Highway "Cruising" - Consensus Feedback

[brett_g]

Looking for some general feedback on highway driving experiences here. I've driven both my car and a dealer demo on the highway and they both seem to appear to drive very un-settled at highway speeds.

Lots of steering wheel movement and "jerk" over the smallest road imperfection. I am curious if others experience this behavior or if its indicative of the steering pump issue?

 

[Nova]

I have touring suspension and my steering feels pretty normal at high way speeds of 70-80mph. The only time the steering wheel shakes is when the car goes over uneven expansion joints, where the wheel shakes rather violently but the car itself seems to track pretty straight and doesn't need steering corrections. I don't really have to muscle it. It can be a bit jarring to experience this, but only because the steering wheel is so calm otherwise.

 

[KAR120C]

I ran at interstate+ speeds on cruise for the first time last week. The steering is very responsive but no issue with it being unsettled. You certainly feel road imperfections but not in a negative way. The wheel will jiggle over some surfaces, but the car does not pull or move. It tracked very straight.

 

[Nova]

I ran at interstate+ speeds on cruise for the first time last week. The steering is very responsive but no issue with it being unsettled. You certainly feel road imperfections but not in a negative way. The wheel will jiggle over some surfaces, but the car does not pull or move. It tracked very straight.

What suspension do you have? I wonder if the sports suspension is noticeably more "lively" than the touring.

 

[CHEESE]

Years ago, someone mentioned to me that wide tires are especially susceptible to pulling in one direction or the other when rolling over road imperfections like seams, etc.. Now I've been driving my Emira, I think I can attest to that.

 

[KAR120C]

What suspension do you have? I wonder if the sports suspension is noticeably more "lively" than the touring.

I have the Sport suspension with Goodyears. I am currently experimenting and running F/R pressures 2 PSI below recommended. That was mostly to dial out a little understeer, but it seems to be good for general road feel, both back roads and interstate.

 

[Kimmax]

20k+ km on Touring / Goodyears.

Yes you feel a lot. Might be vibrations, grooves (from road surface material itself, like concrete) and ruts (from heavy vehicles). You can also feel a slight "pull" in a specific direction, if the road is angled for water drainage. I get a slight wheel "shake" between 125-135 kph. Got my wheels balanced and it's much better than before, but it's there. It's not bothering me and it doesn't feel unsafe in any way. I think that's just the cost of the otherwise, for me, perfect steering.

Yes, the ruts are scary if unexpected. You follow them like on rails. That's what you get with these kind of tyre widths.

I also got some fresh new special "whisper" asphalt surface here on a stretch where it feels like driving on clouds, no vibrations no nothing. This reassures me that there is nothing "wrong" with the car. It just tends to give a lot of feedback one might find untypical.

Also once you go 200+ kph the car feels so safe and predictable.. basically safer when gunning it instead of just cruising along on half a hand and eye

 

[Porter]

The tramlining effect experienced with a very "live" steering system optimized for feedback will be exacerbated by any highway with textured concrete surfacing, like in Florida or Texas. The joints between concrete sections and the linear grooving in the surface for water control are both going to play havoc with the car's steering as the surface shifts and changes. This is just one of the downsides to a really focused sports car if you live in a tropical-weather state that has prioritized a low resurfacing/repaving cycle over highway surface quality.

Those of us lucky enough to live in temperate states that pave with smooth black asphalt on the highways will likely only experience this when going over certain kinds of bridges. A downside is that we have more potholes created in the seasonal freeze/thaw cycle.

 

[freefall_junkie]

I think the Emira's steering is probably its single best feature. It is so sharp and brimming with feel, and part of that is the little tugs you get as you pass over road imperfections. Having lots of feedback through the steering has always been an essential part of the Lotus DNA, which is why Lotus is one of the very few manufacturers still using hydraulic power steering (the only other I can think of is McLaren). Most modern cars with EPS have very little real steering feel, so I can imagine the feedback you get through the Emira's steering may well feel twitchy or unsettled at first if you are not used to it. Embrace it and it adds hugely to the enjoyment and involvement of driving.

 

[brett_g]

Great feedback in this thread; I am in Texas and its wild how much i've learned about how terrible our road surfaces are in this car

 

[LuckysDad]

Touring Suspension and I definitely feel the unsettledness when trying to drive straight down the highway.
Takes some getting used to. I don't recall the same jitteriness on the test drives.

 

[Lotus64]

Sports suspension here.... High speed cruising feels stable and compliant. Steering has a lot of road feedback with a fast ratio and responds to minor inputs, but tracks straight and is not jittery. Bumps do not upset the chassis at highway speeds. There is a good amount of road noise.

Edit: sports w/ cup2 tires

 

[scc.131.fe]

Sport on Goodyears, easy cruising.

 

[FlyNavy01]

It sounds like many of you are describing tramlining, which as Porter said is amplified in the Emira with the combination of a light front end, sticky tires, hydraulic steering, plus road surfaces with parallel imperfections like ruts or linear grooves between lanes, etc.

I first experienced this in FL where most of the interstates are concrete and I was driving home from the track with 275 width Trofeo R's and -2.5 front camber on my Model 3 Performance (lol). Even the mostly numb EPAS system in a heavy EV was jerking me left and right the whole way home and required 2 hands on the wheel. It's one of the compromises of a car setup for enhanced feel and performance. A 992 GT3 I drove last September exhibited similar tendencies on all but the smoothest roads.

 

[Johnson]

Touring V6 here. Our Tassie backroads are pretty narrow and bumpy, and the car handles them superbly. Not as casual as my previous Golf GTI, but you expect that.

Highway driving seems pretty normal, although I tend to concentrate more on varying the engine speed for break-in (surprisingly difficult if you’re not paying attention!).

Aside: just had a flashback to driving a hired Mini on the highway from Vermont to Boston. The speeds you guys drive on 6-lane highways is insane!

 

[EspritGuy]

Touring V6 here. Our Tassie backroads are pretty narrow and bumpy, and the car handles them superbly. Not as casual as my previous Golf GTI, but you expect that.

Highway driving seems pretty normal, although I tend to concentrate more on varying the engine speed for break-in (surprisingly difficult if you’re not paying attention!).

Aside: just had a flashback to driving a hired Mini on the highway from Vermont to Boston. The speeds you guys drive on 6-lane highways is insane!

80 is the new 60 MPH.

 

[Rapture]

I'm on Touring. The car "reads' the roads but it feels very good. No issues with shaking and no wheel vibration whatsoever. I like the feedback the steering provides.

 

[EspritGuy]

I'm on Touring. The car "reads' the roads but it feels very good. No issues with shaking and no wheel vibration whatsoever. I like the feedback the steering provides.

What he said...
I'll add that above 60 the car's aero effects are discernable. As speeds increase the Emira feels even more planted. It's crazy good. Drive with confidence.

 

[Speedy Emira]

I had a bit of vibration which was cured by front wheel balancing. Very happy with the drive at speeds and about 75mph it definitely feels it is biting down on bends.

 

[Subw00er]

What you're feeling is called tramlining, and because the lotus is light and quick steering, its pretty noticeable.