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Hydragas Ride Height

Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2007 4:07 pm
by Phoenix
Does anybody know the ideal height that MGFs should ride at? Mine is pretty damn low and needs to be pumped up. It measures 12" from the wheel centre to the wheel arch. I've seen some really high ones and they look ridiculous. Any ideas?

Re: Hydragas Ride Height

Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2007 4:16 pm
by Mr bennett
345mm from the hub centre is perfect.
just done mine, cost a tenner.i stayed will the chap and told when to stop when he was pumpin her up. but remember to have 4 wheel trakkin done as well , your f will handle like a dream.
let us know how you get on

Re: Hydragas Ride Height

Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2007 5:24 pm
by adrianclifford
345 is perfect for a Trophy.

Measure from the centre of the hub cap to the underside of the wheel arch, front wheel only, however an F should be 368 =/-10mm.

But as you say, this is not ideal for some people (I think it looks too high) but those are the figures. You will get approximately three fingers between the tyre and the wheel arch, don't forget, F's at this time of the year sit lower than they do in the summer.

Re: Hydragas Ride Height

Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2007 7:11 pm
by Mr bennett
too ade, true they are the figures .. but pumpin her up to 368 now she will look like a 4x4 by the time summer comes. any 1 else got any ideas on this ?????

Re: Hydragas Ride Height

Posted: Wed Dec 05, 2007 12:49 pm
by adrianclifford
The fitting of lowering knuckles will allow you to drop the suspension to what most people thinks looks better (about 345) while still maintaining about 400psi of pressure.

Once again make sure you have a four wheel alignment carried out after.

Re: Hydragas Ride Height

Posted: Wed Dec 05, 2007 2:58 pm
by Kasper
adrianclifford wrote:The fitting of lowering knuckles will allow you to drop the suspension to what most people thinks looks better (about 345) while still maintaining about 400psi of pressure.

Once again make sure you have a four wheel alignment carried out after.
Using Lowering pins or as Adrian mentions Knuckles will absolutely give a better view of your car. totally skipping the 4x4 view.
Most important: the ride with pins or knuckles will result in a higher pressure in the hydragas system, so the car will perform better suspension wise and ride feeling. Allthough the car sits lower, it is stiffer and will not collide with speed humps. (at least less then you would expect)

adusting to a lower ride hight is not too expensive 4 pins will cost you about 65 ponds max, and 1,5-2 hours fitting. (wheel alignment more than strongly advised)

Re: Hydragas Ride Height

Posted: Thu Dec 06, 2007 6:45 am
by Andrew Regens
I have the lowering knuckles and height set at 345mm or two fingers. I have had it lower and when it gets cold it drops to much so this is the best soloution for every day use. Speed humps I have to take very slowly, as the shocks are very stiff. REMBER to get a 4 wheel alignment.

Re: Hydragas Ride Height

Posted: Thu Dec 06, 2007 2:16 pm
by Pete
I visited the technical forum to ask a question about ride height and saw this thread...

I bought my '98 F VVC about six months ago and have always thought it was too low. It looks great but is hitting the ground all the time. I can only get over speed bumps at an absolute crawl. When I arrive at work my passenger has to get out so I can clear the speed bump in our car park. I dread to think what the floor of my car must look like....

I measured the front height from the centre of the hub to the wheel arch and it is not much over 300mm. There is no "finger clearance", the top of the tyre is at best in line with the wheel arch....

I'm not even remotely mechanically minded so could someone explain in layman's terms what options I have? Looking at pictures of it when I bought it it is actually much lower now.... HELP!

Re: Hydragas Ride Height

Posted: Thu Dec 06, 2007 4:44 pm
by Mr bennett
pete
just pop into your local garage and ask if they have a hydrogas pump. tell them its for an MGF (which normally baffels the grease monkeys) so tell them it DOES have hydrogas!! i went to 3 garages and non of them belived me until i showed them.
anyway here are the details
http://www.mgf.ultimatemg.com/group2/DI ... r.htm#with

one mechanic even slagged my car of infront of me and the idiot dint even know what suspention it had.pillock :lol: :lol:

Re: Hydragas Ride Height

Posted: Fri Dec 07, 2007 2:12 am
by Andrew Regens
Pete, the workshop I use specialise in old minis so they can handle the F.

Re: Hydragas Ride Height

Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2007 12:32 pm
by ErikB
@Pete: it may look all right, but the suspension (or better: hydragas spheres) will suffer big time. The sphere (every wheel has its own) has two compartiments: one filled with a nitrogen gas and sealed, the other is filled with a liquid. Using a hydragas pump will add fluid and pressure to the system. Front left and rear left are connected to each other, just like front right and rear right.
Having the system on the correct pressure keeps a nice balance between the pressures of both parts (gas and liquid) and the weigth of the car and forces by the working suspension while driving.
Get it pumped up, before it gets broken.

Re: Hydragas Ride Height

Posted: Fri Dec 14, 2007 8:34 am
by Pete
Thanks for all the advice, I've found somewhere that will pump it up this weekend. Given that it's freezing cold at the moment what height would you get a 98 F set to? I don't want it to look like a Land Rover come the warmer weather.

(Suspension is bog standard and I don't have the cash at the moment to lower it or modify it in anyway).

Re: Hydragas Ride Height

Posted: Fri Dec 14, 2007 10:16 am
by David Clelland
Pete wrote:Thanks for all the advice, I've found somewhere that will pump it up this weekend. Given that it's freezing cold at the moment what height would you get a 98 F set to? I don't want it to look like a Land Rover come the warmer weather.

(Suspension is bog standard and I don't have the cash at the moment to lower it or modify it in anyway).
It should be 368mm +/- 10mm from the centre of the front wheel to the underside of the wheel arch at 17°C. If my memory serves me right, you allow 0.4mm for every degree difference in temperature. So, if the weather is colder the distance is less. Remember to leave your car sitting for a while (book recommends 1 hour) to allow the suspension fluid to cool down to ambient temperature. Pressure should be around 400psi but it's the measurement that's the important thing.