Smart Air Suspension: Worth it?

[krisg81]

I just went from a coil suspension P85 to an air suspension P85D.

I think the coils rode better than the air suspension in Low mode.

If the suspension is in Standard mode, it rides better. Problem is it doesn't look nearly as good as Low mode.

If you are ok with the car sitting high and looking a bit funny with the coil suspension, go for that instead of air. I have had zero reason to have to adjust the height of the suspension here in SoCal, but it came on my inventory car and I took it... but I may not order it in my future cars.

 

[Todd Burch]

I have 35,000 Model S miles driving air and 10,000 Model S miles driving coils.

Scraping bottom is not a concern with coils. At all. Its normal height is higher. Haven't scraped bottom at all with coils, whereas I did several times with air, failing to raise the car in time.

If the "low" look is important to you, get air. You can lower a coil car, but then you're stuck at that lower height which is risky if you encounter a steep driveway.

Coils are a much harsher and stiffer ride than air. Much more sporty, but less comfortable. Very noticable difference. People who said they couldn't notice the difference just didn't get enough time in the seat, IMHO. Air is much smoother.

Tires last longer with coils since there's less camber and less inside tire wear (assuming you swing...er...ride low, sweet chariot).

If reliability is a concern, you might lean toward coils. They are much cheaper to replace/repair. But having said that, I've only seen one post here about a malfunction with the air suspension system since the Model S came out, so it's not like it's an unreliable system.

Technically aerodynamics are slightly improved at higher speeds with air (assuming you go low), but the difference must be pretty small. I don't notice it and you likely won't either.

 

[fadkar]

I have 35,000 Model S miles driving air and 10,000 Model S miles driving coils.

Scraping bottom is not a concern with coils. At all. Its normal height is higher. Haven't scraped bottom at all with coils, whereas I did several times with air, failing to raise the car in time.

If the "low" look is important to you, get air. You can lower a coil car, but then you're stuck at that lower height which is risky if you encounter a steep driveway.

Coils are a much harsher and stiffer ride than air. Much more sporty, but less comfortable. Very noticable difference. People who said they couldn't notice the difference just didn't get enough time in the seat, IMHO. Air is much smoother.

Tires last longer with coils since there's less camber and less inside tire wear (assuming you swing...er...ride low, sweet chariot).

If reliability is a concern, you might lean toward coils. They are much cheaper to replace/repair. But having said that, I've only seen one post here about a malfunction with the air suspension system since the Model S came out, so it's not like it's an unreliable system.

Technically aerodynamics are slightly improved at higher speeds with air (assuming you go low), but the difference must be pretty small. I don't notice it and you likely won't either.

Thank you for the detailed comparison. I'm curious how much harsher the ride actually is. I know the air suspension might soak up the bumps better, but it doesn't actively adjust its dampers for a softer/firmer ride.

 

[ecarfan]

I have spent many hours in my father's 85 with air and I have spent 15 months in my 85 with coils. Both cars are in California and are driven on very similar roads. In my experience it is an exaggeration to say that "coils are a much harsher and stiffer ride than air". I am hard pressed to tell the difference.

My father plans to replace his 85 with an 85D and at this point plans to get the D with coils.

 

[Karma]

I went back and forth on this same question when test driving and trying to decide which to get. I don't have the air suspension, and I can't say that I miss it. The car is so stable with the battery keeping the center of gravity so low, and it certainly takes Florida's speed humps and bumps better than my 997 C2S Porsche Cab ever did.
It's a matter of preference, and from what I can tell, those that have it, love it, and those that don't, well, they don't really complain about it either. Guess is just comes down to money, and if you want one more mechanical part that could be subject to failure.

 

[roblab]

It seems that arguing whether or not one can save a nickel or a dime by buying coils or using air suspension is a little silly with a super premium car. Air suspension comes on high priced cars, like Cadillac and Lincoln. Air comes on big semi tractor trailers, for ride smoothness.

If you want to talk about saving a buck or two, let's argue about Kia vs. Toyota or Nissan. But this is a premium car, in every way. We are comparing it to Mercedes and BMW. Air suspension is a premium product. I can tell the difference when I drive a coil car (bouncy over bridge joints, less road holding around corners), but it is not a big difference. The main thing going for coils is that they are cheap. I wouldn't tell anyone that I bought my Tesla and then cut corners to make it cheap, although there are some who think that's what they have to do. I just couldn't do it.

I think the arguments for a pano roof are similar. Not too many reasons for a solid roof. Sort of like having an extra window in a wall at home, or maybe a skylight in the kitchen. Cool, but you can go cheaper. Well, if cheap is what you need, go for it. If all you can afford is a bicycle, well....

I have air and pano. If I get the chance to upgrade, I will get air and pano again. If I want to get a cheap car, there are some of those out there, too.

 

[RDoc]

I got air because a) My wife wanted it, and 2) The salesman pointed out that it was potentially firmware upgradable. I'm pretty convinced that the more features controlled by the computer the better.

 

[Nevek]

I'm pretty convinced that the more features controlled by the computer the better.

I'm with you on the more areas under software control, the more opportunities for the car to change and improve. This is a big plus if you don't trade cars every couple of years, and although I'm not sure what updates to the adjustable suspension might come up, I want in when they do!

