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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - lowering car

hi,
i want to lower the front of r/b car iv just bought.i read before about putting tubular spacers between spring pan and putting longer bolts in. does anyone know if someone supplies these or are they made up spacers.
thanks bob.
trebor

Peter May:

http://www.petermayengineering.com/catalogue1.htm#catalogue1

& MGOC:

http://www.mgocspares.co.uk/acatalog/MGOC_SPARES_FRONT__midget__203.html#l21


both list kits
Doug Plumb

thanks doug,
looks like its 1/2" 3/4" or 1.1/4" its only road use just to make it look better. what do you think. the back already looks low enough. you can see front in vehicle profile.
trebor

Robert,

I dont know if the measurement specified is the length of the spacer OR the distance the car is lowered. I THINK the car is lowered by double the length of the spacers - ie 1/2" spacers lower the car 1". The supplier should be able to clarify that.

My lowered car is ~135mm from the bottom of the sills to the ground. However, it is too low as I have grounding issues with speedhumps etc so would recommend a minimum of 150mm.

HTH
Doug Plumb

thanks doug
trebor

I used 1/2 inch spacers at the front on mine, and as Doug says, they lowered the front by about an inch.

I lowered the rear with 1 inch lowered springs from Moss but these have sagged further so the rear is a bit lower now than when I replaced the springs and in retrospect, I think I would have been better using lowering blocks and standard springs.

That said, I'm very happy with my setup for road use with no grounding issues, though I do take it steady(ish) when running over humps.
Peter B

IF you can believe anything Moss put or say, in one of their publication IIRC they had the ratio as 5:8 rather than 1:2, not that it matters much as all is approximate and the ride height varies from car to car
Nigel Atkins

Nigel,
The ratio is very slightly more than 1:2. I have seen it quoted as a 1/2" spacer lowers the static ride height by 5/8". I wonder if that is what Moss were meaning, rather than a ratio of 5:8 which is slightly more. Academic anyway as there are other variables! The ratio could be worked out in theory by measuring the distance from wishbone fulcrum pin to the inner bushes and to the centre line of the spring support.
Guy W

I have in my stash of parts a new old stock Leyland ST lowering kit C-AJJ 3322. It contains all the bits plus items to modify the bump stop. Make me a sensible offer

The Frog is low enough already!
Bob Beaumont

it was spring length I was thinking of (how could I forget!)

SM-11A_7_LATE_S_AND_M_RESTORATION (page 110)

Front Coil Springs
One car can vary considerably from the next, it may be found that on some cars the road springs
do not reduce the height, because the originals have sagged to a lower ride height through old age
or damage. For this reason, quoting, 1” lowered springs has no real meaning unless the original
factory specified ride height of the car is known.
The relationship between the new spring’s fitted length and the resulting ride height is a ratio of
approximately 5:8, i.e. if the spring’s fitted length is 5 units shorter, the reduction in ride height will
be 8 units, the amount increasing because the lower wishbones do not sit horizontally on the car.
Nigel Atkins

That's an odd idea!
Guy W

This thread was discussed between 28/01/2013 and 29/01/2013

MG Midget and Sprite Technical index

This thread is from the archive. The Live MG Midget and Sprite Technical BBS is active now.