Air Suspension

Note

When Model S starts, you may hear the sound of the compressor as the air suspension system’s reservoir fills with air.

Your Model S is equipped with Adaptive Air Suspension that offers superior ride quality and allows you to choose a softer or firmer ride based on your preference. When carrying loads, the system also maintains a level height between the front and rear. You can manually adjust the ride height to suit your circumstances (for example, you can raise Model S when you need extra ground clearance, such as when driving on a steep driveway or ramp, in deep snow, over large speed bumps, parking curbs, etc.).

Yellow icon of an outline of a vehicle with arrows going up and down.

If a fault is detected that reduces the performance of the adaptive air suspension system, a yellow indicator lights up on the instrument panel. If the problem persists, contact Tesla.

Red icon of an outline of a vehicle with arrows going up and down.

If a fault is detected that disables the adaptive air suspension system, a red indicator lights up on the instrument panel. Contact Tesla.

Adjusting Ride Height

CAUTION

Before adjusting the suspension height, ensure Model S is clear of all obstacles, above and below.

You can manually adjust the ride height by pressing the brake pedal and touching Controls > Suspension on the touchscreen. The ride height settings that are available depend on your driving speed and other conditions (for example, the suspension does not lower if a door is open). Drag the slider to choose from these options:

Very High - When set to Very High, the suspension automatically lowers to the default ride height*, which is Medium or Low, after driving approximately 100 feet (30 meters) or when driving speed reaches 15 mph (24 km/h). To maintain the Very High setting for an unlimited distance until your driving speed reaches the speed threshold, touch Persist until 15 mph in the setting for Very High.
High - When set to High, the suspension automatically lowers to the default ride height*, which is Medium or or Low, after driving approximately 100 feet (30 meters) or when driving speed reaches 35 mph (56 km/h). To maintain the High setting for an unlimited distance until your driving speed reaches the speed threshold, touch Persist until 35 mph.
Note
You can also raise the suspension to High by touching the Raise Suspension shortcut on the main Controls window.
Medium - The Medium setting ensures optimum comfort and handling under all loading conditions.
Low - Lowering the height can improve aerodynamics, make it easier to load or unload cargo and passengers, and improve handling.

*If the Default Ride Height to Low setting is turned off, the ride height is adjusted between Medium and Low to balance ride comfort with handling and range. To optimize handling and range, turn on the Default Ride Height to Low setting.

CAUTION

Avoid driving aggressively (hard accelerations, sharp turns, etc.) when the suspension is set to High or Very High. Doing so can cause vibration and increase the possibility of damage.

Adaptive Suspension Damping

The settings associated with Adaptive Suspension Damping provide real-time adjustments to the suspension system to optimize both ride and handling. Choose from:

Comfort - Provides a gentler ride for a relaxed driving experience.
Auto - Adjusts to a wide range of roads and driving styles, providing a fluid yet well controlled ride.
Sport - Provides a firmer, more controlled ride that increases driver engagement and connection to the road.
Advanced - Can be used to fine tune the suspension by dragging individual sliders that adjust Ride Comfort and Handling.

Touch Show Suspension Data to display detailed information about the dampers for each wheel, including ride height, compression and rebound values, and body accelerations.

Note

When Adaptive Suspension Damping is set to Comfort or Auto, the suspension may raise to improve ride comfort on rough roads. (U.S. only) This feature depends on the availability of up-to-date map data that includes data indicating rough road sections.

Use Comfort Damping in Autopilot (if equipped) - By default, damping automatically sets to the Comfort setting when using Autopilot, and reverts back to your chosen setting when Autopilot is no longer in use. Turn this setting off to disable this feature.

Note

Settings for Adaptive Suspension Damping are disabled when Track Mode (if equipped) is engaged. Track Mode automatically optimizes adaptive damping settings to support aggressive driving on a closed circuit driving course (see Track Mode).

Real-time Visualization

The image of your Model S on the Suspension screen provides a real-time visualization of the status of the air suspension system. In addition to visually showing changes to the ride height, it displays Compression and Rebound lines that reflect how the suspension system is controlling the dampers for each wheel based on your chosen settings and changing road conditions. Both are controlled simultaneously. Touch Show Suspension Data to display detailed information about the dampers for each wheel, including ride height, compression and rebound values, and body accelerations.

Auto-Raising Locations

Whenever you raise the suspension to High or Very High, the location is automatically saved. By saving the location, you do not need to manually raise the suspension every time you arrive at a frequently-used location where you have previously raised the suspension. When you return to the saved location, Model S raises the suspension and the instrument panel displays a message indicating that the suspension is being raised.

When saving locations, Model S also saves the Persist until XX mph setting (if specified).

Note

When returning to a saved location and driving faster than the High and Very High suspension settings allow, the suspension does not raise until Model S slows down.

Note

After leaving a saved location, the suspension automatically lowers. However, it may not lower until Model S meets the speed and distance threshold at which the suspension lowers.

Note

If Model S reaches a saved location and the existing suspension setting is already higher than the level that has been saved for that location, the ride height is not adjusted.

To remove an auto-raising location

If you do not want the suspension to automatically raise at a location, touch to deselect Always raise at this location in the popup that appears when you arrive at a saved location. Or, when using the Raise Suspension shortcut on the main Controls window, touch to deselect Location Saved.

Self-Leveling

Model S equipped with air suspension automatically self-levels, even when power is off. To prevent damage when jacking or lifting the vehicle, you must activate Jack Mode to disable self-leveling (press the brake pedal and touch Controls > Service > Jack Mode). For more details, see Jack Mode.