Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Morgan Three Wheeler & Super 3 Empire kit and my findings

Dear all M3W "bumpsteerers".
When ordering the upgrade kit from Empire you need to notice what type of steering gear you have mounted on your car from factory. IF you have the type with a small hole, the "original" Empire kit fits your vehicle and if you have a gear without a hole (as mine have) you need longer track rod ends in your kit.
I have looked into several cars config and there seems to be no connection between delivery date of car and steering gear used.

Now that is a surprise that there could be a variation in a Morgan's components, not!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Is the Empire kit needed on post 2015 cars?

No

It's not quite so simple Robert, strictly speaking it isn't 'needed' as the bump steer issues have been cured by raising the steering arm on the upright, but I understand that the steering still loads up in turns and isn't exactly accurate, in the way that you might want to hit a particular apex at speed, for example.

This is due to MMC insistance on being virtually the only manufacturer to use equal length wishbones. I'd be interested to learn of any other car which uses this setup, instead of unequal length wishbones. This causes problems with a change in geometry whenever the suspension is moved, which of course happens all the time when on the move.

Rather than me going into the benefits that the replacement Empire unequal length wishbones make, I would really like to hear of the experience of other users here.

By the way, watch this space as I have it on the highest authority that a deal has been done and the kits will be retailed through one of the dealers, more than this I cannot say, although it is hoped to be revealed at TOTH.

I only use mine on the road Paul and it's fine. I'm probably not a good enough driver to require such a modification.

"Loading up" the steering is part of the vintage experience... that I could do without!

Paul as you know I was one of the most vocal critics of the bump steer problem .When my broken chassis was replaced the factory also replaced the uprights with the new ones .

The steering did feel slightly different to when it had the "comfort kit" , but I was very happy with it even when driving enthusiastically , I wouldn't say it felt inaccurate, nor did I notice it loading up . I'd be interested to hear what others have found .

Hugh

Thanks Hugh - I certainly have to heave the steering in tight bends at speed! But that could easily be the steering geometry out of alignment... looks to be toe out to me!

I fitted the Empire kit to my 2013 car before the "Comfort Kit" became available, it transformed the way the car steered, for the better. Last year the chassis was replaced along with the front uprights, all to post 2014 spec with standard upper wishbones. I drove the car in this configuration for a couple of hundred miles but found it didn't follow a line through a corner like it did with the Empire kit, it needed steering corrections mid corner and was heavier. I refitted the Empire upper wishbones and bracket and restored the improved steering feel. If the steering had been as good as the standard post 2014 set up from the start I probably would have been happy with that but the Empire kit does improve things, maybe not by a big margin but it is better, in my opinion. I did drive HJP's car once and was impressed with its ride but I think that may have been partly down to the Suplex shock absorbers rather than the comfort kit. Set the track to parallel with the Empire kit.