It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining on the snow-covered ground and the iced up, smallish snow drift in front of the car looked surmountable. Easing the car forward there was such a bang, a drop, and a rapid escape of gas. Oh dear. I no longer have a set of winter tyres on the Rover 75. Nor a complete set of springs.
A classic failure of the front spring. (Use your favourite search engine to realise just how many cars suffer this problem). Such a highly stressed item, ever more stressed in the drive to reduce mass. Unfortunately, the geometry of the spring and location on the Rover 75 damper means that a breakage can see the newly pointed end of the spring make contact with the tyre.
I know all about this. I also know about the tyre protector developed as an in-service fix. I’d thought about fitting them, but my car is in such good condition. Actually, I just forgot. So, I made the reverse of shame (the tyre was already destroyed, but the sidewall was torn further just to make sure) and got to work removing the strut. The correct springs are still on back order. Thankfully, I had a set of our Xpower lowering springs, so the car is now mobile but with a rather nose down attitude. It also responds rather nicely to steering inputs, so not all bad.
So, keep an eye on your springs. Don’t let corrosion take hold. Even better, why not freshen up your car with a new set of springs from VHS Ltd? We have developed several kits; all designed to lower the car (a sensible amount) and provide a more agile handling balance. MG Rover ZS, ZT, ZT 260, MG3, MG5 EV, MG ZS EV are all catered for.
At least the time has come to fit a set of tyres suitable for the summer. Now, how do I fit those protectors?