Jer,
That's exc. to hear your perspective having experienced variations. I've often thought a lot of the people complaining of the harsh ride on the street were doing themselves a disservice by having sport suspension instead of standard.

From early on LA show 2004 the Lotus engineers were trying to encourage getting standard suspension to make the car better all rounder.

Since I sold my wing mine hauls groceries, and 50 pound sack of bird feed fits nicely in the boot btw!

Chris

 

Well I'm thrilled to have a lightning fast car on course, and still be able to enjoy daily driving! LSS cars feel great with the base wheels, every bit as good as base cars with those wheels.

 

Awsome!

Care to share your geo setting?

 

Nope.

 

Am I the first to put base rims on a LSS car?

No. I've got LSS and use the base wheels/tires as my wet set-up, and for travel to the track if somebody's trailering my other wheels. Although now the car has Nitrons so I guess I've no longer got LSS.

 

Based on driving Jacob's car in an autox setting, which has Penske shocks and AD07 tires, I would agree with your findings. Perhaps it is the skinny front tire? The excellent steering feel is maintained, while being very composed. Very little body roll and excellent balance. There is a bit more drama with the base suspension however.

I have noted a number of excellent drivers thinking that the base suspension is more fun on the street.

 

THe skinny profile up front makes a ton of difference. For the last two months I ran the base AD07s on LSS rims. Vey numb, but not as bad as the 48s. Tonight I reloaded those tires onto the base rims and voila! a world of difference.

 

Lss

Are there any tires that will work well on the street on LSS rims? The 175 is too small for the 6.5 inch rims and there is no AD07 in a 185 or 195.

 

Are there any tires that will work well on the street on LSS rims? The 175 is too small for the 6.5 inch rims and there is no AD07 in a 185 or 195.

Actually, many people have mounted the 175 on the 6.5 inch rims (as Surferjet did - see two posts up). Yokohama will tell you that the 175 is good to a 6 inch rim, but it has no problem going that extra 0.5 inch.

 

Are there any tires that will work well on the street on LSS rims? The 175 is too small for the 6.5 inch rims and there is no AD07 in a 185 or 195.

Yes, although Michelin seems to be a dirty word here, the Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2 is an excellent performer for street driving. I put them on my base suspension elise on european exige wheels, felt great. Then I put them (wheels and tires) on my exige, and the car is great!:nanner: :nanner: :nanner: Quiter, great feel, and the performance is better than you would need for any street conditions. They will probably last at least 25,000 miles and stay stickey the whole time. If I ever race, I have the Ao48's that came on the car. :nanner2: :nanner2: :nanner2:

 

Surferjer just posted that the AD07 on the 6.5 inch rim is "very numb, but not as numb as the 48's". Any other opinions? What size PE2"s?

 

What size PE2"s?

Same as the LSS Ao48's

 

As for comparisons between the AD07s on the wider rims, it feels fine, much better than the 48s. But on the narrower rims it feels so much more alive!

 

Boy! Makes me glad I bought the car with "touring" wheels!rotfl

:thwack: :thwack: :thwack: :thwack: :thwack:

 

Thanks Jer for the great info. I had been looking for a used car with LSS.

If having LSS gives you poorer steering feel and control I would rather save some $$$ and go with the standard suspension.
cheers

 

You're welcome!!

Unless you're racing the car, get the base suspension. You'll have a great time, save a few $$, and never miss it.

If you plan to track her, get LSS and then pick up some base rims for the street. You could then use the LSS rims for track-dedicated tires.

 

I think the car feels the best on the street with LSS wheels (or equivilent weight) and street tires, Hankook RS-2s, Goodyear F1s etc. I don't like the way the car turns in with the heavier standard wheels.

 

And if going fast is not important at all, and you want it to feel even more alive.. get the tires found on this:

Numbness GONE. The car will really feel on edge.

</sarcasm off>

 

I read that the head suspension tuning engineer at BMW drives a Mini Cooper S with the smallest tires offered on it. Maybe even non S spec wheels/tires because of superior feel and feedback.

 

Thanks for the comparo Jer, I think I'll try the AD07s on LSS wheels next...

 

Hmmm. Never would have known that my care felt numb if someone hadn't told me so.

 

Hmmm. Never would have known that my car felt numb if someone hadn't told me so.

I'm sure he's speaking in relative terms. He's not trying to draw a comparison to a Lincoln Town Car or something.

 

Absolutely! The Elise in any configuration is outstanding, but the base car has a different feel.

 

Reports have come in about how "numb" the feel is in driving the LSS, and how some owners much prefer the feel of the base suspension on the street vs. the sport suspension.


I would beg to differ on that. To the contrary, it's the standard-suspended car that has a slightly less positive response on turn-in and tracking through the turn. I went from a standard car right into a Sport Suspended car and noticed an immediate difference. There is also substantially more body roll on the standard car. None of this is a bad thing but the LSS cars do steer quicker and require slightly more input pressure on the steering wheel, track better and yes, ride quality is definitely more harsh (but worth it).

 

the car with "touring"

:thwack: :thwack: :thwack: :thwack: :thwack:

:thwack: :thwack: :thwack: :thwack: :thwack: You just had to go and say it didn't you...