Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Morgan Three Wheeler & Super 3 HERE WE GO............tuning the S&S

Nowt wrong with drums...... all the Classics have them! A drum back brake makes sense...it won't be over braked as Martyn states and it makes the handbrake operation that much simpler. And lets face it......its so hidden away that no one will notice that its not a disc brake.

I must say though...if I were a prospective owner I would have insisted on a full spec sheet from the factory or dealer before signing on the dotted line. I like to know what I'm paying out my hard earned cash for!

The classics also have that weird front suspension. Sorry, "classic" front suspension, he he.

Seriously, though, you don't need hydraulics for disc brakes, again, you can get wire operated ones. And the difference between the 3W and the classics is that the 3W rear tyre is enclosed on basically all sides, whereas plenty, or at least a reasonable amount of air goes past the drums on a classic.

But, anyway, it matters not. They'll probably change the whole set up in a couple of days to something new again.

Discs can suffer from overheating problems too! Particularly if used constantly instead of working the gears on steep descents of mountain passes. Actually it is not the disc itself that is the problem, unless it warps, but the overheating of the calliper and brake fluid.

I would not be too worried about ventilation; with the belt and spokes whirling around in there, and the air passing under the car from the not very aerodynamic front end, there must be a mini cyclone in there. The engine braking effect of that huge lump will translate into very low consumption of brake pads if the gears are used correctly. If you follow a good motorcycle rider you will notice he changes down gears for the corners and seldom uses braking by comparison to a car driver.

I know about breaking with the gears - I have a NZ driver's license and you don't coast down there (whereas when I took my Danish one, they still taught coasting as the "smart" thing).

With a huge a mount of torque in that S/S engine, gearshifts shouldn't necessarily be constant in my book. I have tried running an underpowered small petrol engined car through mountains in New Zealand, and the amount of gear changes needed both up and down the mountains had me wondering if an automatic was the way forward.

Seriously, though, a drum brake which is by the very nature completely covered up still have more difficulties getting rid of heat than a disc brake. Besides, a disc brake is - to me - easier to repair too, not only because it's "out there",, but onthe 3W it's far more accessible than the drum brake.

Come to think of it, what I'm bitching about isn't the (seemingly constant) changes, but a lack of communication as to the reasoning behind it. It seems more like a trial and error sort of thing, than it seems like a guided effort. I know, it's a brand new thing for Morgan, but they have been making cars forever.

I'm off to Allon Whites this morning to look at their hoods. if they have their demo M3W in I'll have a good look at the rear end!

AQM, I think it's important to remember that unlike almost any other car manufacturer, Morgan have given liberal access to their development process, as opposed to doing it all in secret and then showing a polished pre-production vehicle. This access though shouldn't oblige them to give continual updates on why they have change this or that part.

If there has though been a mistake in their communications I'd argue it was being too ambitious in their early predictions and specifications; marketing getting the better of engineering?

All of the above said, it wouldn't surprise me at all if in future years the early cars, and lets call them S1s, become more valuable than the later models. Just like the Aero 8

Cheers

my opinion:

WAIT TILL NEW OWNERS WRITE DOWN THEIR IMPRESSIONS
they have some experience with Trads&aero's
and therefor will be able to judge the 3wheelers as Morgans
not like the press who can't decide to see it as a
- sportscar
- motorcycle
- massageseat on wheels

Brian will give his impressions on driving it "in style"
I'll give an impression for the midlife-crisis-casualties among us
Asbo can't be objective as he only judges objects in the way the environment in which it is contained has an influence on the shades of the paintjob

I don't get why we should wait until owners have driven it. Confirmation bias springs to mind.

No, what we need are Morgan settling on solutions and tell us why, and not as they appear to do now: Bumbling around in the dark.

It doesn't matter what the owners say about it breaking properly. I want one for traveling, and that includes Australia with a lot of heat. Whether or not new owners like it is irrelevant to the pros and cons of disc and drum brakes, breaking belts and general overweight in the thing. Those are things that we can have an informed opinion on before hand.

Now, wether or not, say 80/20 brake distribution is fine, road grip is fine and so on, and whether or not the whine is bearable, yes, by all means wait for the owners to report on those things.

Personally, I prefer disc brakes, as they're less likely to overheat - especially in such close quarters as the rear of the 3W, and there's two more reasons for a disc brake back there: A) It's easier to get at, and B) if they use the same calipers, one could have the same brakes, and thus spareparts for any and all brakes. I like that, regardless of owners giving a red or green light.

I like the car (yes, I consider it a car, since I don't straddle an engine and don't shift gears with my feet), and I want one.

Just like with any other product: I don't need to have owners reports as to what I need and want in a computer, on a motorcycle, or even a tent. I can surmise before hand. That's what research is for.


Edit: Btw, if they get the weight down, so it can be registred here in Denmark, it will be registred as a "cabin scooter" (yeah, not a motorcycle, not a car, but a scooter).

Good point, Philippo. But the overweight is hardly something they shouldn't have foreseen, considering the whole idea of the thing.