[Air Head]

The Air is a great looking car but everything can be tweaked an upgraded. Is there anything in particular you'd want Lucid to chane on the Air?

For me, I'm not a fan of the two-tone look they're trying to do with the silver/chrome on the roof. I'd rather have it all match the body color.

 

[MPawelek]

I agree. The top looks ok with the white and silver paint scheme but a bit odd with darker colors.? Probably added so people will recognize the brand on the street easily. Subliminal advertising.....

 

[madmike]

Another vote for one color

 

[KMWNAZ]

Ditto - deal-breaker for me. Why not just an option?

 

[dawktah LucidGT]

Better looking 19" wheel

 

[CraZ8]

A big thumbs up on changing the 19 inch wheel look. Just make a smaller version of the 21 or 20.

 

[Overcharged]

A body color or black top

Agree, the 19 inch wheels do not look nearly as nice as the lager ones

The big thing for me is to be able to get front and rear seats in the same color and a black carpet (ex. with a brown interior)

Exterior chrome delete would be a bonus

 

[dawktah LucidGT]

A body color or black top

Agree, the 19 inch wheels do not look nearly as nice as the lager ones

The big thing for me is to be able to get front and rear seats in the same color and a black carpet (ex. with a brown interior)

Exterior chrome delete would be a bonus

I'm ok with the roof. Is this something that can be wrapped? Is that the right term?

I think the two tone will grow on me, especially since its highly unlikely I'll be riding in the back.

Anyone aware of EV friendly wheels, especially 19"?

 

[CraZ8]

There are a number of aftermarket companies that make attractive lightweight rims ( you can even get carbon fiber but very pricey) Lucid being a brand new company I wonder how many rims you can find with the right bolt pattern and offset. This won’t be a problem when there are 10,000 Lucids on the road and aftermarket suppliers are gearing up to making brand specific aftermarket parts but for now you may have to go with factory

 

[bluefive5]

Produce more parts in Arizona instead of importing from Mexico manufacturers.

 

[CraZ8]

I'm ok with the roof. Is this something that can be wrapped? Is that the right term?

I think the two tone will grow on me, especially since its highly unlikely I'll be riding in the back.

Anyone aware of EV friendly wheels, especially 19"?

You can wrap a roof but be advised that the wraps most manufacturers make are various generic or specialty wraps that do not match factory colors. You may get close, but not an exact match. You would be better off to go to a quality auto body and paint the top( with all that glass and here is not much painting) there is other problems in painting stainless , you have to etch the metal first. Or is the top just painted to look like stainless?

 

[dawktah LucidGT]

You can wrap a roof but be advised that the wraps most manufacturers make are various generic or specialty wraps that do not match factory colors. You may get close, but not an exact match. You would be better off to go to a quality auto body and paint the top( with all that glass and here is not much painting) there is other problems in painting stainless , you have to etch the metal first. Or is the top just painted to look like stainless?

Wasn't there a Porsche they had a silver roof? Like in the 80's?

 

[hmp10]

I suspect Lucid will use the same bolt pattern as the Tesla, as its wheel and tire specs track Tesla (at least up until the Model S refresh, which uses larger front and rear tires). I don't know about offsets, though.

Remember two things about replacing the 19" wheels, though. The Air is considerably heavier than most sedans its size, which is why Pirelli engineered a tire specifically to handle the vehicle weight. Be sure a replacement wheel is rated for the load.

And . . . the 19" wheels are an aero design. Switching to a non-aero 19" wheel (which is mostly what the aftermarket offers) will likely diminish the car's range.

There is a European company that has developed a nice-looking aero wheel specifically for the Tesla model lineup, so it would have the load capacity and probably the correct bolt pattern for the Air. But the wheels thus far haven't been certified for the U.S., so I don't know if they would ship here:

The New Aero

Aerodynamic performance wheels for the Tesla Model S, 3 and X. Forged directional wheels. Buy them here

www.thenewaero.com

 

[BDC123]

The Air is a great looking car but everything can be tweaked an upgraded. Is there anything in particular you'd want Lucid to chane on the Air?

For me, I'm not a fan of the two-tone look they're trying to do with the silver/chrome on the roof. I'd rather have it all match the body color.

View attachment 117

I sorta like the two tone scheme with the brushed aluminum top. It’s somewhat of a throwback to the 50’s where two and three tone colors were offered. But to each his own.
One thing I would like to see is a little more extension on the steering wheel adjustment. I sat in a preproduction model in Chicago and had to extend the seat back. I’m 6’2” and had the seat pushed back in order to give enough room for my legs to the peddles. When in this position the steering wheel was a bit too far away even when extended to the maximum.
Finally, I have read that the large front display screen is divided into 3 sections. Are they all user configurable?

 

[hmp10]

Finally, I have read that the large front display screen is divided into 3 sections. Are they all user configurable?

The left no; the right yes; the middle one, not sure and, if so, to what extent.

 

[afu]

I will be curious what the suspension is like for those who are coming from a top tier air suspension. My current Panamera rides like a cloud.

 

[Air Head]

I will be curious what the suspension is like for those who are coming from a top tier air suspension. My current Panamera rides like a cloud.

