Considering a z4mr but concerned about harsh ride

[Philjwb]

Hi

I'm getting itchy feet and pretty tempted to try a z4m roadster instead of my current 986 boxster s. Although i do love the boxster for many things i do crave a bit of oversteer fun. My boxster is very precise and great fun on the road or track, but i find that i don't want to go near the limit on roads since i know from various track days how fast it can spin when the back end breaks away. Hence my interest in the z4m. I am however concerned about the overly harsh ride. I think my Porsche offer a very good compromise between sports and gt car. I can thrash it around b roadsor cruise 400 miles+ in comfort, but i fear the z4ms harsh ride will become tiresome, especially as i'm planning a european road trip of several k's in the new year.

So my question is what can be done to improve the ride for every day use? I am a physicist and engineer, so can understand the mechanics, but probably wouldn't perform suspension upgrades myself.. Are there some generally recommended upgrades which have been tried and tested?

Phil

 

[DONDP]

Hi Phil,

In a standard z4m the ride will undoubtedly be a little more harsh than the Boxter.However, I used mine in standard form as a daily driver for a good year and it was only after I put 19" wheels on it that I decided it needed improving.

The good news is there are plenty of us on here that have improved the ride quality and handling on these cars. You can get a mild improvement just by changing springs and getting a decent geometry setup. If you don't mind spending a bit more you can go the full aftermarket approach. I now run KWv3 suspension and I am astonished at the compliancy and handling of the car.

There is a good thread you may wish to read here:

http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=57415



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[obewan]

Hi
I'm a newbie to Z4's. had mine a couple of months. I'm sure there will be some more people along shortly with vastly more experience, however here's my thoughts for what it's worth.
Can't deny the ride is firm (I have 18" RF), but uncomfortable? - No
Only really notice it on poorly maintained B roads and around the streets.
On decent A roads and motorways I was pleasantly surprised at the ride and quietness especially after reading I probably had the worst combination of wheels/tyres

IMO the firmness of ride is more than compensated by the handling and performance
Good luck with your search

 

[obewan]

whoops
sorry DONDP - I was busy typing when you submitted - thought I was first
Wasn't implying you weren't experienced

 

[exdos]

Here's some more reading for you: http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=38918&hilit=suspension+aftermarket

I fitted AC Schnitzer Sports suspension (adjustable) and when properly set up, it considerably improves the ride and handling. KWV3 or Bilstein PSS10 are other excellent alternatives. Worth every penny!

 

[flimper]

I went from 986 Boxster to Z4M, can't say I've noticed much difference in the ride

 

[DONDP]

whoops
sorry DONDP - I was busy typing when you submitted - thought I was first
Wasn't implying you weren't experienced

No Worries, no offence taken, nice to see we are all keen to convert a Porsche owner to the dark side ;-)

 

[Adam D]

/contentious reply below....

Find a later 987 3.4 Boxster S with switchable sports suspension over a Z4M. The Boxster is a great platform and the 3.4 gives it the grunt it needed to go with the sure footed handling.

 

[AZ4MW]

I've had my ///M R for just under a month now and I feel the ride is pretty perfect for standard it really holds the road well and not notice that hard a ride, all I can say is its one awesome car

 

[RedUn]

Came from a 987 Cayman S, I'd say the ride is very similar. Do it you'll enjoy the raw feeling after the clinical porka!

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

 

[Yorkie Z]

I drove my girlfriends car today (Audi A3) as we needed the extra seats. Can honestly say it was probably a million times more comfortable than my Z4. Also the fuel gauge hardly moved after a 100 mile trip.

But it didn't feel special, fun, raw, exciting and at no point sideways. A harsh ride isn't a down side it's a feature lol

 

[Philjwb]

Thanks for your replies guys, hopefully i'll find a few to test drive before i go back to work in Jan and in the mean time i'll read those threads and look into the aftermarket suspension options..

 

[Stuart Truman]

Where do you live Phil? There's often an owner who will take someone out for a run.

 

[swanicyouth]

I drove my M many times from PA to FL (USA) and back. I think its like 1,300 miles each way. The ride is fine if the roads are fine.

 

[LeeZ4MR]

The ride is fine if the roads are fine.

The problem I had was that the roads are terrible where I live at the moment & it showed the ride up to be very poor but if I lived in a different county maybe I wouldn't have had an issue with the ride... its pothole heaven in Lincolnshire & all the tarmac is consistently broken.

