Front car width. Too wide?

[dgear1984]

Hi,

I have packed my car away for winter and the foreseeable future with me moving to Australia although the car will eventually join me, but as I did I was starting to look a how to sort some issues.

One thing that does not look right to me is the front track width. The rear looks about right. The car has a dry subframe, 1.5 neg arms with minispares offset bushes, dry top arms and mini disc hubs and 7.5 disc setup. I have got the dunlop R7 165/70/10 tyres on minilife 4.5 "works" replica wheels.

The car has 0.1deg negative camber, 3 finger ride height (measured from top tyre to arch). The tyre walls budge out 15mm at the top and 20mm at the bottom compared to the rim of the wheel. With a straight edge placed on the side walls the tyre sticks out approx 16mm past the arch line. Have attached a poor drawn diagram of this. Both sides measure the same give or take a mm





Is this correct? I understand the appendix k cars use different tyres but there cars look like the tyres sit with in the arch line, with the minilife wheel being used by some racers. (this one has rose petals, couldn't find a decent pic with minilifes)



I also looked at a friends car, although he has the rose petals, he has r7's and that didn't look as wide.

I have checked the top and bottom arch length compared to another set, they measure the same.

Is it possible the almost new second hand front subframe I bought has the pickup points in the incorrect place? Maybe why it was being sold off cheaply.

I did hear that some of the appendix k racers have some special subframes which have had the pickups moved, but not sure if this is fact or fiction.

I didn't measure the actual track width and now its in storage, it wouldn't be all that easy to do.

I haven't but could measure the offset of the wheels but the rear looks ok and it has the same wheels/tyres.

Basically the car looks too wide to me and doesn't look pleasing on the eye. I have heard australia is very strict on car rules, can't imagine they will like tyres sitting past the arch line, and I don't really want to put any spats on it, although I suppose being red and white, it would look ok with black spats

Thanks for any help.

[Dr S]

Maybe try a set of wheels with less offset? Rose petals are also narrower at 4.75" perhaps instead of 5"?

[minimans]

Looks good to me! But with 1.5 arms and offset bushes why does it have minimal camber? can the offset bushes go in backwards? Seems to me with a bit of camber in their you would be within the arches at the top?

[Vegard]

Original Minilites 4.5

[davidnutland]

A lot of Appendix K cars run special top arms or top arm mounting, so don't worry about your subframe.
I have been sworn to secrecy on pain of having my trunions removed

[mk1]

Don't try & visually compare any details with top running appendix K cars. While there are of course not actually bent, there is a heck of a lot of secret work that goes into making them conform to the word of the rules & also remain ultra competitive.

[ianh1968]

But with 1.5 arms and offset bushes why does it have minimal camber?

Because 1.5 arms are only PLUS 1.5 on whatever you had to start with,
which may have been way too much positive?

Ian

[minimans]

But with 1.5 arms and offset bushes why does it have minimal camber?

Because 1.5 arms are only PLUS 1.5 on whatever you had to start with,
which may have been way too much positive?

Ian

Yes I agree but with offset bushes as well it should be more than .1?

[dgear1984]

Thanks for the replies.

I have got some adjustable neg arms so I'll see what it looks like with a little more front camber. I'll also check the track width when it's next back on its proper wheels, although that might be some time.

Thanks Dave

[Old English White]

I found that on my own "S" the tyres were covered by the arches perfectly well when I had 145/10 tyres on the original 4.5" wheels. However when I changed to 165/70/10 tyres they really looked as if arches would be required .

[Vegard]

Went out and took this for you. Std Cooper S suspension, 90ies 4.5 Minilites mags.