I've driven the base f-type which was too firm for me to live with as a daily driver. It had 19"s.


If I was to get the V6S coupe which is probably what I'd target (the R is over $200K here) first, can anyone help with the best tyre size for a decent ride, and second, is there a mod for softer springs or changing tyres perhaps for a softer ride.


I don't go blasting around corners anyway, and the ride in the XKR on 20"s is perfect for me.


Any thoughts? And "toughen the f* up" isn't really the advice I'm after...

 

Be sure to test the V6S too, if it's like the US spec it should have adaptive suspension which varies the firmness. Someone who has more seat time in the base can chime in but the normal setting in the adaptive may be softer than the non-adaptive set up (the dynamic setting in the adaptive can be quite firm, my sense was the base sat between the two).

Other than that, 18s will help as might a softer tire. The OEM P Zeros are not great anyway, they wear well but they really aren't a very good performance tire, and perhaps a switch to PSS will help with both comfort and grip/handling.

Good luck and keep us posted!

 

Tire/wheel size doesn't affect the ride all that much. I had 18s on my base car at delivery and switched to 20s. There simply isn't any noticeable difference in terms of ride feel, but I prefer a firm suspension.

Your only option would be to go to softer springs. However, I haven't heard from a single person here who wants and/or has tried that.

 

From one Aussie to another harden the f* up

Seriously, I have a v6s convertible on 20s and it is certainly not a cushy ride, but it isn't that hard either its really pretty easy to live with on a day to day basis.

 

From another Aussie... harden the f* up!

And buy the R (or at least test drive one). The adaptive damping is excellent, and the general ride feel is great.

 

Its a sports car, its supposed to have firmish suspension, maybe look at something else if you think the suspension is to firm for you.

 

If you get the adjustable dynamics option (or whatever they call it), then you can dial in how stiff the ride is, I think. (I don't have it, just normal dynamic mode.)

 

True, though I've been with Jag for a while now and have really enjoyed the experience. I'd rather get the jag even if I had to throw another $10K or so at it to get the ride I wanted. The one I drove didnt have firmish suspension - I'd say the XKR was firmish - this one was uncomfortable and much more noticeable getting back into the XKR. But it was the base, so maybe the adjustable ones dialed down would do the trick.

Anyway, thanks for the comments. Hopefully the V6S with the suspension dialed down will be the go.

 

Low speed ride on the active suspension with 20" wheels was noticeably better than the passive suspension with 19" wheels.

Now, about your profile name...

 

One thing to note, the dealers seem to have a habit of over-inflating the tires which will cause a firmer than usual ride (so your test drive may not have been exactly representative of the expected ride quality). Outside of suspension changes, you can do 18's with a less performance oriented tire. That will provide a little more compliant ride but at the expense of some handling. If you aren't trying to tear up the local race tracks, you won't notice the loss.

If you watched the Top Gear review, Jeremy said the ride got better the faster you go. In other words, do another test drive and go faster.

 

I have the 20 inch rims and the active suspension. I have found the ride is better with 40 psi or more in the tires. I run 42 in the fronts and 45 in the rears. Dealer dropped them to 34 psi at an oil change yesterday and it was terrible.

 

Well 36 is recommended all around so you must have a pretty firm ride...certainly not what I'd recommend.

 

When you say the ride is better with 42/45 lbs, in what way(s)?

 

Some people look at an article of clothing and swear it's blue and black, while others can look at it and insist that it's white and gold. Perceptions of the same thing are often all over the map, and I always take these types of reviews with a grain of salt.

Perception of ride quality is a prime example, and preferences are all over the map. If it suits you, then it's perfect.

 

Running less in the fronts than the rears seems to improve the slight under steer somewhat. Running more than the manual recommends just noticeably smooths the ride; it feels like the suspension works better. It may be because there is slight less contact patch but that is a guess. Just try it and see if it works for you. Very difficult to explain why it feels better to me but it does.

Not sure where I read it but somewhere in the literature that came with the car it says to increase pressure to 42 psi for sustained 100 mph + running. Sidewalls on the tires in very tiny print say max pressure is 50 and the max load is calculated at 40.

Tire inflation is a subjective thing. To each his own. I was just pointing out what works for me.

 

Understand. No need to justify. Since I haven't tried different pressures yet, I was just interested in your impressions, that's all. Though I'm not real pleased with the P Zero, I'll be fiddling with their pressures in the coming months. I've often run a couple lbs more in the fronts of other vehicles at certain times to help neutralize things. I'll see where that goes.

 

Just to clarify, the manual (and door sticker) states that the recommended tire inflation is 36psi for speeds up to 155MPH, and 41psi for speeds exceeding 155MPH for the 20" rims/tires only.

The manual also notes that for track use, the recommended inflation is 32psi to avoid over-inflation due to the extreme tire temps.

Lastly, the manual also notes the following "Over-inflation causes harsh ride, uneven tire wear and poor handling."

 

That must be what I saw. Also saw somewhere that there is a dash warning saying words to the effect of "tire pressure too low for speed" if you go past 155 with less than 41 psi. That is why I put mine at 42. I added a couple of extra for the rears to balance the drift out and ended up at 42 and 45. It rides great and I can cruise at 175 if I feel like it. I do carry the spare tire, a jack and a torque wrench in the trunk so that bit of weight might help mask the extra pressure in the rears. Thanks for the input.