Worlds first lowered Lucid Air Dream…… I think

[TomFish]

I had Renntech lower my Mercedes S65 (a digital process since that car has computer controlled air suspension).
It looked nice, but after a few years the Michelin tires (305’s in rear on custom Renntech 11 inch rims) started wearing unevenly. I also broke a couple lug nuts - not sure if that was from the lowered suspension or the larger rims & tires.
It was also a challenge parking a long car because if you pull too far forward over a parking block / curb the front bumper would pull off when you reverse. If you don’t pull forward enough then the rear end sticks out a lot in a parking lot.

I’m happy with the stock height on my Dream Edition. With the low front bumper I still don’t pull over the blocks or curbs in parking lots, but fortunately the Lucid Air isn’t as long as the Mercedes S class so it doesn’t stick out as much.

My inner motorhead would like wider tires to handle the Dream’s 1111 HP.
However, since Lucid decided to go with 265 & 295 tires (which sound skinny) on the quarter-million dollar 1234 HP Sapphire, there probably was a performance reason not to go wider.

 

[mmassey33]

That's be great if you can. Just curious... wonder if I can still create the same rake as stock.

The rake is set level now. Here are the specs:

Lowering ending up at 1.1" front and 1" rear.

Front spring rate: 430lbs/in (stock 395 lbs/in)

Rear spring rate: 740lbs/in (stock 670 lbs/in)

Both springs are linear.

 

[mmassey33]

I had Renntech lower my Mercedes S65 (a digital process since that car has computer controlled air suspension).
It looked nice, but after a few years the Michelin tires (305’s in rear on custom Renntech 11 inch rims) started wearing unevenly. I also broke a couple lug nuts - not sure if that was from the lowered suspension or the larger rims & tires.
It was also a challenge parking a long car because if you pull too far forward over a parking block / curb the front bumper would pull off when you reverse. If you don’t pull forward enough then the rear end sticks out a lot in a parking lot.

I’m happy with the stock height on my Dream Edition. With the low front bumper I still don’t pull over the blocks or curbs in parking lots, but fortunately the Lucid Air isn’t as long as the Mercedes S class so it doesn’t stick out as much.

My inner motorhead would like wider tires to handle the Dream’s 1111 HP.
However, since Lucid decided to go with 265 & 295 tires (which sound skinny) on the quarter-million dollar 1234 HP Sapphire, there probably was a performance reason not to go wider.

I bet it’s for efficiency not performance but idk

 

[hmp10]

The rubber air foils ahead of the front wheels only have 3 1/8" grounds clearance at standard ride height, and they tear off rather easily. (We've already replaced three.). I wonder how long they'll last at just over 2" of clearance.

Peter Rawlinson, who ran engineering at Jaguar and Lotus -- two companies with some of the most storied suspension teams in the automotive world -- hired some of the best suspension engineers in the business to design and tune the Air's suspension. They also used the likes of Ben "The Stig" Collins to road and track test the car's suspension setup. Their efforts have drawn almost universal praise from reviewers.

Honestly, other than to get a "gangsta" look, what would be the purpose of this kind of street modification? It can do nothing but disrupt the superb balance of handling and ride compliance Lucid has engineered into this car. It strikes me as akin to putting 24" wheels with rubber-band tires on old Chevy Impalas. The owners give away whatever handling prowess the car ever had to get a particular look.

I like sporty, aggressive-looking cars. I've owned Corvettes, MB SL AMGs, three Audi R8s, and a MB-McLaren SLR. But attempting this with a Lucid sedan is like putting roller skates on a buffalo. It'll draw some looks, but the buffalo won't get any faster and certainly won't stay on his feet any better.

 

[hmp10]

My inner motorhead would like wider tires to handle the Dream’s 1111 HP.
However, since Lucid decided to go with 265 & 295 tires (which sound skinny) on the quarter-million dollar 1234 HP Sapphire, there probably was a performance reason not to go wider.

I think the tire widths on the Air are limited primarily by range considerations.

There are some performance downsides to wider tires, such as more tendency for tramlining. Our Model S Plaid with 265/295 tires exhibits this problem on a few stretches of local interstate where our Lucid Dream P with 245/265 tires does not. In fact, when we drove the Plaid home from the delivery center on one of these stretches, we at first thought the car was out of alignment. Only after having the problem disappear on other stretches and consistently return on this stretch did we realize what the cause really was.

