Help ! to all Noble experts out there
Discussion
Hi
First of all can I comment on what an icredible site this is, I have never come across any thing like this, every body loves their cars and there is so much help at hand.
I would like to ask you you which is the better car for every day use the M400 or the 3R in other words which is the easier of the two to live with for road use only.
From my limited knowledge the M400 is more geared towards track use hence the sort of slicks it wears and of course the greater bhp.Please correct me if I am wrong thanks
First of all can I comment on what an icredible site this is, I have never come across any thing like this, every body loves their cars and there is so much help at hand.
I would like to ask you you which is the better car for every day use the M400 or the 3R in other words which is the easier of the two to live with for road use only.
From my limited knowledge the M400 is more geared towards track use hence the sort of slicks it wears and of course the greater bhp.Please correct me if I am wrong thanks
Hi Steedy,
Welcome to the most excellent forum
Whilst you're right in that the M400 is a more 'track biased' car than the M12, whether it suits you as an everyday car is more down to how you feel in the car. Let me explain; when I set out to buy a Noble I wanted a 3R as I expected the M400 to be less comfy on long road journeys. I've had back surgery so comfort is a major criteria.
I ended up with an M400 for the following reasons:
1) I found the seat more comfortable
2) The driving position is less offset in the M400 due to the narrower centre tunnel
3) I thought the M400 would be a better long term investment at the time that I bought mine
The M400 does suffer from more noise due to reduced sound insulation (to keep the weight down) and a firmer ride. That said, I find that the extremely comfy seats more than compensate for the firmer ride.
As regards the tyres; the Corsas on the M400 are 'not as good in the wet' as standard road tyres, but they're a lot more capable than I ever thought they'd be and, as long as you remain a bit sensible in the wet/ice/snow, they're no problem at all. On the plus side, they're absoloutly incredible in the dry on a warm day
Try them both, neither will dissapoint!
Cheers,
Dom.
Welcome to the most excellent forum
Whilst you're right in that the M400 is a more 'track biased' car than the M12, whether it suits you as an everyday car is more down to how you feel in the car. Let me explain; when I set out to buy a Noble I wanted a 3R as I expected the M400 to be less comfy on long road journeys. I've had back surgery so comfort is a major criteria.
I ended up with an M400 for the following reasons:
1) I found the seat more comfortable
2) The driving position is less offset in the M400 due to the narrower centre tunnel
3) I thought the M400 would be a better long term investment at the time that I bought mine
The M400 does suffer from more noise due to reduced sound insulation (to keep the weight down) and a firmer ride. That said, I find that the extremely comfy seats more than compensate for the firmer ride.
As regards the tyres; the Corsas on the M400 are 'not as good in the wet' as standard road tyres, but they're a lot more capable than I ever thought they'd be and, as long as you remain a bit sensible in the wet/ice/snow, they're no problem at all. On the plus side, they're absoloutly incredible in the dry on a warm day
Try them both, neither will dissapoint!
Cheers,
Dom.
There are some other differences, some universal, maybe some US specific. The ducting is different on the side scoups. The ECU is in a worse spot on the M400 relative to heat. Linkages are ran different as well. You will not be dissapointed with either. If I were smaller, I wouldnt have a problem with the 3R seats. The M400 seats are very nice. I actually ordered some (similar, I have a 3R). If you get a 3R, just make sure you get the track pan, oil temp/press gauge, and you will be good to go. If you could work in new seats on a 3R, thats what I would do.
I have been fortunate enough to have owned a 3R and now the M400.
I like both, in terms of ride comfort, the 3R has the edge. Only just.
The M400 has a better gear shift, much much better.
The M400 has Corsas. Be careful in the wet, very. The 3R has S03's, excellent in the wet.
Both are excellent, you need to test drive them. Is one better than the other?
I think that is down to personal taste.
I like both, in terms of ride comfort, the 3R has the edge. Only just.
The M400 has a better gear shift, much much better.
The M400 has Corsas. Be careful in the wet, very. The 3R has S03's, excellent in the wet.
Both are excellent, you need to test drive them. Is one better than the other?
I think that is down to personal taste.
gotapex said:
The M400 does suffer from more noise due to reduced sound insulation (to keep the weight down) and a firmer ride.
Dom.
The European M400 has less sound insulation than the GTO-3R? I don't think this is the case with the US model.
Given that Steedy's based in the UK (according to his profile) and I'm in the UK, I thought it a pretty accurate comment... or am I missing something?
Thanks guys for all your help
V6GTO mentioned that the newer 3Rs have a better turning cicrle and the M400 gear linkage are these the 2006 models or earlier.
Can you fit SO3s on the M400 ?
Thanks for your help. I will try and get test drives for both cars and then i can make a better judgement.
>> Edited by steedy on Saturday 18th February 16:16
V6GTO mentioned that the newer 3Rs have a better turning cicrle and the M400 gear linkage are these the 2006 models or earlier.
Can you fit SO3s on the M400 ?
Thanks for your help. I will try and get test drives for both cars and then i can make a better judgement.
