ausmini :: View topic - Hi low adjustment

Front is new hi lo and new rubber cone

I hope you are using new nor good rubber donuts at the front. Using old flattened ones will make it higher when you adjust but also very hard a ride. I would recommend a set of MST Coil springs to transform the ride quality.

I was playing around with my HiLos a few months ago and was comparing the changes to the wheel alignment when changing the heights.

I set my height at 2 fingers (Yes this is the technical term for "I measured the heights from the ground and the axles") and then adjusted the toe, camber and castor.

When I went down to 1 finger and up to 3 fingers I noticed a slight change in the wheel alignment but the change was so small that I didn't make any changes to the castor or toe. The camber would change +/- 0.25

Here are the specs I ended up going with.

Ride height no driver
Ground to arch (Front Right 515mm, Front Left 510mm, Rear Left 525mm, Rear Right 530mm)
Axle to arch (Front Right 290mm, Front Left 285mm, Rear Left 290mm, Rear Right 295mm)
Camber -1 front and - 0.75 rear
Castor +4 deg
Toe 1.5mm front toe out / 1mm rear toe in

It's pretty easy to make a relatively(not laser accurate but good enough) accurate toe gauge, seeing as a toe is about all you can adjust on a standard mini.
I found being able to set your own wheel alignment invaluable as you don't have to decide on a setting but can experiment with it to get it handling as you like.

To make the toe gauge:
You need;
A couple of pieces of square tube that will telescope nicely,
A couple of pieces of steel rod,
some nuts and bolts...
and a welder

The rod goes through a couple of holes drilled in the ends (one in each tube) of the square tube, they don't have to be excessively square so don't stress too much.

I also cut off a one section (about 1cm or so) of the outer tube and welded a nut and a screw/bolt to set the short measure I welded another to the outer section so you can set the long measurement as well (not essential).

To measure the toe:
Do the short side first (rear if setting toe out, usual on a mini) do up the locking screw on the short section, take it out and do the front the difference between the short(the locking screw you did up) and the other outside tube is your toe setting...

You want to put the rods on a known point on the tyre / wheel like a tread groove(doesn't have to be the middle) in line with the centre of the wheel viewed from the side.

You need the car on the ground at it's intended ride height as explained above.

A couple of photos (click the links) probably explain it better...

https://goo.gl/photos/JosNeARajND6QZig8
https://goo.gl/photos/jAmA1qEbsLLnc22q9

Author:	niffty64 [ Wed May 25, 2016 6:23 am ]
Post subject:	Hi low adjustment
hope you guys can help out. I know this has been covered before but I haven’t found clear answers to my questions I want to raise my front end. I have adjusted the high lows 5mm higher. Need to adjust more yet subject to test drive. My Questions do i need to do a wheel alignment again after this adjustment? how much can you raise the high lows safely. Rear is original trumpet with original rubber cone. Front is new hi lo and new rubber cone rear wheel arch is about 550mm from ground front wheel arch is about 510mm from ground

Author:	peterb [ Wed May 25, 2016 2:20 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Hi low adjustment
Adjust it a bit higher than you want it, it will sag a bit as new cones style in. You shouldn't new another wheel alignment as it's just moving through it's normal arc. There'll be heaps of adjustment, more than you need to make it sit up and beg. You are fitting the upper and lower bump stops?

Author:	1071 S [ Wed May 25, 2016 6:11 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Hi low adjustment
"My Questions do i need to do a wheel alignment again after this adjustment? how much can you raise the high lows safely." Technically, yes. Unless of course you have the bump steer adjusted out... Are your tie rods (the ends of the rack) roughly parallel to your lower suspension arms?? If so (mine are) then I suspect you'll be somewhat OK. So, practically ??? Probably you'l be OK. I'll bet most alignments aren't that accurate anyway... You could do a test. Use a plumb bob to make the front and rear centre of the tyre. Now, jack the car up so the body (use a beam across the front of the subframe as a lifting point - so both sides lift equally) is at the height that you intend to adjust it to... rerun the plumb bob test. Have the centreline marks moved??? That answers your question.... How much could you raise it?.... I would suggest you need to look inside and make sure that the threaded lower post reaches to at least the top of the outer thread... From memory (because I haven't looked for so long), real HiLos have an internal circlip to stop them being raised too far... I'll bet that the max possible is way beyond what you might want. Cheers, Ian

