Road noise at front

johnsimister

Active Member
A lot of road roar comes through to the cabin in my 1972 2000 TC, far more than I remember them having when they were new. The noise path is presumably through the upper link bushes and/or the springs. Would changing any or all of the bushes, the rubber ball end that engages with the spring seat and the insulating rings between the ends of the springs and the spring seats get rid of or reduce the road noise? Superficially all these rubber parts look to be in OK condition, but does the rubber harden over the decades? I'm keen to know if anyone has replaced these parts and whether it resulted in a quieter cabin.

Many thanks, John
 
I’m about to do the balls, top crank bushes and insulators myself. Hoping for a similar impact on road noise.

Do you hear grinding from the disc brakes too? Discs, pads and calipers are all in good condition but noise transfers to bulkhead also.
 
A little disc noise, yes. I haven't yet checked that the bulkhead soundproofing is all present and correct, although that part of the car has never been apart to my knowledge so it should all be there. Will check.
 
I shall wait with great interest, and crossed fingers, for the acoustic result of your suspension rubber refreshment. Good luck with it.
 
I have always thought that mine transmitted significantly more road noise into the cabin in comparison with my ADO16. Even after new front top link bushes. I am afraid that this is a standard feature of the P6 due to the design of the front suspension.
I remember that James Taylor was writing about that in his first book about the P6: "Those used to more modern cars will notice one P6 characteristic almost as soon as the car moves off: rumble from the front suspension. All that is happening is that the unusual suspension design is trasmitting road noise through the bulkhead."
Fresh bitumen damper pads stuck to the bulkhead (the original ones are difinitely dry and not really effective after all those years), and decent sound insulation can help. I have also seen that fresh, decent tyres can make a considerable difference.
 
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Hello John,

The experience that I have of driving my Rover which stretches back to when I received my license in 1985 is that tyre selection makes by far the biggest contribution to road noise entering the cabin. Changing the bushes, ball end etc makes a marginal difference at best. So, biggest contributor by far are the tyres, brand and tread pattern. Second biggest contributor are the front wheel bearings. Fit a new set of Timken bearings, pack with Castrol EPL-2 grease and you will eliminate a source of major noise. Thirdly and by far the smallest contributor are all the bushes.

Ron.
 
Tyres on mine are Vredestein Sprint Classics, and I guess it's possible that with their steel-braced tread they are noisier than the textile-braced treads of the tyres used in period (Cinturato, Dunlop SP41/68/Sport, I remember them from my father's cars). I had new Cinturatos on both my previous P6s and there was certainly less road noise than in my current one, so that could well be why. Probably should have got Cinturatos again… but the Vredesteins were cheaper and they seemed good on my two-stroke Saab.

I did wonder about the wheel bearings, but thought them an unlikely cause because the noise changes with different road surfaces. But it never really goes away. I'll change the bearings because it's bound to make at least some improvement. And I'll refresh the bulkhead sound insulation. Ron, thanks for the bearing tip and for sparing me the pain of changing the bushes. And Demetris, thanks for suggesting I should do something about what is probably now quite sub-optimal sound insulation.

John
 
Interesting reading this thread. My own car has more noise on the left hand side, both front tyres are the same type and it was just the same with the previous tyres. But none of the tyres will have been the same as the original Dunlop SP's which I think the car would have been fitted with new.
Also on that left hand side I can hear brake noise (despite the front brakes being in good order), which I would not expect to be transmitted via a bearing.
The newest P6 I ever rode in would have been 5 or 6 years old - a very late 3500 automatic, back in the early 1980's. The thing I remember most is the roly poly cornering and cool v8 engine note. Don't recall too much road noise, esp bearing in mind many affordable cars were starting to become reasonably refined by then e.g. Mk2 Granada, Mk5 Cortina etc.
Anyway, on my 4 cylinder car, once you get rolling the err "lively" engine note drowns out the road noise :LOL:
 
I’ve always thought the bulkhead road noise on my car was excessive. I’m convinced it’s tyres, as on the right tarmac it goes quiet. I’ve already replaced the wheel bearings with Timken and it made no difference.
 
Talking to one of the Rover engineers from the 1960's , he said that Rover went to great lengths to get the P6 as quiet as the previous P4 range , which of course ran on cross plies. The main contribution to noise was the tyres and they had never done any development work before using Radial Ply tyres. Indeed it was the first time that they had any experience of Radials, including designing suitable wheels to take increased cornering loads. The joint work with Pirelli , with the development of the Cinturato plus the use of much larger rubber bushes in the Suspension gave a satisfactory result.
 
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Sounds like Pirelli Cinturatos are the answer, just as I feared.
I also run Vred sprint classics. I did wonder if that was a cause too. They’re 8 years old now so getting a little harder, I also noticed that they’re wet weather performance has dropped like a stone in the last six months. Pirellis were my next thought as well.

Having said that, the brake noise from rusty discs after a layup coming into the cabin do make me feel that there are other issues to look at.
 
Surprised to hear this about the Vredesteins actually. Was considering a set. I recently fitted some modern Hankook K415s to my Vitesse wheels, and find them quiet and comfortable. Best of all, then don’t trammel even as 205/65s.
 
I'm going to need a new set of tyres soon as mine are getting a bit old. I have looked at some of the quieter tyres, around 67 Db, but I have noticed that the tyre noise is measured as the car goes past you, so is the noise other people can hear, and not necessarily cabin noise.

Anyone tried the Dunlop blueresponse?
 
Hello John,

The experience that I have of driving my Rover which stretches back to when I received my license in 1985 is that tyre selection makes by far the biggest contribution to road noise entering the cabin. Changing the bushes, ball end etc makes a marginal difference at best. So, biggest contributor by far are the tyres, brand and tread pattern. Second biggest contributor are the front wheel bearings. Fit a new set of Timken bearings, pack with Castrol EPL-2 grease and you will eliminate a source of major noise. Thirdly and by far the smallest contributor are all the bushes.

Ron.
Ron's on the money.
When I bought my P6 new in 72 ,she was shod in Pirelli P6. A few years later I had a brain fart and bought new Dunlop Sp radials. For what reason I conveniently have forgotten as there was nothing wrong with the Pirelli.
What a complete stuff up. I experience so much road noise ,I went straight back and got my Pirelli's refitted . My ego took a massif hit as did my wallet ,but the cabin ambiance was restored.
 
had trouble buying tyres to fit ..tyre depot saying odd size and only van tyres available and too hard a ride (sidewall reinforced) so he asked me to leave and come back next day . then he foudn some that were suitable! must admit are noisy!
 
I'm going to need a new set of tyres soon as mine are getting a bit old. I have looked at some of the quieter tyres, around 67 Db, but I have noticed that the tyre noise is measured as the car goes past you, so is the noise other people can hear, and not necessarily cabin noise.

Anyone tried the Dunlop blueresponse?
I have dunlop blueresponse on my vitesse wheels in 205/65 - 15. I am happy with them, They Are quiet.
 
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