Misha drives an AUTO V6 with TOUR on the ring

[racewithcal]

Misha’s requirements for a car are entirely different to my own, he is thrashing a car around the Ring at speeds most of us wouldn’t dream of doing or be capable of matching so for me the Touring suspension is for the roads I am driving mine on. If I regularly tracked the car then without a doubt I would have got one with Sport suspension and accepted the compromises it brings in daily use for the superior connection and control on the track

Horses for courses.

Are there really compromises though? I have sports and it was softer than I expected after reading all of the opinions on the suspensions before I received the car. Even with Tillets I'm not finding it to be annoyingly stiff on bad roads, with the stock seats it's a complete non-issue.

I was coming from a GR Yaris, which is pretty stiff, so maybe that has something to do with it!

 

[MTV]

Touring suspension does not cut it on the track whatsoever!!!!!!

 

[leofin]

Masha praised the Lotus Exige S and said good words about the Emira V6 tuned by Komo-tec. Does it matter?

In my opinion the car is a blast. Without being a dedicated track driver because I don't want to be. With my Emira V6 auto fitted with the electronic suspension platform from Nitron I can have lots of fun for sure.

Let's compare the Emira V6 auto with the Porsche 911 Carrera 2026 PDK:
- Is the Emira better overall? No.
- Is the Emira better in tight corners? Yes
- Is it the Emira faster on straight line? No
- How much slower is the Emira's auto after the updates: Not so bad
- How much cheaper is the Emira? €50 000 about
- Which car can you afford a €90K-120K Emira or a 130K-200K 911? Buy that one

Masha will drive some 30 years old Honda NSX and praise it afterwards. The guy is biased to certain models. He also drove some American muscle car and praised it. Come' on.

 

[Honcho]

Are there really compromises though? I have sports and it was softer than I expected after reading all of the opinions on the suspensions before I received the car. Even with Tillets I'm not finding it to be annoyingly stiff on bad roads, with the stock seats it's a complete non-issue.

I was coming from a GR Yaris, which is pretty stiff, so maybe that has something to do with it!

I had a Yaris too and on touring v6. I can’t understand all the reviews that say the Emira is a sharp handling sport car. I feel like the Emira is ridiculously soft. On the rally style roads around me it feels like riding on an uncontrollable water bed. On the track it feels like it rolls a crazy amount.

I’m currently on custom valved Nitrons and I’ve been able to set them up to make a huge difference. It’s night and day - so much sharper and controlled damping at speed, but the tune on my off the shelf r1 fast roads seemed lackluster too. Harder springs (between fast road and club sport), less compression damping and more rebound damping on the shim stack worked well. I really wanted to do the gearbox mount upgrade too because I thought I could feel the engine/gearbox lurch around on/off throttle when pushing on, but it turned out this was the suspension and the car pitching and diving. This is now fixed. On mid corner big bumps the car now inspires confidence where it once filled me with fear.

Hopefully, if Multimatic did a good job on the new 420 upgrade package I think the car could be totally transformed into something that can compete with the best in terms of handling. It will be interesting to see the reviews come in for that.

The chassis seems to be there. Just needs set up as more of a drivers car to match it’s looks from factory.

 

[dbjames]

God I can feel Misha's disappointment and it hurts.
I knew I bought the wrong car after 4 track days with it trying to make it work.

Even though my driving abilities is at like 10% of Misha's cruising ability, my experience has been the same as his complaints on track (except for maybe steering feel; I quite like it but I'm not going anywhere near Misha's speeds). Everything can be made better except for the slush box.

My main comparison is hopping between our 718 Spyder and Emira on back to back sessions.
The PDK vs a toyota economy slushbox.... no comparison.

The stubborn me is still trying to stick it out and "waste" money on brake + suspension upgrades while trying to ignore the slushbox (assuming it doesn't malfunction again when I take it out later this year). Though not stubborn enough to throw $ at a DCT conversion.

I just adore the looks of this car, but I'd like to actually drive the thing at the limit.

You also lose the LSD by opting for the auto which is annoying and unhelpful on track

 

[leofin]

You also lose the LSD by opting for the auto which is annoying and unhelpful on track

I had a Yaris too and on touring v6. I can’t understand all the reviews that say the Emira is a sharp handling sport car. I feel like the Emira is ridiculously soft. On the rally style roads around me it feels like riding on an uncontrollable water bed. On the track it feels like it rolls a crazy amount.

I’m currently on custom valved Nitrons and I’ve been able to set them up to make a huge difference. It’s night and day - so much sharper and controlled damping at speed, but the tune on my off the shelf r1 fast roads seemed lackluster too. Harder springs (between fast road and club sport), less compression damping and more rebound damping on the shim stack worked well. I really wanted to do the gearbox mount upgrade too because I thought I could feel the engine/gearbox lurch around on/off throttle when pushing on, but it turned out this was the suspension and the car pitching and diving. This is now fixed. On mid corner big bumps the car now inspires confidence where it once filled me with fear.

Hopefully, if Multimatic did a good job on the new 420 upgrade package I think the car could be totally transformed into something that can compete with the best in terms of handling. It will be interesting to see the reviews come in for that.

The chassis seems to be there. Just needs set up as more of a drivers car to match it’s looks from factory.

Some people in the forum are used to hard tuned Mitsubishi Lancer EVO’s, others have been driving Mercedes E class - before buying an Emira.

If one would like to cruise across Europe and also visit the track sometimes, that car can be the Emira. Emira touring version.

The other car for track use could be an Emira too - sold by the factory but with a completely different suspension setup. Emira track version.

It’s like wanting to have, a BMW pure for track use and at the same time a 4 series BMW. Even the electronic suspension of Nitron cannot do that in the Emira. Maybe the Porsche 911 latest generation is capable or perhaps a BMW M3?

 

[MiamiBlue]

I had a Yaris too and on touring v6. I can’t understand all the reviews that say the Emira is a sharp handling sport car. I feel like the Emira is ridiculously soft. On the rally style roads around me it feels like riding on an uncontrollable water bed. On the track it feels like it rolls a crazy amount.

The Tour is very soft. Far softer than any of my previous cars (M3, Cayman, Civic Type-R, S2000). I would go as far to say it spoils the car on track or even on a 'spirited' canyon/back road drive. But Tour does what it says on the Tin. It's for taking the Mrs on a trip across Europe, not for banging off the rev limiter going up your local mountain road. It's about comfort first, not absolute performance.

But what I find strange, is that from reading the forums is that it seems many owners speced Tour suspension. Then complain it's too soft when they drive the car hard. What did they expect? Sport should probably be the default option for a sports car that is driven like a sports car. It is still very compliant, still more comfortable than most sports cars for sale, and I don't think I've heard one person say it's too firm, but drive the car hard and it's stiff enough that you can appreciate the chassis and enjoy the car.

They probably should have just released the car with the standard suspension. It's apparently very similar to the previous Evora setups -and they were applauded for being just about perfect. Nobody would have complained. But to cater for a larger audience and those that are not interested in the Lotus sporting credentials, and more interested in cruising around they introduced the new Touring setup.
I just don't know why it became the default choice.

 

[David s]

Touring suspension does not cut it on the track whatsoever!!!!!!

Completely agree. I’m not wasting track time anymore till I upgrade the shocks. Touring is good for the road and no more than that.

 

[Gears]

The Tour is very soft. Far softer than any of my previous cars (M3, Cayman, Civic Type-R, S2000). I would go as far to say it spoils the car on track or even on a 'spirited' canyon/back road drive. But Tour does what it says on the Tin. It's for taking the Mrs on a trip across Europe, not for banging off the rev limiter going up your local mountain road. It's about comfort first, not absolute performance.

But what I find strange, is that from reading the forums is that it seems many owners speced Tour suspension. Then complain it's too soft when they drive the car hard. What did they expect? Sport should probably be the default option for a sports car that is driven like a sports car. It is still very compliant, still more comfortable than most sports cars for sale, and I don't think I've heard one person say it's too firm, but drive the car hard and it's stiff enough that you can appreciate the chassis and enjoy the car.

They probably should have just released the car with the standard suspension. It's apparently very similar to the previous Evora setups -and they were applauded for being just about perfect. Nobody would have complained. But to cater for a larger audience and those that are not interested in the Lotus sporting credentials, and more interested in cruising around they introduced the new Touring setup.
I just don't know why it became the default choice.

Don't forget, the suspension has to work on the back roads around Norfolk, famous for its undulating, off-camber, tramlined disaster of what we call "B-roads". Ford of Europe have a laser-scanned copy of a British B-road at their Lommel proving grounds for good reason. Trust me, even the Tour suspension is barely compliant enough to keep the wheels connected to the road.

If you live in places like the Netherlands, Germany, or the US (yes I know you have potholes too, but your roads are very different from the UK), then the Sports suspension is probably too soft!

 

[SJM]

Don't forget, the suspension has to work on the back roads around Norfolk, famous for its undulating, off-camber, tramlined disaster of what we call "B-roads". Ford of Europe have a laser-scanned copy of a British B-road at their Lommel proving grounds for good reason. Trust me, even the Tour suspension is barely compliant enough to keep the wheels connected to the road.

If you live in places like the Netherlands, Germany, or the US (yes I know you have potholes too, but your roads are very different from the UK), then the Sports suspension is probably too soft!

Australian roads, particularly country Victoria are similar in, they are pot holed.
Tour suspension is perfect for our conditions and I find a good compromise between compliance and sporty.
Tried a sport suspended Emira, it did my head in on the road that I use frequently.

 

[MTV]

Completely agree. I’m not wasting track time anymore till I upgrade the shocks. Touring is good for the road and no more than that.

I wonder what the Motons are like and if they are available yet.
The Touring feels like running on stilts on the track.

 

[MTV]

Australian roads, particularly country Victoria are similar in, they are pot holed.
Tour suspension is perfect for our conditions and I find a good compromise between compliance and sporty.
Tried a sport suspended Emira, it did my head in on the road that I use frequently.

Went to visit Jubu last year to specifically see what the Ohlins felt like. We found a nice bumpy road and was more than happy. Definitely an option.

 

[me73]

I don't think anyone who owns an actual GT would consider an Emira a GT.

 

[Quasimoto]

Well someone should explain this to Misha Charoudin then…”It’s not a sports car, it’s a GT car.”

It’s literally a homologated GT4 car…

I get it that there is no clear definition and the term means different things to different people, but that’s good enough for me

 

[Orchardbike]

I think the seats tell you what Lotus designed the car for.

 

[me73]

Well someone should explain this to Misha Charoudin then…”It’s not a sports car, it’s a GT car.”

It’s literally a homologated GT4 car…

I get it that there is no clear definition and the term means different things to different people, but that’s good enough for me

He thinks anything with a supple suspension is a GT.