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MG MGF Technical - Tracking mystery?

To all the MGF Tech Guru's: you guys are my last resort.

When driving at speeds beyond 100 km ph, my '96 MGF is becoming very unstable in handling. More precise, it tends to oversteer for short moments but very freqently. However, the tracking is according to MG specifications (I had the tracking re-examined some weeks ago).

What else could this be? Hydragas system? The double wishbones? Just some out of the box thinking here... Even the local dealer is puzzled


Freek

My 97 F used to be quite unstable at high speeds and i think it is actually a common problem. Try fitting a front splitter, mine improved considerably after fitting one.
Wayne d'andilly


Check the archives... loads of info.

Things to look for off the top of my head:
o worn suspension joints
o tyre pressures
o ride height

P.
Paul Nothard

Using MG dealer's spec might not be a good idea.

People have tried, with good result, a different setup than standard. Shame we don't have a company like Techspeed here in Holland, otherwise we could go there.

Search the archives for the besty liked setup.
Johan
Johan Slagter

>However, the tracking is according to MG specifications (I had the tracking re-examined some weeks ago).

This needs not mean they got it well done ;)
I remember Tony from Utrecht having nearly got silly with poorly tracking adjustments in NL.
Another one was Reinier van Beest. He ended up with a bimmer Z at last.

I'm afraid, but I believe the NL dealers madness still beats the german dealers idiotism ;) ... which needs not mean any good.

Get the rear tie bar tighenend with compliance washers or use poly bushes and let them try again. This makes it much easier for them. (true)
Make sure the do it with 4 Laser full tracking equipment instead of frequently use 2 axle equipment.

HTH
Dieter
Dieter K.

Freek, I think that the only thing to do right now is to get back to basic principles and thoroughly check everything out: quite clearly there is something seriously wrong.

What to check? Remember to check BOTH the front and the rear suspension assemblies.
1. Wheels and tyres: are the tyre pressures okay (what are you using?), is the wear pattern even (usually the clearest indication of a tracking problem).
2. Is the suspension ride height correct? (ie should be around 368mm if you've got a completely standard car) And is the ride height even on both sides of the car?
3. Check the dampers: are they in good condition and connected correctly? They can fail and weep, and even become disconnected at their lower mounts as the bushes deteriorate.
4. Check the torque settings of all the suspension parts - including the tie-bar, the wishbone mounts and pivots, the subframes, track rods etc. If something is loose, then this could lead to some odd handling characteristics.
5. Is the subframe alignment correct? Not difficult to check - and the details are in the workshop manual IIRC.
6. What condition are the bushes in? On an 8 year old car, the bushes are quite likely to beyond their best - and would certainly benefit from renewal. You could take the opportunity of replacing with PU bushes (which is what Tony did on his car, and that solved all his previous tyre wear and handling problems instantly).
7. The MGF's suspension has a number of grease points that need attention come service time. If the wishbone pivots have been allowed to dry, they could be seizing up... Check and re-grease.

There may well be other things to check, but going through that list you should be able to find the problem. Good luck!
Rob Bell

Found it!!!!!

With a little help from the local dealer, we found a worn bearing (? donīt know if this is the correct English technical expression). This caused a somewhat lose wheel and the cause of the handling instability.

Gentlemen, thanks for the advice!! I will follow some of that advice & change the bushes to PU ones to improve the tracking/ handling.
Freek

Great work Freek! And thanks for letting us know what the problem turned out to be - I'll add it to the list of 'causes of abnormal camber'! :o)

Cheers
Rob Bell

This thread was discussed between 12/01/2004 and 19/01/2004

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