The Suspension Accessories catalogue covers the cross-model bolt-on upgrades that improve handling, ride quality and roadholding on classic MGs, and is the right starting point for any owner wanting more from the car without straying into competition-only territory. The original cars were set up for the tyre and road conditions of their time, and the gap between a 1960s lever-arm-damped car on cross-ply tyres and the same car on modern radials is substantial enough that some recalibration of the suspension is almost always worthwhile. The catalogue covers anti-roll bars, lowering blocks and springs, polyurethane bush kits, Armstrong damper adjustable valves, and full front and rear suspension conversions.
Anti-Roll Bars
Anti-roll bars are the single most cost-effective handling upgrade for the MGB, Midget, MGA and MGC. The factory bars are deliberately soft, set up for understeer in the worst conditions, and a thicker uprated bar reduces body roll, sharpens turn-in and gives a much more confident feel through fast bends. Front bars in 7/8-inch and 1-inch diameters are stocked for MGB applications, with the MGC, Midget and MGA covered by their own specific patterns. Rear anti-roll bars, which the factory cars did not fit, are stocked for owners wanting to balance the chassis further; their effect is to reduce understeer and bring the rear of the car more actively into corner entry.
The combination of an uprated front bar and a fitted rear bar transforms the handling of an MGB while preserving original ride quality.
Lowering Blocks and Springs
Lowering Blocks fit between the rear axle and the leaf spring on the MGB, MGB GT V8 and MGC, dropping the rear ride height by around an inch and a half, useful both for stance and for restoring the natural ride height of cars that have lost it through spring sag over decades. The blocks are also widely used to correct the raised rear ride height of post-1974 rubber-bumper cars, restoring something closer to the chrome-bumper stance without going to a full bumper conversion. Lowering Springs cover the front coil-spring applications, with progressive-rate options for owners wanting a sportier feel without sacrificing daily comfort. Front and rear changes should generally be balanced; lowering the rear without addressing the front leaves the car nose-up and unsettles the handling balance.
Polyurethane Bush Kits
Polyurethane Bush Kits replace the original rubber bushes throughout the suspension and steering with denser polyurethane components. The result is sharper response at the steering wheel, less suspension deflection under cornering load, and a chassis that feels considerably tighter overall. Full vehicle kits cover every bush in the suspension and steering system, front wishbones, anti-roll bar mounts, rack mounts, spring eyes and shackles, panhard rod where fitted, and are stocked for MGB, Midget, MGA, MGC and MGB GT V8. The trade-off is a small increase in transmitted road noise and a marginally firmer ride; for most owners using their car on UK B-roads, the improvement in response far outweighs the modest comfort change.
Damper Adjustable Valves and Full Suspension Conversions
Armstrong Damper Adjustable Valves replace the original fixed-rate valving in the front and rear lever-arm dampers, allowing the damper rate to be adjusted to suit the owner's preference and the road conditions. Five firmness settings give a usable range from soft daily-driving to firm fast-road.
For owners going further, full Front Suspension Conversions and Rear Suspension Conversions replace the original lever-arm damper system entirely with a telescopic damper conversion, including the necessary brackets, mounts and shock absorbers. The conversions are particularly popular on MGB and Midget cars used for fast road or sprint use, where the heat-rejection and progressive-rate behaviour of a telescopic damper outperforms the original lever-arm design.