Introduced in 2012 the Model S is Tesla’s flagship sedan. The groundbreaking four door luxury sedan is looked at as the catalyst for the EV revolution. It featured numerous hallmarks that would influence the standard that all EVs and even ICE vehicles would be measured against moving forward. This included extra storage space by way of a trunk located under the hood at the front of the vehicle, now more commonly referred to as a “Frunk”. An unmatched infotainment system in terms of user interface and experience, customization, entertainment and more. Of course, its impressive range and 0-60 times that continue to improve with each update. But what we’re talking about today is its adjustable air suspension which provides the driver with the option to raise and lower the car on the fly, providing a firmer ride for sportier driving dynamics or a softer on-a-cloud-like ride.
What was once only available from the factory from prestigious manufacturers like Rolls Royce, Range Rover, or Ferrari, air suspension is the ultimate in versatility and ride quality. When it came to low to the ground sports car, having the ability lift the front end at the push of a button to avoid scraping the front bumper or lip kit saved owners thousands in paint and repairs. For all cars, but top-heavy vehicles especially, lowering the car with air suspension will bring down the vehicles center of gravity, improving its maneuverability and planted feel during spirited driving. These perks also apply to higher end Teslas but the primary function of the variable ride height on the Model S and X is for aerodynamics and range improvements. During highway driving, the car will lower itself making the vehicle more streamlined, improving drag efficiency thus increasing the e-mpg average at a time when the vehicle uses the most energy. This incredibly genius feature however comes with one small but easily fixable fault. It’s a complaint every Tesla Model X and S owner has, which is uneven tire wear, primarily in the inside of the tires. This is due to two factors. From the factory air suspension equipped Teslas come with a low degree camber alignment which is great for handling but places a majority of the weight towards the inside of the wheels and tires. Traditionally this can be fixed by adjusting the camber arms so the position that the wheels ride at is more parallel to the ground during normal driving, but the S and X come from the factory with a non-adjust camber arm. Unplugged Performance offers a solution for this with their aftermarket Adjustable Camber Arms allowing for a fix to your premature tire wear or the adjustability for sportier driving dynamics.
But we can’t talk about its function without mentioning its added benefit to the form of the vehicle. There’s only one thing that beats a lowered car in terms of looks and that’s an even lower car. Unlike traditional car where a shock and spring combo can be swapped for a manually adjustable coilover set up with the ability to slam the car to the ground, a car with OEM air suspension generally already possesses the ability to go lower, however it is held back by the limiting OEM bracketing holding the suspension at a certain range. By replacing these OEM Brackets with a Sport Dynamic Air Suspension Lowering Kit from Unplugged Performance, you can essentially bump down each factory setting by one level. This provides a more visually appealing stance and lower center of gravity while retaining the ability to lift the car at will for getting into and out of steep driveways or driving on unpredictable pothole ridden roads without the worry of bottoming out.
Pair your Unplugged Performance Adjustable Camber Arms and Lowering Kit with a set of lightweight UP Forged wheels like these UP-03 Wheels finished in Satin Titanium and you’ve got yourself one hell of a sedan that can double as a commuter by day and showstopper by night.
