New esprit suspension - first impressions
Discussion
Yesterday I visited the factory to collect my S4s complete with the new Ebach springs and Bilstein dampers. Having now emptied a full tank of fuel trying them out :-) its time to report on my first impressions.
First of all some background, as part of the development program Lotus wanted to ensure that they had baseline to compare to. To do this they fitted my car initially with brand new suspension of the original design (ie springs and dampers that were effectively designed 30 years ago) and set the car up exactly as the day it left the factory. This was a few months ago and to be honest it was a revelation. When the Esprit is set up (by experts) exactly as it left the factory it is truly superb. Like most owners my suspension was a few years old (the original suspension wears very quickly) and had not been set up properly. I can not stress enough how important this is - the Esprit suspension is very sensitive to alignment / setup and unless its done properly, whilst its still good it does not hit the sweet spot. As an example before any alignment work is done the car should be loaded up with weights to simulate the weight of a driver, passenger and half a tank of fuel. When I have had any suspension / wheel alignment done in the past (other than at Lotus...) this was not done and as a result the alignment was wrong.
Anyway, the reason for explaining the above is to highlight that when I got my car back yesterday I was comparing the new suspension to "old" suspension that was working and setup perfectly. What I had expected is that the new suspension would be very similar to the old, but due to the more modern design would stay within that sweet spot of superb handling for much longer - hopefully years.
I am pleased to say that the new suspension was much better than I expected, so far I have only been able to drive on the road not try the absolute limits but this is what I have found so far....
The first thing I noticed is the ride quality, its much smoother and soaks up the minor variations in the road better. I live at the end of a track about 1/2 mile long which is not very smooth, this stops me getting up much of a speed as the car bounces around too much (on one side there is a river, and the other a drainage ditch...). With the new suspension it honestly felt like someone had resurfaced the road. Dont worry that they have just made the suspension softer, its not when you push through a bend, nor has it lost the feel and feedback through the steering - you can still feel for example when you have driven over a small pebble on the road. Its difficult to explain - it just soaks up small variations in the road better.
Probably related to the above, on the way to work I have to stop at a t junction where the road has a couple of big pot holes. This always caught out the ABS as I go over the pot holes 9 time out of 10 the ABS cuts in just when you dont want / need it. This morning the ABS did not cut in so I turned round and tried again - it still did not kick in.
At high speeds, changes in direction seem more stable. In tight bends the suspension actually feels stiffer than the old and gives more confidence. Somehow they have made the suspension more sporty when you want it, yet the car has less noise / vibration when just running along a normal road. For me this makes the car better as a daily driver, it handles better when you want some fun yet is less tiring to drive over long distances. This to pretty neat trick and shows firstly what a good job they have done and secondly how much spring / damper technology has improved over the years.
I guess the real question is should you buy the new suspension. If you need to replace your suspension then the question is a no brainer - the new Lotus suspension is about the same price as the old suspension and having seen the work Lotus have put into the development program you are kidding yourself that aftermarket suspension is going to be as good. Lotus do know a thing or two about suspension....
What if your suspension is OK, is it worth upgrading? This is a more difficult question to answer and I think it depends on whether you plan to keep the car for a few years. My argument is that the old suspension does not last for many years, whilst the new being of a modern design will last much longer. For this reason if you are planning on keeping your car for a few years then the chances are that you will have to change the suspension anyway, surely it makes sense to do this sooner rather than later as you will then have full benefit from the improved suspension which should last for many years. Bear in mind most of us are driving around on slightly worn suspension that is not set up properly, the change you will experience going to the new suspension will be even MORE impressive than I have noticed.
If you do go for the new suspension then please think carefully about who is going to fit it for you - once again I can not stress enough that it needs to be set up by someone who knows what they are doing otherwise the benefits will not be seen. One thing I have not mentioned in this rambling post is that the new suspension has two options for height, I have set mine to the standard height, I think the other setting is 15mm lower (need to check this).
I will be at the factory day on Monday so will have put on a few more miles by then, if anyone wants to look at the new suspension (the yellow colour of the dampers looks good if your car is norfold mustard!) or drive it around to see how it feels (if practical) then let me know on the day.
Alan
First of all some background, as part of the development program Lotus wanted to ensure that they had baseline to compare to. To do this they fitted my car initially with brand new suspension of the original design (ie springs and dampers that were effectively designed 30 years ago) and set the car up exactly as the day it left the factory. This was a few months ago and to be honest it was a revelation. When the Esprit is set up (by experts) exactly as it left the factory it is truly superb. Like most owners my suspension was a few years old (the original suspension wears very quickly) and had not been set up properly. I can not stress enough how important this is - the Esprit suspension is very sensitive to alignment / setup and unless its done properly, whilst its still good it does not hit the sweet spot. As an example before any alignment work is done the car should be loaded up with weights to simulate the weight of a driver, passenger and half a tank of fuel. When I have had any suspension / wheel alignment done in the past (other than at Lotus...) this was not done and as a result the alignment was wrong.
Anyway, the reason for explaining the above is to highlight that when I got my car back yesterday I was comparing the new suspension to "old" suspension that was working and setup perfectly. What I had expected is that the new suspension would be very similar to the old, but due to the more modern design would stay within that sweet spot of superb handling for much longer - hopefully years.
I am pleased to say that the new suspension was much better than I expected, so far I have only been able to drive on the road not try the absolute limits but this is what I have found so far....
The first thing I noticed is the ride quality, its much smoother and soaks up the minor variations in the road better. I live at the end of a track about 1/2 mile long which is not very smooth, this stops me getting up much of a speed as the car bounces around too much (on one side there is a river, and the other a drainage ditch...). With the new suspension it honestly felt like someone had resurfaced the road. Dont worry that they have just made the suspension softer, its not when you push through a bend, nor has it lost the feel and feedback through the steering - you can still feel for example when you have driven over a small pebble on the road. Its difficult to explain - it just soaks up small variations in the road better.
Probably related to the above, on the way to work I have to stop at a t junction where the road has a couple of big pot holes. This always caught out the ABS as I go over the pot holes 9 time out of 10 the ABS cuts in just when you dont want / need it. This morning the ABS did not cut in so I turned round and tried again - it still did not kick in.
At high speeds, changes in direction seem more stable. In tight bends the suspension actually feels stiffer than the old and gives more confidence. Somehow they have made the suspension more sporty when you want it, yet the car has less noise / vibration when just running along a normal road. For me this makes the car better as a daily driver, it handles better when you want some fun yet is less tiring to drive over long distances. This to pretty neat trick and shows firstly what a good job they have done and secondly how much spring / damper technology has improved over the years.
I guess the real question is should you buy the new suspension. If you need to replace your suspension then the question is a no brainer - the new Lotus suspension is about the same price as the old suspension and having seen the work Lotus have put into the development program you are kidding yourself that aftermarket suspension is going to be as good. Lotus do know a thing or two about suspension....
What if your suspension is OK, is it worth upgrading? This is a more difficult question to answer and I think it depends on whether you plan to keep the car for a few years. My argument is that the old suspension does not last for many years, whilst the new being of a modern design will last much longer. For this reason if you are planning on keeping your car for a few years then the chances are that you will have to change the suspension anyway, surely it makes sense to do this sooner rather than later as you will then have full benefit from the improved suspension which should last for many years. Bear in mind most of us are driving around on slightly worn suspension that is not set up properly, the change you will experience going to the new suspension will be even MORE impressive than I have noticed.
If you do go for the new suspension then please think carefully about who is going to fit it for you - once again I can not stress enough that it needs to be set up by someone who knows what they are doing otherwise the benefits will not be seen. One thing I have not mentioned in this rambling post is that the new suspension has two options for height, I have set mine to the standard height, I think the other setting is 15mm lower (need to check this).
I will be at the factory day on Monday so will have put on a few more miles by then, if anyone wants to look at the new suspension (the yellow colour of the dampers looks good if your car is norfold mustard!) or drive it around to see how it feels (if practical) then let me know on the day.
Alan
I need new rear shocks.
What is the cost of the new dampers and also the accompanying springs?
How much did the factory charge to fit the parts?
How much did the factory charge to set up the alignment?
How soon will the new shocks which will fit the old springs be available (important only if the new springs are horrendously expensive) ?
Although not ideal, I presume it will be safe to replace the parts an axle at a time ( my front end has no faults)
Thanks in advance!
What is the cost of the new dampers and also the accompanying springs?
How much did the factory charge to fit the parts?
How much did the factory charge to set up the alignment?
How soon will the new shocks which will fit the old springs be available (important only if the new springs are horrendously expensive) ?
Although not ideal, I presume it will be safe to replace the parts an axle at a time ( my front end has no faults)
Thanks in advance!
Hi Guys,
Not sure of the exact price yet as I did not have to pay a commericial price as I lent my car to Lotus as part of the program to develop the suspension.
I have been told the price of the new suspension will be about the same as the old and that it will be on sale at the factory day on Monday - I will take a note of the price when I am there and then post back.
Alan
Not sure of the exact price yet as I did not have to pay a commericial price as I lent my car to Lotus as part of the program to develop the suspension.
I have been told the price of the new suspension will be about the same as the old and that it will be on sale at the factory day on Monday - I will take a note of the price when I am there and then post back.
Alan
i think old suspensions get a bum rap. i own 3 other cars from the mid eighties, and all pass muster with original equipment. one of the mercs has 250K+ miles on it. there's no excuse for a suspension to need replacing before 100K, even with historical technology. i'll admit my esprit suspension is a bit squirrely at 30K, but that didn't have to be the case.
Hi Guys,
Not sure of the exact price yet as I did not have to pay a commericial price as I lent my car to Lotus as part of the program to develop the suspension.
I have been told the price of the new suspension will be about the same as the old and that it will be on sale at the factory day on Monday - I will take a note of the price when I am there and then post back.
Alan
Not sure of the exact price yet as I did not have to pay a commericial price as I lent my car to Lotus as part of the program to develop the suspension.
I have been told the price of the new suspension will be about the same as the old and that it will be on sale at the factory day on Monday - I will take a note of the price when I am there and then post back.
Alan
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