diff --git a/tests/test_components/test_autograd.py b/tests/test_components/test_autograd.py
index e079038c17..57ab169b17 100644
--- a/tests/test_components/test_autograd.py
+++ b/tests/test_components/test_autograd.py
@@ -392,7 +392,7 @@ def make_structures(params: anp.ndarray) -> dict[str, td.Structure]:
     custom_med_pole_res = td.CustomPoleResidue(eps_inf=eps_inf, poles=[(a1, c1), (a2, c2)])
     custom_pole_res = td.Structure(geometry=box, medium=custom_med_pole_res)
 
-    radius = 1 + anp.abs(vector @ params)
+    radius = 0.6 * (1 + anp.abs(vector @ params))
     cyl_center_y = vector @ params
     cyl_center_z = -vector @ params
     cylinder_geo = td.Cylinder(
@@ -599,7 +599,7 @@ def test_polyslab_axis_ops(axis):
 
 
 @pytest.mark.skipif(not RUN_NUMERICAL, reason="Numerical gradient tests runs through web API.")
-@pytest.mark.parametrize("structure_key, monitor_key", (("medium", "mode"),))
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("structure_key, monitor_key", (("cylinder", "mode"),))
 def test_autograd_numerical(structure_key, monitor_key):
     """Test an objective function through tidy3d autograd."""
 
@@ -623,7 +623,7 @@ def objective(*args):
     assert anp.all(grad != 0.0), "some gradients are 0"
 
     # numerical gradients
-    delta = 1e-1
+    delta = 1e-3
     sims_numerical = {}
 
     params_num = np.zeros((N_PARAMS, N_PARAMS))
diff --git a/tidy3d/components/geometry/primitives.py b/tidy3d/components/geometry/primitives.py
index 6015e04b7c..c0a20080e5 100644
--- a/tidy3d/components/geometry/primitives.py
+++ b/tidy3d/components/geometry/primitives.py
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@
 _N_SHAPELY_QUAD_SEGS = 200
 
 # number of points to discretize polyslab used to represent cylinder in `Cylinder.to_polyslab()`
-N_PTS_CYLINDER_POLYSLAB = 101
+N_PTS_CYLINDER_POLYSLAB = 201
 
 
 class Sphere(base.Centered, base.Circular):