It is baffling to see so many companies advertising mini suspension geometry parts in kits that are a waste of time as they rarely complete the job on either the front or the rear. They usually offer the castor (tracking) on the front and camber on the rear. To allow the car to handle better you must attend to optimising caster, camber and tracking.

Many people already fit the adjustable heavy duty tie rods that Mini spares introduced in 1976 to provide adjustment of the castor angles which suffer so many variations including when the standard bars get distorted. To complete the front geometry the camber angles will require correcting by fitting adjustable lower arms. As all of this adjustment frequently puts extra deflection stress on the lower arm bushes we suggest you use our offset rubber bushes designed specifically for this purpose. C-STR631 or C-STR632 On the rear you have the option of fitting fixed negative camber angle brackets which will only increase the original setting by a set amount on both sides. This is of no real benefit if the car is different on both sides as is usually found. Adjustable camber and tracking brackets should be fitted and then the whole suspension correctly set up using purpose made or professional equipment for accuracy. Alternatively adjustable camber brackets can be fitted and then shims placed between the radius arm locating brackets and the subframe to correct the tracking. This is now favoured by many racers as they can work out a preset amount of shims for every use. It is also a stronger way correct rear camber and tracking. Shims are CK17 and CK18 for subframe alloy box sections.

C-STR631 - Rubber Bushes

CK17 - Shims

The first area to look at before tackling any of these modifications is the front subframe when the car is post 1976 (rubber mounted subframe type). Replace the front subframe tower mountings with any of the solid types available if not already done.

The front teardrop mountings should also be changed for solid type which might increase road noise but when this is not a consideration for performance use change all rubber mountings to solid types. Quite often the tower rubber mountings are not correctly lined up but by removing the tower bolts you can see visually whether they are in line or not. Then check that the wheel centres on each side of the car are the same distance apart or modifications will have to be made.

Secondly, make sure the car is the correct height you require, and that the two rear corners and two front corners are equal side to side, (fit Hilos if required) remember lowering height increases castor and negative camber with the opposite happening when you increase height at the front only.

Thirdly, sort out the castor angles as castor adjustment also alters camber (and vice versa)

Ideally the front castor angles should be set at 3 to 3.5 degrees with the later usually being ideal to allow for clearances on wheel arches.

Tracking on a mini is ultra important as it suffers badly from bump steer. You should have toe out at the front, of 1/16 to 1/8 of an inch. And toe in at the rear of at least 1/16 of an inch. “Toe in” means that the leading edge of a pair of wheels is narrower than the trailing edge, “Toe out” is obviously the reverse (Toe out at the rear is dangerous) Lastly, set the Negative Camber angles and the following are road suggestions,

on 10” wheels Front 1.5 to-2.00 degrees ----- Rear 0.75 to 1 degree
on 12” wheels Front 1 to 1.5 degrees ----------Rear 0 to 0.50 degrees
on 13” wheels Front 0.5 to 0.75 degrees ------Rear Zero

KEITH DODD

Importation rules regarding vehicles are very specific: Only those over 25 years in age may be brought in to the USA without compilance to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS).