How do i get a firmer ride...

[froggy]

without lowering it?
Just drove home from work and with a bit of a cross wind the bay was swaying.
Apart from lowering it (the wifes not keen but maybe..) is there any other way to stop the body roll?

 

[easy]

Have you got an anti roll bar fitted? if not lowering it is the best way. what condition are your shocks in as new / decent adjustable ones can help. 8)

 

[Clarkson46]

Fit new anti-roll bar bushes and clamps, makes a hell of a difference. New shocks all round would help as if the existing ones have been there any length of time they will worn.

 

[Loxy]

What about the uprated anti-roll bars? Didnt angus fit one to his recently & see an improvement?

 

[MMMC]

The guys on The Samba recommend getting the the right tyres for the job and that helps with the blowing...

 

[froggy]

Will have a look at the shocks and the anti-roll bar bushes.
The tyres are stock 185 / 14 commercial tyres and are near enough new although i will check the pressures.

 

[angus]

I did indeed Loxy - well remembered. I'll post some comparison pics I took at the time. I did it the day before hitting the Top Gear track! At the same time I fitted new shocks all round - standard ride height - I stuck with 'standard' shocks as I wanted to retain the comfy ride for now. I may try stiffer shocks in the future.
However, I can recommend the uprated anti-roll bar no end - IN MY OPINION!! It is a very subjective area, but one I could get no opinion about before trying, so I just went for it. The thing I really wanted to stop/decrease was the rolling dive into roundabouts - ie: the worst conditions - braking hard and turning sharply (see also 'entry into the Hammerhead' :mrgreen: ) and in this respect it has worked brilliantly. By keeping the dampers standard, the rest of the ride is not affected, but the cornering is much more level - more 'upright'. I have noticed that the front wheel can crash down into potholes a little bit more - the rough sides of roads/drains etc, I guess as the stiffer ARB resists etc, but a small price to pay IMO.

I'll sort out some pics right now....

 

[angus]

Obviously this shows new/old - I'll let you figure out which is which. You can see how much thicker the steel is, and it feels way more substantial than the 'standard' bar. Fitting is a doddle, not least because the red rubber (feels like silicon) is much softer than the black rubber blocks, so really easy to slide onto the new ARB, and get to seat correctly on the wishbone.

I'm pretty happy with it - got mine from JK - says 'with fittings' but this just means the red rubber - you have to buy new clamps if you need to cut your old ones off, and the new clamps you buy only come with new black rubbers - which of course you don't need. I thought this was a bit poor TBH - why not include clamps with the ARB kit, or sell them without the blocks if required - adds £15 or so to the price. Of course if you cab reuse the old clamps/clips, then this isn't an issue.

Hope that helps a bit - never really had an issue with the van blowing around - I just let her go where she wants most of the time, but I am sure the stiffer ARB helps in this respect.

 

[froggy]

Angus, how much and from where did you get the up-rated bushes?

 

[Clarkson46]

................. braking hard and turning sharply

I was alway taught that braking was done in a straight line and turning was started after the braking was over, In simple terms, braking and turning were a no no. Trouble is ABS has lulled the world into a false sense of security, which unfortunately a bay window does not have, so braking and cornering are a symptom of bad driving. I know someone is going to call me a **** but I base my opinion on the fact that I used to work as an advanced driving instructor and one of the worst bad habits we had to try to cure was braking whilst turning which in the pre ABS era was the recipe for disaster.

 

[angus]

ok, wrong use of words/language. Yes, obviously you are correct about the brake in a straight line thing. I was using it more as an example to describe a movement of the van in an extreme situation, or as a 'virtual-visual-guide' as to what sort of movement I feel the stiffer ARB has helped most in. Maybe I should have just said 'tight turns/roundabouts'. (Although in the real world, there are times when one turns and brakes at the same time - I wouldn't call that a symptom of bad driving, personally.)

I did say 'worse conditions' - Ok - change my phrase from 'braking hard and turning sharply' to 'turning into tight-ish roundabouts, at the appropriate speed for the conditions....' - hopefully most people will understand what I was trying to convey. :roll: :wink:

I was alway taught that braking was done in a straight line and turning was started after the braking was over....

- well yes...unless you want to help the back round the corner slightly and tighten a line, or perhaps deliberatly induce a nice 4-wheel drift. Obviously I'm talking track driving here (in the appropriate conditions) Braking into a corner slightly, so that the rear comes round as it goes light is a very satisfying thing to get right in the right car, especially at a soaking wet Spa or Nurburgring - I'm happy with my driving there - although I have no 'formal' qualifications... :wink: I agree that this style of driving may not be appropriate in a '68 Bay.

I'm proud to say none of my vehicles have ABS, and that I enjoy the satisfaction to be gained from driving well 8) and all the above is said with a smile and a wink.