bumps, the gps memory for ride hight works wonders for that, but still could use direct access to the setting like changing temps and volume instead of dividing into the menu and a better continuous visual of the current ride hight.

 

[NeuroRad]

The roads here in Dallas aren’t that bad at all compared to other places I’ve lived. You just need to be cognizant of potholes, rail tracks etc. nothing major. If you’re already bottoming out though that would be a contraindication for lowering in my opinion.

From the factory the S sits up like a wagon. Lowering really makes the car look much more aggressive. I’ve currently got -4, -4.25. Ride comfort isn’t compromised and i got a nice drop in medium setting.

I’ve been meaning to lower the car more but its been too hot here to even think about working outside.

 

[DayTrippin]

You must be in a better part of Dallas than me. I was at SMU and went down Mockingbird toward Greenville. I've tried low (without lowering links) and the car bottomed out in a lot of places. By that I mean slamming the suspension into any bump stops while going ~30 mph.

I think I'll just deal with the half-shaft issues when/if they occur. The lack of wheel travel and bottoming out the suspension isn't something I want to leave with on a daily basis and the pounding it does to the rest of the car. I want my car to stay nice and tight as long as I can.

 

[NeuroRad]

Absolutely. That area has worse roads with more construction. Definitely dont want to be bottoming out.

Imo the S has a very solid drivetrain. Its the last area of the vehicle Id be worried about. So I think you’ll be ok long term.

 

[DayTrippin]

Almost every day I am down Mockingbird or at least 3-4 times a week. Not worried about the drivetrain as much as the chassis developing a lot of rattles. A lot more obvious in an EV when you have a rattle, squeak or groan.

 

[NeuroRad]

Interior rattles are hell. I feel fortunate i have none at least for now (5k miles) minus the rear seat rattle.

 

[Propofoln]

You must be in a better part of Dallas than me. I was at SMU and went down Mockingbird toward Greenville. I've tried low (without lowering links) and the car bottomed out in a lot of places. By that I mean slamming the suspension into any bump stops while going ~30 mph.

I think I'll just deal with the half-shaft issues when/if they occur. The lack of wheel travel and bottoming out the suspension isn't something I want to leave with on a daily basis and the pounding it does to the rest of the car. I want my car to stay nice and tight as long as I can.

Go down that road daily as I live in Lakewood. My street is a few blocks south of mockingbird. They are repaving mockingbird, but have never bottomed out. Don’t have my ride height set to low tho

 

[Mantis]

I have lowering links installed and ride on the lowest setting, I've never bottomed out and I've been on some terrible Houston roads.

If you are bottoming out on the roads in your area with oem suspension, lowering links would just make it worse like you said. Are you on stock wheels/tires?

 

[DayTrippin]

I am currently on stock 21" Arachnids and basically not driving the car much until my 20" wheels show up. I think I will wait and revisit it then. I am going with a 20" square setup and this may give me enough cushion to make it work.

The other challenge is all the roads that are basically drainage ditches so you have some very steep approach angles when crossing them which makes it easy to scrap the nose if you aren't on very high. The new left scroll wheel setting is a real help for areas I haven't already had it remember the area to raise it.

 

[Sam1]

Thats how lowering a car works; you bottom out easier with air suspension the ride becomes smoother the lower the car is, there is no trick to the lowering links other than that it makes the car think it’s a different hight than it really is.
The old n2itive links even allowed setting a higher ride hight, my guess is that would feel like having no suspension at all at the highest setting.
I ride on lowest all the time, with lowering links at about -1inch which is fine for the roads over here, but I do bottom out easily on speed bumps, the gps memory for ride hight works wonders for that, but still could use direct access to the setting like changing temps and volume instead of dividing into the menu and a better continuous visual of the current ride hight.

Curious if those SEXY button things would give you the option for quick access? I've never really looked into their capabilities.

 

[Sam1]

Interior rattles are hell. I feel fortunate i have none at least for now (5k miles) minus the rear seat rattle.

You can fix the rear seat rattle with a 50 cent sponge.

 

[NeuroRad]

You can fix the rear seat rattle with a 50 cent sponge.

So why doesnt Tesla do it?

 

[Propofoln]

You can fix the rear seat rattle with a 50 cent sponge.

Or electrical tape

 

[Hayseed_MS]

So why doesnt Tesla do it?

They are working on the OTA for it and it will be out in two weeks.

 

[DayTrippin]

Curious if those SEXY button things would give you the option for quick access? I've never really looked into their capabilities.

Now there is quick access, sort of, by using the left thumbwheel with the latest SW update. You can select what you want it to do like I have been able to do in my 3 for a long time. Ride height is one of the options now. Which I've already set it to.

 

[Sam1]

Now there is quick access, sort of, by using the left thumbwheel with the latest SW update. You can select what you want it to do like I have been able to do in my 3 for a long time. Ride height is one of the options now. Which I've already set it to.

Oh, hadn't seen that one yet. I haven't had an update in probably close to 5-6 months...beta cars get them slowly

 

[Sam1]

Or electrical tape

That only works occasionally and only if you don't have felt or the felt is worn off. The sponge works 100%