First Drive !*#@!
Discussion
Test drove my first Griffith today...97P 500.
Very firm ride, lots of rattles, heavy steering at parking speeds (non PAS), beautiful to look at both inside and out, even better to listen to. Then I overtook a couple of cars on a hill on a dual carriageway...
A cool, dry and bright day, in third doing about 35mph and I floored it...
1. ALL hell broke loose (including satan, minions, etc)
2. I lost the ability to breathe.
3. My eyes rolled back in my head from the g-force and by the time I had managed to pull them back down towards the speedo it was reading 80mph.
4. All traffic that was behind me wasn't anymore.
5. Then I had a transient episode of Tourette's syndrome as all I could say was a long list of expletives between gasps.
In trying to describe this to my partner..."You remember going on Oblivion at Alton Towers?" "It's like that!"
I NEED ONE (Anyone want to buy a kidney?)
Very firm ride, lots of rattles, heavy steering at parking speeds (non PAS), beautiful to look at both inside and out, even better to listen to. Then I overtook a couple of cars on a hill on a dual carriageway...
A cool, dry and bright day, in third doing about 35mph and I floored it...
1. ALL hell broke loose (including satan, minions, etc)
2. I lost the ability to breathe.
3. My eyes rolled back in my head from the g-force and by the time I had managed to pull them back down towards the speedo it was reading 80mph.
4. All traffic that was behind me wasn't anymore.
5. Then I had a transient episode of Tourette's syndrome as all I could say was a long list of expletives between gasps.
In trying to describe this to my partner..."You remember going on Oblivion at Alton Towers?" "It's like that!"
I NEED ONE (Anyone want to buy a kidney?)
Sounds like you've got a treat ahead of you - try doing the same in 2nd next time & snatch 3rd a second or so later (If you do it right, you can keep the wheelspin going
Test drove my first Griffith today...A cool, dry and bright day, in third doing about 35mph and I floored it...
) P.S. Buy one. Obviously...
CraigAlsop said:Can be - depends on the road surface, tyre temp, how much wheelspin etc.
DRG said: Speaking of wheelspin...More than anything this manifested itself as a strong juddering/banging from the back end. Is this normal?
Agreed. Hard acceleration on a bumpy surface and the Griff struggles to keep the rubber on the road. Best not tried while pulling out of a lumpy bend...
DRG said: Speaking of wheelspin...More than anything this manifested itself as a strong juddering/banging from the back end. Is this normal?
Not really, that sounds like the dreaded rear wheel tramp which is a good way to take out the transmission. If you have any mechanical sympathy you'll learn to drive round this, if all else fails just feather the clutch slightly (not enough to slip, just enough to take out the snatches). This is normally quite rare on the twin-wishbone rear cars, but can be made worse by problems like worn suspension bushes, tired dampers, loose diff mounts. It's a much worse problem on the S series by the way!
Cheers,
Peter Humphries (and a green V8S)
It happened after about half a mile and after about 5 miles of steady driving. Both times it was pulling out from a roundabout in traffic on a fairly flat/smooth A road. I initially thought it was the road surface but it would have had to have been cobbled to produce that kind of vibration!
I also noted the offside front upper wishbone had been replaced. No signs of accident damage though?
Transmission killer sounds worrying.
>> Edited by drg on Tuesday 10th December 02:59
I also noted the offside front upper wishbone had been replaced. No signs of accident damage though?
Transmission killer sounds worrying.
>> Edited by drg on Tuesday 10th December 02:59
Don't floor it... feed in the power. Feel the force etc.
Flooring it will often result in a loose backend (driver and car) especially with cold tyres or any dubious type of surface or if the car is not straight. These cars need to be coaxed to get the best out of them without becoming another single vehicle accident statistic...
Steve
Flooring it will often result in a loose backend (driver and car) especially with cold tyres or any dubious type of surface or if the car is not straight. These cars need to be coaxed to get the best out of them without becoming another single vehicle accident statistic...
Steve
Don't floor it... feed in the power. Feel the force etc.
Flooring it will often result in a loose backend (driver and car) especially with cold tyres or any dubious type of surface or if the car is not straight. These cars need to be coaxed to get the best out of them without becoming another single vehicle accident statistic...
