# 2011 Cruze RS



## TSURacing (Jan 1, 2011)

JGA said:


> I just got my Cruse RS about 3 weeks ago. The car handles excellent, but the ride is quite firm. Feels like I am driving a 3/4 ton truck. I feel every bump. Also, I find the turbo lag quite intrusive. Difficult to drive it smoothly sometimes.
> 
> Any comments/input?
> 
> Thanks


Did you get the LTZ with the sport tuned suspension? Or the LT2 with the 17" wheels that has that option as well? The sport suspension is noticeably stiffer than that found on the LT and LS. Personally I think it feels nicely planted and very sure footed.
The turbo lag is going to be there but the transmission will smooth itself out with a few thousand miles. The adaptive trans program seems to take that much time to get itself sorted to fit your vehicle and driving style.
I find that the harder you drive the car the smoother it is, but thats not how to get the best mileage .


----------



## robertbick (Jan 1, 2011)

Turbo lag??? Maybe a few milliseconds. I like the firmer ride of the RS and it is not like a 3/4 ton, I have a Silverado 2500HD.


----------



## shawn672 (Oct 31, 2010)

You're confusing the lag in the transmission shifting for turbo lag. That goes away after break in


----------



## JGA (Mar 15, 2011)

TSURacing said:


> Did you get the LTZ with the sport tuned suspension? Or the LT2 with the 17" wheels that has that option as well? The sport suspension is noticeably stiffer than that found on the LT and LS. Personally I think it feels nicely planted and very sure footed.
> The turbo lag is going to be there but the transmission will smooth itself out with a few thousand miles. The adaptive trans program seems to take that much time to get itself sorted to fit your vehicle and driving style.
> I find that the harder you drive the car the smoother it is, but thats not how to get the best mileage .


Its a 2LT with the RS package, so I have 18s and the sport tuned supension. I love the handling and I don't mind the firm ride. It's actually supprising to drive a chev sedan that does not bounce all over the place. The tranny does seem to be smoothing out. I hope this continues. I agree being more agressive on the gas pedal is best for smoothness. If you try and drive at very light inputs, it is a little jerky.


----------



## Spyder (Dec 26, 2010)

robertbick said:


> Turbo lag??? Maybe a few milliseconds. I like the firmer ride of the RS and it is not like a 3/4 ton, I have a Silverado 2500HD.





shawn672 said:


> You're confusing the lag in the transmission shifting for turbo lag. That goes away after break in


I disagree, I have noticed turbo lag as well and it is not the transmission. The time that lag really reared its ugly head was when we were oulling out from a stop light on a hill, the light turned green and I pressed down on the accelerator and held it in a steady position, the car started to pull out and about two seconds later it took off like rocket. My wife thought I floored it but I didn't do anything and there was no shifting of trans at all.

That was the most extreme case I have run into but I am finding the lag to be noticeable.


----------



## robertbick (Jan 1, 2011)

Spyder said:


> I disagree, I have noticed turbo lag as well and it is not the transmission. The time that lag really reared its ugly head was when we were oulling out from a stop light on a hill, the light turned green and I pressed down on the accelerator and held it in a steady position, the car started to pull out and about two seconds later it took off like rocket. My wife thought I floored it but I didn't do anything and there was no shifting of trans at all.
> 
> That was the most extreme case I have run into but I am finding the lag to be noticeable.


That's not turbo lag either. I forget what it's called or the reason for it when you punch the gas pedal and there is that delay before it takes off like a rocket. I also get that on my 6.0L Silverado and it does not have a turbo.


----------



## bigbee60 (Nov 24, 2010)

I have the 2LT RS in the US which has the 16" alloys and base suspension. Given the rough roads and potholes in the northeast, I stayed with that setup which still is firm, but controlled over rough surfaces. I drove the 17 and 18 inch wheel setups with sport suspension and four wheel discs and found them to be about the same stiffness in suspension tuning, but progressively harder in what you feel in the seat of your pants over expansion joint and potholes due to the lower profile tires. None of the three levels was unrefined like the current Elantra, Sonata, and Optima are over expansion joints and washboard surfaces. 
I love the ride of the Cruze - it reminds me of the older Civics with double wishbone suspension - very tied down yet compliant over rough surfaces.

