E30 Ride quality?

[6potWil6pot]

After 3 E30s ive noticed all of them ride "very" badly around town, crashing and smashing over bumps and generally winding me up. Lowering the tyre pressure helps a little but does the handling little favours if and when i get onto the open road.

I noticed last night after driving "a little quickly" around town that the suspension is a lot more supple when given some load to deal with, giving less crashing over the same bits of road if you "commit a little more" Anyone else noticed this? Just trying to figure it out

[Simon13]

your car drives excellent, well compared to mine. So i can't see why you are moaning!

[6potWil6pot]

The roads in Enfield are appaling Si!
My car drives great on the open road, its just the around town characteristics that get on my nerves

[Simon13]

yes i see your point driving slowly on bad roads is rather annoying

[jibbers]

Mine is the same , a much better ride can be had with just a touch more speed , however , a recent event has forced me to go back to living with the bumpy ride .........
As you may have read i have just treated myself to an upgrade of 2.0 to 2.5 , all well and good i hear you say , but the problem arose when i took the new springs i just got for the 320 and chucked em on the 325.....
To cut a long story short , i was givin it some through a road i use every day , chicanes and humps all over it , it was never a prob in the 320 but the 325 had obviously dropped a bit more than 40 mm , yep you got it ...
SMAAAAASSSHHH ............ My poor exhaust !!!!!
Anybody else done same DUMBASS thing ?

Jibbers

[mattjbatch]

I noticed last night after driving "a little quickly" around town that the suspension is a lot more supple when given some load to deal with, giving less crashing over the same bits of road if you "commit a little more" Anyone else noticed this? Just trying to figure it out

By driving a bit faster you are increasing the frequency of the oscillations. This means there is less time available for each bump so the vertical displacement of the wheel (caused by the spring force) is reduced. This results lower levels of vibration felt in the cabin. Someone with a better understanding of vibration and dynamics will be able to give a better explanation than that I'm sure.

[6potWil6pot]

Hmm i think i see what you mean, then what makes most modern cars ride better then? A modern suspension setup or a more rigid chassis or both even?

[A1BMW325iSport]

i can`t fault the standard m-tech suspension, maybe get some new shocks?

[Chaos]

i can`t fault the standard m-tech suspension,

same here

ride round town is slightly better than either of the vr6 corrados ive had recently (both were lowered on koni adj shocks)

[Demlotcrew]

Hmm i think i see what you mean, then what makes most modern cars ride better then? A modern suspension setup or a more rigid chassis or both even?

More weight over the wheels.

Dude the IS you sold me was on shit components and the bushes are worn, and im sure the car u had before was the same, and i know for sure that your current one is full of miss matched gear, so you cant say that all E30 are the same. I have the hardest setup on mines and i really dont find it that bad, your IS has a softer ride but it crashes all over the place it thuds like the bump stops are worn.

Andrew

[6potWil6pot]

Dont think its more weight over the wheels...The recent test drives I've had were both lightweight small cars without big meaty engines...

[Chaos]

Dont think its more weight over the wheels...The recent test drives I've had were both lightweight small cars without big meaty engines...

afaik some modern dampers are multi rate type things with the stiffness increasing the more the damper is compressed or if its comrpessed quicker. so round town its a lot softer.

these have various names includsing rising rate and multi stage etc

[Moofles]

i reckon there are differences between e30's too...

BUT i think that in general it is gonna be an e30 ANCIENT TECH trait...

[320Touring]

6potWil6pot-is your car lowered?!

my 320 touring rides extremely well around town on standard shocks, and 15"BBS,
so maybe the combo of lower (stiffer) springs, firmer dampers and smaller sidewalls on aftermarket wheel/tyres (anything less than 55 iirc) cause the problem as there is less inherant shock absorption available?!

My car is also happy hammering along B-roads, I just live within its limits....

If I wanted something that was a super-smooth ride,i'd have kept my jag.

the stock setting on the e30 allows it to be capable of being "3 in 1"

1-Comfy city cruiser.
2-B-road Banshee (esp with an m20 ).
3-Mile munching motorway machine.

IMO-big wheels and lowering the car do make it look much sweeter, but I dont think its worth sacrificing the practicality offered by the factory setup...

bring on the flaming

[6potWil6pot]

Hmm standard setup sounds interesting. Might sit a bit high but so do the cars im looking at

[Chaos]

id say get new standard dampers and follow the advice here
http://www.e30zone.co.uk/modules.php?na ... 17&start=0

[Demlotcrew]

Hmm standard setup sounds interesting. Might sit a bit high but so do the cars im looking at

I think you need to come and drive my car.

Andrew

[6potWil6pot]

Yeah ive followed that thread with quiet interest! Its either that or bye bye E30.

Andrew: Id have to try it around where i live to see how it copes with 75% of my normal driving...

[320Touring]

Before I got my touring, I had a 1997 Seat Toledo TDI..

It was an absolute pig of a car to drive-FWD, poor chassis (based on a mk2 VW Jetta) super soft springs and an on/off power supply (due to turbo)

getting the e30 with its rwd, well balanced and firm(er) springs was a revelation...

to be honest the e30 has as good a setup in terms of comfort vs handling as cars made today-the e30 however achieves it in a different way-its over engineered, and well thought out, but uses fairly basic technology.

just make sure all the rear bushes are good, that the spings are all intact, no leaks from the dampers and that you have at least 205/55/r15 on the BBS if you have at least an m20 in there.

[Chaos]

Before I got my touring, I had a 1997 Seat Toledo TDI..

It was an absolute pig of a car to drive-FWD, poor chassis (based on a mk2 VW Jetta) super soft springs and an on/off power supply (due to turbo)

getting the e30 with its rwd, well balanced and firm(er) springs was a revelation...

to be honest the e30 has as good a setup in terms of comfort vs handling as cars made today-the e30 however achieves it in a different way-its over engineered, and well thought out, but uses fairly basic technology.

just make sure all the rear bushes are good, that the spings are all intact, no leaks from the dampers and that you have at least 205/55/r15 on the BBS if you have at least an m20 in there.

a good fwd car is a revelation.

corrado
205
integra
lotus elan se
306

its seems tho that its not easy to make one.

rwd is most def generally more fun
requires more skill to drive quickly tho.
on a public road its easier to drive a fwd car quickly, esp if its wet

[6potWil6pot]

I'll check it out next time i use the car.

Yeah theres alot of good machinary out there thats driven by the (wrong?) wheels. Im just currently looking at number of different options...

[Simon13]

FWD don't do it Wil!

[Davenotouring]

My wrong wheel drive Civic is great fun.

But I miss RWD......

[6potWil6pot]

I dont get to exploit it enough
Minds made up but im in no hurry

[johnono]

boot it from oakwood st. towards enfield town down the hill and up to the little roundabout, hard left towards chase farm, little sideways .. power to first entrance of hospital, brake, blip to left, follow country lanes..

that was sunday

[6potWil6pot]

Good job u were going up that hill to the little round about, theres a c*nting camera on the way down, also one on that little open bit of country by Oakwood station too if i remember correctly...
Since ive been driving theyve put up so many cameras around Enfield

[johnono]

fack mate i remember , there was one buried in a bush or somthin twisted like that
its been a long time since i took a burn around the town