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MG Midget and Sprite Technical Rear springs BBS discussion at MG-Cars.net
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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Rear springs
| Hi all, Sorry if this has been covered already, but I couldn't find anything in searches.. I have a 1500 converted to chrome bumpers. I fitted front spring spacers, and the back already looks really low. Which made me think that maybe the back shouldn't be that low. I have a full poly bush kit that I will start fitting soon, but I am wondering whether to replace the rear springs at the same time (they look original). If so, should I fit a chrome bumper pair of springs? Likewise with the front? Any advice appreciated! Cheers Karl |
| Karl Bielby |
| Most likely carl you need to to replace the front springs with springs from a 1275 by loosing the 1500 pumpers it removed alot of weight that made the front rise higher just my personal thought prop |
| prop |
| Karl If you are getting new rear springs and you have removed the bumpers I would go for 1275 springs as there is about a 2" height difference when you put the two types next to each other. I did have a picture I will try and find it. |
| Dave Pratt |
| I removed the rubber bumpers on mine and had lowering blocks on the 1500 springs but toke them off as it was to much lowered then replaced them with 1275 springs: ditto! So replaced with 1500 rearsprings again and the car is fine: looks good and practical especialy with luggage + 2 persons + half round UK country roads.  |
| Arie |
| Arie What happened to your ass... its missing... did the new wife chew it off? Haha Interesting looking building prop |
| prop |
| Hmm interesting, what size are those wheels Arie? They look quite big. This is how mine sits now, which I really like! And I don't really want it to change! (How can you tell that your springs are actually gone??) Cheers!  |
| Karl Bielby |
| This is mine, debumpered on 1500 springs front and rear with lowering blocks front and rear. Height seems OK to me. My feeling is the dampers need stiffening up a little to compensate for the higher spring rate 1500 springs but lower mass debumpered car.  |
| Malcolm Le Chevalier |
| That baby sits just nice Malcolm! Maybe I should go for 1500 springs and blocks... Anyone got any pics if theirs on 1275 springs? |
| Karl Bielby |
| Karl, just be aware that there is a difference in the height of the front wings above the wheel arch between 1275 and 1500. Your 1500 wings have relatively lower wheel arches (I.e. more wing metal) than an earlier car to allow for the raised ride height. If you were to lower the front too much you may get wheel/wing contact when cornering, especially at speed on uneven roads. But at the back, l would either keep your 1500 springs, or if renewing, then go for new standard 1250 springs without lowering blocks. |
| GuyW |
| Interesting. Going by the plates Malcolm's car is only about a year older than mine and Karl's about a year younger, but both of them look so much better and more classic than mine with it's black plastickery horridness like pier fenders fore-and-aft. Well done gents - they look great and it's always a pleasure to feast the peepers on Arie's car. Arie - I've long been curious. What the difference in weight between the Triumph engine and your 1800 K? Hope your weekend's going as well as mine. It's a beautiful evening and there's a troop of teenage cuties in shorts and halters having a BBQ in my backyard. I can hardly drag myself away from the kitchen window. Gotta go......... (Bwahahahaha)! |
| Greybeard |
| good point. it should be noted.... 1. yes, there is a difference in wings between early and late cars and I have 1275 wings. 2. when I rebuilt my rear end, I dismantled and swapped alternating leaves between my springs to "refresh" them 3. I had to cut out so much metal and 1275 panels are cheaper, so it basically got rebuilt like a 1275 shell. even tho my car is a 1500, I can't ever put the bumpers back on as the metal is completly wrong. Malcolm. |
| Malcolm Le Chevalier |
| Yeh I'm pretty happy with the front, it sits well and I don't think I will change those springs (they are well easy to donate a later date anyway, rears, less so!). I am semi tempted to go for 1275 springs on the rear, due to the lower spring rate. Mine currently feels solid, I'm not so sure the spring actually moves! |
| Karl Bielby |
| "They" (the racers?) say that with a live rear axle car you are better off with a softly sprung rear and stiffer front. So the 1275 rear springs would fulfil this brief. Also, using 1500 springs and blocks in theory increases tendency for axle tramp due to the larger distance and therefore leverage between the axle and spring. Malc. |
| Malcolm Le Chevalier |
| I'm not Arie - obviously! K-series I believe is 96kgs 1500 engine is 100kgs A-series also about 96, but I will stand corrected by them what know ;) Softer backside is always a lot better than a harder one - the 1275 springs do help with the lowering as well - depends though - how much fibreglass vs metal you have on the car :) |
| rachmacb |
| The only fibreglass is the hardtop! Seems that 1275 springs may be better them. Would be good to hear from someone that has fitted 1275 springs to their 1500! |
| Karl Bielby |
| Yes, at the rear, soft springs and firm shocks is a good combination. Gives good initial turn in but not crazy oversteer to follow. |
| Paul Walbran |
| Would removing a leaf from 1500 springs not achieve the same result? The spring rate should reduce (softening them) and as such the car should also be lower? Sounds right to me, that or I've had too many blows to the head working in Mini engine bays :D |
| J White |
| The 1500 springs deffo had an extra leaf but I can't remember if they were 1275 springs with an extra leaf or a completely redesigned spring. A dying brain cell seems to think they had a different construction/curvature to the 1275 springs, so not as simple as just removing a leaf. Someone will know for sure... Malc. |
| Malcolm Le Chevalier |
| Karl, my wheels are 14inch ones. Prop, its the café at the NurnburgRing, the Mekka for every petrolhead! Greybeard, I don't know the actual weight, Rachel is probably right on this although I thought weight difference would be bigger as the front of the midget was way up after the engine swap. I used the front lowering spacers to lower it but eventualy found it to be to low for practical use (speedbumps...) so now have two (or three?) 1mm washers instead of the 5mm? spacers.  |
| Arie |
| So when a 1500 spring is dead, will it sag and be stiffer? Just replacing the spring pads to see if that helps handling. |
| Karl Bielby |
| no, it will sag and be a bit softer. |
| David Smith |
| This is a 1500 that I fitted new (1500) rear springs to. I had a hard time getting the shackles in, as the springs were so curved. As you can see, it sat quite high, even at the front.  |
| Dave O'Neill 2 |
| Yeh, I guess it would settle down a little after? But you also have the rubber bumpers still. I measured each corner yesterday, front R 59.5mm L 60mm Rear R 53mm L 51.5MM Im sure I saw a thread somewhere with various owners ride height measurements, but I can't for the life of me find it! |
| Karl Bielby |
| Oh my days, I changed the rear spring pads for some poly ones, and it handles like a new car! Amazed! The springs can remain as they are till next time I'm in that region. However due to it being much quieter, I can now hear that the rear dampers need a top up as they are squelching |
| Karl Bielby |
| Surprising what something as simple as new pads can do to improve a cars handling. Now get out there and enjoy it. |
| Martin Washington |
| Too right Martin, went for a good shake down run! Trouble is, now the front feels bad! Got the bushes ready to go in though.. |
| Karl Bielby |
| "Surprising what something as simple as new pads can do to improve a cars handling." When the pads get tired the axle flops around an awful lot! |
| Paul Walbran |
This thread was discussed between 27/05/2016 and 08/06/2016
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