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MG MGF Technical - Ride height + temperature

Hi All
I checked the ride height on my F yesterday and it was 33cm. When i bought the car (last summer) it was correct!
Is this change due to the ambient temperature? does the hydrogas leak? is there any other explanation?

I was looking at getting the techspeed suspension where they lower the car - but this would probably make mine higher!

Kingsley

Getting the suspension lowered properly will give you a much better ride even though the height might not change much from your current setting.
Spyros Papageorghiou

330 mm is certainly pretty low Kingsley. As Spyros quite correctly says, the ride will be worse as a result. This is because as the hydragas pressure reduces (lowering the ride height) the spring and damper rates reduce too. This equates to soft, poorly damped ride, which because the working movement of the suspension has been reduced, means that the suspension is continually striking the bump stops = harsh ride.

Getting the suspension 'properly' sorted by Techspeed will actually IMPROVE the ride. This has been seen time and time again as the shorter knuckles enable the hydragas system to work at normal pressures, and the stiffer dampers enable better suspension control.

Driving a Porsche Boxter and a Techspeeded F back-to-back always draws favourable comparisons... :o)
Rob Bell

I know you should not lower on the hydrogas - and i havn't let the pressure down. i hope it's not leaking!

Just waiting for a phone back from techspeed....
Kingsley

Kingsley,
If the gas were leaking then one side would be lower than the other (unless by an amazing chance they were both leaking the same amount), it is more lightly that the tempture is still a bit on the low side and your car isn't (much) out of spec. Remember that the mixture is burried within the pipes which are under the car, so even if the temp is now 17 degrees (is it?) the mixture might be a lot cooler as there is little heating it up

Will
Will Munns

If the ride is equal on both sides, then it is very unlikely to be a leaking hydragas unit. However, a lop-side ride (especially if lower on the driver's side) could well spell a leaking 'sphere.

Interestingly, my brother went to Techspeed to get his car sorted out recently. Lop-sided ride height... and guess what? The chaps found that his car had a leaking hydragas sphere (driver's side rear IIRC).

He's very happy with the service recieved - and that's saying something as Leamington isn't exactly down the road from London!
Rob Bell

This thread was discussed on 25/03/2002

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