Thank you Lorne for sharing your perspective
And thank YOU for your courteous reply!
If TM is the British forum referred to I’m not aware of any recommendation to use these devices as a fix for degraded sagging leaf springs, to the contrary, one of my previous comment on the subject below a couple of years ago. Its also stressed in the assembly instructions not to be fitted with sagging springs. Unfortunately some cars suffer from bottoming even with new springs and don’t necessarily exhibit any sign of sagging.
That is likely my fault. Every time a Morgan owner is confused or unsure, they have a habit of contacting GoMoG. I have been withdrawing for the last 10+ years and eMog left me exhausted. The people contacting me all have cars where they bottom out I didn't realize that they were design to mitigate another very severe problem. No car should do that frequently..especially when new or newish (>20 years old). My new Morgan leaf springs were replaced 3 times in two years. There has been nothing consistently reliable and fit by the factory that has been better.
Caution.... These devices are experiment with limited testing! I have on experience of the consequences of setting the stops lower than necessary. Also, the stops are not intended to be a fix for soft degraded springs. They may be subjected to much higher impact forces in those circumstances.
Good!
I apologize if perhaps you have been misled by the term “bump stop” that is often used. These are not conventional bump stops. As DaveW says they are more akin to spring assists,
How do they assist the springs?
The conical elastomer stops function as supplementary adjustable progressive springs that under some circumstances might improve comfort and safety. If you were to drive a car with these fitted you might notice the subtle feel of the elastomer at the end of the suspension travel. The leaf springs appear to be more tolerant to body impact or the shock of the diff hitting the pad under the hoop when these are fitted.
I too have never bottomed out on that either in my current.. But my first +8 (a 1984) with sagged springs, would smash into it (it had no rubber pad in those days) with a CRASH. As a matter of act, I don't bottom out more than once a year in extreme circumstances. I am using the suspension "hoop" with Rutherford Avos, high end tyres and and the old 5-leafs springs last used on Plus 8s in the late 1980s. (I find the old leafs brutal and prefer spending my mogging on the road rather than bouncing above it!)
Why we would anything more be necessary is one has a comfy ride and acceptable VERY rare bottoming out. What is the difference between my older sprjngs and your (and my three b*m sets) of newer springs in the last 15+ years?
So this is where we part. I look to what is different between our cars. You assume that all is well with new parts from the Factory..an assumption I know to be wrong, especially in this area. Morgan trads are NOT a sophisticated piece of machinery, THAT IS THE JOY OF THEM. Technology had not yet advanced enough for table, graphs and formulas when they were designed. Common sense and experience was the foundation. Every flexing frame produces a different feel. (I tested that theory by fitting identical components to scores of Plus 8s and getting a different feel for each.) For that matter, Rick Bourne once assured me that only 1in5 new trads arrived properly balanced and aligned.
But we live in a one-size-fits-all world now. We are trained to think that way. It is hard to think out of that box. Trust me. No two trads are alike.
As a ready rule though, anything that unnecessarily shortens suspension travel must be looked at with great suspicion (considering their similarity in spelling, maybe the words are related!) Common sense and a will to fix it is all someone like YOU needs.
if I can have a wonderful Morgan suspension without the need for add ons in 19 years, you can too. You obviously have the brains and the skills to fashion what you have. BTW, I have the lengths and spring rates somewheres. Maybe you can work on a source locally.
Forgive Tim Harris. He has acted with great hostility towards myself and GoMoG for years. I have no idea why and no one else in that old crowd can figure it out. Deep waters. I will not reply to him for the sake of harmony. Nothing to be gained.
Lorne
