Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Classic Morgans (pre-CX) SSL 5L Suspension on a Plus Four Super Sport

With AVO ceasing trade I wonder which manufacturer will take over. Morgans being Morgans methinks we need one who is flexible on size & valving, whatever set up is fitted. For instance I have dedicated Morgan AVOs, but they are a bit min on their bump travel for my particular car. i.e I occasionally get to their compression limit. Explanation :-Here

Tim is meeting with another manufacturer today. I imagine it will all be sorted shortly with one shock maker or another.

I was never that impressed with AVO generally or any other shock manufacturer when it comes to Morgan trads. None of them design
shocks for Morgans specifically. They are adjustable merely to cover as wide a range of vehicles possible thereby savjng the retailer
and manufacturer money by reducing inventory needs. As a rule, the adjustable feature is destroyed the first time you hit a hard bump,
though it can be repaired by the manufacturer..though I can't think of why. Like all AVOS, the Rutherfords arrive from a
Morgan specialist in their recommended setting.

Morgan trads are unusually light, not within the normal automobile gamut. But Rutherford AVOs were made specifically for our cars by
one who knows them thoroughly and famously. Additionally, the sizing and servicing, which is as vital, is excellent thanks to David and
now Tim. The difference can be amazing. I test shocks back to back on the same car on the same roads at the same speeds. I find
this practice more for me than hearsay. I look forward to trying others next summer.

As always, I have absolutely no monetary or other beneficial connection with any of this. That would take the fun out of this hobby..

L.

Okay, load your guns, I'm about to put my head up...
I don't rate the quality of AVO's, seen too many that leak and if compressed beyond bump stop limit (they don't have an integral bump stop) they bust !

Too many folk have complained about the longevity of AVO shocks for me not to believe there is an issue there, although they worked fine on the front of my car for 10,000 miles or so. Mine did have red polypropylene internal bump stops though. I remember showing Peter Ballard a photo as he was also apprehensive of their existance.

Not to worry. This is a consumer forum. Nothing lasts forever and suppliers can go bad. We all must protect each other. It is as important to know bad parts as well as good.
However, I did not have a problem with Rutherford AVOs, on two cars for 100,000 miles. They have lasted so long I am thinking of changing just on principle! But it is also a
changing world. Everything should be periodically re-examined. That being said, I dislike hurting a business that has been so good for so long without being absolutely sure.
Yes. AVOs have internal bump stops. I never thought that was a bad thing. Did I misunderstand you? I have also never had problems with their bushes and.I remember earlier shock bushes that would rot and crumble.
Do you two still have the shocks on hand? Did you return them for examination and analysis? But most importantly, where/who did you purchase them from?

gmg

Just my humble 2 cents. I too have a 2007 Elise since new, with Rotrex supercharger a very sporty little car. And I had a P4SS from 2012 to 2015, converted to LHD especially for me. It was my most exciting Morgan, the pinnacle of racing cars with good road capability. Because it would never have passed the MOT legally (no OBD2) I sold it with a heavy heart after 3 years to someone who only drives it on the track.
If I were you, Ted's owner, and this is my completely subjective opinion that should not offend anyone else, I only know SSL as a passenger, it was very comfortable. It would not suit a P4SS as well, it is no longer the authentic quaint Morgan it should be. SSL is comfort but on a P4SS it's like a fabric softener.
I would watch for another issue, 2011 was a year of the worst leaf springs at MMC. My new P4SS completely sagged in the rear on the driver side after only three quarters of a year. I got new leaf springs under warranty that held up well until I sold it. Ask if yours are still original, if they perform you don't have to change but most likely you have to.
If I were that new to everything Morgan I wouldn't directly replace an 80 year old design without even getting to know it. For me the leaf spring belongs to the traditional Morgan like the hydro-pneumatics to the old Citroen. If you want to drive very comfortably, you have other cars for that and the Morgan remains intense and unfiltered in the experience. But as I said, that's just me, you or others may like SSL well in the P4SS.

Based on my experience of Monty (who Morgan built in 2011), I have to say this is fantastic advice from Heinz

My original springs were absolutely terrible

What Morgan originally fitted to the rear of Monty, were springs by name only!

Tim is working with Cain on this, very much in the older Morgan tradition that used to enhance the cars and the community.

I am very curious and eager to see what they come up with.

L.

If it was me, I'd be beating a path to Bilstein.

Bilstein is a giant long standing German suspension expert that supplies products to Porsche, Mercedes, Aston Martin and many more. If you want to become an OEM supplier to a modern car maker, believe me, you've got to jump through a lot of hoops to demonstrate the quality, safety and durability of your products.

It's always sad to see another British manufacturer go under, but TBH I was glad to see the back of my rear AVOs as they were completely shot with zero resistance when I removed them after just 8,000 miles service. Two of the bubblegum bushes had failed in short order too, however, in their defense they did get a very hard life due to the terrible soft Morgan leaf springs.

Saying that I also have adjustable AVO coilovers on my Mulfab front wishbone conversion, and also I had a bubblegum bush go on one of them too. To get the front end working to its best, I kept winding the adjusters up a click at a time and over many weeks until I ran out of adjustment, they're now just one click off full hard which is the only acceptable setting they offer.

I will replace them with Bilsteins when the next bubblegum bush fails.

So I gather! You have convinced me to try them back-to-back against other shocks in my collection. I love trying new stuff back-to-back. I shall do so when I next have my Morgan under me.


Yes. But Bilstein lists no shockers for Morgan trads. Links just below. That is very much like other shock offerings aside from the Rutherfords. And as I noted, Morgans are very different from other cars, with their flexing chassis and the ultra light weight. May I have the part# so I can buy what you have and we can check which other cars they are made for.
https://www.bilstein-shocks.co.uk/
https://workshop.bilstein.com/en/


?????? You mean sagged springs or soft springs? Very different things.


That shouldn't have helped. As I mentioned earlier, the adjustment ability of all "adjustable" shocks is destroyed after a tiny bit of driving. You have a different front end than the rest of us, and I cannot speak to it, though I have tried Peter's front end. BTW, when did you purchase these front shocks? Dear Peter had a shop he shared with Chas for a long time and I recall he did not use Rutherford AVOs during that period. He used Chas' type AVOs. Peter is a gentleman

Nonetheless. I will try your rear Bilsteins soon if I can have their numbers. I am looking forward to it. I can compare them on my favorite suspension test road against many others, though the AVOs were the best the last time I did comparison testing My loyalties are ultimately to other Morgan owners, not anyone in the supply side despite deep some friendships.

Thank you for your information! Fun stuff.

gmg