Steve
Flooring it will often result in a loose backend (driver and car) especially with cold tyres or any dubious type of surface or if the car is not straight. These cars need to be coaxed to get the best out of them without becoming another single vehicle accident statistic...
Steve
'Flooring it will often result in a loose backend (driver and car) especially with cold tyres or any dubious type of surface or if the car is not straight. These cars need to be coaxed to get the best out of them without becoming another single vehicle accident statistic... '
Inddeedy yes! I was going to say something cautionary like that yesterday then decided it sounded too fatherly! (Maca - who needs to get out more?)
Inddeedy yes! I was going to say something cautionary like that yesterday then decided it sounded too fatherly! (Maca - who needs to get out more?)
Buy one !
Don't muck about thinking about it. Go with your heart. I had waited 8 years to get my Griffith and it is everything I had hoped for. The juddering from the backend I have had aswell and is a mixture of road surface, too much right foot and sometimes not enough right foot
The number of passengers I have who just can not believe how fast car is and spend an amazing amount of time looking behind them at traffic disappearing into the distance.
If you enoy a car on trak as well I found the Griffith far better then reputation of handling versus power may lead you to believe.
Best car in the world, by far .....
Don't muck about thinking about it. Go with your heart. I had waited 8 years to get my Griffith and it is everything I had hoped for. The juddering from the backend I have had aswell and is a mixture of road surface, too much right foot and sometimes not enough right foot
The number of passengers I have who just can not believe how fast car is and spend an amazing amount of time looking behind them at traffic disappearing into the distance.
If you enoy a car on trak as well I found the Griffith far better then reputation of handling versus power may lead you to believe.
Best car in the world, by far .....
Very firm ride, lots of rattles, heavy steering...
I don't believe it should rattle either. My current one and previous one are/were rattle free. Infact I probably think they are better than my everyday car.
They are handbuilt so you have to have some tollerance but it shouldn't rattle to much or am I just lucky?
Graham
...oh and, while following threads around, I notice that Autocar in 1992 said:
As you might have guessed already, the Griffith's ride quality varies to an unusual degree according to the type of road with which it is asked to deal. Over fast, gently undulating surfaces, the level of composure it displays is nothing less than impressive. And even around town, although it could never be described as anything but firm, the suspension sponges up the pockmarks and ridges that make up most of the Queen's urban highways with admirable dexterity for one so sporting in nature. But again it's the knobbly, nuggety B-road that catches the TVR out, phasing its suspension into near total submission on occasions. Even at relatively low speeds the lack of control at the rear end can allow the back wheels momentarily to leave the ground, bucking bronco style. At higher speeds, such is the Griffith's restlessness that the driver is hard pressed just to keep it travelling in a straight line.
Ah - that'll be its "restlessness" that you'll be referring to......
As you might have guessed already, the Griffith's ride quality varies to an unusual degree according to the type of road with which it is asked to deal. Over fast, gently undulating surfaces, the level of composure it displays is nothing less than impressive. And even around town, although it could never be described as anything but firm, the suspension sponges up the pockmarks and ridges that make up most of the Queen's urban highways with admirable dexterity for one so sporting in nature. But again it's the knobbly, nuggety B-road that catches the TVR out, phasing its suspension into near total submission on occasions. Even at relatively low speeds the lack of control at the rear end can allow the back wheels momentarily to leave the ground, bucking bronco style. At higher speeds, such is the Griffith's restlessness that the driver is hard pressed just to keep it travelling in a straight line.
Ah - that'll be its "restlessness" that you'll be referring to......
beano1197 said: ...oh and, while following threads around, I notice that Autocar in 1992 said:
As you might have guessed already, the Griffith's ride quality varies to an unusual degree according to the type of road with which it is asked to deal. Over fast, gently undulating surfaces, the level of composure it displays is nothing less than impressive. And even around town, although it could never be described as anything but firm, the suspension sponges up the pockmarks and ridges that make up most of the Queen's urban highways with admirable dexterity for one so sporting in nature. But again it's the knobbly, nuggety B-road that catches the TVR out, phasing its suspension into near total submission on occasions. Even at relatively low speeds the lack of control at the rear end can allow the back wheels momentarily to leave the ground, bucking bronco style. At higher speeds, such is the Griffith's restlessness that the driver is hard pressed just to keep it travelling in a straight line.
Ah - that'll be its "restlessness" that you'll be referring to......
They did improve with the 500's though...
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