Many coilovers will also offer adjustable dampers to dial in cornering performance and ride quality.īuyer beware: it should be noted that there are many poorly designed coilovers on the market that offer ineffective dampers matched with needlessly high spring rates. A properly designed coilover system will not only allow you to adjust and dial in the exact ride height you want, they will typically come with new dampers to adjust for the decrease in relative suspension travel. Lowering springs have a much lower cost of entry and if you know you will not be making many changes to the ride height of the car, they are a great upgrade to get to "wheels and a drop". Now that you have a high-level knowledge of the pros and cons of lowering springs, I will make the gross generalization that lowering springs are for aesthetics and coilovers are for performance. check out our Cusco Ramps to help easily raise your Tesla enough to get the jack under.) ![]() You will need to be more aware of speed bump clearance, the angle of driveway approaches, and you may not be able to use a standard jack to raise the car. This may be obvious, but still needs to be said. All of this can lead to a firmer ride which some may like and others may hate. This may lead to more instances of the bump rubbers engaging much more aggressively and abruptly. Furthermore, if you cut the factory bump rubbers to improve damper travel when lowered, you will have changed the progressive nature of the bump stops. This translates to a stiffer ride as the spring pushes harder to keep the tire against the traction surface. Potential Decrease in Ride Comfortīecause of the reduced travel and lower ride heights, lowering springs will feature higher spring rates than their factory counterparts. This is a good thing, because there are not many aftermarket options for Tesla Model 3 shocks and struts. This changes the rate at which the bump stop works and is not designed as Tesla intended.Īll that being said, practical mechanics says you should change your shocks at the same time as installing lowering springs, but many have found that the range of damping on the OEM Model 3 dampers with cut bump rubbers allows them to easily handle aftermarket lowering springs. Some installation instructions on aftermarket lowering springs for the Model 3 will tell you to cut the factory bump rubbers. It seems the Model 3 suspension was actually designed to interact with the bump stops. When the dampers meet the bump stops, the bump stops are providing all of the damping force in the suspension. At the factory ride height, the stock dampers are less than a few centimeters from the bump stops. The Tesla Model 3 suffers from a relatively low range of suspension travel. There are a few drawbacks of installing lowering springs you should be aware of. It would be unfair to paint a picture that is all roses and potpourri. A set of coilovers can not only make for a better handling car, but also improve efficiency. Tesla tuning company Unplugged Performance also did a thorough Computational Fluid Dymanics (CFD) study which showed an 8.1% reduction in drag. A pseudo-scientific study by German Tesla rental company nextmove showed a 7% increase in range on the German Autobahn. ![]() Lowering your car decreases the overall aerodynamic drag of the vehicle and increases range. Steering feels more precise and the ride is usually "tighter". As described above, when lowering the center of gravity of the vehicle there are actual improvements to the traction of the car which leads to a more connected driving experience. When people say a car "drives like a boat", this is often because of vague steering feedback and a soft ride. While lowering springs can objectively improve the handling of the car, the improvements in vehicle dynamics serve to subjectively improve the handling of the car as well. However, if we are only looking at the better looks of lowering a car we have missed the primary benefits of installing Lowering Springs. As OEMs have continued to make more attractive stock wheels, this aesthetic change can be made even simpler with wheel spacers and a drop. Most enthusiasts know that "wheels and a drop" can make any car stand out from a run of the mill stock car.
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