Trip to Cornwall

[Ed Davies]

Hi,

 

Got bored with all the bad weather recently, so took a chance and went to Cornwall for a long weekend. It's one of the longest journeys I've made, about 600 miles in total. One small issue with the front wheel, hence the serious look and greasy hands in the last photo. It rained quite a bit but the hardtop kept me dry - no leaks!

 

I fitted an anti-roll bar to the front a few weeks ago, and I'm really impressed with the difference it's made. Replacing my old sealed beams with new H4 headlamps makes driving in the dark more pleasurable. Next job has got to be the steering, as it's very vague. How much play is there supposed to be from turning the steering wheel to the wheels actually turning?

 

Hope you enjoy the photos, limited on file sizes..

 

Cheers Ed

[Icarus60]

Thanks for the pics Ed.

 

Whose anti-roll bar did you fit and what improvemnts has it given you.

(Im thinking about fitting one but it hasn't reached far up the todo list yet)

 

Thanks

Rog

[Ashley James]

I periodically drove TR2s and 3s in the sixties and never liked the handling because they didn't feel that stable and they were a bit tail happy. The Healey 3000s I owned were far better until the the ant-roll bar link rod rubber bushes failed, when they had the same problems.

 

My 3A is excellent with a standard 5/8" anti-roll bar. On a smooth surface it begins with mild understeer, which progresses to a balanced and easily controlled four wheel slide. On a bumpy road, you have to be more wary because it leaps around less predictably than a modern, but it's still safe and predictable. Because modern radials have more grip it would probably be better on the 3/4" one Moss sells. It's completely stable on the motorway too.

 

Ash

[Menno van Rij]

I've never driven one without an A/R bar. And I must say I'm really happy with the way my TR corners.

 

Back to Ed's first part of his posting: it was raining cats and dogs overhere today and I wasn't really motivated to get my (soft top) 3A out for a round trip to the Dutch National Day (120 mls in total). So, in my book, you're a hero.

 

Menno

[Ed Davies]

Hi

 

I went for the Revington one: http://www.revingtontr.com/shop/product_display.asp?mscssid=RCVH1RXGHDNL9H0UVWXH55W50PPT5JR7&CarType=TR3&ProductID=RTR3134K

 

I used to get a lot of body roll going round corners, now with roundabouts and country lanes it has barely any roll. The car feels like it holds the road a lot better. I don't go round corners fast, but it still used to unnerve me a bit. I always took the view that I don’t want to change the car. It’s fun driving an old classic, and I like the big difference driving the TR and my modern car. In this case though I’m really pleased I went for it.

 

The Revington version is easy to setup, they just bolt on with no permanent changes. I’ve had to lose the front bumpers as the brackets cause a problem, you can modify them to fit.

 

Cheers Ed.

[Nigel C]

Hi Ed,

how's it going? will we see you and/or your bro at Peerless towers, IWe 2012?? hope so. you wont have to entertain my kids though as one's just passed his degree and the other joining the Navy! haha

[Ed Davies]

Hi Nigel,

 

Good to hear from you, I'm doing well thanks! Disappointed, your kids should be there in their own Warwick or Peerless by now!

 

I'll be at the IWe on Friday night, not sure if it's for the whole weekend, I need to get someone to cover as I'm supposed to be working.

 

See you there, Ed.

[littlejim]

Shouldn't do this, but what the hell.

With independent suspension on each front wheel the outside one can squash down while the inside one stays in contact with the road and helps in the cornering.

With a solid axle the weight on the outside wheel in the corner starts to lift the inside wheel off the road much earlier.

The anti - roll bar imitates a solid axle connecting the two wheels again with something solid, as the outside wheel gets pushed down the other, once the flex in the bar is used up, gets lifted up by the bar.

Those action shots of the cars cornering in sedan races always show you the mustang etc. etc with the inside wheel in the air.

I'd prefer to leave the independent suspension doing its stuff unless the body roll was driving me nuts, and then I'd prefer to try different springs first, before an anti-roll bar.

 

Alan Staniforth explains it much better than I can, and his later book explains how the formula cars use a different system that doesn't lift the inside wheel, but pushes it down.

[RogerH]

Hi LJ,

your summary is good.

Hhowever with the outer wheel being compressed by the corner and the inner wheel being lifted by the ARB the front will dip and try to remain level(ish).

The back wheels will still try to lift the inner body work. But again a rear ARB will try to flatten that out.

The bad side is that you are now going fast around corners in a flat plane. This will cause havoc to the Gin&Tonic balanced on the glove box door.

 

Roger

[littlejim]

Roger,

Go-karts don't have this problem, or any springs, and corner very flat like that.

(Tip: G&T always sloshes to the outer edge of corners in this situation, but probably from the opposite edge of the glass in the Northern Hemisphere, as is its wont .)

Added: The A/R bars are about comfort of the driver rather than better roadholding (what with lifting inside wheels) which some proponents seem to say is the case.The above forumites like their car with the bars fitted and that's what it is all about.

My Prado has a thick AR bar on the front and I love it.

Edited July 9, 2012 by littlejim

[Ed Davies]

Hi,

 

I don't think I've gone round a corner fast enough for a wheel to lift I'm I doing it wrong?

 

As for Gin&Tonic - you drink it just before the corner and top up on the straight..Eventually you don't have any corners to worry about.. Easy..

 

Ed