does the diesel variant make any concessions to ride comfort?

[Griff4.3]

Personally, I find the higher powered (not R) variant, bone shatteringly hard and would prefer a softer riding solution for daily driving.

Pleeeese, no lectures on it being a 'sports car, what do u expect' For ME to enjoy this as a daily it needs to b a lot softer than the petrol GT

Soooo, does the diesel come with any ride concessions? eg
softer suspension set up
taller tyres

Presumably the 18" wheels (17" been tried?) will accommodate much taller tyres - be happy with 55 or even 60s for a daily driver - I drive briskly on back roads, I dont race.

I also need to lower the seat (arthritis has caught up with this c. 70 yr old) to duck under the roof on entry

I love the looks inside n out and affordability - It just doesnt need to be harder than my 300 lb ft / ton Griff in a diesel touring guise - so welcome all constructive suggestions

Do RCZs suffer from any structural rust worries?

thks

 

[lfe]

A sports car has a short suspension travel and the suspension must be hard, otherwise it would reach the end of the travel very easily. Diesel is not softer. For a soft suspension a sports car is not the right choice.

The HDi weighs 95kg more than the 156 HP petrol one, a weight that is concentrated on the front axle and therefore with greater front-rear imbalance and somewhat worse handling when cornering.

The rims must be at least 18" to fit the front brake discs.

Since the late 80s, Peugeot has had no corrosion problems.

The RCZ's seats can be adjusted very low, at least the ones with electric adjustment.

 

[Verminator]

My Hdi and the wife's Hdi both handle well in the corners it's mostly down to tyres and road condition and correct tyre pressure

 

[M19YEA]

When you’ve drove an Audi TT for 8 years the RCZ is lovely and comfortable .
I have the GT 200, I certainly noticed a difference when I put Michelin PS 4s on.

 

[Griff4.3]

When you’ve drove an Audi TT for 8 years the RCZ is lovely and comfortable .
I have the GT 200, I certainly noticed a difference when I put Michelin PS 4s on.

which particular TT was a hard ride?

 

[Griff4.3]

A sports car has a short suspension travel and the suspension must be hard, otherwise it would reach the end of the travel very easily. Diesel is not softer. For a soft suspension a sports car is not the right choice.

The HDi weighs 95kg more than the 156 HP petrol one, a weight that is concentrated on the front axle and therefore with greater front-rear imbalance and somewhat worse handling when cornering.

The rims must be at least 18" to fit the front brake discs.

Since the late 80s, Peugeot has had no corrosion problems.

The RCZ's seats can be adjusted very low, at least the ones with electric adjustment.

It may appear that a sporting car is severely compromised by nature, but not necessarily so. Lotus is a prime example of comfortable whilst retaining a comfortable ride. Even my TVR Griffith (which is ultra low with short suspension travel and a V8 over front axle) does not suffer from the terrifying bone crunching crash when hitting everyday potholes as does the 200 on std equipment (sister has well maintained RC from 3 yrs old)

Personally, I would question the need for going lower than 55 profile for the 200 and 50 for the R - A reduction in 'bump' on the dampers would help and for the diesel, 20mm longer stroke and 17 / 18" wheels?

Does the diesel have 200 sized rotors to clear?

I fully accept that this is personal taste, now influenced by age / health. I drove single seaters back in the day, road going Porsche Turbo specials and very nearly built a McLaren M6GTR replica / Ultima as an every day driver... My syndicate competition glider only had 1" suspension travel and landed from 2 miles high with less of a jolt - Just need a more comfortable set-up these days

p.s. Not new to Peugeot - had a new 306GTi-6 track tuned (220) by LAD Motorsport for everyday driving- Comfortable ride, V. playful handling, great sound

 

[M19YEA]

which particular TT was a hard ride?

the 180 03 reg and also 2010 TTS

 

[lfe]

It may appear that a sporting car is severely compromised by nature, but not necessarily so. Lotus is a prime example of comfortable whilst retaining a comfortable ride. Even my TVR Griffith (which is ultra low with short suspension travel and a V8 over front axle) does not suffer from the terrifying bone crunching crash when hitting everyday potholes as does the 200 on std equipment (sister has well maintained RC from 3 yrs old)

Personally, I would question the need for going lower than 55 profile for the 200 and 50 for the R - A reduction in 'bump' on the dampers would help and for the diesel, 20mm longer stroke and 17 / 18" wheels?

Does the diesel have 200 sized rotors to clear?

I fully accept that this is personal taste, now influenced by age / health. I drove single seaters back in the day, road going Porsche Turbo specials and very nearly built a McLaren M6GTR replica / Ultima as an every day driver... My syndicate competition glider only had 1" suspension travel and landed from 2 miles high with less of a jolt - Just need a more comfortable set-up these days

p.s. Not new to Peugeot - had a new 306GTi-6 track tuned (220) by LAD Motorsport for everyday driving- Comfortable ride, V. playful handling, great sound

Front brake disc diameter for RCZ:

- 156 HP gasoline: 302 mm, would fit inside a 17" rim
- 200CV and HDI: 340 mm, the rim must be at least 18"
- R : 380 mm, the rim must be at least 19"

As you said is a personal taste. The RCZ with 19" and 40 profile tyres doesn't seem hard to me, I've been driving cars with hard suspension for many years, I prefer it that way. The handling in corners is much superior.

