Ride quality is a comfort specification, but the complaints it generates are mechanical, electrical or perceptual. Separating those three is the whole job.
The parameters that matter
| Parameter | What it feels like | Who owns it |
|---|---|---|
| Acceleration / deceleration | Push into the floor, or a feeling of being left behind | Drive tuning, but limited by motor torque and rope/belt capability |
| Jerk (rate of change of acceleration) | The start and stop “snap” | Drive profile – the most effective single comfort parameter |
| Levelling accuracy and entry | Step at the landing, or a bump as the car arrives | Feedback accuracy, brake timing, door start timing |
| Vibration | Buzz, rumble, or a shudder at particular speeds | Machine, sheave, ropes, guide alignment – rarely the profile |
Diagnosing by pattern
- Rough in both directions, all loads, all floors: machine, sheave or rope condition; check guide shoes and rail alignment before touching parameters.
- Rough only on start: brake pick-up timing and jerk settings.
- Rough only when fully loaded or empty: torque limit or balance, or a machine at the end of its capability.
- Rough only at one landing: rail joint, guide bracket, or a door-related bump at that floor – almost never tuning.
- Levelling drift in one direction: feedback calibration or brake holding.
How to tune without chasing your tail
- Confirm the mechanics: brake gap and timing, guide shoe clearance, rope tension, sheave groove condition.
- Record the current profile before changing anything, so you can return to a known state.
- Change one parameter at a time and test the same trip – same floor pair, same load.
- Judge with a consistent method (ride meter where available, otherwise the same observer and identical trip).
- Re-check levelling and stopping accuracy after every profile change: softening jerk often moves the stopping point.
Comfort has a floor, not a ceiling. Comfort limits differ between codes and specifications, and stopping accuracy requirements are separate from acceleration comfort. A ride that “feels fine” can still fail a levelling tolerance, and vice versa.
Related: drives and motors, acceptance and periodic tests.