11 replies to this topic

[mailman]

Ok, so I have come across quite an odd problem that I really wasn't expecting. I have just installed my wheels and spacers to the front and they are not evenly positioned from the mid-line of the car. The offside front wheel is sitting about 20mm proud of the arch, whereas on the nearside it seems to be almost perfectly lined up to wear I had calculated/expected.

Has anyone seen this sort of thing before or able to provide some insight that I may be overlooking?

I can't for the life of me think how on earth one wheel could be so far out of sync. I have adjustable trumpets and new cones, and while these need set again to provide the correct height, I don't think that there is a massive difference in them at the moment. I am unable to roll the car around much at the moment so I know there could be some settling to occur but yea...? No adjustable geometry changes at all other than wheel spacers and trumpets (and disc brakes but these things should all be the same I'd have thought?).

Here is what I mean:

Nearside Front - Correct/Ideal



Offside Front - Incorrect, almost 20mm further outboard.



Sorry about the somewhat fuzzy photos, I think my phone has taken a bit of a beating recently and doesn't seem to be capturing photos as well as it used to.

[MRA]

Yes this is common, although I havn't seen one as bad as 20mm 6mm to 10mm at a push, its apparantly a faut that is simply one of those things, however sometimes made worse by the subframe being incorrectly fitted.

[mailman]

I must say that since bouncing around on the front to try and get some settling of the cones etc they have come in just a touch from this. and maybe when I torque up the castle nuts I'll gain an extra mm?

It's still at least 15mm and I doubt I'll get a Warrant of Fitness (equivalent to MoT) with that much tread. I haven't noticed it at all with any of the other wheels I've had on the car since I parked it up 6months ago, although none of those really filled the arches either so it'd be harder to notice. I had the subframe bolts out to change the steering rack but I don't know how you'd install it out of alignment, wouldn't the bolts not go in?

[AndyMiniMad.]

Remove the spacer from the side that sticks out to far...sorted!!

[mailman]

It's only a 5mm spacer and the wheel doesn't clear the caliper without it.

[mailman]

Pictures from rear after a bounce around.

Nearside Front:



Offside Front:

[icklemini]

so you have a spacer on one side and not the other???

:0

the 'problem' you have is quite normal for a mini... you will find that the rear will be similar too... its all about the tolerances in the car... generally its not a problem.... and I certainly wouldnt recommend fitting just one spacer to make it look right....

[Dan]

Due to the way the suspension works you can't settle the suspension by bouncing on it. The track has to spread out to let it settle which it doesn't do due to the tyres gripping. You need to roll it back and forward a few feet. As said it's not uncommon in Minis for things like this to crop up but it's probably a combination of things including uneven suspension heights from where it was dropped to the floor and uneven bodywork. Being hand built the shells are full of little errors like this and it probably is mostly the wing shape and position making it look like this. How much clearance is there at the front of the arch and are the two sides even? You have to add packing behind the forward subframe mount to adjust the front panel position (if needed) which has the side effect of stretching out the wing and arch and this will pull it in a bit (probably not this much though). You can't really check the front panel position properly until its settled though which with new cones can take up to 3 months. They only really settle with time.

Edited by Dan, 15 March 2013 - 07:25 AM.

[mailman]

No, there's spacers on both sides.

Ahh ok! Thanks for that Dan, I will roll it around (and drive it) as soon as I've got the brakes back on. I believe that it is positioned evenly front to back, I'll check in the morning. I'm glad that people are saying it's not a safety issue. I can handle a quirk as a result of manufacturing. So long as it's not something I've done or something that's failure related.

[KernowCooper]

May also settle a bit but from the first pictures the RHS does appear to have a bit more positive camber then the left, liking the Dunlop Wheels by the way.

[mailman]

Thanks Kernow, that's exactly what I thought when I was taking the photos! I'm hoping that means they'll at least settle back to neutral since that's not changeable (i think?)..

Cheers, I really like them too :)

[tiger99]

I would suggest that the subframe is bent, or not fitted centrally as has already been suggested. It might help to fit a solid mount kit, that way you would know that the two main tower bolts, which control the alignment, were accurately centred in the holes in the bulkhead crossmember and not able to move about as with the rubber mounts. If it is bent, it will likely be in the region of the lower arm attachments, which would also explain the odd camber. It is strong in that area, but the car may have had a severe sideways impact on the wheel at some time in the past, and ultimately anything will bend. There may be visible signs of distortion if you look very closely.