From the initial journalist drives of the Sapphire, nothing seems to indicate handling limits due to tire widths. From the rear, the tires on our Plaid look positively beefy for a sedan -- and the Sapphire has almost identical exterior dimensions. Putting the same width rear tires on a sedan that I've had on Corvettes (345mm) and Audi R8s (295mm) would actually look kind of cartoonish, at least in my view.

 

[mmassey33]

The rubber air foils ahead of the front wheels only have 3 1/8" grounds clearance at standard ride height, and they tear off rather easily. (We've already replaced three.). I wonder how long they'll last at just over 2" of clearance.

Peter Rawlinson, who ran engineering at Jaguar and Lotus -- two companies with some of the most storied suspension teams in the automotive world -- hired some of the best suspension engineers in the business to design and tune the Air's suspension. They also used the likes of Ben "The Stig" Collins to road and track test the car's suspension setup. Their efforts have drawn almost universal praise from reviewers.

Honestly, other than to get a "gangsta" look, what would be the purpose of this kind of street modification? It can do nothing but disrupt the superb balance of handling and ride compliance Lucid has engineered into this car. It strikes me as akin to putting 24" wheels with rubber-band tires on old Chevy Impalas. The owners give away whatever handling prowess the car ever had to get a particular look.

I like sporty, aggressive-looking cars. I've owned Corvettes, MB SL AMGs, three Audi R8s, and a MB-McLaren SLR. But attempting this with a Lucid sedan is like putting roller skates on a buffalo. It'll draw some looks, but the buffalo won't get any faster and certainly won't stay on his feet any better.

I don’t know how you’ve had to replace three! Mine still clear everything you might just need to take driveways a little slower… also the handling actually feels improved ever so slightly on long fast sweeping turns. And lowering your car is not “gangsta” lol. It’s very mild and to me only enhances the car in ever way. But it’s not for everyone that’s for sure. 2000mi and it drives like a dream.

 

[xponents]

I don’t know how you’ve had to replace three! Mine still clear everything you might just need to take driveways a little slower… also the handling actually feels improved ever so slightly on long fast sweeping turns. And lowering your car is not “gangsta” lol. It’s very mild and to me only enhances the car in ever way. But it’s not for everyone that’s for sure. 2000mi and it drives like a dream.

I wonder if there are aero impacts due to the total exposed tire surface area being less?

 

[Worldwide Beagle]

The rubber air foils ahead of the front wheels only have 3 1/8" grounds clearance at standard ride height, and they tear off rather easily. (We've already replaced three.). I wonder how long they'll last at just over 2" of clearance.

Peter Rawlinson, who ran engineering at Jaguar and Lotus -- two companies with some of the most storied suspension teams in the automotive world -- hired some of the best suspension engineers in the business to design and tune the Air's suspension. They also used the likes of Ben "The Stig" Collins to road and track test the car's suspension setup. Their efforts have drawn almost universal praise from reviewers.

Honestly, other than to get a "gangsta" look, what would be the purpose of this kind of street modification? It can do nothing but disrupt the superb balance of handling and ride compliance Lucid has engineered into this car. It strikes me as akin to putting 24" wheels with rubber-band tires on old Chevy Impalas. The owners give away whatever handling prowess the car ever had to get a particular look.

I like sporty, aggressive-looking cars. I've owned Corvettes, MB SL AMGs, three Audi R8s, and a MB-McLaren SLR. But attempting this with a Lucid sedan is like putting roller skates on a buffalo. It'll draw some looks, but the buffalo won't get any faster and certainly won't stay on his feet any better.

@hmp10 , just want to complement you on a well documented and written post. Recently in a friends 1974 restored 911E. He decided to try to upgrade the original 16" Fuchs wheels to 20". Drove horribly on the track. He turns to me and said: guess I should have left it alone, guess the Porsche engineers knew more about this, even back then, than I do.

Three R8s? Hope that was not because the other two needed parts? (Joking, had a RS6 avant)

Can I get permission to use "roller skates on a buffalo?". Classier than lipstick on pig.

In my decades of SCCA, PCA, BMWCCA, I have seen so many owner " invented" mods for a look or imagined performance, that made their cars handle worse. Luckily, I hung with mates that drove and tracked their cars, not just looked at and polished them.

