Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Maintenance & Servicing Bump steer on trad 4 wheelers

For those TMers who have not been around forever, the front suspension on the trad was upgraded in 06/07, to level the track rods, and I believe part of the change may have been to place the track rods under the steering arms, unless the arms themselves were lowered on the stubs.
I know this because my Roadster had the earlier spec stubs with plastic bushes when new. The first owner (after being the dealer demo) felt that the handling was unsafe and had exchanges with the factory, and did not give up. The outcome was that he insisted on the later spec set up, and was provided with this 'at cost'. I have the documentation and it wasn't cheap even at cost, but presumably made him happy. So my Roadster had revised stub axles with bronze bushing, and the dealer had to modify the over rider brackets to avoid contact with the lower positioned track rods. This is evident as quite a rough fix - still visible now.
I'm relating this story for two reasons. One owner felt the design was unsafe but a large number accepted it and continue to accept it as it is, and had been so for several years. And yet the factory changed it for the better, so you might surmise that feedback over time led them to do that, and the design has continued to evolve slowly. Steering bearings were the next upgrade.........
The second reason for mentioning this again is to illustrate the point that nothing is new in the world of Morgan, but changes are rarely documented or announced publicly.

Some more info here:
http://www.mulfab.co.uk/our-products/17/steering-suspension/bump-steer-correction

Interesting.
One might think they would remember such problems when it came to the 3W??
I'm happy with the old steering box...

That is strange. According to Mulfab the change in the early 2000s introduced the problem. I can only think that later modifications made by Morgan in 2006/7 resolved the issue. I certainly haven't noticed anything I would call bump steer. Before I fitted the Suplex kit I did occasionally get the front end skipping sideways in hard cornering but now it sticks like glue to the road.

Problem with the M3W is simple. They have allowed design esthetiques to rule over good engineering practice (well covered in another thread). Now they are constricted to make "adjustments" to achieve the best possible results. Without a complete redesign and the acceptance of a different "look" to the front end there will always remain a certain compromise.

It is a matter of style over function. A bit like a woman in stiletto heels trying to walk on a cobbled street

There must be a bit of bump steer with steering box cars as when one wheel deflects the drag link will be the wrong length (too short). But the total suspension movement is small and I suspect other things hide the effect. Would not surprise me if folk who have fitted the Suplex kit notice it a bit more, but as overall the suspension will be better, I suspect not really an issue.

More with my '76 car Martyn, but I put that down to more play in the earlier box. As I've only done 153 miles in the 'new' one so far, and the first 100+ were breaking in a set of new tyres, I haven't noticed any so far. Plenty of time for that. Planning on visiting the DonMog CT tomorrow, so by the time I've visited friends in Wirksworth (if they are in) that should easily add another 200 Miles, because they'll both want to be taken out for a spin!


That's good, I like that analogy Peter!

Just wondering why mmc didn't go for sliding pillar on the 3 w?
Nick

MMC didn't really design the M3W, did they? I understood it's an imported design from an American builder, made under license. Very little Morgan DNA in it.

It's the Ace Cycle Car. But the front suspension is not like the Ace - it's an all Morgan design.

(totally unrelated, but I'm surprised to see a "poll manager" below the text box I'm writing this in. Is this new?)