Ride comfort

[Relic222]

Bit of a tough one to answer, but I'm wondering whether my suspension is quite right. I've read a lot of people comparing their Evora in comfort to a luxury saloon car, however I definitely wouldn't say mine is anywhere near that! I share my commute with a colleague who owns a 2004 E46 3 series and that is definitely more comfortable and compliant over the terrible British roads. I don't really have an issue with the Evora's suspension - it's pretty firm over bumps and cracks in the road, but then it's a sports car so I was expecting that, I'm just wondering whether my suspension is 'right' if what people are saying about theirs is true. 

Is there anyone local to the Aylesbury/Buckinghamshire area that wouldn't mind taking me for a ride in theirs so I can compare? 

[B430m]

I’ve never heard that an Evora ride is like a luxury saloon, compared to an Elise or Exige, some people may think that. Depending on what Evora you have depends a lot on the ride firmness, the original N/A’s are much more compliant that the 400’s, so it depends on what your base line is.

[Relic222]

As an example - https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=213&t=1476467 one person says the Evora is better than a Range Rover for long journeys - granted he doesn't specifically mention it being because of comfort. 

[andyj007]

honestly the ride on my n/a evora  18 & 19" wheel is  incredible...  there are no crashes and bangs into pot holes, it rides better than all our other cars, suvv. mercs, volvo...   but yet it rides flat through the corners...  i can only imagine if yours is harsh in any say someone has made some changes..

i am amazed everytime i get back in just how magic carpet like it rides..

 

 

[Steffen_Leitgeb-LSWGmbh]

The high level of comfort comes from the rigid chassis and was one of the reason I went into the Lotus camp from Porsche. This stiffness makes the suspension actually work which makes it feel comfortable even it is still firm. 
But all depends of the driver education. At BMW M and Audi RS they learned the markets. I personally know from the engineers that they sometimes reduce the slow driving comfort to give the inexperienced driver the sensation of driving a sports car. Their new markets and new types of customers demand it:  shaking = sporty, awful noisy = sound. That is why I like Lotus: it is not made to fit into markets, it is just designed to work 🙂

 

[jep]

It really does, I would have thought, depend on what you are used to. I drive a few different cars and what is noticeable always with a Lotus is how compliant the ride is, whether it be Evora, Excel, Elise or Elan of the ones I drive regularly. That does not mean it is like a Citroen DS over rutted roads but for a sports car Lotus are unique in the smoothness of ride coupled with gravity-defying cornering speeds.

I get bangs and crashes on the suspension of my Evora NA but in a manner than I consider completely normal. All this being influenced by road condition and speed.

When I acquired my S1 Elise (in 2017), I was surprised how jiggly the suspension felt on motorways. I changed the suspension to the correct Lotus type (it had GAZ after-market fitted in 2014) and the car now feels spot-on. There are many Lotus owners driving cars with after-market suspension and they are happy. I was not. 

I am happy to meet up with you with our Evora's to compare; not sure if you have a NA or other model.

Justin

[Relic222]

@jep I have an NA Evora, it would be good to meet up to compare. I'm not sure if I have aftermarket suspension or not - the previous owner made no mention of it. I'm not worried about it - it does crash into potholes a bit, but it's not unbearable - I still drive it daily on my commute. It would just be nice to see what someone else's car feels like in case there is a problem with it.

As I mentioned, my friend's old 3 series is definitely more comfortable, on similar sized wheels etc. The Lotus definitely corners amazingly flat though, and I'm loving the handling. 

@andyj007 I definitely wouldn't describe mine as a magic carpet ride, so perhaps something has been done. Flat in the corners, but quite firm the rest of the time is closer to what I have. 

[Bruss]

If you find it's worse than another one if you can get a ride, then there are a couple of relatively cheap things to check. First are the anti roll bar bushes, cheap parts if you can change them yourself. The second is the drop links, front and rear. If you are going to pay someone else to fit them I'd get them all chaged at the same time while they are there.

