Suspension: Touring and Sports options

[Pugwash]

That jitter is road feedback. So the question is how much is preferred? Just as tour doesn't seem excessively floaty, sport doesn't seem excessively harsh. Both have merit.

I do feel that the "jitteryness", combined with the noise, shifting and steering adds to the sporting experience. It gives more without giving too much, although the rebuttal that it gives more than necessary is also valid, based on conditions / usage.

Which brings me to my final thought. Potential regrets... Personally, If I opted for sport and found it was a little too firm at times, I'd be annoyed over rough stretches yet would take solace knowing that sport is the more capable setup offering more feel. That's the price of being exotic. Remedies would include extra vigilance, slowing down and detours worst case.

If I got the tour and found it a little too soft at times, I'd be bothered that I was missing out on feedback and ever so tighter body control, thus spoiling the racecar fantasy. Potential devastation with no convienient remedy.

I guess anything you feel sat in the car when travelling along is road feedback. If it helps, to give clarity on my statement, I am not referring to feel through the steering wheel which some people might refer to as road feedback. I am talking about the overall feeling you get in a harder sprung car when travelling over a rough road surface compared to what you get in a softer sprung car. I would encourage anyone if you can get the opportunity to drive both on some uneven road surface it will become quickly apparent. Hard and soft are relative of course. I am not even sure that one is more capable than the other or even offers more feel. They are both capable and both offer feel, just different feel.
I prefer Track and Sport as the two designations rather than Sport and Touring and this is probably a truer description, although I can understand for marketing reasons why Lotus chose the labels they did.
For anyone that wants a track/race car, buy an Exige! But then you are into a whole new set of discussions about suspension choice and set up!

 

[Lotus64]

I understood your comments to mean road surface texture and undulations, not steering feel. Agreed that anything you feel is feedback.

It's readily apparent that sport will have higher handling limits than touring. Stiffer springs means they will transmit more load before max compression. It will also be more responsive to road textures, even if ever so slightly, hence the feel.

No disrespect to the exige but we don't want that. That's too raw. We want a pretend supercar with heated seats and android auto that will demolish nurburgring and the drive to the grocery store in comfort, yet with max excitement.

 

[Evotion]

Yep - Sports is the safer bet
Have to say, on Goodyears it is exceptional.
I cannot speak for Sports with CUP2s on.

 

[AndySXV]

Give this a watch

I understood your comments to mean road surface texture and undulations, not steering feel. Agreed that anything you feel is feedback.

It's readily apparent that sport will have higher handling limits than touring. Stiffer springs means they will transmit more load before max compression. It will also be more responsive to road textures, even if ever so slightly, hence the feel.

No disrespect to the exige but we don't want that. That's too raw. We want a pretend supercar with heated seats and android auto that will demolish nurburgring and the drive to the grocery store in comfort, yet with max excitement.

 

[SteveB]

That jitter is road feedback. So the question is how much is preferred? Just as tour doesn't seem excessively floaty, sport doesn't seem excessively harsh. Both have merit.

I do feel that the "jitteryness", combined with the noise, shifting and steering adds to the sporting experience. It gives more without giving too much, although the rebuttal that it gives more than necessary is also valid, based on conditions / usage.

Which brings me to my final thought. Potential regrets... Personally, If I opted for sport and found it was a little too firm at times, I'd be annoyed over rough stretches yet would take solace knowing that sport is the more capable setup offering more feel. That's the price of being exotic. Remedies would include extra vigilance, slowing down and detours worst case.

If I got the tour and found it a little too soft at times, I'd be bothered that I was missing out on feedback and ever so tighter body control, thus spoiling the racecar fantasy. Potential devastation with no convienient remedy.

Agree with your comments on potential regrets and in the final analysis this was the reason why I chose to lock my spec with Sports suspension.

 

[Wolverine]

+1 Sports Suspension - feedback is great, and Cup2 tyres are without doubt the best tyres on the market, period. Ride is great, better than many of my other supercars.

Waiting to take mine to a track day ... will report further then.

 

[TomE]

+1 Sports Suspension - feedback is great, and Cup2 tyres are without doubt the best tyres on the market, period. Ride is great, better than many of my other supercars.

Waiting to take mine to a track day ... will report further then.

Welcome to the forum and congratulations on collecting your Emira.

Do post something in the New Member Introductions sub-forum here and/or the Owners Journals sub-forum here. I'm sure people would be interested in your car history and comparisons to the Emira, as well as your ownership experience. I saw your other post in the issues thread about early issues - hope you get those fixed promptly.