Thanks again for the thoughtful post.

 

[AlignTrex]

Love the look of your car! Thank you for sharing.

 

[hmp10]

Three R8s? Hope that was not because the other two needed parts? (Joking, had a RS6 avant).

To my annoyance, I'm an early car adopter and also have this irrational thing about not driving the most powerful version of a car model. It's unfortunate, because new models often don't introduce an up-powered version until the second or third year.

I got one of the early production 2008 Audi R8s when the only engine was the V8. When the V10 coupe came out in 2010, I traded for that. The V10 got wrecked when an older driver switched lanes in front of me and sent me into a concrete curb. While waiting months for one part after another to come in from Germany, the 2011 V10 Spyder came out, so I worked out a deal with the Audi dealer and the insurer to take the wrecked car on trade for the Spyder.

The R8s were remarkably problem-free cars. In seven years of owning three of them, the only problem I ever had was a suspension sensor on one corner of the car. (This happened on the original V8 when I was driving it home from the dealer.)

 

[hmp10]

I don’t know how you’ve had to replace three! Mine still clear everything you might just need to take driveways a little slower… also the handling actually feels improved ever so slightly on long fast sweeping turns. And lowering your car is not “gangsta” lol. It’s very mild and to me only enhances the car in ever way. But it’s not for everyone that’s for sure. 2000mi and it drives like a dream.

The air foils coming off were my fault. It took me a while to figure out the front camera view relative to concrete bump stops. At least I can say I haven't torn one off in the past year and a half.

I admit that "gangsta" was too strong a term regarding your car. I'm glad you're enjoying the modification. I have always understood that suspension design is a compromise driven by balancing many competing -- and often contradictory -- demands and that passenger cars are usually biased toward factors that are less important when putting the car on a track or in another competitive situation.

I've just become such an admirer of what Rawlinson did with the Lucid suspension for street use that I've perhaps become a bit overprotective of his work. My first EV was a 2015 Tesla that had the air suspension that Tesla added to the lineup after Rawlinson, who oversaw the original coil suspension on the Model S, left Tesla. And we took delivery of our 2021 Model S Plaid -- again with a much updated air suspension -- four months before our Air Dream P arrived. I have remained astonished at how much more compliant, precise, and balanced the Air suspension is compared to the Plaid suspension. And the harder you push the Air, the wider the gap between the suspension behavior of the two cars becomes. We can actually use more of the Air's acceleration than the Plaid's, as the Plaid front end goes dangerously light under hard acceleration while the Air stays much better planted.

 

[Worldwide Beagle]

To my annoyance, I'm an early car adopter

The R8s were remarkably problem-free cars. In seven years of owning three of them, the only problem I ever had was a suspension sensor on one corner of the car. (This happened on the original V8 when I was driving it home from the dealer.)

Florida is such a different market than Colorado. R8s are rare here, with our bad roads and snow. Coloradians always have too much stuff to carry about, hence the love of fast avants/estates. The Air is my first sedan in 25 years.

 

[borski]

The air foils coming off were my fault. It took me a while to figure out the front camera view relative to concrete bump stops. At least I can say I haven't torn one off in the past year and a half.

I admit that "gangsta" was too strong a term regarding your car. I'm glad you're enjoying the modification. I have always understood that suspension design is a compromise driven by balancing many competing -- and often contradictory -- demands and that passenger cars are usually biased toward factors that are less important when putting the car on a track or in another competitive situation.

I've just become such an admirer of what Rawlinson did with the Lucid suspension for street use that I've perhaps become a bit overprotective of his work. My first EV was a 2015 Tesla that had the air suspension that Tesla added to the lineup after Rawlinson, who oversaw the original coil suspension on the Model S, left Tesla. And we took delivery of our 2021 Model S Plaid -- again with a much updated air suspension -- four months before our Air Dream P arrived. I have remained astonished at how much more compliant, precise, and balanced the Air suspension is compared to the Plaid suspension. And the harder you push the Air, the wider the gap between the suspension behavior of the two cars becomes. We can actually use more of the Air's acceleration than the Plaid's, as the Plaid front end goes dangerously light under hard acceleration while the Air stays much better planted.

I’ve lost four airfoils so far lol. All of them from my driveway.

 

[borski]

To my annoyance, I'm an early car adopter and also have this irrational thing about not driving the most powerful version of a car model. It's unfortunate, because new models often don't introduce an up-powered version until the second or third year.

