P38 ride - it seems hard and jiggly

[willem]

G'day guys,

I have been noticing that the ride on my 99 P38 is pretty hard. Its certainly much harder than the 95 VW Caravelle that we have as a family car.

I had a look under the car and everything seems to be stock. The shockies appear to be OEM - they are black in colour. The airbags appear to be OEM also. The only thing I can think of is that the tyres are LT (light Truck) tyres.

Any ideas or comments?

Thanks

Willem

[mike 90 RR]

High tyre pressure will give this effect



What tyre branding / size are you running?? as LT tyres have more ply ratings to the side walls ... reducing side wall flex

Mike

[willem]

High tyre pressure will give this effect



What tyre branding / size are you running?? as LT tyres have more ply ratings to the side walls ... reducing side wall flex

Mike

G'day Mike,

Fair comment. I am running Bridgestone Desert Dueler 682 Light Truck 22/75R16 at 30 PSI.

Willem

[p38arover]

G'day Mike,

Fair comment. I am running Bridgestone Desert Dueler 682 Light Truck 22/75R16 at 30 PSI.

Front or rear?

I run stock 28 front, 38 rear with the Cooper ST. I ran the same with the Michelin XP.

[mike 90 RR]

Your car should float with the right shockies & tyres
Are there ... and what are the coloured stripes of ID paint on the front springs?



So it's this Tyre your using?
D682 (http://www.bridgestone.com.au/tyres/treads/d682.aspx)



Ron or others should be able to advise further :)

[p38arover]

Are there ... and what are the coloured stripes of ID paint on the front springs?

The springs are rubber bellows. :p It has air suspension.

[mike 90 RR]

The springs are rubber bellows. :p It has air suspension.


Ohh ... Front air bags instead of springs ... this is why I try to keep out of this (P38) section

;) ;) ;) ;)

[p38arover]

Ohh ... Front air bags instead of springs ... this is why I try to keep out of this (P38) section

;) ;) ;) ;)

Mate! If you never, never go, you'll never, never know! :D

[mike 90 RR]

Mate! If you never, never go, you'll never, never know! :D

I keep a eye on these section's cause sooner or later I will be owning either a Late model P38a or a early L322 .... so I'm taking in "the good oil" beforehand :)

Anyway .... thoughts on why Willem has a hard ride instead of a floater?

[p38arover]

Anyway .... thoughts on why Willem has a hard ride instead of a floater?

None, I'm afraid.

I know my P38A is much smoother than our D1 was (and other D1s I've driven). Willem didn't mention it when he was here and he drove mine.

I can only think of shock absorbers being the problem (assuming the car is not in extended mode).

[mike 90 RR]

None, I'm afraid.

I know my P38A is much smoother than our D1 was (and other D1s I've driven). Willem didn't mention it when he was here and he drove mine.

I can only think of shock absorbers being the problem (assuming the car is not in extended mode).

I'm not familiar with the tyres ... but they look OK for there intended use ... so I would agree about looking at ..... & or ..... installing new "or" softer shocks


.......(How to write a non committal answer) :) ... as it depends on what he already has installed ;)

[willem]

None, I'm afraid.

I know my P38A is much smoother than our D1 was (and other D1s I've driven). Willem didn't mention it when he was here and he drove mine.

I can only think of shock absorbers being the problem (assuming the car is not in extended mode).



I've been checking and my actual tyre pressures were 34 front 36 rear. I thought they were 30 all round but obviously I was wrong. :o I've now reduced the pressure in the front to 28 and left the rear alone. I'll see if it makes a difference. I am wondering if it has been a combination of the type of tyres and the pressures.

No, I'm not driving in extended mode. The EAS is working nicely, raising and lowering at all the right points.

Willem

[justinc]

Willem,
I would guess at substandard/ worn shocks. I recently fitted a set of Bilsteins to a RR with EAS and it immediately changed the ride quality to how it should be.

JC

[LavisLane]

I've got the same lower than average ride and would be surprised if it's not the shocks. Everything else (tyre pressure, bags, compressor) is working fine. i just need to be less of a tight arrrs and get new shocks. I hope...

[willem]

I've got the same lower than average ride and would be surprised if it's not the shocks. Everything else (tyre pressure, bags, compressor) is working fine. i just need to be less of a tight arrrs and get new shocks. I hope...

I'm pretty sure my shocks are OEM. Maybe after 147ks they are past their useby date?

Willem

[PaulP38a]

I'm pretty sure my shocks are OEM. Maybe after 147ks they are past their useby date?

Willem

Hi Willem

I tend to agree with the others that it is probably your shocks more so than the air springs. However, if the budget stretches to it I'd suggest changing the air springs over at the same time.

I got a set of Bilstein shocks last year from Arnott Industries in the US, much cheaper than buying them locally.

Give Triumph-Rover Spares in SA a call. They have my old RR including the Arnott GenIII Air Springs and Bilstein Shocks. They quoted me a reasonable-ish price to buy them back as spares for my "new" RR, but not reasonable enough to make me commit.

Cheers, Paul.

[p38arover]

Give Triumph-Rover Spares in SA a call. They have my old RR including the Arnott GenIII Air Springs and Bilstein Shocks.


Gahh! We could have supplied a set of old springs and shocks to fit to it before it went to TRS!

[p38arover]

Willem, I recall Scouse had a set of shocks for sale at a good price. I would have bought them except I'd just fitted new shocks to mine.

