Do your doors move on rough roads?

[Tim_]

I can feel and see some movement between the doors and the car body on the roughest of back roads. I’m not expecting a convertible to be the last word in stiffness but having never owned a convertible before I don’t know what’s normal and what should get me worried. I’ll describe what I’m seeing, hopefully it’s nothing but being an engineer I can’t help but notice these things and question them.

I’m talking about movement between the bottom of the quarter glass where the ‘B’ pillar and the seatbelt structure is as being the fixed rigid reference point with no movement and the door itself on the edges furthest away from the door hinges. If I stick my finger in the gap between the door and the car body it’ll squeeze my finger, not so tight it’ll hurt but it is firm and it’ll be at the very most 2-3mm of movement when eyeballing the top edge of the door against the top edge of the ‘B’ pillar at the bottom of the quarter glass.

Sometimes I can hear the door seals rubbing, I may also get distortion in the rear view mirror. Column shake is very occasional. I do not get any movement out the dash or the hinge ends of the doors.

Normal well surfaced roads and even reasonably poor ones I get no movement or noise whatsoever, but deteriorating country lanes or roads with a particular and poor surface type is where I notice the movement.

Question is, is it normal?

Sponsored

 

[Sigma6]

If you’re gonna worry, I’d be more concerned with the type of road I’m traveling on especially with how you’re describing it. You’re racking yourself suspension up especially if you have mageride. Otherwise just enjoy it.

 

[Intrepid175]

Door movement? I can't say I've noticed any body movements in the doors on my 2016 GT convertible. Then again, I'm not usually looking at the doors themselves but I can't say I've felt anything in that area either. I have seen some flexing through the dash area but only on very rough conditions, and no significant rattling or squeaks in the process. Hope I didn't just jinx myself. Anyway, this is my third convertible and I have to say I'm very pleased with the overall stiffness of the car. Of the convertibles I've personally owned, I'd rank it number two in that regard. #1 being a Honda S2000.

Edit: #3 was a 1988 Chrysler LeBaron convertible. That car was like driving around in a bowl of wet pasta. To give you an idea, I had a hard time keeping the rear view mirror on the windshield because the little metal mount that's glued to the glass kept popping off because of the flex. Why the windshield itself didn't crack or shatter, I'll never know. My Mustang is obviously between the two, but fortunately, leaning nicely toward the S2000 side of things.

 

[Turbomark]

Door movement? I can't say I've noticed any body movements in the doors on my 2016 GT convertible. Then again, I'm not usually looking at the doors themselves. I have seen some flexing through the dash area but only on very rough conditions, and no significant rattling or squeaks in the process. Hope I didn't just jinx myself. Anyway, this is my third convertible and I have to say I'm very pleased with the overall stiffness of the car. Of the convertibles I've personally owned, I'd rank it number two in that regard. #1 being a Honda S2000.

My old S2K. They were the best.

 

[Ed M]

I hope you are doing those tests when you are the passenger. If you are doing it while you are driving, then I would say, as a scientist, that you are using a really poorly designed experiment.

 

[Intrepid175]

My old S2K. They were the best.

Yup, thoroughly enjoyed mine. Lot's of fun for sure.

 

[Johnnybee]

I’ve only ever noticed a bit of cowl shake on a certain stretch of highway I travel regularly. I’ve never looked at the doors while driving (not recommended in Toronto traffic). I’ve only driven old British convertibles prior to this so not much to compare to. In my TR8, I could watch the gap change between the top of the windshield frame and the top corner of the frame of the fixed quarter glass of the door on simple undulations on the highway, so body stiffness has come a long way since that car was designed in the early 70s, and it was quite stiff for its time.

 

[Tim_]

I hope you are doing those tests when you are the passenger. If you are doing it while you are driving, then I would say, as a scientist, that you are using a really poorly designed experiment.

I’m not that stupid so either spare the presumptuous lecture and stick to the original topic or go and be a keyboard warrior elsewhere. Have you noticed this on your car or not?

 

[Ed M]

Wow. English English must be different than American English and English humour is definitely different than American humor.

Anyway, ‘not’ because I’m always the driver.

 

[Tim_]

Wow. English English must be different than American English and English humour is definitely different than American humor.

Anyway, ‘not’ because I’m always the driver.

Don’t back pedal, a condescending tone is not humorous in any language.

 

[Ed M]

Use the ‘ignore’ function — problem solved.

 

[Tim_]

I’ve only ever noticed a bit of cowl shake on a certain stretch of highway I travel regularly. I’ve never looked at the doors while driving (not recommended in Toronto traffic). I’ve only driven old British convertibles prior to this so not much to compare to. In my TR8, I could watch the gap change between the top of the windshield frame and the top corner of the frame of the fixed quarter glass of the door on simple undulations on the highway, so body stiffness has come a long way since that car was designed in the early 70s, and it was quite stiff for its time.

interesting, we don’t get the cross brace on the UK cars even though we do get the PP as standard. We can fit the cross brace now Ford have released an official RHD version which I’m intending to fit to help take some of that out.

 

[Intrepid175]

Use the ‘ignore’ function — problem solved.

Please pardon my ignorance, but where's that?

 

[Sound Wave]

Please pardon my ignorance, but where's that?

If you click on his name there is a section in blue where it states "follow/ignore". Click on "ignore" and you shouldn't see his posts anymore.

 

[Balr14]

I have noticed some cowl shake on rough roads, but it is no worse than what I have experienced with other convertibles that have rear seats; actually better than most.

Sponsored