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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - sprite leans to one side....

Hi...something my wife noticed when driving behind me(!)...my sprite leans over to the drivers side quite markedly..I weigh @15 stone/210lbs so of course that is probably why?
Just that Ive never had any other car do this..is this normal with spridgets?
Could it be that the leaf springs are tired or that the oil in the lever arms need replenishing/changing/topping up?
Or is it something I just have to live with?
All views gratefully rec'd..
(please dont tell me Im a fat b****rd!)
My car is a Sprite Mk IV with Ashley hardtop/bonnet.
RW
cherokeev8

BTW when at rest the car is perfectly level...(yes alright I know that means Im not in it!).............
cherokeev8

RW,
to consider this problem we need to know how tall you are


... narh, I'm joking

the lever arm dampers may need replenishing/changing/topping up - the often do - but that wouldn't be the cause unless they're fitted wrong then perhaps that might contribute

tired or broken spring might be the cause or part of, or fitted wrongly or or another suspension of body part fitted wrongly

hopefully some will contribute to the thread on standard ride height and you could compare to see how bad yours might be

perhaps a table of drivers weight 13st 6lbs (189lbs) for me (before dinner) at 5' 5"

ETA: road camber? :)

Nigel Atkins

I weigh in at about 11 stone clothed but without footwear.
Daniel Stapleton

Most of these cars lean a little. The amount depends on how tired the springs are, how heavy you are and how often you drive alone without a passenger. A cm or two lower on one side is common. These things you just accept. The dampers never have any influence on the static lean, only on the response to the dynamic ride.

But to start with, I suggest that you get a good light, a wire brush, and very carefully check the rear spring on the driver's side to see if it has a broken leaf.
Guy Weller

thanks so far....suspect then that the leaf springs may be tired as opposed to broken..the car has just has some suspension rebiuld which includes checking cleaning the leaf springs...the car leaned before this work so it seems to follow that its a more 'invisible' problem such as a tired spring..
cherokeev8

I thought it was fairly common for the car to lean to the driver's side. On my Mk1 I disassembled the rear spring packs and reassembled with alternating leaves (one from the left, one from the right, and so on.) which evened out the sag.

I don't know how (if) it would work with 1/2 elliptic springs, they have fewer leaves than my 1/4 elliptic, but cleaning and reassembling springs is always a good idea.

Growler

When I first detected it on mine, I removed the rear springs and swapped them side for side. That surely should have corrected it. But it made no difference at all! Evening up the front springs had much more effect.

But I would still check for a broken leaf. Sometimes there is just a little hairline crack, or the break can be hidden by one of the bands.
Guy Weller

yes, mine leans too about 20mm higher on passenger side. Thats without me sat in it and despite just having the rear springs off and mixing up the leaves, then testing them to make sure they give the same deformation under load(technical task involving concrete garden furniture and big buckets of water.

cant understand it, but may have to resort to spacers to even it out.
A phillips

as Guy's put check the spring for a break and if there's been a suspension rebuild it might be that something has been put back the wrong way round (spring hanger perhaps) plus new parts can be faulty

putting new parts or components on by copying the way parts and components are already fitted to the car can mean copying an installation error

also never assume parts and components already on the car are the correct or original type

Nigel Atkins

Bands ... Bands? ..... Please - Rebound clips. ;-)

btw easy to remove and put back if you want to look. Just bend the tabs back. Also easy to break if they are badly rusty like mine were but yours should be sorted if you just had the springs refurbed..
Dave Squire (1500)

Worth checking that the spring hangers and related structure are structurally OK. But I guess serious rust here would cause a more permanent droop!

Cheers
Mike
M Wood

Just to show us retirees have too much time on our hands...
played with 2 56lb weights in the garage today...no not fitness(god forbid)..but seeing what effect my had on my supposed leaning car...
with no weights added..
to top of rear wheelarch
515mm o/s
515mm n/s

with weights..
505mm o/s
510mm n/s
and just to make sure my bodywork isn't upside down etc
with weight to wheel centres...
505mm o/s
510mm n/s
to summarise then 5mm for 56lbs displacement so I guess when Im in it (as about twice that) alone that might creep up to 10mm which probably looks worse than it actually is..
thoughts please(!)
cherokeev8

so it's (X2) two 56lb weights (112 lbs - about 7½ stone) placed on the driver's seat?

and you've measured from level ground to bottom lip of rear square rear arches?
Nigel Atkins

No I measured to the top of the wheelarch i.e the square part of the arch which is 'level'............
cherokeev8

oops just seen deliberate error...the measurements from ground to the wheel centres with wieghts in was..
o/s 265mm
n/s 270mm
cherokeev8

wouldn't it be the same measurement the way I put and you put :)

a 20mm drop for 15 stone doesn't sound like a lot to me but I've never measured it

why don't you sit in the car and get someone to do actual measures if you're still concerned other others disagree with my thought that it seems ok
Nigel Atkins

yes I will...I think maybe my missus was trying to get me to lose weight maybe?
cherokeev8

well it's warmer now don't wear such a thick heavy jacket - weight lost!
Nigel Atkins

This thread was discussed between 04/04/2013 and 08/04/2013

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