quote:
Originally posted by Dr Terry
quote:
Originally posted by johnperth
I used to drive stock xf-xd falcons and vk commy wagons in the country and found the fords wouls sit much more nicely/securely on gravel or dirt roads while the vk got very floaty, but the commy handled much better on the bitumen.
main problem with commodore was that the front had to be realigned much more often after the rough roads while ford just was stronger and never needed looking at. different to the early fords with mcphersion struts that fell apart all the time.
While I agree with you on the country road handling ability of say an XD/XE Falcon being superior to a VB-VH Commodore, I can't agree on the Falcon's alignment not requiring constant attention.
We had a wheel aligner set-up from the late 70s to the late 80s & we found on Sydney roads Falcons would not retain their wheel alignment settings. The lower inner pivot bolts (camber pins) would forever creep leading the camber & toe need constant re-aligning, no matter how tight they were torqued.
Commodores were far better in that respect but needed new front strut inserts regularly.
Dr Terry
I would buy a new car around a year to about nearly every 2 years 100,000km up on them and never once had to get the wheel alignment done once I set it up.
On the commodores I never had to but only because you have to, as the struts around 40,000km I replace them and the rears as they are rubbish by then and even had Pedders red not last that front and back.
I never did a ball joints in the XG ute, but a mate with his XG was going through them at around 30,000km.
My steering box was rubbish and replaced from new and I was for ever tightening up the front axel nuts at 30,000km as you can feel the difference it makes over 180km/h as they just steer so much better when tight at high speed over long distances, or it makes driving a tiring.
Can't say the XG was any better on dirt than my VS commodores really but you have to keep an eye on the rear of the IRS VU-Z utes at times, when the shocks get worn they are uncontrollable just total hopeless junk even on the bitumen roads it goes so spas'o.
My first taste of a VP commodore IRS was a shocker the shocks were buggered the worst car I have ever driven the next was the VT SS rear end just total rubbish.
The VU-Z utes are a bit different to the sedan so Peter Brock said to me when test driving the new VU utes when they came out, I was pointing to what the VX had done to the IRS and if I could do that with the ute, and he said no, do not do it, as they are different to the sedan in the set up.
