Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Classic Morgans (pre-CX) Info on plus 8's

Someone in the Morgan community told me a couple of weekends ago that the plus 8's steering in very heavy and they tend to be unwieldy ie handling is not the best , is this nonsense or what ? has anyone fitted power steering to make the 8's easier to steer ?

Which era of Plus8?

Heavy steering is very subjective, my 1999 +8 with rack and pinion steering and 205/60 x 15 tyres is much lighter than my +4 with steering box and 195/60 x 15 tyres.

The +8 is certainly a heavier car, and therefore the handling is more "ponderous" , if you want "nippy" go for a 4/4 , especially a Sport on narrow tyres.

The back axle with LSD does take some familiarisation , when it breaks away both rear wheels may be spinning rather than just the inside one, so you have to be quite adept at catching it . However if you have got to this point on a public road, you are probably going a mite too fast for the conditions.

I have always maintained that the +8 is more tricky to handle ON THE LIMIT than any 4/4, +4 , or Roadster. That tremendous low down torque that characterises the Rover V8 power delivery which makes the car so enjoyable to drive on a dry road with bags of grip , can turn very interesting in wet or slippery conditions.

In summary , driven sensibly in normal conditions, the +8 is as delightful a handler as any other Morgan , with the added benefit of that wonderful torquey engine propelling you effortlessly at the next bend in double quick time. If you want to explore the limits of adhesion you will find it more of a handful than other trad Morgans.

Andy

My understanding is the earlier cars as narrower bodied with narrower track are lighter on steering, also the engines are a little lighter, this is important as the engine sits quite forward over the front axle. Later cars are wider tracked with heavier engines and become heavier on the steeering, 4 litres onwards. The steering can be lightened a lot by fitting race bearing under the front springs and removing steering dampers. Setup of front suspension and tracking on a wider tracked Morgan is quite critical in my experience as they generally were built with 4 deg negative of castor angle which was not enough really. I believe 6 deg negative castor is now used. The key think I found with my 96 plus 8 was to get the track rods as parallel as possible by careful adjustment of the steering rack in the mounts. Darren and New Elms can advise on this. Also 0.5 to o.75 deg of neg camber will help turn in. But on older cars its a suspension strip down and fit of specially made bottom plates to achieve this,mullah can supply, but you need to get the current set up measured on a laser bed first and supply these. My plus drove and handle great but after spending 2K and upgrading myself and a bit of trial and error with AVO adjustable settings.

I wouldn't say that any plus 8 has heavy steering necessarily and certainly no heavier than your HPC really. They will all feel inferior to both your 7 and TVR in terms of feedback and ability to hold a line though. BUT, pick the right Plus 8 and you might find ownership and driving very rewarding.

Generally, later Plus 8 are easier to live with than earlier ones. Go and look at a few and see what you think as everyone has a personal preference.

Ex HPC, JPE, early and later Plus 8 owner x 4 and current R500 owner looking for another Plus 8 possibly.

I am sure Richard 4/4sportsfun will be along shortly. He is now on his second plus 8 and having followed him on some twisty Devon roads he was having no problem at all....

Max

I was astonished at the lightness of steering on my completely standard 1991 alloy wheeled Plus 8 compared with previous plus 4 with wires. Don't know if it is due to the lighter alloys, rack and pinion steering or both.

My plus 8 is well balanced and a joy to drive. No heaviness at all.

As Peter (recycled-teenager) has indicated the Plus 8 is an easy car to drive fairly quickly and has a very sure footed feel about it in the dry.
They command respect in the wet however normally taught through experience, I had my first Plus 8 break away on some damp new tarmac and the back comes around very quickly luckily I lifted in time but this was a very lucky escape and taught me a lot.

The first was a 1994 +8 with standard 15" alloys.

My present one is a 1999 +8 with 7" X 16" Centre Locking Alloys, both models have Rack and Pinion Steering with unmodified suspension other than Koni's fitted on each corner of my present model.
At no time have I felt either cars steering to be heavy or the handling cumbersome, you can tell when it needs a greasing though if you are attuned to the car.

My 4/4 Sport was a totally different but highly enjoyable experience very light and agile and quick providing it's dry. The small footprint these cars have makes them want to break away and not stop too well in the wet if pressing on a bit.

The Plus 8 stops very well in the wet is my experience.
It is a very relaxing car to drive due to bags of torque and makes a great long legged tourer.

They are a delight to drive if they have been taken care of and are regularly serviced - this is vital to a good experience.
There are some rough ones out there and not necessarily the older ones.

I assume we are talking Rover engined +8 and not the new ones?

The +8 was replaced by the Roadster: the Series 1 Roadsters have more power and as much torque as a +8, the engine is shorter and sits further back so it is a little more agile.

As Adrian has said the steering, especially if properly set up and without damper blades, isn't excessively heavy.

So, don't rule out the Roadster as alternative, though I;ll grant you it doesn't sound quite as good!

Injection , ie 1990's. Sounds from the comments so far that its subjective !