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MG MGF Technical - Trophy shocks

Two and half years and 17000 miles ago I fitted Trophy shocks to my daughters car all round. The rear shocks have now quit.
Not the quality one is entitled to expect I think.
Ken Waring

Out of interest Ken

What sort of diving does your daughter favour?

I agree, 17000 doesn't seem a lot but it's in line with what I expect to get on the rear of my Triumph motorbike - and that costs an arm and a leg to replace.

My 2004 TF135 is beginning to show signs of shock deterioration after 14000.
JohnP

Both of them Ken? I am surprised. Surely this is a manufacturing fault? I don't fancy your chances of getting any form of compensation though, given the current state of play at MGR :o(
Rob Bell

John you could be right but her tyres last longer than mine and my shocks are surviving.
Rob, I'm with you on this one, both at the same time is too much of coincidence.
BUT what now? More Trophy shocks or move on, but to what? I think we need something that doesn't need plates welding in. Somewhere I've seen some rebuildable shocks but I don't remember where. The principle appeals to me for the long term because of the current situation.
Ken Waring

Hi Ken,

Was your daughters car running at the Trophy ride height, i.e. lowered? The amount of travel will be greater with the standard ride height & standard hydragas setup, maybe that could make the Trophy shocks work harder than they're designed to?

I'm using Gaz adjustable shocks currently, can't fault them so far especially on price, and they come with a 2 year warranty.
Mike Hankin

The cheapest option will be to opt for another pair of Trophy shocks Ken - any other option will necessitate replacement of all four.

Regarding other shock absorber options - hypothetically, anything other than the standard or Trophy dampers will necessitate strengthening (particularly the rear) damper mounts - but in practice, you can probably get away with more than what they were originally designed for.

The cheaper options are going to be adjustable shocks - such as Spax or Avo. Gaz are a reasonable brand too - and Mike certainly has quite a lot of experience with his now ;o)

At the pricier end of the range there are the Bilsteins. I have these, and they're excellent. Non-adjustable but exceptionally well judged. I'd highly recommend them :o)

Tricky choice. At the end of the day, it boils down to how much you want to pay, and what end result you're after.
Rob Bell

Good point Mike, certainly not lowered but on the low side of nominal.

Money and common sense will probably dictate Trophy shocks. The combination of 80% poly bushes at the rear and Trophy shocks certainly works well. Thanks for the thoughts.
Ken Waring

Rob
you forgot to mention that the Bilsteins come from Tech-speed with their own settings front and rear!!

Ken
Mike has a point about the ride height but I would say that the deterioration of our roads is probably a significant factor!
Blue Pocket Rocket

This thread was discussed between 20/06/2005 and 22/06/2005

MG MGF Technical index

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