3200 quality of ride

[alfatwo]

They have been on for few months Al.

I had Pirelli P Zeros on the front of the 3200GT,great on smooth roads in Europe but the steering was all over the place on off cambers and ruts on UK roads...horrid
I've since changed to Falken's,there lots better on UK roads in general but lack the high speed grip of the P Zeros
In the end these old cars need to be user friendly to enjoy!

Dave

 

[davy83]

Ah yes as well as changing the whole suspension i also put Falkens all round. Sidewalls are softer, it makes for poor grip at high speed as Dave says, but pot holes much better!!!

 

[rs48635]

Full geometry once you have eliminated any worn out suspension parts. Must be done by specialist as shims needed at rear.

Balljoints need checking , only replace if totally screwed as wishbones come free
likely ARB drop links need replacing if clonking badly, Bushes in ARB too.

 

[bossemaserati]

i actually found out that one of the rear subframe mounts has collapsed.. (see pictures, one with the good side and one with the collapsed side)
i guess that will have an impact on the quality of ride. also i did not realise that a wheel alignment will make a difference to the ride of the car.

then also track end rods from the steering system need to be replaced i think...

guess a few more things to sort out before passing judgement on the quality if the suspension system.

stuart - you mentioned that that the settings for wheel alignment for the AC is different to the standard 3200. do you still have the details of these setting parameters?

thank you! bosse

 

[alfatwo]

Ah yes as well as changing the whole suspension i also put Falkens all round. Sidewalls are softer, it makes for poor grip at high speed as Dave says, but pot holes much better!!!

When I mentioned high speed grip, it was in the extreme 120+ stuff..

Dave

 

[Almichie]

That looks like a fun job, replacing those bushes. I'm going to take a look on mine as I have a feeling they look just like yours! Be interesting to see how much difference they make...

 

[rs48635]

The alignet at the rear affects ride and how you steer. My AC has asymmetric thrust, where acceleration made me ever off to the right! Like automatic overtake assist. No adjustment possible at rear due to seized arms in lower wishbones. New ones fitted and handling transformed.
Will be doing a full set of bushes this winter. Might also strip and powder coat suspension items. If possible I might also drop the coil overs to inspect actuators on each damper. Springs might get coated too or replaced if it's economic. Spring will see the car back to peak handling. ☺️

 

[davy83]

I only really noticed the Falkens on the Autodromo track during the Italy trip, they were pants on a track. Otherwise no complaints really.

When I mentioned high speed grip, it was in the extreme 120+ stuff..

Dave

 

[dem maser]

vreds on mine, loved them, high speed and in town

 

[StuartW]

i actually found out that one of the rear subframe mounts has collapsed.. (see pictures, one with the good side and one with the collapsed side)
i guess that will have an impact on the quality of ride. also i did not realise that a wheel alignment will make a difference to the ride of the car.

then also track end rods from the steering system need to be replaced i think...

guess a few more things to sort out before passing judgement on the quality if the suspension system.

stuart - you mentioned that that the settings for wheel alignment for the AC is different to the standard 3200. do you still have the details of these setting parameters?

thank you! bosse

View attachment 25411

View attachment 25412

See post # 18 for AC specific settings (post # 1 for standard 3200 settings) and I hope that you get your sorted out soon bosse

http://www.sportsmaserati.com/showthread.php/13045-Wheel-Alignment-Settings-3200AC

 

[dunnah01]

also i did not realise that a wheel alignment will make a difference to the ride of the car

It doubt it will make much difference to the comfort of your derriere but will reduce any tendancies to wandering or tramlining if the tyres are OK.

 

[bossemaserati]

That looks like a fun job, replacing those bushes. I'm going to take a look on mine as I have a feeling they look just like yours! Be interesting to see how much difference they make...

i don't think you need to replace the bushes entirely, i think it is only the mount that needs to be replaced...

 

[bossemaserati]

It doubt it will make much difference to the comfort of your derriere but will reduce any tendancies to wandering or tramlining if the tyres are OK.

ah ok... thats what i thought.. but aligning the wheels can only be good overall!

 

[dunnah01]

but aligning the wheels can only be good overall!

Only if the suspension silentblocs and balljoints are in good condition

 

[PeteNZ]

Hi Guys, just asking for a bit of advice here on a hard ride of my 3200. I had both RHS shocks repaired when I first bought car and on smooth roads ride is OK but any small pothole or dip and there is a fair bit of suspension "crash" and the ride is harsh. There are no warning lights so I'm assuming the actuators are working OK and haven't jammed it in sport mode but I will check that these are working. It's recently had an MOT and there is no obvious problems with the suspension arms but I wonder if I need to check the other bits and/or seek a suspension specialist? I guess I'm wondering what sequence to go through to check what the cause of this might be? Thanks in advance for any suggestions!
Regards
Peter

 

[alfatwo]

Peter, I thought my 15 year 3200GT was a bit too soft for my liking....with only 25k on the clock its fairly representative of an old 3200

Sticking it into sport only stiffens the dampers and changes the engine mapping into full hooligan mode!

If you thought your standard 3200 suspension was uncomfortable, have a go in a Assetto Corsa version, they'll rattle your fillings!

That's basically how 3200's they were originally engineered all those years ago, there's nothing to worry about..

Dave

 

[PeteNZ]

Peter, I thought my 15 year 3200GT was a bit too soft for my liking....with only 25k on the clock its fairly representative of an old 3200

Sticking it into sport only stiffens the dampers and changes the engine mapping into full hooligan mode!

If you thought your standard 3200 suspension was uncomfortable, have a go in a Assetto Corsa version, they'll rattle your fillings!

That's basically how 3200's they were originally engineered all those years ago, there's nothing to worry about..

Dave

Hi Dave, so what you're saving is you think it might be fairly normal? Christchurch, where I live, still has pretty rough roads after the earthquakes we had in 2010/11 so it's not conducive to a car set up for smooth autobahns to be quite honest but I wondered if there was anything else I should check? The car has had work on the lower wishbones that I think give trouble but how well that's been done I don't know. Car tracks OK but has done 52,000 miles now. Thanks for getting back to me.
Regards
Peter

 

[Evo Cymru]

hello everyone

i wanted too ask everyone (especially 3200 and 3200 AC owners) how they find the suspension and chassis set up on their cars:
my recent experience (especially driving on roads in and around London with a million potholes and speed bumps) is that the car shakes heavily every time it hits the slightest uneven road surface. never mind putting the car into sport mode, which stiffens the suspension even more i believe.

as a result i am driving at 20 mph in most roads which is no fun at all. getting grief from a lot of SUV drivers etc...

now, of course, i have to consider that my car is an assetto corsa, with the 15mm lower suspension it was never going to be a rolls kind of ride, but i just wanted to find out if i am the only one with this experience given the state our roads are in.

bosse

Just sell it to me - problem solved!