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TR2/3/3A How do you get a TR3 to ride better?

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M

Murray

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Not a soft ride, just a slightly better ride that is not as rough. My TR3A has the tube shock rear conversion that helped slightly, and I have new (less than 1 year) front shocks. Would better adjustable shocks put at full soft help? How about softer leaf springs without changing ride height. I don't know if that can be done.

Just wondering if anybody has tried any of these changes. I do drive my car long distances.

Murray
 
Hey, Murray -

I solved the ride problem with my '57 TR3 by selling it and buying a TR8!

All kidding aside, there's really not a lot you can do to improve the ride. It's kinda the nature of the beast.

But it's also part of the appeal of owning a sidescreen TR. They never were meant to be comfortable.

I'll be interested to hear others chime in on this one...

:cheers:
Mickey
 
Different sized tires. Sometimes overlooked is that the tires are also part of the ride and handling. A tire with a larger volume of air can provide a better cushion that can also be adjusted by adjusting the air pressure.
 
Rubber rather than Poly bushings (but you'll be replacing them all the time....)

What front springs are you running?
 
I have rubber bushings for that reason, better ride quality. I put on new slightly uprated springs about a year ago, mainly because I didn't know the history of the old ones.

The harsh ride is in the rear more so than the front. I am using Vredestein 165 radials.

Murray
 
Lubricating the rear springs (per the manual) may help if that has been neglected for years. Choice of air pressure can also affect ride. Staying on smooth paved roads should help. Mostly I just accept it as it is.
 
The seat construction has not been mentioned. I doubt that many seats are rebuilt to the standards that they were originally built to . It has been a long time since I have taken apart an original seat, but that might be a place to start looking for improvement. The seat bottoms are made like upholstery in a house. Some rebuilt springs, some horsehair padding... might be worth a look.
 
Not only tire size, but brand and type, some ride harder than others, you may try lowering the tire pressure a bit, don't know about TR3s, but some of the 50s and 60s brit cars had tire pressures specified in the low to mid 20s, not the 28-32 pounds many run these days.

But as others have said bottom line not a ton you can do, stiff suspensions and short suspension travel lead to a pretty stiff ride, sporting as they said back in the day.

As an interesting aside, many of the colors specified for the early cars came from suggestions from John Black's wife, many light colors. there was even a shade of pink I think. The TR was considered somewhat of a lady's car, I suppose this was comparing the TR2 to the contemporary squre rigged MGs, Morgans and such.

Now it is of course looked at as the rough and ready TR, last of the hairy chested sports cars!
 
Mickey may be right. If you want a softer ride, maybe the TR3 isn't the car of choice. There is a reason journalists likened the ride to an oxcart. The seat springs are your best insurance against jarring your tailbone.
The side curtain cars just weren't built with ride comfort as a high priority. When I was putting the suspension together on my TR6 a friend said, "Man is that going to be a rough ride!" "Won't be any rougher than the 3", was my response. He could only nod his head in agreement. Nature of the beast.
Please don't get me wrong, I love driving my TR3.
 
I don't see it written here yet so I'll try.


Put it on a flat bed???
 
Single biggest improvement I found was disassembling, cleaning and lubricating the rear springs. I actually tried inserting roller bearings, but they quickly fell out (should've used some sort of cage to hold them in place).

I was going to try Teflon between the leaves next time, but TeriAnn Wakeman just posted (on another forum) that .005" UHMW polyethylene tape works better.
 
My Spitfire rides really really nice. Want to trade?
 
DNK said:
I don't see it written here yet so I'll try.


Put it on a flat bed???
Click to expand...

Don - that's just WRONG! :smirk:
 
Trade it in on a Buick. But it won't be nearly as much fun.

My only "surprise" with my "new" TR3 has been the ride. When I was 19, I remember my 1958 TR3 riding like a Cadillac. When in the Navy, I drove it from Washington, DC to San Diego, and wasn't even sore.

Now, I can barely crawl into it (although, the wind wings DO get in the way), and the ride is somewhere in the Conestoga Wagon-go cart family. I just grin and bear it, and mark the difference in ride to (1) a 19-year-old sacroiliac vs. a 66-year-old sacroiliac, and (2) a 4-year-old car vs. a 47-year-old car.

But, I am "home" now. And will never want a Buick.
 
TR3BGeorge said:
Trade it in on a Buick. But it won't be nearly as much fun....
Click to expand...
Funny you should mention Buick. Many, many years ago, I gave my neighbor a 25-mile ride in my GT6+ and dropped him off at a dealer where he was picking up his Buick from the Service Department. My neighbor really was NOT a 'car guy' as such, but he remarked several times about how nicely the GT6 rode!

[Granted, the GT6 was intended from the start to be a somewhat better riding car for "grand touring" whan were cars such as the TR3. On the other hand, I never thought my TR3A rode badly at all, with the obvious and understandable exception of very rough roads.]
 
sorry for bringing this thread back, i was on holidays, but i would like to add my 2 cents worth.
Easiest way to smooth out the ride is add a whole bunch of weight to the car. Put a big girl in the passenger seat (200lbs)and put 400lbs of stuff in the trunk. It changes the ratio of sprung weight to unsprung weight. Taller tires with SOFT sidewalls will help when you replace tires and lighter tires help. 165 series tires are lighter than 185 series generally. reduce your unsprung weight-lightweight wheels that are around 10-12 lbs each(hard to find and expensive). Install aluminum rear drums, alfin type, get externally adjustable shocks (avo on front or get a set of koni's with adjusters added by koni, or spax)with softer springs with the rears set up with teflon between the leaves. Some of these things will cost you some handling prowess such as adding weight. If you can get away with softer springs without bottoming, this will be a big help, although you might have a hard time finding softer springs unless you have a set made- you could take out a leaf in the rear. ther are other things but this covers the main ones. If you don't want to add weight, springs will probably make the biggest difference for the $$.
hope this helps
Rob
 
My car rides better than I expected(TS16951)!
I find the upright position of the seat back uncomfortable, although the lower "bucket" part of the seat holds you in position quite well.
This reminds me a previously read quote "a trip in a Triumph of more than an hour is a long trip!"
Emmett
 
One of the best things that I did that REALLY reduced the bouncy buggy-like backboard ride was to re-do the seats with automotive upholstery foam. The foam cost a little over $100 for both seats but it is really nice and comfy.

I also rebuilt the front steering & suspension with Koni's and an Addco bar, oiled the rear springs, filled the rear shocks with oil, changed to Minator alloys with 205/60x15 Yoko AVS. But all in all, a nice ride for a '58.
 
Hi:

I started this thread and already have TR4A seats in my car which makes a world of difference in comfort. I have made 725 mile trips in one day (TRA in WV from Chicago) and couldn't have done that without the better seats.

What I am doing is having my leaf springs taken apart with the Teflon buttons put between each leaf. The leaves were barely moving which is contributing to the harsh ride from the rear. Also, one of the front spring bushings was bound up and had to be torched to remove it. The springs will be done tomorrow and put back in on Thursday.

Murray
 
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