Author:	niffty64 [ Wed May 25, 2016 6:42 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Hi low adjustment
Thanks for the advice guys. i've had the wheels aligned not too long ago. i was just concerned that raising the height may cause a toe in effect. It was a long time ago i fitted the adjustable hi lows cannot remember if they have a stop or not. i figured i would never exceed the height adjustment limits, but just like to consult the helpful guys at Ausmini to be sure. After finishing the car i put new tyres on and the fronts lasted only about 500 miles. alignment was a long way out. so i just like to be thorough. costs money if you get it wrong.

Author:	Convertible Mini [ Wed May 25, 2016 7:40 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Hi low adjustment
I hope you are using new nor good rubber donuts at the front. Using old flattened ones will make it higher when you adjust but also very hard a ride. I would recommend a set of MST Coil springs to transform the ride quality.

ausmini https://ausmini.com/forums/

Hi low adjustment https://ausmini.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=92735	Page 1 of 2

Author:	simon k [ Wed May 25, 2016 9:09 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Hi low adjustment
you do need a wheel alignment - the 'static' position of the front wheels has changed, so for the times you're not accelerating or braking the wheels have more toe-in than they did previously.... scrubbing the outside of the tyres and maybe even making it ride up higher nifty64 wrote: Front is new hi lo and new rubber cone Convertible Mini wrote: I hope you are using new nor good rubber donuts at the front. Using old flattened ones will make it higher when you adjust but also very hard a ride. I would recommend a set of MST Coil springs to transform the ride quality.

Author:	niffty64 [ Wed May 25, 2016 9:47 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Hi low adjustment
[quote="simon k"]you do need a wheel alignment - the 'static' position of the front wheels has changed, so for the times you're not accelerating or braking the wheels have more toe-in than they did previously.... scrubbing the outside of the tyres and maybe even making it ride up higher thanks Simon K I thought adjusting the height may put more pressure on the swivel arm in turn causing toe in with the tyres. might be worth a $60 insurance with my local Bob Jane Tmart.

Author:	gtogreen1969 [ Wed May 25, 2016 10:30 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Hi low adjustment
I was playing around with my HiLos a few months ago and was comparing the changes to the wheel alignment when changing the heights. I set my height at 2 fingers (Yes this is the technical term for "I measured the heights from the ground and the axles") and then adjusted the toe, camber and castor. When I went down to 1 finger and up to 3 fingers I noticed a slight change in the wheel alignment but the change was so small that I didn't make any changes to the castor or toe. The camber would change +/- 0.25 Here are the specs I ended up going with. Ride height no driver Ground to arch (Front Right 515mm, Front Left 510mm, Rear Left 525mm, Rear Right 530mm) Axle to arch (Front Right 290mm, Front Left 285mm, Rear Left 290mm, Rear Right 295mm) Camber -1 front and - 0.75 rear Castor +4 deg Toe 1.5mm front toe out / 1mm rear toe in

Author:	niffty64 [ Thu May 26, 2016 6:07 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Hi low adjustment
gtogreen1969 wrote: I was playing around with my HiLos a few months ago and was comparing the changes to the wheel alignment when changing the heights. I set my height at 2 fingers (Yes this is the technical term for "I measured the heights from the ground and the axles") and then adjusted the toe, camber and castor. When I went down to 1 finger and up to 3 fingers I noticed a slight change in the wheel alignment but the change was so small that I didn't make any changes to the castor or toe. The camber would change +/- 0.25 Here are the specs I ended up going with. Ride height no driver Ground to arch (Front Right 515mm, Front Left 510mm, Rear Left 525mm, Rear Right 530mm) Axle to arch (Front Right 290mm, Front Left 285mm, Rear Left 290mm, Rear Right 295mm) Camber -1 front and - 0.75 rear Castor +4 deg Toe 1.5mm front toe out / 1mm rear toe in Thanks gtogreen1969 as i said in previous post i have 550mm with rear original trumpet so no adjustment there. and 510mm on front. so i am going to raise heught a bit more. so i think it well worth getting it looked at

