Tesla Air Suspension Explained

Tesla’s suspension system is often a point of discussion when it comes to ride comfort, so what is the story with their suspension????

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Coil Suspension

In 2012, The Tesla Model S first launched with air suspension, but coil suspension quickly became available as an alternative.

Many found the coil suspension satisfactory, especially when paired with 19-inch wheels, leading to limited appeal for the air suspension, which then became an optional upgrade at an additional cost. By 2017, coil suspension was phased out entirely, with the Smart Air Suspension becoming the standard option.

Notably. Coil suspension was never offered for the Model X, despite being initially listed in the configurator; however, no vehicle was ultimately delivered with this option.

Today, the primary advantage of coil spring suspension lies in its simpler maintenance and repair process, while opting for air suspension can prove costly once the vehicle is no longer covered by warranty.

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Original Air Suspension

Air suspension utilizes air-filled bags to absorb shocks and cushion the ride, with the ability to adjust the car’s height by controlling the pressure within these bags.

During this period, Tesla’s subsystem designs experienced several revisions. In 2013, improvements to dampers, bushings and stabilizer bars enhanced the vehicle’s dynamics. Subsequently, in 2014, the air suspension was upgraded to feature a “smart” capability for height adjustment.

Smart Air Suspension

Introduced in 2014 as an optional upgrade for the Model S, Tesla’s Smart Air Suspension integrates sensor-calibrated air suspension technology with sophisticated programming. This system adjusts the suspension’s height based on GPS location, speed and driving conditions.

Although no longer offered as an option for newer Tesla models, Smart Air Suspension was standard on the Model S and Model X from 2017 to mid-2019.

The implementation of smart air suspension is associated with two main features regarding the ride height

Automatic lowering of the ride height at higher speeds to minimize drag. While initially promising, this has led to unusual tire wear, particularly on the inner edges of the front or rear tires.
Manually adjustment of ride height with GPS memory functionality. This allows the driver to manually control the ride height at almost any speed, with the option for the car to remember the setting based on location and apply it when revisiting the area. This feature is especially beneficial when encountering speed bumps or challenging inclines where increased clearance is advantageous.

So, what makes Tesla’s air suspension smart?

Well. Tesla effectively utilized their ‘car as an app’ approach to develop a suspension system that responds to the vehicle’s specific location through GPS geofencing and its speed via software. In addition to enabling manual adjustment of the car’s height via the vehicle’s control panel, drivers can anticipate the car to save the GPS coordinates for each adjustment made. Tesla’s Smart Air Suspension software then automatically alters the car’s height when it reaches a saved data point, such as encountering a steep driveway, going through a carwash, or traversing a rough dirt. It’s worth nothing that these data points can also be manually deleted from the control panel. For instance, if you showcased the various Smart Air Suspension settings while parked in a friend’s driveway, you can subsequently remove the data to avoid the car lowering to its lowest setting every time you return to visit.

Additionally, aside from the data point-based adjustments, automatic height adjustments are made at varying speeds to decrease drag and enhance ride stability. These speed thresholds for adjustments have been subject to change over time through over-the-air updates. Currently, Tesla’s Smart Air Suspension lowers the height from Very High to High at 22mph and from High to Standard at 35mph.

The available range of suspension height approximately 5 to 10 inches (13 to 25cm). While the suspension height may vary between models, the quality of the ride remains consistent. For Model S, height setting includes Low, Standard, High and Very High, providing a clearance range about 5-7 inches, while the Model X features slightly different measurements. Additionally, The Model X offers a Very Low setting in addition to the aforementioned options, with a clearance range of about 5-9 inches. Opting for a higher suspension setting might result in a slightly bouncier ride, although this is more of a by-product rather than the primary purpose of the air suspension system. Some drivers discuss raising the ride height when traversing rutted or potholes roads, which may be necessary for clearance but does not necessarily improve the ride’s softness or compliance.

Both the Model S and Model X had the Smart air system until it was replaced in 2019 with the Adaptive Air Suspension system.

Adaptive Air Suspension

The following release notes outline Tesla’s latest new upgrades to its suspension system.

Suspension Improvements

You can now see a real-time visualization of how the suspension system is dynamically adjusting each wheel’s damping to account for changing road conditions. Tap “Show Suspension Data” to get even more real-time information.

Adaptive Suspension Damping now has an ADVANCED setting that allows you to set custom levels of Ride Comfort and Handling in addition to the existing COMFORT, AUTO, and SPORT settings.

We have simplified the Tesla suspension control logic to better support both temporary and more permanent heights. If Ride Height is manually adjusted to High or Very High, your car now automatically lowers after you drive a short distance. For snowy or off-road conditions, tap “Keep” next to the Ride Height slider to keep the height at High or Very High until you reach the maximum allowed speed. For steep driveways or places where you repeatedly need a higher ride height, tap ‘Always Auto-Raise at this Location.’ This feature will raise suspension to the saved height when re-entering the location.

In 2019, Tesla introduced an adaptive air suspension system as part of the “Raven” model.

This innovation empowered drivers to customize settings for Standard and Sport modes, tailoring the driving experience to either prioritize smoothness or sportiness driving feel. Unlike the previous Smart Air Suspension, the Adaptive Suspension raised and lowered the vehicle based on driver preferences rather than simply selecting a preset ride height. The key change here is that the car autonomously selects the appropriate settings based on driver preferences rather than rigidly adhering to a specific height.

As noted earlier, there wasn’t a substantial difference in the quality between the coil suspension and the Smart Air Suspension. However, the introduction of the new Adaptive Suspension represents a notable advancement in terms of ride comfort. Moreover, the vehicle continues to achieve efficiency improvements while driving at higher speeds, thanks to the automatic lowering of the suspension.

As Tesla continues to advance through software updates, it’s important to recognize that much like various other aspects of the vehicle, the potential for improvement is not solely determined by software but also by hardware constraints. While the ride quality is impressive, factors such as response time, features like magnetic ride and sway bars, and the rigidity of the vehicle’s body can significantly influence suspension performance.

The Adaptive air suspension has been carried over to the 2021 update to both the model S and model X.

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