Talk Morgan Forums Community Vehicle Talk (non-Morgan) Grrr! Bl**dy Potholes !

A bit of a ramble...

Perhaps Practicality Vs Passion Budster...? (-:

Both my Mog and C4S were passionate purchases, the Mog more so than the Porsche, the latter having at least some practical justification in terms of extending my sports car driving enjoyment as I age, it having a tin top and that my good lady could enjoy driving it, she never having wished or tried to drive the Mog, she sat in the driving seat once to try it out but decreed she was to short and the clutch too heavy, though she greatly enjoyed planning +8 adventures for us over the years.... (-:

Trying to get back on track...(no pun etc.) In times passed many Morganeers seemed either to be hands on types, or perhaps due to seemingly built in Morgan foibles, may have decided it was perhaps worthwhile learning how to operate a hammer..... Then of course there were those ever in search of improvement in every aspect of performance, and who perhaps spent decades of tuning, polishing and spending HOW MUCH..??? Yeah a great deal of time and money spent on very impractical stuff to satisfy whatever priorities we might have had at the time, and I suspect practicality would have been well down the list of priorities at the time.. though in my case whatever I was riding and later driving, had to get me to and from work for many years, until some years later when I arrived at the stage where I could have a machine that need not be depended upon as everyday transport, thus a greater degree of passion was released relative to that which became a sort of metal mistress, providing an escape from other of life`s priorities... (-:

Thinking back to the late sixties early seventies, it seems as the general populace of the UK arrived at a stage of finding they had disposable income, and thus our automotive abilities evolved perhaps to mirror that which I typed above, and as disposable income in time became replaced by the easy money years, our practicality requirements for daily transportation were while ever there, we perhaps evolved into the ability to desire a bit more passion /stylised design in our daily transport..? Perhaps not unexpectedly we ended up with some folks daily transport choices being identified by some as Chelsea tractors, describing some of the impracticability of driving Range Rovers and the like around city streets.....But then for decades some of us had been driving machines that roared once up on the cam, had next to no power till they got there at perhaps circa 4k rpm, and drank copious amounts of fuel in the process of overheating in traffic, etc.etc.etc..... Hmm..???

Guilty as charged...(-: The road is no race track for sure, but..?

Fitting larger wheels and thus allowing reduced aspect ratio tyres on my Mog with it`s severely limited suspension travel and ground clearance is not, and never has been on the cards.. My Mog has rattled and shaken more than enough to present me with the pseudo vintage sports car driving experience I was in search of sine I bought it circa 2002.... Such is the rate of pot hole proliferation over the years that often on returning from a drive having crashed through perhaps one or two unavoidably deep pot holes, such is the flexing in the construction of the old thing that one of my bonnet catches has been found to disengaged with it`s keeper...Low profile tyres would seem to exacerbate any such situation, no doubt advancing considerably the need to contemplate some sort of major maintenance programme...?

BTW, the C4S has 20" wheels, and of course low profile tyres, but at least it was designed that way with reasonably compliant and adjustable suspension at the push of a button the ability to choose between comfort and sport.... though even on comfort it is none to comfortable on my local favourite back roads, and truth be told it is not judged to me to be a real sports car as is my Mog, but more of a GT in the original use of those two letters when applied to the Grand Tourers of old.....

It seems the mad to modify affliction of my yoof, still exists in the young of today, as I have read where the mix of lowered and stiffened suspension the get the "stance" looking cool aided by larger wheels and lowered profile tyres, can result in tearing the mounting point for the top of the McPherson away from the rest of the alloy inner wing....reportedly after hitting a.... pot hole.....Hmm...?

And just to finish this ramble off.... Seems My good lady and I took on more Grand Tours in our Morgan than ever we did in our old Porsches..... Go figure... (-:

A 'traditional' GT car is exactly what I would want to buy if I had any money these days. Something that we could chuck a couple of bags in (albeit large ones if 'er indoors is coming, she does love to take a selection of outfits) and drive from here in Gloucestershire to somewhere like Glenfinnan in a single hit and be able to get out at the far end fresh and relaxed. It would have very comfy seats, great aircon, an excellent sound system, and decent suspension that wouldn't rattle our fillings out over rough roads. It would also be small enough to be able to navigate B roads without having a heart attack every time we meet oncoming traffic.

Frontline GT maybe?

911 SC, though not in it`s sport configuration as in the 80`s it had ...err.. larger wheels, lower profile tyres and stiffer suspension set-up....The base model was a perfect all rounder drove like a sports car yet could gobble up the miles..... and with a sun roof and windows open or not,, no hardship re open air motoring, also warm and dry enough to use in even the worst of Winter weather... Though unlike most machinery favoured by the baby boomers, the SC like other Porsches of the era seem over valued in today`s market as young folk seem quite attracted to them.... pity.

This is the only GT to have, no sweat about oncoming traffic either and fun to be had wkg out mpg enroute to Jockland farting is strictly verboten in lock down..

This is appropriate for South Devon roads.

On our recent tour of Ireland their roads were in a markedly better state

MINI Clubman Cooper. You'll want the longer wheelbase of the Clubman for carrying capacity and reduced pitching. I'd rather use an XK8 for that trip, but is a bit large for narrow lanes
And the smallest XK8 wheel size is 18" so expect some wheel damage on large potholes (my barber pal's has 20" and he wondered why i wouldn't buy it ).

Graham; just checking.
Did you say ‘your barber’?



Bud
4/4 - Stanley

I certainly did Simon. He's a Jag fan. runs an S-type (from 2004). The XK8 (pre-owned) was a present to his wife when her father passed away. Cracking car.

just learnt that the large pothole (recently repaired) was in front of Totnes Morrisons for so long it had its own trip advisor.

I'm afraid that these modern low-profile tyres also have to do with the high vehicle weight today. I still have a 1976 911S with tyres that are now standard equipment on everyday cars (if they're not „sporty“ 195/65/15. But since the Porsche only weighs just under 1100 kg, it handles very well through every fast curve with these tyres. With a modern Porsche that weighs 1650 kg, it would be hopeless with 65-series tyres. Or my 4/4 with its antique tyre dimensions... just like the original 911 and 912 from the mid-60s. It drives damn sporty because it only weighs 800 kg and therefore its rubberies don't bend too much.
Of course, the high weight is not the only reason for low-profile tyres today. Besides, people are being led to believe that they are super sporty. Many have never experienced how comfortably a 1968 Mercedes sedan drove.