Andrew Griffith wrote:
>
> Has anyone ever attempted to improve their road handling ability by going to
> a thicker oil in the front shocks?
> My front-end was very bouncy... it was like the shocks weren't even there
> much less working. So, I pulled the shocks off and discovered that I was a
> little short on oil, only about half full of very gray oil. I looked over
> the used oil closely and since I didn't see any sizeable aluminum particles
> I figured I'd just clean them up and see how they'd work before I replaced
> them, as you all know they are not cheap to come by.
> I pumped a lot of brake cleaner through them and when dry I gave them a good
> shaking to try to gauge the piston slop, didn't hear much. I was able to
> find some buna-s o-ring seals that fit and now I'm ready for oil... any
> suggestions?
> A friend on mine said he used SAE 20W-50 engine oil in his Midget, but it
> was creamed by a drunk before it ever saw the road.
> Could the internal friction of the shock actually heat the oil to the point
> where it would start to thicken?
>
> -Drew
> '62MKII
Drew:
At the risk of being a nonconformist I put Red Line Synthetic 30 WT
Motorcycle fork oil in my shocks last year. It fixed my bounce and
has not leaked a drop in about 4k miles. I think if I were to do it
again I might use the 20 wt version of the same stuff. I think it's
just a little stiff for my taste as road car...
--
Mark
70 MG Midget
Nashville, TN
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