Ride Characteristics?

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DoZZa

New Member
Posts
67
Location
North Devon
Hello all,

Just joined here and this is my second post, but unfortunately I have to ask for your help.

Today I have purchased a 1995 HSE 4.6. I love it, but I do not love the ride!

I have done a bit of reading about the suspension and from what I can see, the EAS is functioning as it should be. I have no fault codes, the suspension will lower and raise the car as and when it should.

But the ride is not good, I suppose the best way I can describe it is similar to tram lining with a bounce.

Ride seems bouncy and unsettled.

On the motorway the ride is still bouncy even in motorway mode.

I just drove through a narrow country lane which I know to be uneven and the car was all over the place, not very confidence inspiring.

From what I have been reading I would say that the first thing I need to do is replace the shocks and possibly bushes?

I will be using the car on-road mostly, with occasional off-road.

It has done 131,000 miles, so just run in, lol.

The tyres I currently have fitted all round are Goodyear Wrangler HP, the rears have plenty of tread left, the fronts will need replacing in a few thousand miles. I dont know anything about Goodyear tyres as I have never used them before, are they any good or shall I ditch them and get some different tyres?

I have checked the tyre pressures and they seem to be OK.

What are your thoughts?

Thanks

DoZZa
 
SpudH said:
What size wheels are on it? They ride best on 16's
Click to expand...

Hello, thanks for your prompt reply.

Its currently got 255/55/19's on at the moment. Maybe this is contributing to the problem, but surely the ride cant be compromised that much by the larger wheel size?

I am a complete noob when it comes to Land Rovers and Off-road 4x4's.

So please excuse my ignorance!
 
P38 is very susceptible to ride problems with wheel size.
I've recently switched to 18's from 16's and will definitely be going back to 16's when these tires wear out.
 
You feel it makes that much of a difference?

Maybe I should borrow some 16's from somewhere and see what its like.

If the ride is like this on 19's then what the hell is it like on 22's that I see people driving around on?!
 
Check the main track rod that does from side to side. The balljoints can wear and give you a weave although this wouldn't give the bouncing you describe. Wrong size wheels wont help either. Are the fronts and rears the same size?
 
hippolover said:
Check the main track rod that does from side to side. The balljoints can wear and give you a weave although this wouldn't give the bouncing you describe. Wrong size wheels wont help either. Are the fronts and rears the same size?
Click to expand...

Hi, thanks for your advise.

The wheels and tyres are the same size all round.

I will check the track rods and ball joints.

I am still leaning towards the shocks though.
 
DoZZa said:
You feel it makes that much of a difference?

Maybe I should borrow some 16's from somewhere and see what its like.

If the ride is like this on 19's then what the hell is it like on 22's that I see people driving around on?!
Click to expand...

There are other factors like ride height, shocks and bushings but the wheel size makes an immediate difference. As you go up in wheel diameter you are replacing flexible rubber with hard metal. A 255/65 tire has 165mm of side wall. A 255/55 has 140mm so is going to be stiffer.
Any p38 running on 22' rims with rubber bands for tires is going to ride like a leaf sprung pick up from the 70's.
 
Thanks for the replies chaps.

I think I will change the shocks to begin with, seems the most logical step to take, not overly expensive either.

I will probably do the bushes while I am there, is there a good supplier for the bushes or am I just best to get OEM ones from my local dealer?
 
I have changed the tyre pressures to 28 front, and 36 rear, could be placebo effect but it seems better.

They where originally 32 from and 34 rear.
 
Just an observation.

Last night I set the suspension to its highest level and turned the engine off and left the car overnight.

This morning the car is sitting low on the rears but still high on the front.

Is this a sign that the airbags are leaking or is this normal behaviour?
 
DoZZa said:
Just an observation.

Last night I set the suspension to its highest level and turned the engine off and left the car overnight.

This morning the car is sitting low on the rears but still high on the front.

Is this a sign that the airbags are leaking or is this normal behaviour?
Click to expand...
Nope, not normal I'm afraid! (assuming you're parked on a level surface and it's not self-leveling) Could be air bags themselves leaking, or damaged pipework, or a joint somewhere, or worst case the valve block. You need to set it to high and then go over them all with soapy water looking for bubbles, take your time and use a good torch cause the bubbles can be tiny and seem insignificant, but over time they mount up. If the car spends much time battling a leak the next thing you know the pump will be worn/burnt out.

If you're lucky it'll just a joint, in which case some replacement 'o' rings and quick trim of the end of the pipe should sort it.

As well as all the stuff on Loonyzone about the subject the RoverRenovations site also has a lot of useful EAS info and how to's.
 
You could have a leak in the airbag or at the connectors as for ride if you are talking about harsh or hard ride then yes it could be shocks etc but if it is directional stability it is more likely to be steering damper or swivel ball joints I run on 19 in rims with no pull or tramlining but I replaced the swivel ball joints and all bushes and track rods and draglink and wheel bearings and airbags and shocks and steering damper I didnt replace all at once but as I did each bit it improved now with all done it doesnt tramline even with odd worn tyres on hope this helps
 
Thanks for the help chaps.

I think I will systematically start changing parts.

I will start with the shocks, bushes and steering damper first.

Hopefully that will start to make a difference.
 
A new Drag link made a big difference to directional stability on mine, the track rod was replaced just before I got the car. It runs on 18" Hurricanes with Goodyear Wranglers. Bad ride = shocks.
 
Datatek said:
A new Drag link made a big difference to directional stability on mine, the track rod was replaced just before I got the car. It runs on 18" Hurricanes with Goodyear Wranglers. Bad ride = shocks.
Click to expand...

The drag link is the bar that runs across the front of the car near the anti-roll bar which has the damper connected to it, am I right?
 
DoZZa said:
The drag link is the bar that runs across the front of the car near the anti-roll bar which has the damper connected to it, am I right?
Click to expand...

Yes, to check get some one to wiggle the steering while you look at and feel the joints, a little movement equals a lot of wander:eek: Also check the steering box is centred.
 
Agree with all above, plus if shockers are shot prob find steering damper shot too.
Beware of replacing radius arm bushes: the original spec bushes need a special tool and a press, but poly bushes go in easily. (some have successfully diy-ed the originals, but think before burning the old ones out!)
 
gtland said:
Agree with all above, plus if shockers are shot prob find steering damper shot too.
Beware of replacing radius arm bushes: the original spec bushes need a special tool and a press, but poly bushes go in easily. (some have successfully diy-ed the originals, but think before burning the old ones out!)
Click to expand...

Thanks for the guidance.

I will probably upgrade to poly bushes while I am there, aint got the tools to put in the OEM ones.
 
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