First of all, as usual, the advice from this list didn't pan out. I
waded through the flames to get smart on eliminating speaker noise. So I
went out to the garage to collect all of my old capacitors, wired them
into my monitor wires and, ta da, the same old overly opinionated
bleating could still be seen on the MG list. So that didn't work.
And another thing, everyone knows that independent rear suspension is
far superior to the ancient live axle. That is what the MGB handles the
way it does and the illustrious TR6 handles the way it does. I think.
I seem to have aquired a complete rear axle from a '77 MGB. All brake
stuff attached. After wedging it into the corner, I dragged it back out
today and plopped it on the bathroom scale. Guess what? 165 pounds. Add
those precious wire wheels and a leaf spring, half a driveshaft, and the
the unsprung weight is approaching 10% the weight of the whole car.
Unspung weight is a bad thing. Once it gets moving in undesired
directions, like after hitting a bump, it takes a lot of force to calm
them back down. This is especially true if the car isn't very heavy.
The Triumph TR6, on the other hand, has fully independent front and rear
suspension. In the back, large, cast aluminum swing arms are used to
locate the rear tires and coil springs are used to absorb bounce. This
is a much more elegant solution (much like Mercedes Benz uses on their
sedans) than the leaf springs on the back of MGs.
Leaf springs have a lot of internal friction. They are very poor at
absorbing small bumps and they are not too swell at locating an axle.
That's why nobody but pickup trucks uses them today.
So that must explain why MGs handle so poor and have crummy resale value
and the Triumph TR6 handles so great and has great resale value.
Well, not exactly. The TR6 is not nearly as confident inspring as the
C/GT when the raods get crooked. But I've done some work on the C and
the TR6 is still in the "up on jacks, on your back, and gazing" stage.
What I will give the TR6 is is a more compliant ride. Bounce your knee
on the big, black rubber 'Sabrinas' on the back of the TR6 and the car
will bounce just fine. Do that on the back of the C/GT and you will have
bruised knees. The TR6 is a gentle ride and the C/GT can get harsh.
But the TR6 starts into a corner with understeer (wants to go straight)
and, once committed to the turn, tends to wallow a bit as if the car is
hinged in the middle. I guess Triumph proved that, with effort, any car
can be made to handle poorly. This winter I hope to be swapping bushings
in the TR6 and maybe investing in sway bars. For now, it is a nice city
car and decent freeway tourer but the C/GT is still my favorite for
sporting adventures.
The really irritating part about the TR6 is that, in 4 months of
ownership, I have had more strangers walk up and complement the car than
all of the MGs I've gone through in the last 8 years.
So the Triumph TR6 is an enigma. It rides nice on decent roads. When the
roads get rough the ride is still okay but, with the body on frame
construction, everything rattles like bolts in a coffee can. The 2.5
liter six makes wonderful noises (Monza exhaust) but, in truth, is not
much faster than a well-tuned 'B' roadster. The seating position is way
back which messes with your one-ness with the car. On the other hand,
like a Midget, you can reach out and put your cigarete out on the rear
tire before tossing the butt under the seat. The cockpit is narrow and
leg room is scarce but the wood dash and gauge package is much more
pleasing than the MG 'Abbington pillow.' The seats in (late model) TR6s
are abysmal. The clutch action is terrible -- little feel and abrupt
engagement and the tranny action is not very smooth. Tall 15 inch tires
and 3.70 rear-end make easy cruising even without overdrive.
And my opinions may not matter at all as the SO likes the car a lot.
So that's my bit on the dreaded Triumph
Bob Allen, Kansas City, '69CGT, '75TR6, 'B Axle, mystery Elva
PS: If, in your garage, you have a gallon of Waxhol and an MGA, you
should take the Waxhol and place it in the boot of the 'A'. Whamo!
Doubled the resale value!
|