Model 3 Rides Better, Handles Better, and is Quieter with Redwood's Grand Touring Suspension

At long last, I finally have the softer suspension I've been wanting on my 2018 Long Range RWD Model 3 for years now. Redwood Motorsports Grand Touring suspension uses top-shelf Ohlins and Swift components to significantly improve ride quality and handling and even helps out a bit with road noise as well.
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Disclaimer: Redwood did not sponsor this video or provide a free or discounted product. I purchased the kit myself and this is my own experience.
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[@alixrashid]

Thank God you made a video about this. I have held of getting a model 3 due to the ride quality issue.

[@dschlessman]

Very cool! I’m glad they didn’t end up being noisier than stock! Nice review.

[@therocinante3443]

Dude, you channel is about to blow up. I can feel it. Good quality video/audio, intelligent, thoughtful and well delivered scripts, most importantly, a thumbnail with a good looking person. You're going places, sir!

[@EveryAmp]

Thanks! Been at it for awhile, just trying to do a little better each time.

[@adventuroussam]

I agree!

[@ericwinchell]

I’ve driven a few hundred miles on mine (same RWD touring kit) and have had a very similar experience. Great review!

[@EveryAmp]

Good to hear it's not all in my head!

[@TheTechofTech]

Looks like the kind of kit I’d put on my own Model 3. Great job!

[@aldoveranzo2837]

Great video, crisp, clear info with good data. I appreciate it. I am in a bit of analysis paralysis on the whole suspension issue. Logged several days of searching available options to soften that ride. Watching to see what Tesla churns out for the Model Y Refresh, if there is a redesign on the suspension. Everyone is guessing at this point. Subscribed.. for sure. Thanks.

[@artokiiskinen1058]

Thanks for the review! I was considering this kit until I hit some hard times financially. Will reconsider later

[@Pho7on]

Best video on this subject by far. Thanks for sharing!

[@adventuroussam]

I got sidetracked (after the ball joint update). Glad you GOT 'er DONE, Son! 👍

[@jeffos8724]

Nice job. Love the graphs.

[@hiteshpatel3910]

Hello Matt. I am Lexus owner before purchasing Tesla model 3 and I do share same experience as you do regarding suspension that Lexus ride provide you it’s not same you will have in Tesla. But Tesla car is at different level in term of performance but not so good at ride quality level that Toyota/Lexus would give you. Good video always loves your channel. Keep good content coming.... 👍🏻

[@rajivloonia]

Great content and very helpful for understanding the performance of suspension, hows your long term review for the ohlins any issues you faced over time and how have they aged over time?

[@msimonwi]

Very comprehensive. Thank you.

[@georgeborrelli3134]

