First day of Roadster ownership…
Discussion
I picked up my Tungsten Roadster with Sportshift this morning, trading in my ’06 Coupe.
After a day of like for like driving, here are my initial observations:
- Roadster seems to be more insulated in the cabin, exhaust noise (with fuse removed) is much less than my coupe.
- Road noise at slower speeds is reduced.
- Steering is more weighted than coupe, however it feels much more ‘progressive’ somehow
- Suspension modifications made to the roadster makes the ride much more composed, does not seem as floaty as my coupe, more like a DB9 ride, much better on the motorway at higher speeds.
- Brakes seem more sensitive, this maybe because the car is new, however they certainly feel more power assisted than my coupe.
Sportshift:
In traffic its great, however it appears to be more suited to spirited driving, gear changes around town appear to be slowish, and changing from forward to reverse takes longer than I would like, doing a three point turn in the road can be embarrassing whilst sat there waiting for it to choose its gear.
Hypershift (flat out over 5000rpm) is great, gear changes are very quick, just a shame its not more like that in sports mode at lower rev’s.
It does take a bit of trial and error to get the shifts around town just right, I’ve not mastered it yet however I did manage a couple of shifts that were almost un-noticeable, with the right amount of throttle input at the right time (I found it best to let off just before changing gear, then slightly over accelerating as soon as it changes).
1st to 2nd gear seems a bit more laggy than other shifts, however this may loosen up over time.
Do I miss my manual? Not yet.
Overall I’m really pleased with the Roadster, it feels very tight, snug and composed, almost no scuttle shake at all, and very quiet inside – lets hope it continues.
I have a track day booked next Saturday, so Ill report back on how SportShift and the suspension changes have worked then.
Pictures to follow when it stops raining!
After a day of like for like driving, here are my initial observations:
- Roadster seems to be more insulated in the cabin, exhaust noise (with fuse removed) is much less than my coupe.
- Road noise at slower speeds is reduced.
- Steering is more weighted than coupe, however it feels much more ‘progressive’ somehow
- Suspension modifications made to the roadster makes the ride much more composed, does not seem as floaty as my coupe, more like a DB9 ride, much better on the motorway at higher speeds.
- Brakes seem more sensitive, this maybe because the car is new, however they certainly feel more power assisted than my coupe.
Sportshift:
In traffic its great, however it appears to be more suited to spirited driving, gear changes around town appear to be slowish, and changing from forward to reverse takes longer than I would like, doing a three point turn in the road can be embarrassing whilst sat there waiting for it to choose its gear.
Hypershift (flat out over 5000rpm) is great, gear changes are very quick, just a shame its not more like that in sports mode at lower rev’s.
It does take a bit of trial and error to get the shifts around town just right, I’ve not mastered it yet however I did manage a couple of shifts that were almost un-noticeable, with the right amount of throttle input at the right time (I found it best to let off just before changing gear, then slightly over accelerating as soon as it changes).
1st to 2nd gear seems a bit more laggy than other shifts, however this may loosen up over time.
Do I miss my manual? Not yet.
Overall I’m really pleased with the Roadster, it feels very tight, snug and composed, almost no scuttle shake at all, and very quiet inside – lets hope it continues.
I have a track day booked next Saturday, so Ill report back on how SportShift and the suspension changes have worked then.
Pictures to follow when it stops raining!
Maff said:
I picked up my Tungsten Roadster with Sportshift this morning, trading in my ’06 Coupe.
After a day of like for like driving, here are my initial observations:
- Roadster seems to be more insulated in the cabin, exhaust noise (with fuse removed) is much less than my coupe.
- Road noise at slower speeds is reduced.
- Steering is more weighted than coupe, however it feels much more ‘progressive’ somehow
- Suspension modifications made to the roadster makes the ride much more composed, does not seem as floaty as my coupe, more like a DB9 ride, much better on the motorway at higher speeds.
- Brakes seem more sensitive, this maybe because the car is new, however they certainly feel more power assisted than my coupe.
Sportshift:
In traffic its great, however it appears to be more suited to spirited driving, gear changes around town appear to be slowish, and changing from forward to reverse takes longer than I would like, doing a three point turn in the road can be embarrassing whilst sat there waiting for it to choose its gear.
Hypershift (flat out over 5000rpm) is great, gear changes are very quick, just a shame its not more like that in sports mode at lower rev’s.
It does take a bit of trial and error to get the shifts around town just right, I’ve not mastered it yet however I did manage a couple of shifts that were almost un-noticeable, with the right amount of throttle input at the right time (I found it best to let off just before changing gear, then slightly over accelerating as soon as it changes).
1st to 2nd gear seems a bit more laggy than other shifts, however this may loosen up over time.
Do I miss my manual? Not yet.
Overall I’m really pleased with the Roadster, it feels very tight, snug and composed, almost no scuttle shake at all, and very quiet inside – lets hope it continues.
I have a track day booked next Saturday, so Ill report back on how SportShift and the suspension changes have worked then.
Pictures to follow when it stops raining!
Congrats matey. Very envious - have to wait one more week for mine. Interesting comments too. Looking forward to finding out for myself. Enjoy!After a day of like for like driving, here are my initial observations:
- Roadster seems to be more insulated in the cabin, exhaust noise (with fuse removed) is much less than my coupe.
- Road noise at slower speeds is reduced.
- Steering is more weighted than coupe, however it feels much more ‘progressive’ somehow
- Suspension modifications made to the roadster makes the ride much more composed, does not seem as floaty as my coupe, more like a DB9 ride, much better on the motorway at higher speeds.
- Brakes seem more sensitive, this maybe because the car is new, however they certainly feel more power assisted than my coupe.
Sportshift:
In traffic its great, however it appears to be more suited to spirited driving, gear changes around town appear to be slowish, and changing from forward to reverse takes longer than I would like, doing a three point turn in the road can be embarrassing whilst sat there waiting for it to choose its gear.
Hypershift (flat out over 5000rpm) is great, gear changes are very quick, just a shame its not more like that in sports mode at lower rev’s.
It does take a bit of trial and error to get the shifts around town just right, I’ve not mastered it yet however I did manage a couple of shifts that were almost un-noticeable, with the right amount of throttle input at the right time (I found it best to let off just before changing gear, then slightly over accelerating as soon as it changes).
1st to 2nd gear seems a bit more laggy than other shifts, however this may loosen up over time.
Do I miss my manual? Not yet.
Overall I’m really pleased with the Roadster, it feels very tight, snug and composed, almost no scuttle shake at all, and very quiet inside – lets hope it continues.
I have a track day booked next Saturday, so Ill report back on how SportShift and the suspension changes have worked then.
Pictures to follow when it stops raining!
sjp63 said:
first to second shift - don't try to shift too early and don't lift the throttle when shifting........that is if its anything like SMG or Cambiocorsa.
I only had 10mins behind the wheel in one on a quick run, but found that you do have to lift the throttle. Not that much, but you do have to lift for the shift to be smoothed out..Gassing Station | Aston Martin | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff