I want a soft ride

[Noob4Life]

Originally Posted by Laika

My BRZ with 16" steelies/snow tires has the exact soft, wallowy, boring, ride that you're looking for.

I can't wait to be back on 17's with summer tires.

Lmao

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[boredom.is.me]

17's

[Wolfking]

Originally Posted by PeterB

BRZ is too stiff for me. How can I make it more comfy and softer ride? I know this is going to be controversial on the forum and contrary to what most people preferences are.

In order to improve logistics here, please do not make the following comments:

1. This car is not for you. You should buy a different car. I know it, but I like this car.
2. Softening will worsen the handling. I know.

I want the softest ride in BRZ that is still safe and not too expensive.

I already know general guidelines like these:
http://www.ehow.com/how_7254664_soft...-ride-car.html

but they are not likely to change the ride significantly, I think.

So, what are my choices about changing the suspension?

I would appreciate any feedback.

I've solved your problem years ago, Pete! (tried and tested) As per your request and without ridicule, here you go... Our oem tires are 225/45/ R17's... change your 45's to 50's! Doing so will give you a softer ride. In addition to this, a good tire that has a stiff sidewall will not necessarily degrade your current performance level. God speed!

[roddy]

You don't have the car yet? Try it out first...the ride is firm, but not at all harsh. I expected it to be pretty stiff, but it is actually not bad, and I use my car as a daily driver. As others have said, adjustable struts will help, but this is not going to be cheap. I am running 16" winter tires and the ride is noticeably softer than with the summer 17s. Impreza springs probably wouldn't be a good idea, even if they fit. They are designed for a heavier car, and would give you a "4X4" stance (and most likely ride like one too).

[dori.]

WAIT A MINUTE... WAAAAIIIIT A MINUTE.

you don't have the car yet? uhm wtf? You definitely don't know what it's like to drive the car day to day. I thought the car was stiff at first but now I'm used to it (and could go a tad stiffer TBH).

A test drive isn't really going to show you the car's dynamics, unless you get it for a week or something.

[Justin.b]

You're really going to need a coilover setup to run softer springs - and you'll have to spec in the springs yourself because there's not going to be a single sane brz owner seeking aftermarket suspension to make the car handle worse than stock.

As mentioned here also, you can run 16" wheels and tires with larger sidewalls. This should be easier to find since there are sane performance reasons to run a smaller rim/tire on this car, which means you can piggyback on the sanity of others to pursue your ridiculous goal.

-Justin

[DarkSunrise]

Originally Posted by gmookher

1-all BS aside, iirc the front coils on the FRS are softer than BRZ front. Consider those to soften the ride. That may get you just what you need in your BRZ.

2-also see if you can find a Continental ExtremeContact DWS Ultra High Performance All-Season in a 17, or as other posted, go to a 16" rim and a 50 or 55 series tire in 16"

These suggestions seem pretty good. I'd try going with a 16" wheel/tire combination first. The stock tire size is 215/45/17, so your best options in the 16" size will be 205/55/16 and 225/50/16. The DWS's are very soft for UHP AS tires. I might even go one step softer with "Touring All-Season" tires, like Continental ProContacts, Michelin Defenders, and Hankook Optimo H727's. The Hankooks aren't the best tires, but are known to have very soft sidewalls.

If the ride is still too harsh, then I'd try custom rate springs (or swapping in the FR-S front springs as mentioned above).

[berndawg]

Try to set of Yokohama tires. They turned my SLK into a real luxury car.

[JoeBoxer]

Originally Posted by berndawg

Try to set of Yokohama tires. They turned my SLK into a real luxury car.

There are lots of different Yoko's, brand doesn't matter nearly as much as the design, tread compounds, load and speed rating, etc.

[SOneThreeCoupe]

Originally Posted by neutron256

It's a lightweight car. Your only going to be able to make the ride so soft before it will start to become unstable. Part of how nice big luxury cars have such a smooth ride is the have a lot of mass.

The Lotus Elan ('62-'75) rides fantastically well despite weighing a whopping 1517lbs in its later iterations, and it's plenty stable even on 155R13s.

There are plenty of cars that weigh over two tons that have harsh, choppy rides due to improper damper valving and excessively low sidewall profiles. Mass is not the issue.

I'm in the same boat as the OP- I want a less harsh ride but for different reasons- I like to drive fast over choppy pavement and tires that aren't on the road don't provide a heck of a lot of grip. It seems to me that properly valved dampers and stiffer springs combined with a reduction in bushing stiction, as well as a decrease in unsprung weight, will create a car with superior ride quality and grip over rough pavement. It just won't be inexpensive and I'm okay with that.

OP, the least expensive choice will probably be a change to 215/50R17 tires, as you'll gain nearly half an inch of sidewall height. No other changes would be necessary. You'll lose feedback and accuracy and a tiny bit of braking stability, and you'll have more shoulder wear when you push the car hard, but the ride will be better.

[OrbitalEllipses]

Originally Posted by SOneThreeCoupe

I like to drive fast over choppy pavement and tires that aren't on the road don't provide a heck of a lot of grip.

My winter tires (205/50/17) over choppy pavement makes me want to die. I started thinking a lot more about ride comfort after this thread; moving to such a different compound with more sidewall DID make the ride bouncier. Want 50 degree or higher temps back NAO so I can has stiff ride back!

[Jaylyons1]

Check into the Tein H Tech springs. I don't know personally, but I do hear they are a bit softer than stock. It's not going to be super easy to make this car too soft though.

[whataboutbob]

Buy my stock FR-S springs when I put my RaceCompEngineering springs on.

[JoeBoxer]

Originally Posted by Jaylyons1

Check into the Tein H Tech springs. I don't know personally, but I do hear they are a bit softer than stock. It's not going to be super easy to make this car too soft though.

Not softer than stock but ride is excellent and the drop is pretty decent. I like them but actually would like something a little stiffer.