[jep]

56 minutes ago, Relic222 said:

I have an NA Evora, it would be good to meet up to compare

Perhaps meet in Stokenchurch and ride up the old A40 towards Oxford. That will be a good test as that is a great road with some bumps along the way. Or the Mercure Thame Lambert Hotel which is near Jct 6 M40 and on the A40.

I am in Surrey but I like the trip up to the old A40. Feel free to private message me.

Justin

 

[Bravo73]

13 minutes ago, jep said:

Perhaps meet in Stokenchurch and ride up the old A40 towards Oxford. That will be a good test as that is a great road with some bumps along the way.

The Aston Wood section of the A40 (just after Stokenchurch) is definitely worthwhile. 

[CaptainSlow]

Very different depending on what wheels and tyres you are using. Mine came with the 19/20” Design wheels with Pirelli PZero Corsa LS. Dreadful on highways with a bit of trcks. Wandered all over the place. Then fitted with 18” Team Dynamics and Michelin Cup 2. Much smoother ride and not as prone to wander on bad surfaches. I’ve since fitted Michelin Pilot Super Sport och the Design wheels. They are much more pleasent on the highway compared to the Pirelli. 

Also woth checking the alignment from time to time.

[jep]

6 hours ago, jep said:

That does not mean it is like a Citroen DS over rutted roads

1955-1975 Citroen DS, in case any millennials wondered what weed I was smokin'...……..

Justin

[Julian73]

I have driven my S and 410 on consecutive 600-700 miles/day with no fatigue and no dreading getting back in on the 2nd and 3rd day.  These were both on 19/20 wheels fitted with P Zero Corsa and Mich PS4S.  I did find IMHO, that the S rode better than the E-Class Merc, and my wife, as passenger, agreed.

[Techyd]

I read somewhere that the shock absorbers can start wear out from ~50k miles upwards, though I'm on 61K and no signs off issue yet (I've sourced some parts ready though!).  I've got some shocking roads near me (urban streets) and at low speed it isn't comfortable at all.  That being said, once I'm above 40/45 the ride does settle in to a more fluid composure.

Great that you're going to compare with another Evora, be interested to see what you make of the comparison!

[jep]

2 hours ago, Techyd said:

I read somewhere that the shock absorbers can start wear out from ~50k miles upwards,

It is pot (hole?) luck. My Excel is on original suspension from 1987 and 60,000 miles and it drives as it should (not just me saying but LotusBits and B&C). I had another Excel many moons ago that was suspension knackered and it was a 30,000 miler and about 15 years old at the time.

Sitting unused can be worse than in use. Luckily, Lotus are light. The Porsche 928 will sag its suspension if unused. I had to change the springs on a lower miler one.

Over the years, I have generally found I had to change shocks due to minor leaks (MOT failure) rather than because they were no longer doing a good job. Back when I had zip to spend, a clean up, prior to MOT, of the shocks was the order of the day.

Justin

[PhillC]

On 03/03/2019 at 15:01, Bravo73 said:

The Aston Wood section of the A40 (just after Stokenchurch) is definitely worthwhile. 

I used to live half way up that hill! now live about 3 miles from there.

A great place nearby is the Swan at Tetsworth, incredibly good restaurant on the A40.

[Relic222]

Thanks for all the input - looking forward to trying another car and comparing. I did test drive another car before buying mine, and seem to remember commenting on the ride, however the roads were also fairly good - much better than my daily commute - and there's a lot to take in on a test drive so my memory is hazy. It's definitely more apparent at low speeds, unfortunately much of my commute is sat in 30mph-40mph traffic. As I said previously though, it's certainly not bad enough that I would change the car or anything like that, I'm just curious as to whether the suspension is 'correct'. As far as I'm aware the two previous owners used it as a second car, so it could have been left unused for a while. Its a 2009 with 33k on the clock, so not high mileage. 

[jep]

On ‎04‎/‎03‎/‎2019 at 19:17, Relic222 said:

Thanks for all the input - looking forward to trying another car and comparing.

