Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Morgan Three Wheeler & Super 3 Can anyone Identify this shock?

I’ve noticed that one of the front shocks on my 2012 M3W is leaking. I’m not sure whether these are the original units or not, as I’ve only owned the car for a few months.

The only marking I can find on them is “Suplex 80594” (see photo in the link). I’ve come across some older posts suggesting that Morgan originally used Suplex, but I’ve also seen others mention upgrading to Suplex shocks.

Could anyone clarify whether these are likely to be original or aftermarket... and more importantly worth refurbing? Any insight would be much appreciated.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/BQJWB5MVRRkjazdo9

The early cars had Suplex shocks but these were soon changed for Spax. Later there was a Suplex upgrade option but there were issues with these so I don't think they were very popular.

I'm not sure if yours can be refurbished but in any case if you can consider upgrading as it does make a difference to the ride and handling. In order of price/performance I would suggest you look at the shocks listed in the Alternative Parts List:

Spax Standard or upgraded Adjustable M3W shocks only available from Morgan dealers.
ATR Shock Absorbers. ATR MOG 001 Front. ATR MOG 002 Rear. Available from : www,dampertech.co.uk sales@dampertech.co.uk
Ohlins available via M3WServices, Krazy Horse and BG Motorsport.

I would heartily recommend the Ohlins which give a much more compliant ride and improved handling through better wheel control.

Our early 2012 M3W had these Suplex shocks. When one of them broke (rod fractured so no damping!), we dug around to find a replacement. SSL were apparently involved in the early suspension design/production and they pointed us at a company in Kent called Black Art who initially said they could rebuild it ... but it turned out that it was not possible ... but it turned out they had a left over one in their workshop which they sent us for minimal money... Nice people.

The Suplex shocks rode OK and the geometry was rather better than the longer Spax replacements (less bump steer).

At this age/non-availabilty, would suggest replacement per Red Leader advice

For us, Ohlins were a complete transformation in ride/handling (as was adding the Empire/Krazy Horse suspension upgrade). Many like the ATR option for rather less money...

Thanks for that. I would love the Ohlins but shocked at the price. The ATR's look quite pricey too.

I have a few more questions...

Difference vs price.... Has anyone ever made a basic overview that roughly quantifies the difference in ride between Suplex v Spax v ATR v Ohlins?

Ohlin... The M3W parts list show the Ohlins as HD753 and YA009. Is the HD753 the fronts... and if so this seems to be a standard Ohlin part, can you literally just purchase a HD753 from any source or is there something special about the ones being sold by Morgan specialists?

The Ohlins are not standard but are a custom configuration build up by BG Motorsport and sold in the UK through M3WServices and Krazy Horse.

I'm not sure which part No is front or rear but eitehr supplier will be able to tell you and as far as I know they are the same price.

I have a pair of Suplex front shocks and springs, one of them is leaking but the other seems fine. The idea was to get them modified and repaired by SSL when I talked to them but that never materialised. If you want to make me an offer on them? I know that the original Suplex shocks worked well. The car I test drove back in 2012 was on them, unlike my car when it arrived a year later on the Spax, complete with terrible bump steer.

I can tell you that the ATR's work pretty well, half the price of Ohlins but not a whole lot different in ride.

Good idea - am sure many of us (me included) have the original Spax etc left over after an ATR / Ohlins upgrade, for a low cost fix! FWIW the small bump absorption seems much better with Ohlins, and my wife claims its a much better ride! Whether worth the money is another question...

I do have an original pair of Spax as well but I am sure that Biggle wouldn't want them after using the Suplex shocks. The one good Suplex I have will mean that he has a pair of working Suplex again. Not sure how long they will last though as it appears they do have a tendency to leak and there seems to be no easy way of servicing them without some drastic mods.

Hi,
Thanks for all the info. If you look at my seperate thread I have just posted all the info I have collate on availible new shocks.

Its Crazy to see that Spax are cheap, so cheap that you can buy 3 spax for less than 1 set of the next cheapest option. You can buy 8.5 Spax for the price of 1 pair of Ohlins!

@planenut, I am tempted on your Suplex offer but like you I don't know if they will last. I suspect my Suplex are 14 years old with only 11k miles, I am guessing its age of the rubber seals that kills them?

Phil Gardner (late of this parish) wrote an excellent guide on how to get the best ride/handling out of an M3W and the shock options ... worth a read if you've not seen it ... see here