 

[beeeerock]

I don't know where the air suspension is sourced from, but I sure saw plenty of suspiciously Benz-looking stuff inside when I test drove... the steering wheel, column, window controls etc. Coming from the Benz world, I've learned that the air suspension is great when it's new, when it's under warranty and when it's working. Check any Benz forum and search for air suspension problems and you'll find an abundance of pain associated with keeping one going.

I don't know if the Tesla system is supplied by Daimler, but if they can't build a trouble free version, I don't know who can. For that reason I elected to go with the coil suspension because they just work...! The *mechanical* simplicity of the Tesla is what helped sell me on it. I saw no reason to add points of failure unnecessarily. And for what it's worth, I live where there is plenty of snow and plow it with my front spoiler getting home a few times each winter. Still not enough reason to sell me on the air system! The vibe I got from the sales person seemed to support my thinking too... that was the one feature that wasn't pushed.

 

[46&2]

The air suspension technique comes from a 'third party' parts designer, not from Daimler. (Bosch?) Both brands might use the same supplier, but not necessarily (I don't know how many there are). And both brands might use different models out of the same supplier's portfolio, given it's the same (should it be so).

The interior is some sort of Daimler related, yes, but that doesn't necessarily mean the air suspension is, or fails as 'much' (for sure, in internet sources, you'll only find the not working Daimler suspensions...)

 

[Rockster]

I've driven air for 30,000 miles and liked it. The GPS-enabled raising is nice and I guess the lowering at speed makes some difference in aerodynamics.

That said, I've had a coil-equipped loaner for a couple of weeks now and I'm a convert. I feel more connected to the road now, with more feedback about road surface. (Some don't like that, I understand.) The car's handling feels tighter with coils and it feels like there's less body roll and squishiness.

If I had it to do over, I'd go with coil suspension.

 

[jbcarioca]

I just placed my order for an 85D today. After reading this thread and other comments elsewhere I ordered the air and pano roof. I do have a steep drive entry to my parking facility, which influenced me a little bit. However the potential software upgrades weighed more. I agree with those who point out that there is something short of a truly convincing argument for the air suspension, but I have liked it in the cars I have driven with it (I have not driven a Tesla so equipped). Of course i tripped out on the reeker's in front and the bizarro sound system too. It's not as though the price increases actually would alter my decision.

 

[hobbes]

One reason for getting smart air is that setting it low will save you energy on the freeway. The questions remains, how much? Checked JB Straubel´s blog post on driving range it does not even mention the suspension height settings as a parameter. Have any of you owners here done any comparisons with high vs. low settings to check if the range changes significantly?

 

[ecarfan]

That sort of test has been attempted and posted about, but because it is very difficult to exactly replicate a driving route over a sufficient distance it is quite a challenge to accurately quantify any difference in energy usage. Whatever the difference is, it is very small, perhaps on the order of 1%. Not in my opinion a compelling reason to spend the extra money on the air suspension.

 

[cschock]

For me it was totally worth it. We have a VERY steep driveway that bottomed out our old Audi A6 in the rear quite often (and every delivery truck that come by, there are GOUGES in the street in front of our driveway.) The price was worth it just for that and when you combine this with California's "storm gutters" along streets which give horrible transitions to parking lots far too often in urban areas the cost was a no-brainer for me.

 

[Ugliest1]

And for what it's worth, I live where there is plenty of snow and plow it with my front spoiler getting home a few times each winter. Still not enough reason to sell me on the air system! The vibe I got from the sales person seemed to support my thinking too... that was the one feature that wasn't pushed.

It'll be getting on the ferry to Victoria that convinces you!

 

[hobbes]

That sort of test has been attempted and posted about, but because it is very difficult to exactly replicate a driving route over a sufficient distance it is quite a challenge to accurately quantify any difference in energy usage.

Can you point me to where it was discussed? Similar tests were done for different firmware versions when P85D came out and they did report differences, but maybe those changes in efficiency were just much larger in fact.

 

[chriSharek]

I'm on the fence about the SAS too. I've been a Volt owner now for 4 years and I have squeezed 50 miles out of that car many days (before switching to gas). Having said that, I will be getting 19"s and the SAS. If I can get an additional 3% with the wheels and then another 1% with the SAS, then I'll be happy. Then again, when you have 260+ miles on a charge and SCs all over, maybe I won't be as concerned with the additional 4% or 10 miles of range!

 

[MassModel3]

I haven't really noticed the auto-leveling feature of SAS, but probably the only place I'd be likely to notice is fast and tight turns, and I tend to turn slow and gracefully so maybe I'm just missing it.

However, the SAS notes in the car itself (in the manual) state that the suspension adjusts automatically to optimize ride based on road conditions. Personally, I love the ride with SAS.

Also, with record snowfalls here in the northeast, I got a LOT of use out of the suspension raising (and auto-raising) to clear snow piles, ice chunks, and for horribly uneven roads due to patchy ice (3 to 4 inch sheets of ice on the roads with numerous small patches of no ice essentially creating the equivalent of nonstop potholes on side streets).

My next Tesla is definitely going to have SAS, too.

 

[JohnQ]

I haven't really noticed the auto-leveling feature of SAS, but probably the only place I'd be likely to notice is fast and tight turns, and I tend to turn slow and gracefully so maybe I'm just missing it...

The auto-leveling is not responsive enough that you'd notice it in a turn ... especially with the lower COG of the car. Think of it as compensating for uneven cargo loads.