Driver Comfort Concerns

[Audi]

i am planning to buy new sport car as daily car . my daily trip will be around 2 to 4 hours (I am a 45-year-old man) i heard that sport cars in general like miata and s2000 are stiff and tiring . So do you think that fr-s/BRZ will have the same issue? and if it is should i install aftermarket shock absorbers or something like that? Do any of you have any experience, suggestions to improve the riding comfort?
the good thing i heard about is they promises great gas mileage for the FR-S

[ichitaka05]

from my experience, stock shocks are better than some of the aftermarket shocks. I would just wait around a bit before buy aftermarket shocks

[NastyNate]

The suspension on my miata was fine. That thing that really hurt were large bumps. I've since gone to an even stiffer spring with better valved shocks. The ride is much better. It's quite a bit firmer but not spine crushing.

[fatoni]

Originally Posted by NastyNate

The suspension on my miata was fine. That thing that really hurt were large bumps. I've since gone to an even stiffer spring with better valved shocks. The ride is much better. It's quite a bit firmer but not spine crushing.

thats because of the way the miata was designed. it has a really low springrate and uses bumpstops during anything close to hard cornering. that way the ride isnt horrible but it can still handle. the issue is large bumps put the car on its bumpstops increasing the effective springrate tenfold instantly. when you up the rates, the car can now stay off the stops making the ride firmer but less jarring.

in my opinion you should steer clear of these sports cars if thats a real conern. if you want something sporty but liveable look to the sports luxury segment like you seemingly already have

[Audi]

Originally Posted by ichitaka05

from my experience, stock shocks are better than some of the aftermarket shocks. I would just wait around a bit before buy aftermarket shocks

Thanks ichitaka05

[Rampage]

If you are worried about ride quality then buy a sporty car, not a sports car. I am thinking that the FR-S/BRZ will not ride too bad on stock shocks and springs. Probably firm but not jarring. But then I drive a MRS on coil-overs so most anything will feel good to me. If I am going on a trip or to work, I take my CTS. If I am going on a fun drive, I take the MRS.

[AE86XGC8]

Originally Posted by Audi

the good thing i heard about is they promises great gas mileage for the FR-S

I think it's more about how you drive.

http://jalopnik.com/5112190/how-to-g...-a-porsche-911

The masochistic Germans have been at it again, driving a 345 HP 2009 Porsche 911 efficiently enough to return 35 MPG (US). Did they drive it slowly? No, not really.

[MRZ415]

yeah .. how you drive can really play a key role in ride comfort and fuel economy.
I can drive like a slug and get 50+mpg on my TDI ((boring))
[[comfy relaxing ride]]
I can drive like a mad man and get 30+mpg on my TDI just the same ((less boring))
[[ heart racing fast rough ride ]]

[Ryephile]

Originally Posted by Audi

... i heard that sport cars in general like miata and s2000 are stiff and tiring . So do you think that fr-s/BRZ will have the same issue? and if it is should i install aftermarket shock absorbers or something like that? Do any of you have any experience, suggestions to improve the riding comfort? ...

The damper valving is what plays the primary role in perceived ride quality. A high quality digressive damper correctly tuned to the cars weights [sprung, unsprung, and spring rate] will ride smoothly over rough pavement while also providing adequate chassis control through directional transitions. As a rule of thumb, OEM dampers are usually tuned for ride comfort, not optimum chassis control. Even then, dampers on affordable cars have to cost the manufacturer so little money that they rarely perform as well as expensive dampers [rather obvious]. As such, some manufacturers choose to use a cheap linear damper and sacrifice ride quality for perceived handling, when in fact both suffer. What Subaru/Toyota end up putting on the car is TBD. Also, each model may have slightly different damper valving as there's been some press how the BRZ handles slightly different than the 86/FR-S.

In the end, it'll be best to wait until the car comes to market and drive one for yourself to determine ride quality, as it's a subjective thing. If the ride is too rough, you can buy a good set of dampers like KW Variant 3, Nitron Singles, Ohlins DFV, and Koni Yellow and adjust them [or have them custom valved] to your preference.

[Audi]

Thanks all