Ride quality !!

[simonbaines68]

Just wondering whats more responsible for the quailty of the ride ,the front or the back springs etc.
Suspect my rear shocks are shot, ride is def way harder over the potholes them my brothers lower miles S ?
My filling has even come loose !!

[Barkychoc]

Do you know if the shocks / springs are original or what make they are?
If shocks are tired I'd expect the ride to be soft not hard.
Could have had replacement springs which are stiffer than standard.

Chris

[Pooh]

IIRC S springs can sag with age and become coil bound resulting in a lower ride height and poor ride.

[petclub]

If the wheel / tyre combination has changed that would make a difference as well, lower profiles = harder ride.

[simonbaines68]

Tyres are the same ,was wondering if the springs are lower and hence iv,e lost spring travel, maybe there are alternative bump stops available.
Will measure wheel centre to arch lips tomorrow and compare.

[Hoover.]

simonbaines68 said:

Will measure wheel centre to arch lips tomorrow and compare.

don't do that, as the body sits on the chassis and no body fits eaxcatly the same to the chassis. Measure the chassis to the floor if comparing with other cars (also same for set-up).

[Barkychoc]

simonbaines68 said:

Tyres are the same ,was wondering if the springs are lower and hence iv,e lost spring travel, maybe there are alternative bump stops available.
Will measure wheel centre to arch lips tomorrow and compare.

If your springs have sagged you will need new ones - probably best to save your pennies and get a new set of gaz shocks or similar if it is this - it will transform the car.
You need to fix the cause not the symptom.

Chris

[GreenV8S]

Old dampers can give a terrible ride quality. The problem is that the dampers give intermittant damping which means that on the whole the car is under-damped (and can wallow all over the place) but the dampers still work sometimes and give a very notchy ride. Tired dampers and/or springs can also mean that you hit the bump stops more often which will be very uncomfortable and will also wreck the suspension. You will probably find that the damper mounting bushes are shot too, which means that there may be free play exaggerating all these effects.

[tvrgit]

Agree with Bakychoc and Green V8S above - revised bump stops etc are not the answer - if your springs are weaker and/or your damping is shot, then your car will hit the bump stops more often. If it does it mid-bend it could chuck you off the road.

Best to fix the cause, not the symptoms...

[Loubaruch]

simonbaines68 said:

Just wondering whats more responsible for the quailty of the ride ,the front or the back springs etc.
Suspect my rear shocks are shot, ride is def way harder over the potholes them my brothers lower miles S ?
My filling has even come loose !!

At 99,000 I replaced the springs/shock absorbers ball joints and bushes. All standard. The result was staggering, it felt like a completely different car. One problem with higher mileage cars is that one tends to adapt to the subtle deteriorations over time and only when things are changed do you notice an improvement. Your problem does indicate either incorrect spring rates or worn dampers/springs though. See:http://bertram-hill.co.uk/tvrs3.aspx