Wow! I finally found someone trying to do the same thing and on the same path! And I believe we are both tackling the same problem. I have a lot of info to share with you. Here are my findings and postulate for a more productive way ahead. I have a 2022 Model 3 Performance. It has stock OEM Pirelli P Zero Summer Performance Tires. I have about 17,000 miles now. I've done quite a bit of car sound insulation. This changed the sound in the cockpit, but didn't really solve or make true progress in reducing a particular noise that I find bothersome. In some ways it may have made things worse! Read on... I installed adjustable Tein Shocks all around. I kept my OEM springs and OEM ride height. I've adjusted the Teins to the softest setting. This is where I am on my findings. Rough roads are louder. Smooth roads are much quieter. No real surprise, I suppose. But I have surprises! Read on.... I believe it's not just the sound amplitude of frequencies, measured in DB, it's also harmonics. Or how the particular sounds interact with each other. I can feel it too in my ears and in my head. There's sometimes what feels like a pressure waves. I believe it's harmonics causing that. When we dampen some sound frequencies, we can actually have a negative as well as a positive affect. In a simplified example, if we reduce some noise, other noises will annoy. If we get rid of a negative oscillation, that actually cancels, then some frequencies will appear louder. I don't think we can buy enough of the right equipment to measure and analyze without a lot of funding. The "Law of Diminishing Returns" comes to mind here. I also found that while tires do make noise, it's not the tires on the surface, not the typical offensive tire noise that really bothers me. Instead it's the suspension transmitting the up/down that the tires cannot absorb. I say this because even on my driveway, with no asphalt and no “road noise” there's that same sound transmitted through the suspension, bothering me. It's the tires and suspension moving quickly up and down over pebbles and natural undulations in the packed dirt and crushed stones of my driveway. The adjustable shocks really didn't make a lot of difference for this particular issue. They are quite a bit of expense and quite a bit of work to install and tune. After hundred(s) of hours of exploration, I think there are probably no shocks that can help much and no amount of tuning will help much either. The most annoying vibrations are just not what the shocks are designed to reduce. Those vibration are outside of the design parameters of the shock dampening capabilities is what I now think. I think that this level of vibrations must be attenuated by rubber isolation. Of course, this is also speculation. But that's what I think and just about all that's left to try. We could start with tire rubber. Then work on improved and added rubber isolation from the suspension members to the car body. Since I have large wheels and thinner tires, I might be at the worst end of the spectrum. So I'm thinking of changing all of that and taking a performance and cool look hit. In taking the suspension apart I notice inadequate rubber isolation. My Tesla just wasn't designed for the quiet ride and smooth ride. It was designed ot be light weight, inexpensive to build, and in my car more performance. In the old days, they would rubber isolate the cabin from the frame. But modern cars don't have a “frame” as they are “unibody”. This makes the importance of rubber isolation of the suspension components paramount. All suspension components! I'm finding it nearly impossible to suppress this noise in the body enough. Once it's free to vibrated the body, we just can't dampen it enough. That vibration is literally everywhere and affecting everything, even the glass. I have yet to come up with ways to add rubber isolation. It would also be quite challenging. I'd have to lengthen the shock mounting bolts up top to fit an isolator in there, for example. There may be "low hanging fruit" but I'm not yet sure as I've just begun to ponder this approach. In my mind I'd love to experiment more to find the most guilty components. I would love to have no shocks at all to see if the shocks are the primary guilty party and remove other components, one at a time. But this is a lot of work! But if I had this data, I'd know where to add rubber when re installing the component. This leaves me with practicality challenges. Wheels and tires may help some. I might go from 20” wheels to 18” wheels and from summer to AS All Season tires. But I want to wait until I actually need new tires. This combination might absorb some of the motions that the suspension cannot. I have noticed the bothersome noises getting worse as the tires wear. So just getting new tires alone may be helpful as well. I've even been underneath the car and noticed that the battery vibrates in response to the tire/ suspension vibrations! So I even added some sound dampening to the bottom of the battery! Damping sound that's affecting the whole car in a big way is difficult to affect by addressing the resonance of car metals. I think it has some benefit but minimal affect on this particular annoying vibration coming from the tire going up and down on certain road surfaces and the suspension transmitting all of it to the body and cabin that we experience mostly as annoying noise. Here's a more technical look at rubber vibration isolation: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qKO4hqZtqqhrl8ksi=2JhjzWUnIKWOeQOH

[@ahmadalanjary2020]

Nice overall summary for keeping the “fundamentals” in mind. Im used to tuning off road suspensions for high speed (prerunners/ desert racing/ sand sports) and keeping up travel in mind , with low medium and high speed dampening in mind is essential. Many overlook how important suspension tuning can be . With my model 3 P I’d probably go with the remote resi shocks with the clicker adjustments. Also keep stock ride height . larger sway bars for body roll .I just hope the coil overs don’t come with digressive valving inside b/c That would be a no go .

[@NinetyTres]

Thank you Been waiting for reviews of the Ohlins suspension system Did you look into their roll bar kit, that might fine tune what you are looking for ?

[@kylelangley8818]

Check out Fat Cat Motorsport. Shek has spoke on Ohlin roll bars before.

[@saifalsalman1211]

Thanks for valuable insights. My question comfort level has improved by what percentage?

[@user-pj2im8ey7p]

I have a 2023 Tesla 3 dual motor and I love the car but hate the ride too. So I also installed the GT set from Redwood. It is a BIG difference like you mentioned in the video. To get it even softer in the front I want to set the free length front from 630mm to 650mm. This way the car will sit too high so you can decrease the preload on the spring and the car will drop to stock ride height. Now, I hope, the spring will compress easier at small bumps. I asked Redwood if this was a bad idea but got no reaction. So, I did it anyway and it seems to work. Now I need to figure out if this trick will work in the rear too. But that is not a coil over, so it will probably not work. Setting free lenght in the back higher does not do much for ride height, like in the front If also set the dampers to max comfort. I will drive a few weeks like this and see what happens. It is a great kit!! Only problem is, you keep on tweaking..