Author:	fuzzy-hair-man [ Thu May 26, 2016 5:38 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Hi low adjustment
It's pretty easy to make a relatively(not laser accurate but good enough) accurate toe gauge, seeing as a toe is about all you can adjust on a standard mini. I found being able to set your own wheel alignment invaluable as you don't have to decide on a setting but can experiment with it to get it handling as you like. To make the toe gauge: You need; A couple of pieces of square tube that will telescope nicely, A couple of pieces of steel rod, some nuts and bolts... and a welder The rod goes through a couple of holes drilled in the ends (one in each tube) of the square tube, they don't have to be excessively square so don't stress too much. I also cut off a one section (about 1cm or so) of the outer tube and welded a nut and a screw/bolt to set the short measure I welded another to the outer section so you can set the long measurement as well (not essential). To measure the toe: Do the short side first (rear if setting toe out, usual on a mini) do up the locking screw on the short section, take it out and do the front the difference between the short(the locking screw you did up) and the other outside tube is your toe setting... You want to put the rods on a known point on the tyre / wheel like a tread groove(doesn't have to be the middle) in line with the centre of the wheel viewed from the side. You need the car on the ground at it's intended ride height as explained above. A couple of photos (click the links) probably explain it better... https://goo.gl/photos/JosNeARajND6QZig8 https://goo.gl/photos/jAmA1qEbsLLnc22q9

Author:	Hobson [ Thu May 26, 2016 6:17 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Hi low adjustment
fuzzy-hair-man wrote: ] Links broken fyi

Author:	fuzzy-hair-man [ Thu May 26, 2016 6:22 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Hi low adjustment
Should work now... image sharing permissions....

Author:	deluxe67 [ Thu May 26, 2016 7:10 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Hi low adjustment
Are lower bump stops really needed? Noticed today my car doesn't have them fitted. Having said that I'm having difficulty visualising why they would be needed... My front end is in the air so unloaded and everything is hanging down and there is still a gap where a lower bump stop would go? Thanks Michael

Author:	gtogreen1969 [ Thu May 26, 2016 8:55 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Hi low adjustment
fuzzy-hair-man wrote: It's pretty easy to make a relatively(not laser accurate but good enough) accurate toe gauge, seeing as a toe is about all you can adjust on a standard mini. I found being able to set your own wheel alignment invaluable as you don't have to decide on a setting but can experiment with it to get it handling as you like. To make the toe gauge: You need; A couple of pieces of square tube that will telescope nicely, A couple of pieces of steel rod, some nuts and bolts... and a welder The rod goes through a couple of holes drilled in the ends (one in each tube) of the square tube, they don't have to be excessively square so don't stress too much. I also cut off a one section (about 1cm or so) of the outer tube and welded a nut and a screw/bolt to set the short measure I welded another to the outer section so you can set the long measurement as well (not essential). To measure the toe: Do the short side first (rear if setting toe out, usual on a mini) do up the locking screw on the short section, take it out and do the front the difference between the short(the locking screw you did up) and the other outside tube is your toe setting... You want to put the rods on a known point on the tyre / wheel like a tread groove(doesn't have to be the middle) in line with the centre of the wheel viewed from the side. You need the car on the ground at it's intended ride height as explained above. A couple of photos (click the links) probably explain it better... https://goo.gl/photos/JosNeARajND6QZig8 https://goo.gl/photos/jAmA1qEbsLLnc22q9 My way is not as technical as yours.

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Author:	slacko [ Thu May 26, 2016 9:03 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Hi low adjustment
Hey GTO Where do you take your measurements from the tyre or the rim ? Mark