Welcome to the forum @afu. From what I've read so far the coil suspension has received positive reviews. Though Lucid is apparently still working on an air suspension option too.

Would you wait for the air suspension? Or do you mind switching?

The Electric Lucid Air Has Incredible Legroom and Your Other Questions, Answered

We're glad you asked.

www.thedrive.com

As for the suspension, a Lucid rep said the company changed to the coil spring and sway bar setup as it pushed toward production. The air suspension is coming but the advantages of the air suspension system over the coil spring setup mostly come down to ride height. They said ride comfort across the two systems won't be sacrificed, however.

 

[afu]

Welcome to the forum @afu. From what I've read so far the coil suspension has received positive reviews. Though Lucid is apparently still working on an air suspension option too.

Would you wait for the air suspension? Or do you mind switching?

The Electric Lucid Air Has Incredible Legroom and Your Other Questions, Answered

We're glad you asked.

www.thedrive.com

As for the suspension, a Lucid rep said the company changed to the coil spring and sway bar setup as it pushed toward production. The air suspension is coming but the advantages of the air suspension system over the coil spring setup mostly come down to ride height. They said ride comfort across the two systems won't be sacrificed, however.

Thanks, Air Head. I read that as well. I can't imagine a spring setup matching an air suspension, but once deliveries are in the hands of the public, hopefully we'll have some real-world unbiased feedback. Depending on that, I would switch. But I REALLY like riding on Air. And an Air without air?

 

[hmp10]

I can't imagine a spring setup matching an air suspension . . . .

Don't be too quick to judge. I was distressed when I first heard that Lucid had dropped its plans to use an air suspension, but then I remembered that the three Audi R8s I had all used coil spring suspensions with semi-active dampers (as Lucid does) at a time when much less expensive A8s were using air suspensions. The R8s were recognized for superb handling with a notably compliant ride.

This caused me to do some digging, and I came across a study commissioned by a large trucking fleet management firm. Air suspensions were originally developed for large aircraft, as they can support more weight than spring suspensions. For this reason they had become the norm in the heavy trucking industry. To my surprise, this study found that coil spring suspensions reacted more quickly and precisely to changes in road surface than air springs, and that there was actually less freight damage in transit with coil springs than with air springs.

Air springs experience the effects of hysteresis that introduce imprecision and delay to responses to road surfaces, thereby making handling less precise. Given that coil springs can be selected for different levels of compliance from very soft to very firm, a coil spring setup with semi-active dampers can be tuned to very much the same level of comfort as an air suspension, but with more precise handling characteristics. The only thing you really lose is adjustability of ride height on the fly.

It's worth remembering that Peter Rawlinson was Chief Engineer at Jaguar and head of Advanced Engineering at Lotus, two car companies with storied histories of superb chassis and suspension engineering. He was also Chief Engineer on the original Tesla Model S, which had a coil spring suspension. I bought my first Tesla (a 2015 Model S P90D) long after Rawlinson left but soon after Tesla introduced air suspension as a pricey option. I chose it, but once the new air suspension got into the hands of auto journalists, they almost universally found that the air suspension brought no meaningful improvements to the ride of the Model S, and most recommended saving money and staying with the less complex coil spring setup.

 

[afu]

Don't be too quick to judge. I was distressed when I first heard that Lucid had dropped its plans to use an air suspension, but then I remembered that the three Audi R8s I had all used coil spring suspensions with semi-active dampers (as Lucid does) at a time when much less expensive A8s were using air suspensions. The R8s were recognized for superb handling with a notably compliant ride.

This caused me to do some digging, and I came across a study commissioned by a large trucking fleet management firm. Air suspensions were originally developed for large aircraft, as they can support more weight than spring suspensions. For this reason they had become the norm in the heavy trucking industry. To my surprise, this study found that coil spring suspensions reacted more quickly and precisely to changes in road surface than air springs, and that there was actually less freight damage in transit with coil springs than with air springs.

Air springs experience the effects of hysteresis that introduce imprecision and delay to responses to road surfaces, thereby making handling less precise. Given that coil springs can be selected for different levels of compliance from very soft to very firm, a coil spring setup with semi-active dampers can be tuned to very much the same level of comfort as an air suspension, but with more precise handling characteristics. The only thing you really lose is adjustability of ride height on the fly.

It's worth remembering that Peter Rawlinson was Chief Engineer at Jaguar and head of Advanced Engineering at Lotus, two car companies with storied histories of superb chassis and suspension engineering. He was also Chief Engineer on the original Tesla Model S, which had a coil spring suspension. I bought my first Tesla (a 2015 Model S P90D) long after Rawlinson left but soon after Tesla introduced air suspension as a pricey option. I chose it, but once the new air suspension got into the hands of auto journalists, they almost universally found that the air suspension brought no meaningful improvements to the ride of the Model S, and most recommended saving money and staying with the less complex coil spring setup.

Good stuff. It's not necessarily a make or break, as long as it ends up being comparable to the ride in my current air sprung cars. I do benefit from the lift getting into my unusually high-curbed driveway.