 

[carl]

Maybe a cheaper option is to consider some tyres with softer sidewalls? Toyo Proxes T1-R have pretty soft sidewalls. My wife has driven my Z4MC for many miles on the original Contisport 3s and Vredestein Ultrac Sessantas and not complained about a harsh ride. Mind you, we had a TVR Cerbera beforehand.

 

[LeeZ4MR]

Maybe a cheaper option is to consider some tyres with softer sidewalls? Toyo Proxes T1-R have pretty soft sidewalls. My wife has driven my Z4MC for many miles on the original Contisport 3s and Vredestein Ultrac Sessantas and not complained about a harsh ride. Mind you, we had a TVR Cerbera beforehand.

I am guessing that the Z4MR rides considerably worse than the Z4MC then as I had a TVR Cerbera too & the ride in that never bothered me but my Z4M has been the worse car ive owned for ride quality, but as you suggest I don't think the original tyres help much.

 

[carl]

I am guessing that the Z4MR rides considerably worse than the Z4MC then as I had a TVR Cerbera too & the ride in that never bothered me but my Z4M has been the worse car ive owned for ride quality, but as you suggest I don't think the original tyres help much.

Why would the R ride worse than the C? I hated the suspension on my Cerb and had to spend a *lot* of money to get it riding how I wanted.

 

[LeeZ4MR]

I am guessing that the Z4MR rides considerably worse than the Z4MC then as I had a TVR Cerbera too & the ride in that never bothered me but my Z4M has been the worse car ive owned for ride quality, but as you suggest I don't think the original tyres help much.

Why would the R ride worse than the C? I hated the suspension on my Cerb and had to spend a *lot* of money to get it riding how I wanted.

Less rigidity & more flex made it feel worse for me personally & agree the ride in the Cerb wasn't excellent by any means but I loved everything else about it so I forgave the ride a little!

 

[Beedub]

I am guessing that the Z4MR rides considerably worse than the Z4MC then as I had a TVR Cerbera too & the ride in that never bothered me but my Z4M has been the worse car ive owned for ride quality, but as you suggest I don't think the original tyres help much.

Why would the R ride worse than the C? I hated the suspension on my Cerb and had to spend a *lot* of money to get it riding how I wanted.

Less rigidity & more flex made it feel worse for me personally & agree the ride in the Cerb wasn't excellent by any means but I loved everything else about it so I forgave the ride a little!

Are aware that the z4m rigidity figure is higher than a lotus exige which sits at 10,500nm/deg to the z4mr at 14,500nm/deg.... ???????????
Never heard anyone complain that the lotus's flex and rigidity added towards a bad ride?? Now the coupe double figure is awesome but let me tell you , you never felt flex in your z4mr unless your Lewis Hamilton.... And I'm going to guess the roadster z4m is considerably stiffer than a cerb or probably any of the tvrs tbh unless you have the torsional figures to correct me?... Damping/stock alignment/springs are far bigger issue and to be honest from the factory , whether coupe , roadster or your e92 m3 for that matter , they are all blunt instruments.

You didn't get on with your z4m roadster which is fair enough, but when I read things like the above it winds me up a-little.

Enjoy your e92 m3.

on a side note id love to see what the torsional figure would be for a hardtop shod z4roadster... and if it would be different at all.....

Koenigsegg Agera R - 65000 Nm/deg
Bugatti Veyron - 60000 Nm/deg
Koenigsegg Agera - 58000 Nm/deg
Rolls Royce Phantom - 40500 Nm/deg
Audi R8 (2014 MY) - 40000 Nm/deg
Lexus LF-A - 39130 Nm/deg
BMW F10 5 - 37500 Nm/deg
Volkswagen Phaeton - 37000 Nm/deg
Lamborghini Aventador - 35000 Nm/deg
Lamborghini Gallardo Super Trofeo Stradale - 35000 Nm/deg
Ferrari F50 - 34600 Nm/deg
Fisker Karma - 33000 Nm/deg
Porsche 911 (997) - 33000 Nm/deg
Volkswagen Passat (2006) - 32400 Nm/deg
BMW Z4 Coupe - 32000 Nm/deg
Alfa 159 - 31400 Nm/deg
BMW F07 5GT - 31000 Nm/deg
Mazda Rx-8 - 30000 Nm/deg
Mercedes Benz W212 E - 29920 Nm/deg
Aston Martin Vanquish - 28500 Nm/deg
Koenigsegg CC8 - 28100 Nm/deg
Aston Martin Rapide - 28000 Nm/deg
BMW E70 X5 - 28000 Nm/deg
Land rover Freelander 2 - 28000 Nm/deg
Ford GT - 27100 Nm/deg
Aston Martin DB9 Coupe - 27000 Nm/deg
Pagani Zonda F - 27000 Nm/deg
Porsche 911 Turbo 996 - 27000 Nm/deg
Lotus Evora - 26600 Nm/deg
Pagani Zonda C12 S - 26300 Nm/deg
Porsche Carrera GT - 26000 Nm/deg
Audi A8 - 25000 Nm/deg
Pagani Zonda C12 - 25000 Nm/deg
Volkswagen Golf V GTI - 25000 Nm/deg
Mini (2003) - 24500 Nm/deg
BMW E39 5 - 24000 Nm/deg
BMW E60 5 - 24000 Nm/deg
BMW E53 X5 (2004) - 23100 Nm/deg
BMW E30 M3 - 23000 Nm/deg
Lambo Gallardo - 23000 Nm/deg
BMW E90 - 22500 Nm/deg
Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport - 22000 Nm/deg
Jaguar X (Sedan) - 22000 Nm/deg
Mercedes Benz SL (top up) - 21000 Nm/deg
Saab 9-3 Sportcombi - 21000 Nm/deg
Ford Mustang 2005 - 21000 Nm/deg
Chrysler Crossfire - 20140 Nm/deg
Lamborghini Murcielago - 20000 Nm/deg
Volvo S60 - 20000 Nm/deg
Ford Focus 3d - 19600 Nm/deg
Audi TT Coupe - 19000 Nm/deg
Bugatti EB110 - 19000 Nm/deg
Volvo S80 - 18600 Nm/deg
Bentley Azure - 18000 Nm/deg
BMW E46 Sedan (w/o folding seats) - 18000 Nm/deg
Maserati QP - 18000 Nm/deg
Pagani Zonda Roadster - 18000 Nm/deg
Volkswagen Fox - 17941 Nm/deg
Ford Focus 5d - 17900 Nm/deg
Chevrolet Cruze - 17600 Nm/deg
Ford GT40 MkI - 17000 Nm/deg
Mercedes Benz SL (top down) - 17000 Nm/deg
Jaguar X (Estate) - 16319 Nm/deg
Ford Mustang 2003 - 16000 Nm/deg
Jaguar XK - 16000 Nm/deg
Aston Martin DB9 Convertible - 15500 Nm/deg
Mazda Rx-7 - 15000 Nm/deg
BMW Z4 Roadster - 14500 Nm/deg
Ferrari 360 - 14455 Nm/deg
BMW E46 Wagon (w/folding seats) - 14000 Nm/deg
McLaren F1 - 13500 Nm/deg
Porsche 911 Turbo (2000) - 13500 Nm/deg
BMW E46 Sedan (w/folding seats) - 13000 Nm/deg
Porsche 959 - 12900 Nm/deg
BMW E46 Coupe (w/folding seats) - 12500 Nm/deg
Opel Astra - 12000 Nm/deg
Audi A2 - 11900 Nm/deg
Porsche 911 Turbo 996 Convertible - 11600 Nm/deg
Lotus Elise 111s - 11000 Nm/deg
BMW E36 Touring - 10900 Nm/deg
BMW E46 Convertible - 10500 Nm/deg
Lotus Elise S2 Exige (2004) - 10500 Nm/deg
Ferrari 355 - 10042 Nm/deg
Lotus Elise - 10000 Nm/deg
Renault Sport Spider - 10000 Nm/deg
Ford Mustang Convertible (2005) - 9500 Nm/deg
Chevrolet Corvette C5 - 9100 Nm/deg
Lotus Elan GRP body - 8900 Nm/deg
Ferrari 360 Spider - 8500 Nm/deg
Lotus Elan - 7900 Nm/deg
Dodge Viper Coupe - 7600 Nm/deg
Chrysler Durango - 6800 Nm/deg
Lotus Esprit SE Turbo - 5850 Nm/deg
BMW E36 Z3 - 5600 Nm/deg
Mazda MX-5 (later w/ bracing) - 5150 Nm/deg
Mazda MX-5 (1990) - 4880 Nm/deg
Ford Mustang Convertible (2003) - 4800 Nm/deg
Lamborghini Countach - 2600 Nm/deg


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk