Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Maintenance & Servicing Replacing Front Shocks after 25k?

Hi all,

My recently purchased '96 +8 has new shocks on rear, but on closer inspection seems like fronts are likely original. Any thoughts on whether it's worth a new set? I'm new to Morgans so am trying to understand what's normal ridewise and what's not... Car's done 25k... Don't feel too much roll but it does feel like it bottoms out sometimes...

IMO I would not worry about them. If You want a demonstration of how little the front shock do - Take them out altogether and go for a drive.

Button
Seattle

The standard shocks are not very good. It does not cost much to replace them with a good set of dampers. Plenty of people will be along soon to make recommendations.

Alex

What do you want from the car , an adjustable system that you can tune according to your driving that day , or a fit and forget system that will cope reasonably well under most driving conditions.

If you want a adjustability and a bias towards race/track settings , then go for AVOs. Adjustability and normal driving , then go for Spax.

A good compromise for fit and forget is Konis, or Bilsteins.

Give us a few more ideas about your needs and we can suggest the optimum solution in our experience , but be warned dampers can be a personal preference issue , and one owner's choice will be shunned by another.

I have a set of Konis with c 5k on them if anyone is interested.

Not sure if this is one of those "Myths".

"Shocks do not wear out - they just leak"

Button
Seattle

Certainly very early telescopic shock absorbers, specifically Newtons have no wearing parts other than seals. The metal bits are surrounded by oil and use the oil as a damping medium, so the oil 'wears out' but not really the structure. I've refurbished two circa 1930 Newtons and it was quite straightforward to do.

Gas shockers actually use gas and oil, and I guess mechanically, not the sort of thing one could re-condition at home.

Mog 615 all good points.

I don't need adjustable certainly. Overall I'm looking for a ride that copes with A roads and longer tours in some comfort. I live in Budapest and will happily commute across town every day on slightly poor city roads.

I've been looking at the Koni Classics. has anyone had experience of them?

At 12000 miles the OE Spax shock absorbers fitted to our car were nowhere near up to a grass autotest and on road performance had deteriorated substantially.

A full set of AVO adjustables has proved to be a good idea. Our trips round Buckinghamshire roads over the weekend has tested them fully - they make a real difference.

Alex
Before fitting the Suplex kit I used Koni Classics all round, and they were still perfect after 10 years . Good long lasting products which will enhance your driving pleasure