Pat. Good to meet you today and thanks for the bottle of wine (uncalled for but thanks). I hope that was of some assistance. Your car did not feel way out to me, so hopefully any small issues will be a minor adjustment or some bushes. Perhaps get it to a trusted Lotus main dealer to give it the once over. Bell & Colvill is a bit of hike for you but I would suggest worth the trip. Others here I am sure can recommend others. 

Justin 

[Bruss]

Probably closer to Randy at Henly? Hofmanns look after my suspension set up very well.

[Relic222]

Thanks Justin, was good to meet you too, and I look forward to seeing some of your other cars at some point! I gave Bell and Colville a call today but due to the timings didn't get to speak to the service department before they left for the day, I'll give them a call on Monday.

Going to start with some simple things - will try adjusting the tyre pressure etc, but will definitely get a once over from B&C - worth doing for a private sale regardless. At high speeds the car is comfortable, it's more a low speed thing, as you say hopefully just bushings or tyres. As I said previously, it's not too bad, but being a daily driver I wouldn't say no to slightly more comfort! 

@Bruss Hofmann's is closer, but I wasn't very happy with the service I received from them when sorting out my AC compressor. Will give B&C a try this time and see how I get on. Thanks though. 

[EGTE]

If you really want to sort out your suspension, try Center Gravity near Birmingham; they are the gurus.

I use my NA for long journeys mainly and it is extremely good at that; very comfortable. It is slightly more jiggly at low speeds, but never ever crashy, which would imply problems. Firm-but-well-damped, I'd say.

[Randy]

14 hours ago, Relic222 said:

Thanks Justin, was good to meet you too, and I look forward to seeing some of your other cars at some point! I gave Bell and Colville a call today but due to the timings didn't get to speak to the service department before they left for the day, I'll give them a call on Monday.

Going to start with some simple things - will try adjusting the tyre pressure etc, but will definitely get a once over from B&C - worth doing for a private sale regardless. At high speeds the car is comfortable, it's more a low speed thing, as you say hopefully just bushings or tyres. As I said previously, it's not too bad, but being a daily driver I wouldn't say no to slightly more comfort! 

@Bruss Hofmann's is closer, but I wasn't very happy with the service I received from them when sorting out my AC compressor. Will give B&C a try this time and see how I get on. Thanks though. 

Thanks for your feedback.  Are you available at all for 5 mins on the phone next week to talk through the issue please?  I'm aware we have been dropping a few balls in service and as a result I've made some considerable changes to the team with a new service advisor coming to replace Martin, a new parts manager and an EXTREMELY experienced new service manager to head up the team.  I'm also always available and also willing to help where at all possible. 

[Relic222]

@EGTE when cruising the car is pretty comfortable, anything above 50mph is pretty good, but below 30mph is where I'm not as happy, and unfortunately the roads around me seem to be covered in potholes and cracks which really show up the problem.

@Randy I'm happy to have a chat tomorrow, could you let me know the number to call. I would like to use Hofmann's again because you're relatively easy to get to for me. For what it's worth, the sales team - Chris in particular were very good, and I have no complaints there. 

[Randy]

17 minutes ago, Relic222 said:

@EGTE when cruising the car is pretty comfortable, anything above 50mph is pretty good, but below 30mph is where I'm not as happy, and unfortunately the roads around me seem to be covered in potholes and cracks which really show up the problem.

@Randy I'm happy to have a chat tomorrow, could you let me know the number to call. I would like to use Hofmann's again because you're relatively easy to get to for me. For what it's worth, the sales team - Chris in particular were very good, and I have no complaints there. 

My direct line is 01491848812, I'm out delivering a car in the AM but should be around in the afternoon.  Thanks.

[Relic222]

Thanks Randy, I'll call this afternoon.

I dropped my tyre pressures last night from 32/34 to 30/30 based on comments on this thread https://www.midlandslotus.co.uk/forum/topic/63484-evora-tyre-pressure/ and the ride is now much less crashy at lower speeds. I still plan on getting the car checked over to make sure that everything else is as it should be, but my commute in this morning was definitely more comfortable.