>> Edited by steedy on Saturday 18th February 16:16
Think you could fit SO3's on or others, but there is not much point. Just have to be careful in the wet. (as with any tyres and a noble!
The 3R's came with the goodies above from when the M400 came out IIRC.
V6GTO was the lucky tester with the first 3R with those bits. Shame he screwed up an otherwise great car by painting it a girly colour!
G
The 3R's came with the goodies above from when the M400 came out IIRC.
V6GTO was the lucky tester with the first 3R with those bits. Shame he screwed up an otherwise great car by painting it a girly colour!
G
I've been reliably told there is no difference in the sound insulation between the 3R and M400 when I asked the same question of the factory.
As for which one is best, it truely comes down to "which one can you afford", and "are you skilled enough to find the limits on the 3R on track, and hence want an M400 to keep on pushing the limits" IMHO.
As I could afford the M400 the second question became a bit irrelevant to me. Either will be excellent, but IMHO the 3R has the edge if you wanted to go from Lands End to JoGs via motorways as the M400 can be slightly unsettled on motorway expansion joints. If you went via B-roads, then as long as you were prepared to go at a speed that 'weighted up' the suspension then the M400 is IMHO a 'better' car.
Saying that, either is amazing, so it pretty much comes down to "what can you afford"?
J
As for which one is best, it truely comes down to "which one can you afford", and "are you skilled enough to find the limits on the 3R on track, and hence want an M400 to keep on pushing the limits" IMHO.
As I could afford the M400 the second question became a bit irrelevant to me. Either will be excellent, but IMHO the 3R has the edge if you wanted to go from Lands End to JoGs via motorways as the M400 can be slightly unsettled on motorway expansion joints. If you went via B-roads, then as long as you were prepared to go at a speed that 'weighted up' the suspension then the M400 is IMHO a 'better' car.
Saying that, either is amazing, so it pretty much comes down to "what can you afford"?
J
Ash M400 said:
I have been fortunate enough to have owned a 3R and now the M400.
I like both, in terms of ride comfort, the 3R has the edge. Only just.
The M400 has a better gear shift, much much better.
The M400 has Corsas. Be careful in the wet, very. The 3R has S03's, excellent in the wet.
Both are excellent, you need to test drive them. Is one better than the other?
I think that is down to personal taste.
Likewise - and I agree with the above. If you drive on track or mainly A and good B roads the M400 is the one. If however you don;t do much track work and do a lot of driving on gnarly, tramlined old B roads then the suspension setup on the 3R is better. It is sublime, and the car feels absolutely planted at all speeds, Not so the M400 (even when suspenson fully loaded at speed).
So you then have to trade off the better ride on extreme, badly surfaced roads of the 3R vs the better gearchange, seats, turning circle etc of the M400.
Thanks once again for all your comments they have been very helpful,
you all sound very happy owners!
This forum is a mine field of information and help that you don't seem to get elsewhere.
I will arrange a test drive before I make any decision.
Steedy
>> Edited by steedy on Monday 20th February 19:32
>> Edited by steedy on Monday 20th February 19:32
you all sound very happy owners!
This forum is a mine field of information and help that you don't seem to get elsewhere.
I will arrange a test drive before I make any decision.
Steedy
>> Edited by steedy on Monday 20th February 19:32
>> Edited by steedy on Monday 20th February 19:32
A bit premature, but welcome to the club.
You will buy the first one you test.
Be careful, you may make the salesperson angry
by refusing to get out of the car.
Remember to give the keys back once you do get out or else you may provoke
.
When you leave the garage you will feel
when you get up and realise you have to await delivery
When you take delivery and drive for the first time
And when you talk to your freinds
Apart from that, life should be normal
>> Edited by Ash M400 on Monday 20th February 21:09
You will buy the first one you test.
Be careful, you may make the salesperson angry
by refusing to get out of the car. Remember to give the keys back once you do get out or else you may provoke
. When you leave the garage you will feel
when you get up and realise you have to await delivery
When you take delivery and drive for the first time
And when you talk to your freinds
Apart from that, life should be normal
>> Edited by Ash M400 on Monday 20th February 21:09
steedy said:
Hi Martin
is that what you did?
Yep. I was set on getting an Evo 8 FQ330 and only went for a test drive to put my mind at rest because of all the good things I'd read (I didn't want to get the Mitsu then realise I'd made a mistake) Within 300 yards I knew I had to have one.
steedy said:
Sounds like yours is quite special.
Very...it's the most famous Noble on the planet, and with all the upgrade bits I call it an M300
steedy said:
What's the turning circle like in the 3R
Mine is the same as the M400, and from about Sep/Oct '04 (I think) all 3Rs got the same.
Martin.
Hi Ash,
so why do you get this feeling with the Noble? There are loads of good established brands out there. It seems that everyone on this site has a big grin on their face after they have driven one. Well I will have to find out for myself.
Hi Martin,
sounds like you bought the right car. Has it been running smoothly since you bought it
so why do you get this feeling with the Noble? There are loads of good established brands out there. It seems that everyone on this site has a big grin on their face after they have driven one. Well I will have to find out for myself.
Hi Martin,
sounds like you bought the right car. Has it been running smoothly since you bought it
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