The biggest difference with the Cruze that took awhile to figure out (and a few days in the new 5 Series BMW to put my finger on) is that the sound insulation is so complete and well done that the cabin is very quiet and you don't hear some of the ruckus that makes it into other models in the class or the midsize class above.


----------



## Blue Angel (Feb 18, 2011)

Spyder said:


> I disagree, I have noticed turbo lag as well and it is not the transmission. The time that lag really reared its ugly head was when we were oulling out from a stop light on a hill, the light turned green and I pressed down on the accelerator and held it in a steady position, the car started to pull out and about two seconds later it took off like rocket. My wife thought I floored it but I didn't do anything and there was no shifting of trans at all.
> 
> That was the most extreme case I have run into but I am finding the lag to be noticeable.


This actually isn't turbo lag, it's operating the engine below the turbo's spool threshold (i.e. the minimum engine RPM at which the turbo will spool and produce useful boost). "Spool Threshold" is just what I call it for lack of hearing a better term, I'm not sure if there's an official term for this or not.

Turbo "LAG" refers to the delay between your throttle input and the engine's response (once the engine is operating fast enough to spool the turbo).

In a Naturally Aspirated engine there is very little delay between what your right foot does and what the engine puts out since the intake path is very short (from the throttle body to the cylinder) and is only relying on readily available air at atmospheric pressure.

With a Turbocharged engine, getting the torque you desire depends on the turbocharger pumping air into the engine. In order to do this the turbo has to accelerate (spin faster), then it has to move enough air to pressurise the whole intake system including all plumbing between the turbo, intercooler and intake manifold, as well as the internal volume of the intercooler and intake manifolds. The time it takes to accomplish this is percieved by the driver as a delayed response refered to as "Turbo Lag".

In your case, it seems that since you were stopped going up a hill your initial throttle input was quite large to get the car moving (predictable since this is a 1.4L engine motivating a 3200lb car + passengers), but that initial acceleration happens below the engine speed that allows enough exhaust gas to spool the turbo into a boost producing state (the Spool Threshold). In this situation the little 1.4L is effectively a Naturally Aspirated engine. Two seconds later, once the engine has accelerated the car to the point of overcoming the stall speed of the transmission's torque converter, the engine revs up a little more and "BAM", the turbo hits and the little 1.4 is making all of its rated torque and your wife has coffee all over her.

This is all assuming the stall speed of the torque converter is well below 1800 RPM where the turbo wakes up. If someone wants to find out for me, all it takes is to put the car in Drive with your left foot firmly on the brake to keep the car from moving, then apply the throttle and see how fast the engine can spin with the car stationary. Doing this for a couple of seconds won't hurt anything, but I wouldn't go holding it like that for any length of time - the trans fluid will heat up pretty quick.


----------



## jsusanka (Jan 31, 2011)

*I totally agree with you there.*

"I love the ride of the Cruze - it reminds me of the older Civics with double wishbone suspension - very tied down yet compliant over rough surfaces."

yup I totally agree with you there . I still have a 1996 honda civic ex that I drive daily and that is one reason why the cruze has been the winner so far in choosing a new car. It reminds so much of my honda civic ex but much more improved. And even more than the new civics if you can believe that. 

I haven't sat down and done the math but I bet the distance between the wheels is pretty proportional to the overall size of both cars. 

If you look at the two cars next to each they just both look very planted. I really like the look of the cruze from the rear and side just as much if not more than my civic.


----------



## Spyder (Dec 26, 2010)

I am well aware of the difference between throttle response time and turbo lag and I do know how turbos work. Make no mistake here I am not complaining about it but what I am noticing is most definitely lag.


----------