I got one of the early production 2008 Audi R8s when the only engine was the V8. When the V10 coupe came out in 2010, I traded for that. The V10 got wrecked when an older driver switched lanes in front of me and sent me into a concrete curb. While waiting months for one part after another to come in from Germany, the 2011 V10 Spyder came out, so I worked out a deal with the Audi dealer and the insurer to take the wrecked car on trade for the Spyder.

The R8s were remarkably problem-free cars. In seven years of owning three of them, the only problem I ever had was a suspension sensor on one corner of the car. (This happened on the original V8 when I was driving it home from the dealer.)

My buddy’s R8 has been pretty much problem free. His first one was too.

Our mutual friend’s McLaren, otoh, has spent more time in the shop than on the streets. Lmao

 

[hmp10]

Our mutual friend’s McLaren, otoh, has spent more time in the shop than on the streets. Lmao

I don't have any experience with McLaren's, but the MB/McLaren SLR was okay (other than riding like a buckboard and having a cramped interior). However, the Mercedes SL55 AMG I had was second only to a Corvette in the number of problems I've had with a car. The MB dealership in Chicago was on my way to work, and I probably dropped the car off and continued with a loaner at least once a month on average for the four years I owned that car. I haven't owned a Mercedes since.

 

[xponents]

I don't have any experience with McLaren's, but the MB/McLaren SLR was okay (other than riding like a buckboard and having a cramped interior). However, the Mercedes SL55 AMG I had was second only to a Corvette in the number of problems I've had with a car. The MB dealership in Chicago was on my way to work, and I probably dropped the car off and continued with a loaner at least once a month on average for the four years I owned that car. I haven't owned a Mercedes since.

Wait, you had a SLR mclaren? Almost collector status these days!

 

[mmassey33]

I wonder if there are aero impacts due to the total exposed tire surface area being less?

Maybe…

 

[mmassey33]

The air foils coming off were my fault. It took me a while to figure out the front camera view relative to concrete bump stops. At least I can say I haven't torn one off in the past year and a half.

I admit that "gangsta" was too strong a term regarding your car. I'm glad you're enjoying the modification. I have always understood that suspension design is a compromise driven by balancing many competing -- and often contradictory -- demands and that passenger cars are usually biased toward factors that are less important when putting the car on a track or in another competitive situation.

I've just become such an admirer of what Rawlinson did with the Lucid suspension for street use that I've perhaps become a bit overprotective of his work. My first EV was a 2015 Tesla that had the air suspension that Tesla added to the lineup after Rawlinson, who oversaw the original coil suspension on the Model S, left Tesla. And we took delivery of our 2021 Model S Plaid -- again with a much updated air suspension -- four months before our Air Dream P arrived. I have remained astonished at how much more compliant, precise, and balanced the Air suspension is compared to the Plaid suspension. And the harder you push the Air, the wider the gap between the suspension behavior of the two cars becomes. We can actually use more of the Air's acceleration than the Plaid's, as the Plaid front end goes dangerously light under hard acceleration while the Air stays much better planted.

To my knowledge when the shops inspected the suspension in the Air they said it was a pretty standard setup nothing special really but that’s just what they said. A traditional shock and coil setup properly balanced with the right spring rate imo will always beat an air suspension in performance. But to be honest the body roll is noticeable in stock form and hasn’t been much reduced with the springs. But that said if you love the car the way it is no reason to change it at all. It is a beautiful car but I don’t like any of my cars stock height or stock wheels there are too many airs around me I like to distinguish myself from the rest haha.

 

[mmassey33]

I’ve lost four airfoils so far lol. All of them from my driveway.

Oh no!

 

[hmp10]

Wait, you had a SLR mclaren? Almost collector status these days!

I talked my boss (who had a fleet of Ferraris) into buying one. He didn't like it for several reasons and began lending it to me for the weekends. I ended up buying it, in part because I felt guilty for pressing him to buy it. It had a raucous exhaust note, the gull wings were kinda cool if sometimes less than convenient, and it certainly had some wow factor. But its handling was too edgy, the seat side bolsters were too tight (you picked the width when you ordered the seats), and the interior was not the best. It even had the switchgear right out of my MB SL55 AMG. I found the Audi R8 that replaced it a much better sports car.