We have a regular 3rd Sunday of the month Lotus owners breakfast meeting at Newlands Corner near Guildford and have had a few Emiras along as well as a broad mix of the older cars. Info here.

 

[Mistral]

Car now run in and spent three days in the Cotswolds this week. Thank goodness I specified Touring suspension as some of the roads were appalling. Driving to avoid potholes has become the norm for us in the UK but some of the roads in Oxfordshire were something else with corrugated surfaces and broken road edges.

 

[M100man]

I’ve got Sports with Cup 2s only done about 300 miles so far but the car feels noticeably easier to handle once those tyres are warmed up . Even then the back kicks out slightly on roundabouts at not too high speeds . Overall though an amazing driving experience

 

[Lotus64]

I think If touring is framed as the grand touring option, and sport the sports car option, then the decision is simple to make.

That's not to mean that the touring can't sport and the sport can't tour.

 

[Pegasi]

No disrespect to the exige but we don't want that. That's too raw. We want a pretend supercar with heated seats and android auto that will demolish nurburgring and the drive to the grocery store in comfort, yet with max excitement.

I got my Nurburgring route to Publix already mapped out. I just need the car now!

After sitting in an Exige in the showroom I really respect those who drive that car.

 

[JasonR]

100% tour. i haven’t driven sports but can’t imagine anything firmer/less compliant

 

[Ceejay]

My test drive was touring, I’d ordered and was locked in to sport. It’s perfect for me and the roads here are pretty poor.

 

[Evotion]

Sports handles potholes fine. The difference when it comes to holes at speed is negligible. At slow speeds the touring seemed mire compliant to me.

@Pegasi let me know if you're happy to make that a group run. Would be awesome.

 

[Pegasi]

Sports handles potholes fine. The difference when it comes to holes at speed is negligible. At slow speeds the touring seemed mire compliant to me.

@Pegasi let me know if you're happy to make that a group run. Would be awesome.

@Lotus64 makes the best yet characterization of what might be the majority of Emira owners. A lot is said about how the Emira is not raw enough but several people have pointed out that the suspension components can be modified to suit your track needs if you are on that level. Essentially dialing in the car you want. So Touring and Sports aren't the only setups.

On Saturday afternoon after you have cut the grass, moved the couch to another room, and then someone says we need eggs. I say, I will go get the eggs and I will be back in 90 minutes!

 

[VL3X]

I say, I will go get the eggs and I will be back in 90 minutes!

And also forget the eggs.

 

[Wolverine]

So I can't remember which YouTube video I was watching but the presenter was saying the only differences between Touring and Sports is 1) Tyres 2). Suspension setup.

Therefore, it seems whichever version you go for you could always switch btw Touring and Sports by changing tyres and simple suspension adjustments.

Can someone confirm?

 

[Emirahep]

So I can't remember which YouTube video I was watching but the presenter was saying the only differences between Touring and Sports is 1) Tyres 2). Suspension setup.

Therefore, it seems whichever version you go for you could always switch btw Touring and Sports by changing tyres and simple suspension adjustments.

Can someone confirm?

I think that was the smoking tyres review and he got it badly wrong. The suspension components are different - spring rates for one. So you need to decide when confirming order. Yes you can swap tyres but that isn’t the whole story.

You will get many views on the merits of both on here. Personally I love my Touring set up. Plenty tight enough for crap UK roads.

 

[kitkat]

So I can't remember which YouTube video I was watching but the presenter was saying the only differences between Touring and Sports is 1) Tyres 2). Suspension setup.

Therefore, it seems whichever version you go for you could always switch btw Touring and Sports by changing tyres and simple suspension adjustments.
I
Can someone confirm?

This was the smoking tire, he has since added an update across social media, the video description, and podcasts regarding that mistake.

 

[KJD]

So I can't remember which YouTube video I was watching but the presenter was saying the only differences between Touring and Sports is 1) Tyres 2). Suspension setup.

Therefore, it seems whichever version you go for you could always switch btw Touring and Sports by changing tyres and simple suspension adjustments.

Can someone confirm?

Yep. We can confirm that’s wrong. In many ways.

Different spring rates, damper rates and geo settings between touring and sport.

You can have the touring tyre (Goodyear) on the sport setup but it’s still the sport setup.
You can’t spec the sports tyre (Michelin) on the touring suspension.

Sports suspension with Goodyears is what I’ve got and I find it perfect for road use. I don’t find it too stiff at all but I have come from Exiges and sportsbikes before that.
The touring demo I drove, I found soft and wallowing in the corners.