Hydragas
The MGF sports car utilises Hydragas suspension, and physical shock absorbers. It was first introduced in 1973 in the Austin Allegro and was later fitted to the 1975 Princess and its successor, the 1982 Austin Ambassador. Both systems attempt to address the ride-handling compromise of car suspension by interconnecting the suspension of the front and rear of the car in some way.
Hydragas suspension gives a comfortable ride
and exerience, but over time, the liquid part of the
system can
leak
out and requires pumping up. It is recommended to do this at
least
every few
years, or
whenever required.
The system replaces the separate springs and dampers of a
conventional suspension system with integrated, space efficient, fluid
filled, displacer units, which are interconnected between the front and
rear wheels on each side of the vehicle.
The heart of the system is the displacer units, which are pressurised spheres containing nitrogen gas.
Each displacer unit contains a rubber spring, and damping is achieved by the displaced fluid passing through rubber valves. The displaced fluid passes to the displacer of the paired wheel, thus providing a dynamic interaction between front and rear wheels.
It is this system that provides the F with its superb ride and handling characteristics, however, running the car with the suspension too low on hydragas fluid can result in bad handling, uneven tyre wear, and damage to suspension components.