We Lifted a Model Y and Range Tested It. Here's What It Did to the Range

We've got a new project car, it's the next giveaway car, and the entries are live right now. Before we get into the build, we wanted to answer one question: what does a 2-inch lift actually cost you in range on a Tesla Model Y?

So we ran the test. Same car, same route, same battery window, once stock, once lifted. Here's how it went.

The Car

This is a 2021 Model Y Long Range Dual Motor. We picked it up with 166,000 km on the odometer and it now sits at 169,000 km. It's been used. We road tripped it from Winkler, MB to Regina and Saskatoon, SK. So far it's been a great road trip car. 

The plan for this video was simple: get a baseline range number on the stock car, throw a 2-inch lift kit on it, then run the exact same test again and compare.

The Baseline Range Test (Stock)

For the range test, we ran from 60% battery down to 10%, so 50% of the pack. We only used half the battery to save time; we needed to get the lift done and keep the series moving, and 50% is plenty to get a solid read on real-world range.

We charged up at the Supercharger in Morris, Manitoba, set the charge limit to 60%, and set up a fresh trip in the car called "Range Test 1, No Lift" so we could track everything cleanly from zero.

Conditions on the day:

• 22°C in Morris
• Wind at 14 km/h, gusting to 22
• Highway speed of 110 km/h, running back and forth between Morris and Winnipeg

At 60%, the car was predicting 265 km but that's its estimate all the way down to 0%. We were only going to 10%, so the real number would be lower.

At the 30% mark, we'd covered 102 km. By the time we hit 10%, we'd driven 173.8 km on 50% of the battery, and the run took about an hour and 40 minutes. Dusty called 220 km for the full charge before we started, and honestly that guess was landing pretty close.

For a car with 169,000 km on it, 173.8 km on half a charge isn't bad at all.

The 2-Inch Lift Install

Back at the shop, we had all the suspension components laid out, a full 2-inch lift kit. We grabbed some new tools for the shop, and then we tore into it.

We started up front, pulling the strut and swapping in the new one that gives us the lift. That meant taking a lot apart: the ABS sensor wiring, the brakes, the upper control arm, the sway bar links, all of it had to come off. A couple of the bolts put up a fight (a little happy juice, maybe some Red Bull to cheer it up), but we won the battle, got the spring compressors on, and got everything loose.

The trick to the lift is the gap on the strut. We spun the new strut until we had a 3-inch gap, which nets out to the 2-inch lift. We'd already dialed that in on the other side, so it went quick once we knew the number.

Then it was onto the rear. We loosened all the bolts holding the various control arms to give ourselves room to drop everything down, pulled the rear struts, got the springs out, and set the new hardware in.

The result on ride height: we were sitting around 30.5 to 31 inches before. After the lift, we measured 33.75 inches.

The Range Test (Lifted)

Same test, same rules; 60% down to 10%, 50% of the battery, same stock wheels and tires as the first run so the only variable is the lift.

We'd topped up the night before after the install, so we only needed a minute or two on the charger in Morris to get to 60%. Set up a new trip: "Test With Lift" and headed out.

Conditions this time were slightly friendlier:

• +23°C, feeling like 27
• Wind at just 4 km/h, versus 15 on the baseline run

Right away we were watching the average consumption. It spiked at the start, then levelled out and kept dropping as we drove. We were sitting around 197 Wh/km early on; the stock run had settled near 192.7. Not far off at all for a car that's now 2 inches taller.

At the 30% mark, we'd done 100.1 km. Eric had predicted around 96 to 98 km for the lifted car at that point, so he nailed it. (For the record, I called 120 km, and we were on track to beat that.)

We turned around at 20% having covered 136.9 km, and by the time we hit 10%, we'd driven 168.9 km on 50% of the battery, using 31.4 kWh.

The Results

So here's the before-and-after:

• Stock: 173.8 km on 50% charge
• 2-inch lift: 168.9 km on 50% charge

That's a difference of about 4 to 5 km.

Going in, the whole team expected to lose a lot more. Everyone at Drive Protected figured a 2-inch lift on a Model Y would take a real bite out of the range. It didn't. Four to five kilometers on half a charge, from a full 2-inch lift, is a difference we'll take all day.

We'll see how that number moves as we add more parts to this build — wheels, tires, and the rest. But as a starting point, the Model Y handled the lift far better than we thought it would.

Enter to Win the Car

This Model Y is our newest giveaway car, and the giveaway is live right now.

Here's how entries work: every $10 you spend is worth 1 entry. That includes our brand new Rivian R2 kits, our brand new Model Y L kits, our new detailing products, and all of our existing PPF kits and ceramic coatings.

This time we're doing something a little different; three prizes, three winners:

• First prize: the car, or $20,000usd cash
• Second prize: $5,000usd cash
• Third prize: a Tesla wall connector, or $500 cash

Full giveaway & project details here.

That's it for this range test. We're heading back to the shop to keep working on this build. More videos coming soon.