9 replies to this topic

[Shaggy33]

A wise man told me that fitting these means you can very slightly reduce wheel base therefore giving a little more clearance for wide wheels to clear arch.
I've already trimmed arches but have been a little conservative and wheels still rub ever so slightly under load particularly so this suggestion could be a solution.
Anyone else tried it?

[Broomer]

That's not really the intention for adjustable tie rods.

[Broomer]

You would be potentially sacrificing suspension geometry to clear the arches. Either live with it, raise it up or cut more out .

[Shaggy33]

Yes the subject of geometry came up and that there would be a compromise in this area.

[Shaggy33]

What is the 'standard' ride height of a mini at the front...?

[59 Speed]

As Brommer says that's not the intention of having adjustable tie rods.

What wheels are you running? As even with my old 5x10 alloys on my old mini I had to trim the arches to fit, but it was extremely low.

Now I have 7x13 alloys (everyone loves 13" alloys - cue the arguments). I've had to trim the front wings and a panel to clear them with no rubbing at all.

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Last time I measured it, it was about 240mm from the ground to the sill lip behind the front wheel. But mine is lowered though, some are higher than mine but some are a lot lower.

If I was you I would get all the suspension set up correctly first and then trim your arches to suit. Don't screw up the handling of your car to save a bit of trimming.

Castor settings are available on this forum but it will depend on your wheel size, but castor isn't something that is set up easily. (Lots of YouTube videos available to help you do this though).

Edited by Smackfiend, 25 February 2017 - 08:45 AM.

[tiger99]

The "wise man" was actually an incompetent idiot! As stated above, do not mess about with suspension geometry to fix bodywork problems. It will end up handling badly and possibly even be dangerous. Just fix the arches. Then you will have a good car, unless you have given in to the temptation to fit oversize wheels, which do the handling and wet grip no good at all.
.

[nicklouse]

A wise man told me that fitting these means you can very slightly reduce wheel base therefore giving a little more clearance for wide wheels to clear arch.
I've already trimmed arches but have been a little conservative and wheels still rub ever so slightly under load particularly so this suggestion could be a solution.
Anyone else tried it?

Not a wise man at all.

[Shaggy33]

This is just a wild guess, a shot in the dark but do I suspect people don't think that suggestion is a good idea lol. I'll take that on board, cheers for advice. It has left me wondering why anyone ever made adjustable tie rods....
The mini wheel size debate is an interesting one and has been a hot topic on this forum like for ever and will no doubt be a forum favourite for many years to come.
Yes I've given in temptation to fit larger wheels, 12 x 6 in fact and yes I am fully aware of the implications re handling, arch chopping etc and fully accept that's the compromise. My ethos in life is simple, if I like the look of it then I'll do and sod the rest😀✌️

[nicklouse]

This is just a wild guess, a shot in the dark but do I suspect people don't think that suggestion is a good idea lol. I'll take that on board, cheers for advice. It has left me wondering why anyone ever made adjustable tie rods....
The mini wheel size debate is an interesting one and has been a hot topic on this forum like for ever and will no doubt be a forum favourite for many years to come.
Yes I've given in temptation to fit larger wheels, 12 x 6 in fact and yes I am fully aware of the implications re handling, arch chopping etc and fully accept that's the compromise. My ethos in life is simple, if I like the look of it then I'll do and sod the rest✌️

The reason there are adjustable tie rods is so you can correct the caster angle when you start playing with ride height and camber.

This is a must.