Stock vs Modified! RANT MODE WARNING!
Any time you make a modification to a stock car you had better make
sure you have come up with a better idea than the factory had.
It is unusual to change one component, and have a better system.
Chances are to get any real improvement, many subtle changes need to be made
to optimise the new components.
Bolting tube shocks onto a B changes the Damper component of a
Mass/Damper/Spring system. Think about it!
Given a unique mass distribution of the vehicle. Given a unique
loading of the suspension. The Damper/Spring components can be optimised
for best ride and/or handling (USUALLY NOT THE SAME THING!)
Buying some off the shelf component, and bolting it on your car is
not optimising the system.
There are NO proven, optimised systems for improving the handling of
the MGB!!
There are lots of bits. That if matched up, can improve the
handling of a car in a specific usage.
If you intend to modify the Mass/Damper/Spring system on your
vehicle for better ride or handling either spend the cubic dollars and get
the highest quality adjustable shocks you can find, or learn how to adjust
the damping of the lever arms. Arguing whether lever shocks are better than
tube is farcical. Tube shocks can be built with any combination of bounce
and jounce damping. An adjustable tube shock can be set up to match changes
in spring rate, and/or mass transfer. The ultimate suspension set up would
be infinitely adjustable spring rate, suspension travel and damping rate.
The coil over front kit, that came out of England was a good try.
It gave a choice of spring rates, height adjustment and adjustable damping.
Retrofitting an existing crossmember and production costs restricted the
utility of the system. I'm still playing with bits to see what is workable.
Guess what? It was bloody expensive. Guess what else? Correctly set up
the system was wonderful. My guess is that most of the systems out there
ride like carts because the owners have the dampers cranked way too high.
The main complaint we had was shocks blowing out, hmmm I wonder why?
Ok, enough of a rant. If you want to save money, leave your
suspension stock. Put on a new set of lever arms when the old ones wear
out. You drive a 1950s car with all it's lovable foibles.
If you want to make the car handle better, spend cubic dollars on
tires. Then spend cubic dollars on suspension bits until you have a SYSTEM
that works correctly for the way you drive.
But please don't tell me that the overall handling of an MGB can be
improved by changing one system component.
Kelvin. Who really does not want to be at work on Saturday. I want to be
at home working on my 73 BGT. whimper.
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