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MG MGF Technical - Compliance (suspension) washers

OK, so I've sprung the small amount of money that the complience washers cost (from B&G).

They arrived this morning - I was expecting 2, not the 4 that were in the packet.

So... where do the other 2 go - I know about the 2 at the bottoms of thee struts....

I'd like to get things straight before I wheel the car over the pit....

(I might even take some "fitting instruction" pics for the faq if I can get it figured out....)

Neil
Stokenchurch
Neil

Fitted to the rear tie bar, brake reaction rod, however you want to describe it, either side of the suspension lower arm to control movement in compression and extension. It shouldn't take too long once you have access.

The arms have to be removed so first loosen the large nut at the rear of the tie bar. Now move to the front and remove the through bolt that lock this to the subframe mounting. A bit fiddly due to space limitations, but once you get the right operating angles it falls out! Remove the rear nut completely and remove the bar. Note the specific positions of the large washers which are shaped. Add one of the new 'compliance washers' next to the inner steel washer. Reassemble the bar to the lower suspension arm and attach the front mounting. Take note that the large inner bushes in the lower arm may want to spring out as you try and refit the bar. Lightly tighten the nut/bolt. Now the rear half of the lower arm bush will probably have been pushed out as you slid the bar back in. Refit this followed by a 'compliance washer' the steel washer and the nut. Lightly tighten the nut.

Now most people will simply tighten up both the nut/bolt at the front end and the rear nut and then move to the other side and repeat the operation. With many yerars experience with sensitive MGB suspnsions I take a leaf from the MGB rear suspension assembly procedure in leaving the final tightening until the suspension is compressed by vehicle weight so that it is sitting at normal ride height. I think there may be something on these lines in the workshop manual.

Any tightening then will be of the suspension is it's normal static position. If a bush is tightened and then the suspension is compressed some twist energy may be held in that bush and affect the performance of that bush. If the suspension is in a normal rest position, then any twist in the bushes will be a reaction against the suspension movement and provide better bush performance. These benefits will likely be only small, but for the extra effort, worthwile.

To achieve this when the washers are added I find the easiest thing is to place a couple of ramps under each rear tyre and lower the car onto them. I then finally tighten the nuts and bolts.

Torque to 45 newton metres for the front mount and 80 NM for the rear.

Now all you need are the photos and an FAQ entry is complete.

Rog
Roger Parker

Rog .
Can you comment on the cool air induction thread on the bbs as I could't find too much in the archives.
Is it okay to bypass the Resonator and run a pipe straight to the air filter.
Sorry for interupting this thread .
Thanks.
Richard March

Thanks Roger :-)

I knew someone like yourself would know how to do it!

I'll try and take some photos and sent them in for the FAQ when I do it....

Neil.

Neil

The usual picture is on my web site at

http://www.theflow.demon.nl/fab/myf/bushes.htm

As from five minutes from now..... :-)
Tony Smith

Looks like Rog has beaten me to any explaination here- and in a good more detail as I had my local garage do it for me (I am sorry!).

But I have some pictures of the compliance washers, the poly bushes and the standard bush on the web site that do show how each of them work under extreme suspension decompression- http://go.to/mgfgallery --> Technical --> Suspension

I'd say that the poly bushes are the best at controlling suspension movement- which to me suggests that they are well worth the investment. Perhaps Tony can give us this impressions over a full road test?

Rob
Rob Bell



> Now most people will simply tighten up both the nut/bolt at the front end and the rear nut and then move to the other side and repeat
> the operation. With many yerars experience with sensitive MGB suspnsions I take a leaf from the MGB rear suspension assembly
> procedure in leaving the final tightening until the suspension is compressed by vehicle weight so that it is sitting at normal ride
> height. I think there may be something on these lines in the workshop manual.

Sure does. In bold type too!

P.
Paul Nothard

Well you asked for it....

Not sure where the difference is as I changed to a Toe in setup at the front at the same time. Anyway with the Toe in at the front and the Polly Bushes and the Compliance washers the car goes exactly where you point it now. The firmness of the ride has not changed at all but is much more stable and feels much more solid when cornering.

I think the main benefit is that the bushes reduce how much the wheels tend to toe out (or move) when the power is applied. It is like driving another car and it now feels like quality. Finally my F handles like a sports car and no signs of the once frightening handling when changing road surface. The tendency for the front wheels to tramline with the 205s has almost been completely eliminate, only a little of this tendency remains now.

I would recommend the toe in setting on the front for handling and hopefully longer lasting front tyres.

The Bushes I would recommend as it changes the characteristics of the car, no more wallowing as you go round a corner and much better grip. I now feel that I have proper control of the car. I no longer have the MGF on ice feeling from the steering. I think if reviewers had the bushes fitted and the tracking revised they would give much better reports. I would have been happy to pay the extra 200 quid to have the bushes as standard on the MGF.

I think this proves that the design is good, it's just the implementation that is not so good. I assume the toe out setting is to stop people getting into trouble by making the car very passive in turning, no doubt to make up for the excess play in the suspension and inferior bushes used. I assume this was so they did not get into the same sort of problems as the Audi TT, where inexperienced drivers were caught out by the tendency to overseer.

The bushes are however a little expensive to fit, 200 quid for the bushes and around six hours labour time but the benefits are enormous. Much better value than say a performance exhaust.
Tony Smith

Well, I finished everything else I had to do at the weekend, so had time to fit the washers. (Thus saving £45 on a garage doing it for me!)

Roger's instructions were spot on, and actually it was very simple. As was pointed out, its somewhat tricky to get to the subframe mounting, but a ring spanner solved it - there's not enough room to get one of my sockets in the space available (other sockets may be shorter and so go in the space)

I took a couple of pictures, so if anyone wants to add something to an existing suspension page with Rogers instructions and photos, let me know (Rob??) and I'll send you the pics.

It may be just "wishful thinking", but handling does feel tighter, and more stable....

Neil.
Neil

Yes please Neil! :o)

Ta

Rob
Rob Bell

Hi,
after introducing your experiance at our german some questions came for 'continental' suppliers of the bushes.
So I took your picture and table and added the OEM data from Powerflex. I hope you aggree, Iadded credits also :))
http://members.tripod.de/MGF/bushes/bushes1.htm

According to the washers.
John Thomas had a picture also, I lost the link but hosted the picture. Now I only miss the measures of the washers :)

Regards
Dieter
Dieter

This thread was discussed between 06/06/2000 and 12/06/2000

MG MGF Technical index

This thread is from the archive. The Live MG MGF Technical BBS is active now.