suspension upgrade path? (test drove P85D with + Plus suspension)

[evo9rs]

I want to thank whoever did the suspension on the early P85D, which I understand to be the same as the P85+. I have an S90D to compare it to, and I definitely prefer the plus set up.

I won't wax poetic, I happened to like the Plus suspension but there wasn't much leeway to test things substantially. I like to see how things go when there are bumps mid corner, at different speeds, etc etc and it's obvious to me that I will want to make adjustments - even if I could test things to my liking.

So, is there a typical suspension upgrade path for the model S with Air Suspension? I know what the upgrade path is for non-SAS cars, but this is the first air suspension that I will be modifying.

 

[Aggmeister2010]

Without pretty substantial customization, the only real major-brand aftermarket suspension options for the 1st Gen S are Unplugged Performance and Arnott.

Arnott sells plug-and-play OEM replacement struts, but they're not really an "improvement" - same ride style as OEM.

Unplugged Performance Struts (which I have on my car) have adjustable dampening, but it's a bit more of a process to assemble and only adjustable during assembly. If you miss the mark and get it too firm or too soft, you have to take them back out to re-adjust.

 

[evo9rs]

Nice write up. So if I understand correctly, the reason that these are not externally adjustable are because you can't access what would normally be a top hat or camber plate, because the frunk is less wide than a usual hood. is that right?

follow up - how do you adjust camber on these cars?

 

[Aggmeister2010]

Nice write up. So if I understand correctly, the reason that these are not externally adjustable are because you can't access what would normally be a top hat or camber plate, because the frunk is less wide than a usual hood. is that right?

follow up - how do you adjust camber on these cars?

No. You can't reach the adjuster because it's under the top seal of the strut assembly. Held in by a gasketed cap and a c-clip.

In the front, camber is adjusted via the lower control arms...the inner mount has an eccentric bolt that is adjustable. The rear is non-adjustable from the factory, but there are a bunch of companies (like n2itive) that sell aftermarket adjustable arms.

 

[evo9rs]

do you happen to know how much front negative camber can be achieved?

 

[Aggmeister2010]

do you happen to know how much front negative camber can be achieved?

When you lower the car, it naturally creates more negative camber. Lowering it will get you to about -2 I believe. You may be able to get more...say, to -2.5. But not a crazy amount with factory equipment. I'm not aware of anyone who makes camber plates for the 1st gen S, but I haven't really been seeking them out either.

 

[evo9rs]

for my uses, I won't be lowering mine. it's going to do bumpy mountain roads with lateral load, and take us skiing. however, do you remember how much front camber could be had with stock ride height?

 

[Aggmeister2010]

for my uses, I won't be lowering mine. it's going to do bumpy mountain roads with lateral load, and take us skiing. however, do you remember how much front camber could be had with stock ride height?

I don't, but there's a maybe 1 degree of adjustment that you can make via the eccentric bolts. Nothing nuts.

 

[evo9rs]

to me that's good news. that's more than a lot of OEMs!

 

[tm1v2]

@evo9rs Have you explored swapping to the actual OEM P85D+ air struts into your S90D? I'm not sure about pricing or availability, but I imagine a set could be obtained with some patience, new or used.

I guess the 90 kWh battery weighs a bit more than the 85 kWh, but with the self-leveling air suspension I doubt that relatively small weight difference would be any issue.

If I ever need to replace the original air struts on my P85, I'll certainly seek out P85+ struts as the replacement. The Plus suspension is really much better. The UP performance struts are kind of tempting too on paper (I've never experienced them), but that adjustment situation is a turnoff and I don't really trust UP as a brand.

Nice taste in cars there btw @evo9rs

 

[evo9rs]

well thank you sir. it turns out that I ended up buying a P85+, so assuming that is the same suspension as the P85D+ that I drove, i'll be able to extensively test the Plus suspension. also, if i'm understanding you right, you still have your P85? @tm1v2

 

[evo9rs]

@tm1v2 question - do you know how to disable traction control? I love how easy it is to slide around!

 

[tm1v2]

@evo9rs Yup we still have our P85. 160k ish miles, still on its original struts. I replaced all the controls arm last year though, the bushings and bearings were all shot.

P85D+ and P85+ suspensions are different because of the motor up front. More weight, and some things changed in the chassis to accommodate the front drive unit, driveshafts, etc. Nice pick on the P85+ though, it's the best handling Model S short of a new Palladium in my opinion (2021+ e.g. Plaid). The RWD P85+ suspension tuning was very nicely done, sporty but not over the top, and the lower weight up front makes a real difference.

When going through the parts catalog I found 3 suspension components for RWD cars that had different Plus parts clearly labeled as such:

• The air struts / dampers of course.
• Rear sway bar.
• The little dogbone links in the rear suspension.

Air struts: If/when our original ones fail I'll get P85+ ones (if available). So far our original struts seem to be holding up okay though. No oil leaks, and they still dampen, it doesn't feel like a car with blown dampers.

Rear sway bar: This seems to require dropping the rear subframe. I'm not DIYing that, and definitely not paying Tesla or any shop to just for a sway bar upgrade. Also, I'm not doing the P85+ staggered wider rear wheels, so stiffening the rear too much without that extra rubber might (just speculating) make it more tail-happy than I'd want.

Rear dogbone links: I went for the P85+ version of course when replacing all the control arms.



Traction control and stability control: There's no official feature to disable or dial them back on older Model S.

I take it you've discovered how RWD Model S are actually very well balanced and happy to rotate. Even our P85 (non-Plus) can really rotate around tight turns well, despite being so big and soft and numb. ;-)

Among S3XY Tesla models, only those with Track Mode can really dial back the nannies. That means only Model 3 Performance, Model S Plaid, and Model Y Performance (which just recently gained Track Mode).

 

[evo9rs]

awesome, thank you very much! and yes, I enjoy how easy it is to rotate this car on throttle, it's like cheating. this car is very hoon-able!