A quiet Rover

H

hairyrover

Guest
I like quiet cars and I hoped a P5b would be that. I've spent a log while improving door seals and getting rid of rattles and knocks. I've been titivating under the bonnet and sorting out lots of silly little jobs,I want to try and end up with a tidy car but not an over restored one and also one thats quiet to drive.
I'm suprised the ride of these cars is so harsh,either I'm remembering with rose coloured glasses my old 3 litre or car design has moved on more than I thought.
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hairyrover said:
I'm suprised the ride of these cars is so harsh,either I'm remembering with rose coloured glasses my old 3 litre or car design has moved on more than I thought.
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I was the same with the P6!
Even now I remain disappointed at his crashiness over broken surfaces at low speeds...noise transmission and the little "wobble" it transmits over a heavier bump.
Speed bumps cannot be sailed over...which I particulary enjoyed doing in an old ZD Fairlane I once had.
On smooth roads, the P6 is lovely (to be expected) and quite good over the rougher stuff once it has a bit of speed up.
In all fairness,the tyres are harsh and it has some poly...albeit only 4 pieces throughout the whole car...and maybe that's enough to knock it about? :shock:
I once bought a 66 Galaxie (390 bored to 402), and its ride was astonishing!
The advertising waffle of the day proclaimed a better than Rolls Royce ride...and having been in a 79 Roller, I can say that it left the Rolls for dead!
Bumps disappeared with a distant "bl-oop"...with nary a tremor from the body.
Admittedly, it did have Maxxis tyres on it, which I have found to be quite astounding in their brilliant ride softness.
If you get the chance, put them on the P5B and see if that (literally) transforms the ride.
 
Lets compare apples with apples .
The wheel base on a Galaxy or Roller is a little larger than the P6 . I'd expect a softer ride from a long wheel base . I think the P6 out performs anything in its class insofar as ride c/f wheel base is concerned in that era .
I'd put my P6 up against any 70's yank/oz tanks around urban streets at speed . The urban ride is unequalled .
Dont forget the 70's Oz tanks were built for the rough outback roads .They were marketed on their rugged suspension . Rover was out of its depth in the great outback .
I smashed my P6 rear suspension on the unsealed Nullabor way back in 72 when I hit a massif hole covered in bull dust at speed .A Falcon would have wallowed through it .
I do get irritated with the P6 wind noise in mine at motorway speed though .That's with new door seals too. Had Solihull used a wind tunnel in the P6 development , Im sure they would have nailed that one .
Gerald
 
Good to see another P5B on the board - I have visited your site a few times since my purchase last year.

I know you have replaced the suspension components but can I ask what tyres you are now running? The set I purchased from the Rover club, plus proper wheel balancing and alignment made a large positive impact to my ride quality & noise.

Still tracking down wind noise from the driver side quarterlight though...
 
Wind noise is about the only thing that really bothers me in the P6. Early road tests show the new overdriven 4th gear makes a big difference to engine noise at motorway speed. At 3000rpm it is busy; at 2200rpm it is relaxed and quiet. Just a gentle V8 thrum. As for the ride quality, it is a little pitchy at low speed, even a little crashy at times, and then as the speed climbs it graduates to superb. It is one of my favourite P6 aspects; the marvellous way it soaks up the unevenness of the open road. I haven't come across a modern yet that matches it, with perhaps the near exception of my 75.
 
I altered the door seals,the ones round the quarter light touched the frame but still didn't seal too well I glued 1/8 inch closed cell foam strip under them and they now seal better.
Compared to my early XJ6 (which I wish I'd kept) the rover ride seems poor,there is nothing wrong with the suspension apart from the rear Y mounts which I've been meaning to change for some time.
I also have an old london taxi,this used to bang and rattle on every small bump in the road,the panels are all bolt on and the wings used to flex and move about some while ago I welded up all the seams while patching rust holes and the difference in ride has been most noticeable.I think the rover panels are far more rigid and better designed though.
 
hairyrover said:
I altered the door seals,the ones round the quarter light touched the frame but still didn't seal too well I glued 1/8 inch closed cell foam strip under them and they now seal better.
Compared to my early XJ6 (which I wish I'd kept) the rover ride seems poor,there is nothing wrong with the suspension apart from the rear Y mounts which I've been meaning to change for some time.
I also have an old london taxi,this used to bang and rattle on every small bump in the road,the panels are all bolt on and the wings used to flex and move about some while ago I welded up all the seams while patching rust holes and the difference in ride has been most noticeable.I think the rover panels are far more rigid and better designed though.
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I don't think that you can really compare a P5 with any XJ. When they were announced, the XJ6 received rave reviews for its ride quality, often rated better than 'Royces' of the day. The P5, however appealing it was, had a much older suspension design and, IMHO, couldn't compete. Jaguar put a lot of engineering effort into trying to eliminate NVH, and would appear to have been successful; it didn't change much for over many years. Even when it was new, the P5, especially in 'B' guise, there were subtle comments made about the ride / suspension, as the car had been in prduction since the 1950s.
 
Yes I think the Jaguar is a better design in terms of a comfortable ride,I do wonder though if after all those years of having a heavy car sitting on them that the Rovers anti vibration mounts are no longer up to the job. Problem is that apart from the difficulty of changing them I understand that some at least are no longer available so I guess I'll never know.
 
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