 

[Griff4.3]

Front brake disc diameter for RCZ:

- 156 HP gasoline: 302 mm, would fit inside a 17" rim
- 200CV and HDI: 340 mm, the rim must be at least 18"
- R : 380 mm, the rim must be at least 19"

As you said is a personal taste. The RCZ with 19" and 40 profile tyres doesn't seem hard to me, I've been driving cars with hard suspension for many years, I prefer it that way. The handling in corners is much superior.

thks for confirming the HDi needs 18"

 

[Griff4.3]

not the only person thinking the ride is hard

softer suspension

Hello , as a new 200 owner13,000 miles i find the suspension very hard, is it worth investing in bilsteins or other shock absorber brands? the top bushes are knocking part 5038-F7 , I will investigate at my local john gross dealer.

www.peugeotrczforum.com

and others

Too many manufacturers are using unnecessarily low profile tyres and large diameter wheels simply for 'stance' - Even Range Rover!!!

IMHO they belong on hypercars, not sporting daily driven cars - Hypercars would overwhelm normal / mid profile, however I would feel more confident throwing a TT or RCZ around backroads when fitted with compliant suspension and sidewalls. Hitting an unsighted pothole midcorner would not only unsettle the passengers, but also the car.

 

[Kenneth]

not the only person thinking the ride is hard

softer suspension

Hello , as a new 200 owner13,000 miles i find the suspension very hard, is it worth investing in bilsteins or other shock absorber brands? the top bushes are knocking part 5038-F7 , I will investigate at my local john gross dealer.

www.peugeotrczforum.com

and others

Too many manufacturers are using unnecessarily low profile tyres and large diameter wheels simply for 'stance' - Even Range Rover!!!

IMHO they belong on hypercars, not sporting daily driven cars - Hypercars would overwhelm normal / mid profile, however I would feel more confident throwing a TT or RCZ around backroads when fitted with compliant suspension and sidewalls. Hitting an unsighted pothole midcorner would not only unsettle the passengers, but also the car.

You’ll need to experiment with the ride set up. You might find it more comfortable eventually but that it makes the handling not so great. I reckon f it’s town driving mainly then you’d definitely find the ride “bumpy”. But on roads where you can pick up speed it’s a settled car IMO and cornering speeds are very very good. I do find it quite crashy at lower speed. Can live with that as I’m mainly on the open road with mine. If you want a softer ride then you don’t buy a car like this. It’s just how it is.

 

[Griff4.3]

I agree speed helps disguise the crashy ride by transitioning holes and bumps in shorter time for suspension to deflect, however if TVR & Lotus can cope, then surely its only a matter of fine tuning to resolve - starting with reducing wheel diameter to minimum and sidewalls to max?

 

[SilverGTi_6]

Lotus have double wishbone suspension on all corners, a super stiff extruded aluminium chassis and is engineered around a specific platform. You can’t expect the same from a mainstream model based on hatchback architecture.

That said, I dont find the RCZ harsh in any way. It’s quite compliant compared to many other sports car I’ve owned. You should try my wife’s Renault Sport with cup suspension! Haha.

What tyres do you currently have fitted? What is their year of manufacture? PSI etc? How old are the shocks?

 

[lfe]

A few years ago I was driving a small Citroen C2 1.6 16V VTR for a few months, very good on twisty roads, I think it has a harder suspension than the RCZ.

I'm not complaining, I've always liked cars like that. I don't want swaying while cornering.

 

[Griff4.3]

My tyre research to help provide a supple ride in the less frantic HDi J



Standard tyre size for 2011 Peugeot RCZ 2.0 HDi FAP 163:

Rim size (in):	18
Tyre width (mm):	235
Tyre sidewall factor:	45
Total wheel diameter (mm / in):	669 / 26.3

Alternative tyre size for 2011 Peugeot RCZ 2.0 HDi FAP 163:

Rim size (in):	18
Alternative tyre size:	225/50 R 18
Total wheel diameter (mm / in):	682 / 26.9
Percentage diameter difference to the original (%):	1.9

Conclusion: Reducing width to a still generous 225 and increasing sidewall profile to 50 aspect, only increases radius by : 682-669 / 2 = 6.5 mm (0.3”) – this combined with width reduction almost certainly wont create clearance issues and negligible speedo variation.

Compared with 19” wheels this variant would slacken off profile from an ultra low 40 to 50 for those who are looking for a more supple ride / break less rims on modern UK ‘roads’

 

[SilverGTi_6]

In my experience tyre brand will make much more of a difference than 6.5mm of extra sidewall.

 

[Griff4.3]

'every little helps' - I also would prefer a more modest width on this car - Tyre brand must be researched at time of purchasing tyres