[PhilipA]

IMHO a 38A has a more jiggly ride than a RRC with springs.
I drove a friend's 38A and was surprised how much more low speed jiggling it had than my 93 RRC then on 10% uprated springs and Boge shocks and BFG ATKO LT 245.75x16s.
A 38A has lower profile tyres than a RRC and the air springs and I have seen many references to this difference in ride quality in Pom magazines.
I guess it depends what you are used to. My RRC now is much more jiggly after fitting rear air bags and (comfort) Bilsteins.
Regards Philip A

[ivery819]

willem

PM sent !

[ivery819]

Willem:
Photos of shocks and dampener
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/01/190.jpg (http://www.aulro.com/app/showphoto.php/photo/12761)
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/01/191.jpg (http://www.aulro.com/app/showphoto.php/photo/12762)
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/01/192.jpg (http://www.aulro.com/app/showphoto.php/photo/12763)
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/01/193.jpg (http://www.aulro.com/app/showphoto.php/photo/12764)

[p38arover]

Ahh, it was you, Peter, who had the shocks to which I referred earlier, not Scouse.

If I recall correctly, Boge were the OEM shocks.

[PaulP38a]

Gahh! We could have supplied a set of old springs and shocks to fit to it before it went to TRS!

Yeah, but I was hoping that Andy would buy it and then we could all have had a go at it.

In retrospect, I should have bought it myself... but I wasn't planning on buying another P38A until I saw that Hardy was selling "the Tractor".

Such is life with a P38A - we live, learn, spend, enjoy, break stuff, spend, enjoy, forget, spend...

[p38arover]

Yeah, but I was hoping that Andy would buy it and then we could all have had a go at it.

In retrospect, I should have bought it myself... but I wasn't planning on buying another P38A until I saw that Hardy was selling "the Tractor".

Such is life with a P38A - we live, learn, spend, enjoy, break stuff, spend, enjoy, forget, spend...

Damn lot of spending with a Rover!

[Scouse]

Ahh, it was you, Peter, who had the shocks to which I referred earlier, not Scouse.

I can still give you a shock or two.



Just call me for a price on a new P38 part ;).

[willem]

I can still give you a shock or two.



Just call me for a price on a new P38 part ;).

Since when does that shock a Rangie owner anymore?! :eek:

But being the owner of a VW Caravelle (T4) I can tell you that VW prices can put Rangie prices in the shade. And VW are meant to be the people's car! (Volks Wagen means People's Car). $150 for a small and very basic switch - not a sensor, just a switch - being just one example. :( As you can imagine, I repaired the switch! :D:cool:

Willem

[Dougal]

I recall someone mentioning the P38 shocks were revised to give better ride quality. I don't know what point in time this happened, but I do remember not being overly impressed with the 96 P38 that i was given a ride in around 2000. It did have low profile tyres though.

[Hoges]

My P38 ride had more jiggles than all the tea bags at a Liptons convention so I recently replaced the Armstrong HT adjustables (only 8,000 Bris-syd-Cbr highway kms :() with stock standard OEM via mailorder from Graeme Cooper...

2 weeks ago did a 3,500 km trip Bris -Cbr- Sydney-Bris but this time included the gravel roads via Bathurst/Sofala/Kandos/Tenterfield/Beaudesert etc

Massive improvement in comfort, no feeling of fade on the corrugations, even SWMBO got lots of confidence driving on the dirt road sections :twisted:

The bushes which came with the new shocks were also a big improvement on those with the Armstrong shocks ...the NVH factors on road joins/broken tar and corrugations definitely improved

[willem]

Just thought I'd let you guys know what happened. I bought a set of OE shocks and steering damper and fitted them today. The ride improvement is remarkable - my wife commented on it within the first half kilometre. Also a quieter ride. So I am appreciating the difference. It has surprised me. I didn't think the difference would be that much.

Willem

[willem]

Just thought I'd let you guys know what happened. I bought a set of OE shocks and steering damper and fitted them today. The ride improvement is remarkable - my wife commented on it within the first half kilometre. Also a quieter ride. So I am appreciating the difference. It has surprised me. I didn't think the difference would be that much.

Willem

The last part of the equation happened on Tuesday. I bought a set of HSE wheels and tyres off eBay. The tyres are Tojo A/Ts, and they are a passenger tyre and not a light truck tyre, which is what were on the previous set of wheels. They have made another improvement to the ride and it is now as I expected it would be - the fabled 'magic carpet'!

I have kept the original wheels for a camper trailer I intend to get 'one day'. That will give me two wheels for the trailer, and a spare for the trailer and a spare for the car.

Willem

[adm333]

Willem

If it's the TOYO Open Country A/T tyres you are referring to, they are the same as I run and I have found them to be an excellent all round tyre.

Very smooth and quiet on the highway and pretty good for the off road stuff that I do.

They aren't the first tyre you'd think of buying, but after a lot of research I found they had a very good reputation.

I'd buy them again.

Dave

[willem]

Willem

If it's the TOYO Open Country A/T tyres you are referring to, they are the same as I run and I have found them to be an excellent all round tyre.

Very smooth and quiet on the highway and pretty good for the off road stuff that I do.

They aren't the first tyre you'd think of buying, but after a lot of research I found they had a very good reputation.

I'd buy them again.

Dave

G'day Dave,

They're the ones! You made me get up and have look, and your spelling is is right. So far they are good. When I bought them they had about 50% wear left on them so I'll see how they go. But so far the way you describe them reflects my experience. What do they normally cost when new?

Willem

[adm333]

Mine were about $250 each. Excellent value I thought.