[kcrane]

Apparently (haven't checked for myself) Mr Musk recommends decreasing the tyre pressures if you want to optimise comfort over consumption (good use of alliteration there ).

I was going to try it anyway so I dropped the pressures to 40psi. I find dropping the pressures tricky as all I can do is let air out then check the pressures, then do it again, etc etc.

Anyway I ended up at 39psi cold which translated into 41-42psi on a run.

The ride is noticeably better. I am probably imagining it, but it feels to me as though the springs, dampers, tyres and seats are working better as a system when you take away the short sharp jabs the hard tyres throw at the suspension.

I'm on the stock Hancook 19" 45 sidewall tyres. They have very soft sidewalls as I know from have a puncture, when the weight of the car settled on a flat tyre there is no sidewall to speak of, so it is the air pressure that provides the strength, not the rubber. I take that to mean that they are sensitive to tyre pressure.

PS - I have seen a few mentions of improving the ride by changing from run flats. The Model Y does not have run flats.

On the same forum as the suggestion to decrease the tyre pressure a little there were also suggestions to change to tyres with bigger sidewalls, from 45 to 50 on the standard 19" wheel, or to 55 on an 18" wheel. It suggested the M3 18" wheels fit.

I no longer feel the need to change the car or to modify the suspension, its good enough now.

PPS - to the degree you can tell (given differing conditions) over an 80 mile motorway journey the change in tyre pressure had no big hit on range.

 

[MashinBenzin]

The tyre pressures do seem crazy high (standard recommendations). My Discovery is 2.5 tonnes unladen, on 21s I run 36-39 PSI as the norm. Why a much lighter car needs such high pressures I’m not sure. I think my old 440i (16-1700kg) ran mid-30s on 19s.

I guess it is all about maximising range and therefore well worth experimenting with lower pressures for normal day to day usage.

 

[Charlas]

My 330 used to run 34, even my iX3 (not light) is factory 38 on 20's

 

[kcrane]

Although the ride improved by dropping the tyre pressures I still had an annoying light metallic rattle (like shaken cutlery) when the car went over a sharp bump. It sounded like it came from the door, but front or back I wasn't sure. It was worse on the driver side but also happened on the passenger side.

I now think it is the seat belt reels. I tried leaving the rear seat belts plugged in to tension them, and gave both front belts a couple of sharp tugs to lock them up then released them. It has noticeably reduced the noise, though as with all squeaks and rattles you begin to doubt your sanity trying to eliminate them

Anyway up, the ride and noises from the Y are now very similar to the M3SR+ and I can live with it.

 

[SoulGW]

I test drove one the other day as thinking of a change from the Soul.

Blimmin horrible. Horrible interior, terrible ride!

So back to looking at EV6 again, just so much nicer - proper interior, lovely ride, plenty quick enough for me and very fast charging (if you can find the right charger)..... So desperately want to like Tesla but just can't - as I left the dealership I put my heated seat and steering wheel on with just 1 push of a proper button.... Bliss compared to trying to do everything on a massive touchscreen.

 

[kcrane]

I test drove one the other day as thinking of a change from the Soul.

Blimmin horrible. Horrible interior, terrible ride!

So back to looking at EV6 again, just so much nicer - proper interior, lovely ride, plenty quick enough for me and very fast charging (if you can find the right charger)..... So desperately want to like Tesla but just can't - as I left the dealership I put my heated seat and steering wheel on with just 1 push of a proper button.... Bliss compared to trying to do everything on a massive touchscreen.

Horrible interior, don't like touchscreen... um, having had two M3's and now the MY, how do I feel about that?

I don't mollycoddle my cars, though they aren't mistreated. When it came time to sell both M3 went to a car wash, then I wiped and hoovered the interior. They both looked like new, pretty much exactly as they looked when they arrived on the drive. I used to drive top-end BMW and Mercs and they were treated the same as the Teslas. After 20k miles I'd send them back and they'd look tired, both literally (e.g. creased and saggy leather) and aesthetically, as in they looked dated. The simple plain functional long-lasting interior of the Tesla survived better in my eyes. However if you have an expectation that a high-end car interior will be stitched leather, a large number of buttons and knobs, shiny chrome or coloured ambient lighting then the Tesla will be disappointing.

I've test-driven quite a few EVs since getting a Tesla. I now find the scattergun plethora of buttons in for e.g. an Audi or Hyundai disconcerting. Some options are on the screen a la Tesla, some are buttons under the screen, some on the centre console, some on the door, some next to my right knee, some on stalks, which also push and twist and have sliders on them. When legacy carmakers come up with a new feature I don't see them retrofitting it to previous cars and arriving at my house to install a new button. That's tongue in cheek, but it is possible to refresh cars when you have OTA updates and a screen-based interface.

So I prefer the interior and interface in the Tesla, the alternatives now look clumsy and old-fashioned to me, but obviously, not everyone agrees!

The ride in the Model Y is less easy to defend. It is harsh on fully inflated tyres, but at the same time it isn't sporty like an M3, so it isn't a successful compromise. It has to be possible to do a lot better, as per perhaps the Skoda Enyaq. I haven't tried the EV6, but if that fixes the floaty sicky ride of the Ioniq without then being too firm, then it'll be fine.

 

[whyone]

I need to replace my leased Model 3 LR over the next few months with a personal purchase.

With the quicker delivery times for the Model Y, I was sort-of tempted. However, the dreadful ride quality on anything but smooth surfaces and the...err..... challenging looks, even worse in the metal than in photos IMHO, made it a definite 'no' for me.

M3, delivery early next year, it'll have to be.

 

[Tooks]

Horrible interior, don't like touchscreen... um, having had two M3's and now the MY, how do I feel about that?

I don't mollycoddle my cars, though they aren't mistreated. When it came time to sell both M3 went to a car wash, then I wiped and hoovered the interior. They both looked like new, pretty much exactly as they looked when they arrived on the drive. I used to drive top-end BMW and Mercs and they were treated the same as the Teslas. After 20k miles I'd send them back and they'd look tired, both literally (e.g. creased and saggy leather) and aesthetically, as in they looked dated. The simple plain functional long-lasting interior of the Tesla survived better in my eyes. However if you have an expectation that a high-end car interior will be stitched leather, a large number of buttons and knobs, shiny chrome or coloured ambient lighting then the Tesla will be disappointing.

I've test-driven quite a few EVs since getting a Tesla. I now find the scattergun plethora of buttons in for e.g. an Audi or Hyundai disconcerting. Some options are on the screen a la Tesla, some are buttons under the screen, some on the centre console, some on the door, some next to my right knee, some on stalks, which also push and twist and have sliders on them. When legacy carmakers come up with a new feature I don't see them retrofitting it to previous cars and arriving at my house to install a new button. That's tongue in cheek, but it is possible to refresh cars when you have OTA updates and a screen-based interface.

So I prefer the interior and interface in the Tesla, the alternatives now look clumsy and old-fashioned to me, but obviously, not everyone agrees!

The ride in the Model Y is less easy to defend. It is harsh on fully inflated tyres, but at the same time it isn't sporty like an M3, so it isn't a successful compromise. It has to be possible to do a lot better, as per perhaps the Skoda Enyaq. I haven't tried the EV6, but if that fixes the floaty sicky ride of the Ioniq without then being too firm, then it'll be fine.

I think the reality is that people adapt to whatever interior setup they use on a regular basis, jumping from car to car to car might be an issue for a motoring journalist, but that’s kit the case for most private owners.