[@EveryAmp]

Since these springs have a linear spring rate, I wouldn't expect for your preload/free length adjustment to have much of an impact, but glad to hear you're liking the kit!

[@johninlbmallory8431]

I ordered the Redwood grand touring coilovers for my LRY. Trying to do the same thing as you (original height, softer ride). I am most nervous about the extra noises that you and others have mentioned. I will be trying to do the install myself. Any suggestions for things to do or look out for during install to minimize risk of these noises? (You mentioned grease on damper shaft...) Great video - loved your solid noise analysis and frank assessment of the difference in ride.

[@kimle01]

Did you got it install? and how does it ride? Looking for similar for my MY

[@hayd1746]

Nice video! This is exactly what I want. The only thing that concerns me is the stiffness. I heard the spring rate is pretty high on these coilovers so it still makes pretty stiff ride (but not as hard bumpy as the stock ones). How do you feel about it?

[@Agoncor]

These have 5k coils front and 7k could in the back. I have to agree that they could have gone softer but I think it has to do with the weight of the car making it oscillate too much at softer settings.

[@brianashcraft4220]

Thank you. Yep, I'm looking for ride improvement like just about everyone else. Have you tried any other brand of aftermarket suspension on your M3? If so, how did they compare?

[@Agoncor]

Do you have any suggestions on dampening the “whooshing” sound the shocks make when taking a bump ?

[@peters3362]

Thanks for the video. Did you upgrade suspension on your model Y as well? Have a late 2021 MY and I am trying to decide between UPP, MPP and Redwood's. I am only interested in a more comfortable ride and don't care as much about handling.

[@sagr5063]

Did you upgrade?

[@ProTeslaVolt]

Lower cars usually ride smoother because higher car need to have more rigid suspension for safety reasons.

[@Mike_Malloy]

My Honda Element with 19" wheels rides way smoother than my 2020 Tesla Model Y 19" wheels on bumpy city streets. So disappointing.

[@Agoncor]

Tesla model Y are great on highway, but street driving is equivalent to riding a skateboard.

[@RMA4269]

FYI, Unplugged Performance has two options, luxury coil-over and dirt and snow coil-over... I haven't tried but wanted to share...

[@mawhim]

Out of curiosity, what is the stock ride height you aimed for?

[@mitchellbarnow1709]

A really awesome suspension setup Matthew! Do you have an early Model 3 with the polished chrome Tesla logo in the steering wheel? I’ve heard that the early ones had a harsher ride and that Tesla was changing them out to a newer design if you complained hard enough. This was back when serial numbers were still below 10,000. I waited until August 2018, ordered before the end of June 2018, to not loose unlimited data, to miss the red color and the dual motor price increases.

[@EveryAmp]

Thanks Mitchell. I already had the softer suspension. Mine was early, but not that early.

[@careerdog]

Looking for soft suspension - similar to Mercedes but not as soft as Buick... any recommendations here. but something capable enough to deliver reliability in hard braking and occasional hard cornering.

[@theclifbar]

You convinced Redwood to make the GT set? I salute you! The GT set comes with softer springs and different valving? Sounds like it's nearly (but not quite) Lexus ride quality?

[@EveryAmp]

Thanks! It was interesting to see where two of the other suspension shops I contacted, who told me they were not interested, come out with their own versions of a luxury suspension shortly after also. I appreciate that Redwood was receptive and open to working with me, not without me. The GT does come with softer springs and valving than the performance, but I wouldn't say it's nearly Lexus ride quality, more like BMW 5-Series. Softer, but without compromising performance. I don't know if it's a physical limitation of the car or a mental limitation of the shops, but they all seem to target better ride without compromising performance. I'm personally ok with compromising performance for the best ride possible, but we're not there yet, so I'll take what I can get.

[@theclifbar]

​@@EveryAmp Yes, it's bizarre to me, as well. I would buy the Redwoods if the dampers could be adjusted even softer. Tesla's own tuning is mind boggling. If the endgame is self-driving, why are they all tuned so stiffly and crashing off their bump stops? I'm guessing it's Elon. It's costing Tesla a ton of sales, especially in the Model Y.

