E-Body Ride Quality

[PLUM72]

So in another thread where a 71 Charger was being discussed, someone made the comment that the B-body Charger rides much better than the E-body.  I have heard this from other places too.  What makes a B-body ride better than an E-body?  They are all uni-bodies.  Is it wheel base, overall weight, better build quality, more welds, etc?

[Burdar]

Larger heavier car.  Longer wheelbase.  Possibly more fasteners holding everything together.  The door panels have padding and not fully plastic.  The seats look like they have more padding in them.  The body might have extra insulation in them too.

[Shane Kelley]

I have both. It all comes down to weight and wheelbase. Heavier car will almost always have a better ride especially if your comparing apples to apples.

[RUNCHARGER]

B-body has a longer wheelbase and better weight distribution being a little more balanced towards the rear.

[Ricomondo]

Years back I had a Superbird and that car rode like a Caddy compared to any E body I've owned; and that includes, /6, 318, and 340 Trans Am cars I've owned.

[Mr Lee]

Take your e-body, 3 heavy passengers, a tank full of gas and a trunk load of cynderblocks and see if it rides better.  Hehe.  I bet it would. My Dodge van rides much better when loaded up with a motorcyle trailer and a few people in it.


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[6pack]

My E-body is like driving a camaro.  My B-body is a way nicer ride and room in the trunk for more than a few toothpicks.

[Cuda70-74]

Interesting once I get mines running ill find out which rides better. My stang rides pretty good

[Brads70]

good modern adjustable shocks go a long way in improving ride qualities. Back then ( and now?)I'd bet the same shock was used on B& E bodies. ( rate I'm meaning) Seeing how the B bodies were around first and using the same shocks and rates on ebodies it wouldn't surprise me that that wouldn't be optimal.

[autoxcuda]

I think most people lump noise and vibration into ride quality.

Ebodies are just shortened 71 Bodies. But the Ebody interior construction was done very budgeted. Large one piece ill-fitting plastic panels translate and amplify noise.

Some parts of the interior even have gaps for noise to get through; like the rear seat bottom corners. The factory shot a lot of black paint to hide all the interior body panel gaps in ebodies.

Also the dash structure with components is not as solid built as 71 b's.

[kawahonda]

Yep. Slightly louder...some hums and what not..

But the actual way the e-bodies handle the road I would say is FAR from rough....

I carried 3 dudes that were in their 50s in the car....

"This is surprisingly a smooth ride."

The e-body is just damn near perfect!

I drive a 2015 Ram Single Cab Pickup. You will feel bumps in that car. It will shake you around. No chance in the challenger...I always thought the challenger just glided very well over things. I would consider the Challenger to be "relaxing" ride quality in-context of the 70s, but even still mostly true today.

B-body I would still expect better, but necessary?

[HEMICUDA]

Between all my ebodies and bbodies,  there's no comparison to my pink 70 Fury, that car "glides" down the road.

[PLUM72]

I have heard from guys that restore multiple car types and brands that the e-body did not use as many welds as say a Camaro from the same era.  This I have to believe can be "fixed" during a restoration.  Reading about the Hotchkis Challenger, it sounds like they re-welded a lot of areas in the car.  Suspension is always something that can be changed for improved ride quality whether you want float or performance handling.  I really wasn't sure if there was a more definitive answer why one body style was better than another.  There are a lot of good things to think about.

[dodj]

My daily is a one ton Cummins....The e-body rides like a dream.

[SeventyTX9RTRag]

I agree with everyone above. I have a 69 Charger RT 440 car that I just restored. It rides really nice. I drive it to work a few times a week if weather permits.

I just bought an AAR and I thought it would ride and drive like crap based on what I read. I was pleasantly surprised. When I bought the car it had TA's on it and it drove well. I put correct bias ply Good Years on it and the ride quality and driving quality was barely noticeable. I guess I just love driving these old cars!