Morris Minor Owners Club

Hiya Folks,

Last week I fitted new alloy wheels to my Traveller (185/60 R14) and yesterday my husband fitted a new track rod end on the drivers side. Went to get the tracking checked today but the garage dosn't have a clue what the settings should be! The Haynes Manual says "Camber 1 degree, Castor Angle 3 degrees, King Pin Inclination 7 1/2 degrees" but that seems to be for standard wheels and tyres, can anyone help with the more modern ones?!

Donna

Look under the tips section
http://www.morrisminoroc.co.uk/index.ph ... pic&t=1039

The figures you quote are nothing to do with the TOE IN setting
of the front wheels, they are the built-in settings for the suspension.
TOE IN is the operative phrase because modern front wheel drive
cars have settings which are toe OUT. The manual says " toe in
equals 3/32" (2.5mm) measured at the WHEEL RIMS.

Hi guys, thanks for replying! So basically what you are both saying is that I need to go back to my garage and tell them I want the tracking set at 2.5mm toe in?

Donna

tell them I want the tracking set at 2.5mm toe in?

If they don't understand, Ray thinks you should quote 0.4 degrees toe-in (and 1 percent positive camber). However these figures are from BMC in the 1960s for standard wheels with 145 tyres. Much wider wheels and tyres were never considered at the time.

I couldn't even hazard a gues as to if the setting should be different with wider tyres, or by how much. I would expect that the ideal setting also changes from having disk brakes.
As Willie states, the book specifies 3/32" toe in (equivalent to approx 0.4°) for the original set up.

It might be an idea contacting a Minor specialist with experience of wide modern wheels & tyres (JLH of Leamington?) and ask what set-up they use.

My (very) uneducated guess would be a larger toe-in and more positive camber - because the wider tyres would exaggerate (?) the Minor's existing tendency to toe-out the front tyres and flatten the rubbers when running on the road.

It might be an idea contacting a Minor specialist with experience of wide modern wheels & tyres (JLH of Leamington?) and ask what set-up they use.

I was quite lucky this time when I went to my local tracking place. The chap doing the tracking had built many A-series engines and modified a few cars and he said with my set-up (disc brakes and 175 tyres at the front) a 1mm toe in was about right.

a 1mm toe in was about right.

So less than the original setting? And what about camber - did he give any explanations?

Well, with camber it's all about how you throw the car about. If you corner hard a lot then you need a bit of neg camber. If you drive like a vicar then a standard setting is fine. Unfortunately you don't know until you examine the wear on the tyres, if it's scrubbed and worn at the outside edge then you need neg camber.

My 145s (that I took off and replaced with 175s) were scrubbed at the edge, so really I should have neg camber, but it's standard at the moment, and after taking all the front suspension apart (twice) recently, I'm loathe to do it again soon to remove the eyebolt and fit a few washers! It can stay that way for a bit!

If you drive like a vicar than a standard setting is fine.
Not to sure how many vicars you have followed! Can't keep up with mine.
Leyland

if it's scrubbed and worn at the outside edge then you need neg camber

or the tracking is wrong (wrongly set or moved de to a hard whack on kerbs / potholes).
I would have expected you would need more toe-in with disk brakes, but if yours has been fine with less then I guess it is compensated by the fact you would benefit from negative camber for all that boy racing...

When I had the tracking set on my van, I have 175 tyres and discs, I took it to a chap that grew up with moggies and had worked in tyre fitting for over 25 years. We worked the other way and thought if the standard setting was 2.5mm then we should set it to 3mm toe-in with bigger tyres. seems to be fine. Sadly he has left the company due to the owner putting to much work on him and management was given to some young chap that didn't know what he was doing, didn't even balance the wheels after new tyres were fitted unless asked and then charged £15 for the privilege, I doubt you'll be surprised to here that place has now shut down.

or the tracking is wrong (wrongly set or moved de to a hard whack on kerbs / potholes).

Well, yes of course!

I would have expected you would need more toe-in with disk brakes, but if yours has been fine with less then I guess it is compensated by the fact you would benefit from negative camber for all that boy racing...

Well, I'm only going off what the chap said. He MAY have been wrong?? Who knows?

Yes, I would benifit from Neg camber, as I think I scared my mate today coming back from Santa Pod when I broadsided round a roundabout with the rear tyres squealing (he's not used to RWD!).

I broadsided round a roundabout with the rear tyres squealing

Well I managed that in Riley today and he's standard.
(quick u-turn round the A45.. probably should have taken it easier carrying a spare bootlid )

I think this needs some input from John (Innovator) as he seems to be able to build things from scratch and get it right.
So if disc brakes and wider tyres make a difference if so and by how much and is there some form of ratio, please help JOHN.