[@vetdoc35]

Can you make it soft like in a Caddy Eldorado or a Lincold Town Car? How much $ is that Set?

[@adithyachennamadhavuni6155]

Thanks for making this video. It’s very hard to find one on these ! The only thing I was trying to find is if you installed any covers over the coil overs??

[@EveryAmp]

There are dust covers for the dampers, but nothing beyond that. I just installed what Redwood supplies with the kit.

[@johnkochisarli7439]

Hey, so how many clicks from hard (closed) did you end up at for both the front and rear shocks? What soft settings did you settle at? Playing around with my Ohlins kit on my M3P as we speak and want to see how others setup their rides.

[@EveryAmp]

Full soft for me and I'd go even softer if I could

[@codemonkey2k5]

Only thing you forgot to mention in the video is how it effected your range. Any changes, and if so how much?

[@EveryAmp]

I haven't seen any change in efficiency at the stock ride height, but you very well could see an efficiency increase from going lower. The kit is lighter than stock, but compared to the overall weight of the car, it's pretty insignificant.

[@mortchad]

I want something like this but lowered - I understand some comfort will be sacrificed.

[@EveryAmp]

You'd likely be happy with Redwood or one of the MPP kits then.

[@bh9262]

How would these compare with the Tien?

[@racecrashrepeat]

I have the ohlins on a different car and they're great. But you can't say that the old suspension was riding on the bump stops or that ride height = ride quality. Yes a higher setup has more travel space but it seems that you are concentrating on the height too much. A good shock design can have a lower height than oem and still perform better.

[@EveryAmp]

I'm not saying a lower height can't be better than OEM. I'm saying it can't be as soft as it could be if it was designed for more travel. The OEM suspension has about an inch of travel before it starts using the super long bump stops. That's not an opinion, that's just how they designed it. Of course ride height doesn't equal ride quality and there are multiple factors involved, but if you take the exact same design and reduce the distance it can travel it will hit the bump stops earlier. A lower ride height has to use higher spring rates than an otherwise identical suspension with a higher ride height would use. It's just math. x=k/f

[@PeterPham]

I got these (grand touring) for my Y. They are awesome. What settings did you end up settling down at?

[@EveryAmp]

Stock height with them as soft as they go

[@sagr5063]

Which year model do you have ? How did it improve ride in potholes and line dividers ?

[@adithyachennamadhavuni6155]

Any long term issues with the suspension like clicks or clangs over the bumps ! Just wondering if I should invest a 5k now for new suspension setup ..

[@EveryAmp]

I did eventually develop a squeak where I had to put a film of grease on the rear damper shafts.

[@adithyachennamadhavuni6155]

@@EveryAmp do you still have the car and suspension? Do you think it's worth it? I wouldn't mind spending since I don't see any other alternative to a tesla!

[@EveryAmp]

I do still have it. Worth it is a tough answer. It's definitely an improvement in both handling and comfort, but it's not a night and day difference. I can definitely tell the difference between driving our Redwood 3 and stock Y and I'm 100% glad I have it, but it's a lot of money for a difference the average person probably won't even notice. The 3 owners who have driven mine back to back with theirs have immediately noticed, it's just not huge. So I guess the benefit is there and cost is reasonable for this level of components, it's just a lot and that's often the case when you're dealing with the very best of whatever a thing is.

[@adithyachennamadhavuni6155]

@@EveryAmp true! That's the only thing I don't like about my model y and with them being sold till 2023 or even 24 I don't think they will make any substantial upgrades like air suspension to the model 3 and y since price is already high up!!

[@chrisedwards2624]

OP how are you enjoying the ride comfort after 9 months? Would you say it rides as nice as a Camry or Accord? I was really surprised at how jarring and uncomfortable the test drive was on even a non- performance Model 3

[@EveryAmp]

I'm not super-familiar with Camry or Accord, but I'd lean towards probably not at that level of comfort still. It's a noticeable change, but still not soft like they are. Our Model 3 on Redwood is more comfortable than our Model Y on OEM.

