Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Classic Morgans (pre-CX) Calming the front suspension.....

After owning my 2.0 Duratec 4/4 for rew months I do feel there may some benefit in upgrading the standard front suspension. As I'm sure most will appreciate the ride, and in particular, cornering on anything but a smooth surface can be, well, interesting.

Personally I would like to be able to take bends a little more enthusiastically, with more confidence and remove the likely hood of "bottoming-out". Improved ride quality would be nice but......

So, would simply changing the springs for higher rate items, say 115 or 140lb items, and some better dampers be enough? Would a Suplex conversion be a better option? Ideally I'd prefer to keep the cost down?

The purists would say 'its a Morgan what do you expect , thats how they are ' . My view is get it how you want it ie suplex , adjustable shocks , put 5LL suspension at the back , anything to stop the 'crashing' over bumps ! Good luck .

Andy,
firstly is everything greased properly and are the tyre pressures correct. The tyres play a far bigger role in the ride than on modern cars as they are inflated to 22.5 psi.

Some folks on here have then gone the Suplex routes other just better shocks. Not sure what Mr Mog fixes as shocks these days but the originals were usually rubbish.

This may help but I am sure this thread will run & run as others on here comment.

http://www.gomog.com/allmorgan/front.html

https://sites.google.com/site/morganatica/suspension/springs-progressive-rising-rate

Harder springs do not make the suspension 'better', they just reduce the chance of the car becoming unsettled through suspension movement. It's a hangover from the "If racers do it, it must be good" school of thought, which is, for road driving, utterly bonkers, especially if one has a spine which one wishes to preserve in reasonable order.

The Suplex setup gives a more compliant ride with a rising rate that prevents bottoming out. I've had Suplex on my car for a few years now and absolutely love it. It has to be said, however, that some people don't like it and have removed it to go back to the standard setup.

I suggest you have a go in a Suplex-equipped car to see if it for you before forking out your hard-earned dosh.

Maintenance is paramount. I have found that "Toe In" on My Morgans are not right. In fact I found I had "Toe Out" on My +8. This have a very unsettling ride/handling. I am not a fan of Suplex but not that Suplex does not do the job. But the cost for (IMO) a minor improvement. Another aspect, I have found, is the Rear Spring/shock setup has a decided impact on the Front as well. I am now using 6 leaf springs and AVO shocks (set on minimum) on My +8. But on Your Duratec with a much lighter engine I am not sure. But for arguments sake My '61 DHC with Zetec engine, Koni front shocks, Blue Springs (125 in/lbs), 7 leaf rears and Lever shocks is a delight to drive on the twisty back roads I love. I have swapped spring and shocks a lot on 2 of My Morgans. My +4-4Str has had Koni's on all 4 corners, original front springs and Rutherford modified rear springs (not good for carrying passengers) for years. It is the best of the best IMO. All of this fiddle is very subjective. It is hard to judge. But after not driving My +4-4Str for 2 years, I did take a drive and "WOW" this was it.

I have 140lb springs on the front of mine - made a hell of a difference to the ride & handling - together with hadr chrome kingpins & steering bearings. It has stopped the "nodding" and bottoming out at the front end. Worth a try. I`ve heard mixed reports about the fuull suplex conversion.

Methinks it is about time Morgan offered a modern ver of the trad. Might be a little boring, but the looks will still be great.

Thanks for the responses.

I suppose my main concerns is how easy the car bottoms out. It seems to happen on a fairly regular basis, poor roads and all. As mentioned a more taught set-up with less bump steer and tendency to hop in corners would be good.

Whilst the rear is obviously hard it doesn't concern me too much as it will tend to follow the front.....

Sorry Andy. This is not My experience. Not sure why but (IMO) the Fronts are impacted by the Rears setup. But again, this is very subjective, and it seems We all have different opinions and experiences.

We've recently fitted Suplex on our2014' plus 4. I really am not convinced at the moment that I have spent wisely. Overall the ride is marginally improved, however she now nods (which she didn't do with the standard set up) this fortunately is improving the more miles I do (700mls so far) and is in line with what I was told to expect. The steering whilst smoother is now very twitchy, especially immediately after the hardened pins have just been greased . I run the tyres at 22 psi . I have had the suspension readjusted after 600 miles and have been advised more miles are necessary for the car to settle down. I hope this advise is not Motor trade talk for " it won't but you'll get used to it and forget what used to be like" . So in conclusion at the moment I am not sure of the overall benefit. Sorry to be so negative. SteveH and Harry