Cyberbeast issue message: “Air suspension unable to raise” and “Air compressor temperature above operating..."

[DeadSetElectric]

They replaced the entire air module on the right rear side. No issue since. No idea what was the cause of the failure

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[HaulingAss]

Oof I don’t like that. I plan on overlanding and off roading with over 2,000lbs payload on a regular basis. Service is replacing the right rear air spring module now so hopefully that fixes my issues. I like the idea of air suspension but not if it can’t handle regular truck stuff.

The Cybertruck handles "truck stuff" better than my F-150!

This is a payload of 2,400 lbs. which loaded the rear axle by about 10-15% above it's rating, due to the rear-biased weight distribution. It was still in "Easy Entry" mode when I took this photo. As I loaded each 100+ lb. round onto the tailgate I heard a little air filling the suspension to keep it level (even though it was in park). As soon as I put it into drive, it rose up to Medium ride height with no apparent strain or effort. I drove it down a rugged 12% grade with huge potholes and tight corners and it handled it so well I decided to go on a pleasure cruise (rather than deliver the load straight home).

I drove a mile down the highway and turned onto a little used Forest Road that was single lane, paved and very steep and twisty. I drove it in this over-loaded condition at the same speeds I would drive it empty, maybe a little faster just for testing purposes. I was amazed that I could barely feel the load, even around sharp corners, even up steep grades, even over harsh bumps. It was solid as a rock.

I've had loads this heavy in my F-150 a few times and the frame flex is obvious and worrisome. I slow way down for even small bumps and never exceed 25 mph due to it being so overloaded (for fear of bending the frame). The Cybertruck cruised the highway at 60 mph feeling amazingly normal with no detectable frame flex, the regen braking seemed stronger down steep mountain grades (considering how much weight was in the back). My impression is that Tesla boosts the maximum regen when the suspension knows it has a heavy load.

The railing of the tight corners with a load this heavy was what surprised me the most, no noticeable body sway, it just steered and drove normally. Unlike with my F-150, I would not hesitate to take a longer freeway journey in this condition, I would just air up the tires to 60 psi and call it good. The F-150 would have the hood pointing for the sky and the handling would be all loosey-goosey feeling as the frame twisted and flexed over normal pavement undulations.

The Cybertruck is not a fake truck for city-slickers, it's a real solid workhorse. It was a lot easier to load and unload than my F-150 due to the smart rectangular bed shape with no wheel wells intruding into the load area. I've been using pickup trucks my entire life in various jobs (construction, landscaping, deliveries) and I've never felt a light-duty truck feel this solid with a heavy load. You would have to step up to the realm of heavy-duty trucks to get it to handle a load this heavy with such a natural adeptness, even then it would be harsh over bumps requiring caution to avoid upsetting the load. The load in the Cybertruck is more stable over bumps because the suspension is doing it's job and the truck doesn't rock side to side as much.

In short, it just works. And it does it with so little fuss.

The most likely reason for the over-heated compressor is almost certainly a small air leak at one of the air fittings (causing the compressor to run repeatedly to replace the lost air). This would obviously be more common on a new truck, once the fittings are time-tested and have been through the range of seasons without failing, you can expect the rate of air leaks to go to basically zero. I've never had an air leak and I've been beating the hell out of the suspension off-road, with heavy loads on rugged terrain and making frequent use of the adjustable ride height. Two weeks ago I was on a little used Jeep trail that required me to use Extract mode to prevent bottoming on the middle of the side rails. Even then, I was lightly scraping the side rails on the ground:

I think "over-landing' is often a misused term in N. America. We didn't even have that word when I started off-roading (even though plenty of people were doing what I would consider "over-landing" in places like Africa). If I wanted to do true "over-landing", I would buy a gas or diesel rig and keep it as light as possible. For regular off-roading in N. America, light is also right. People bring way too much stuff, sometimes I think it's to create the image that they are a real badass off-roader. But I laugh at these over-equipped off-roaders. Because I often see them on beginner trails you could take a VW Beetle on. And if they actually hit the really difficult stuff, they often get in over their heads anyway, cause multiple thousands of dollars of damage, and often can't use their own gear to self-rescue anyway. This is far too common. The fact is, ingenuity and common sense are more important that having a bunch of hardcore gear and modifications you probably don't even need.

I saw a really good video speaking to this very point recently, I recommend everyone with off-road aspirations watch it:

STOP Wasting Money on Overlanding Gear You Don't Need! (youtube.com)

Cheers!

 

[DeadSetElectric]

The Cybertruck handles "truck stuff" better than my F-150!

Really appreciate the thoughtful reply! Definitely looks like you’re doing truck stuff with your truck, that’s great to see. I am planning on the camper plus the range extender plus a dirt bike. To me, those are the basics in what I need. The camper plus range extender take most of the payload capacity.

One note I will say, there are some obvious design choices in the cybertruck that are not exactly truck owner friendly. And of course there’s some really badass features no one else can touch. The fact Tesla only tested the vertical load limit of the hitch to the same standards as the model Y was a misstep imo.

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