[@chrisedwards2624]

@@EveryAmp thanks for the response! I sure wish I knew someone locally with the Ohlins or MPP’s or even the UPP’s so I could get a ride along and a real world idea of the improvement. I wish Tesla made ride comfort more of a priority. I’m certainly not the only one who has an issue with it.

[@EveryAmp]

Agreed, it really is a difficult product to shop for. UPP does at least allow a 30-day trial, but swapping these suspensions in and out is not a trivial task, so there's still a cost there. Based on the component choices, I'd rank them in the order of performance as Redwood, KW/Mountain Pass, and Unplugged, where Unplugged is going to be the best bang for the buck for sure. The cost goes up substantially with each step, so it just depends on how far you want to go. It was worth it to me to go with Redwood to get the Ohlins DFV feature which should make the biggest difference on high frequency stuff like road noise and sharp bumps.

[@chrisedwards2624]

@@EveryAmp I have no doubt that all 3 options deliver more "performance" I just wish there was a way of determining which ones had the softest spring rates and the softest ride. I feel there is a REAL market amongst 3 and especially Y owners looking to bridge the gap between their cars and the more compliant air sprung S/X cars. It's amazing how many people get caught up in the hype of the Tesla revolution who ordinarily would never dream of buying a car without test driving them, then they find out the day-to-day comfort (or lack thereof) of the car is not what they expected. Put me in that category!

[@AntonDAuria]

I’m waiting for my Y and already ordered the Ohlins performance kit from Redwood. I think you’re incorrectly describing the role of bump stops. They are the hard limit of suspension travel. With your setup, you probably will never “bottom out” your suspension and feel a bump stop unless you hit a huge pot hole. The body roll is caused by “low shock piston velocity” damp rate that the Ohlins dampers do (they have different rates for different shock piston speed, which is what makes the car handle bumps and body roll differently).

[@EveryAmp]

You're absolutely correct that's how bump stops typically function, but ask the Redwood guys about how Tesla uses them differently. They'll give you an education as well.

[@kaischuster9077]

For a lower road noise, try some low noise tyres once you have to replace them.😉

[@EveryAmp]

Have any suggestions?

[@kaischuster9077]

@@EveryAmp Not yet, but (here in europe) they have to be labelled with their noise emissions. The difference are quiet some decibels according to the labels.

[@EveryAmp]

Interesting. The factory Michelins are supposed to be pretty quiet and even have foam inside, but I'm open to better options.

[@kaischuster9077]

@@EveryAmp The factory Michelin Pilot Sport 4 is labelled with 71dB. The Hankook Ventus prime 2, for example, is labelled with 67dB, Fulda SportControl 2 and Pirelli Pzero PZ4 are labelled with 68dB, among others. For sure these are only manufacturer labels, I don't know if they really make the difference in reality. And if so, how long they will do that... 🤷

[@EveryAmp]

What are you showing for the Michelin MXM4 that come with the 18" aero wheels? I'm pretty sure there's a specific model for Tesla even. Vredestein QUATRAC 5 is another popular one.

[@xfloodcasual8124]

I'm on the MPP "Comfort" coilovers. Anybody compare the two?

[@adithyachennamadhavuni6155]

do you like them ? did you put them on soft setting.

[@xfloodcasual8124]

@@adithyachennamadhavuni6155 I bought the ones before they had different settings. They are much better than stock, but not as good as a lot of cars still. They are decent.The settings won't help much, its the quality of KW.

[@gregoryotte2584]

@@xfloodcasual8124 what is KW?

[@xfloodcasual8124]

@@gregoryotte2584A brand

[@captjack1993]

How much

[@rachelkarengreen99]

Which Lexus did you have before?

[@EveryAmp]

ES350

[@sivabalasubramanian4599]

Will this work for Model Y?

[@EveryAmp]

They have a version for Model Y coming soon

[@SPINEVENTZ]

I rented one for 2 weeks and my lower back wasn't happy after driving that car for a few hours.... Ride quality sucks on Tesla model 3...

[@Jessejames_456]

You a block chain backer's intro I was watching his video and transfer to your video and I was so confused.

[@hidenout6812]

$50.000 for a car that rides like sh**. Then you have to spend more to make ride quality lower than a Camry? Think I'll pass.

[@EveryAmp]

Sounds good. Move along.

[@lifescansdarkly]

Also $50,000 for a car that can gap six-figure supercars