tim hunt Posted March 31, 2019 Report Share Posted March 31, 2019 I recently noticed that both rear tyres had wear on the inside shoulders and on looking from behind I had the impression that the negative camber looked a bit excessive and I wonder if the back end has sagged a bit due to weakened springs. The springs are not original but were changed at least 35 years ago, unfortunately I cannot find the invoice so do not know what spec they were. As for the ride height I measured the distance from the ground to the lips of the rear wheel arches at their highest points and found the following: offside 26.0" and near side 26.1". I also measured the distance between the upper surfaces of the tyres and the wheel arch lips as: offside 1.7" and nearside 1.75". All measurements were taken with the car on level ground, no occupants but a full tank of fuel. I have a Spax telescopic damper conversion and standard 165/80 R15 tyres on 4.5J wires. I would be happier with a half to three quarter inch increase in rear ride height, does anyone have suitable spring recommendation to achieve that and would it address my camber issue? I would also be interested in how the rear ride height on my car compares to others. Tim Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RogerH Posted March 31, 2019 Report Share Posted March 31, 2019 Hi Tim, if you load up the boot then the wheels will go more negative camber. Thus fitting longer springs will bring them back towards neutral. Haven't a clue how much you extra spring you would need. If you are happy with the suspension set up you could consider sorting out the TRainlling arm brackets - but it is a job and a half. The Buckeye site gives some very good info on this. Roger Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ChrisR-4A Posted March 31, 2019 Report Share Posted March 31, 2019 (edited) Hi Tim, the unladen height at the rear looks about right but is less than the front ideally they should be equal not nose high. However everything depends on what happens when the car is loaded as normally used. Most replacement springs have thicker coils and less sag anyway, I would be inclined to replace all 4 with a matched set, these are avail from Moss and probably the other suspects as well. Try loading the car with driver & passenger (if normal) and boot with usual luggage and then view car from rear. Enough negative camber to cause uneven tyre wear will be visible from behind the car. In 35 years how many miles could those springs have done? Chris Edited March 31, 2019 by ChrisR-4A Added info Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Malbaby Posted March 31, 2019 Report Share Posted March 31, 2019 Nice looking car.....Ride height looks Ok...I the car handles and rides nicely, I would not change anything. A little negative camber is a good thing....Tyres are comparatively cheap to replace....Changing springs can be problematical, harsher ride/excessive ride height etc. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
peejay4A Posted April 1, 2019 Report Share Posted April 1, 2019 Wear on the inside edges can also point to excessive toe out. That’s a relatively easy fix using shims behind the TA brackets. I’d get it on a 4 wheel alignment rig to be sure. Current ride height looks OK to me and referencing measurements to body panels is problematic btw. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stuart Posted April 1, 2019 Report Share Posted April 1, 2019 54 minutes ago, peejay4A said: Wear on the inside edges can also point to excessive toe out. That’s a relatively easy fix using shims behind the TA brackets. I’d get it on a 4 wheel alignment rig to be sure. Current ride height looks OK to me and referencing measurements to body panels is problematic btw. Correct, I would check this first, you could buy one of these and check it yourself https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Gunson-G4008-Trakrite-Wheel-Alignment-Gauge-Tool/142535587567?epid=2255356490&hash=item212fc876ef:g:BYQAAOSwH4xZ3fRP&frcectupt=true Stuart. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tim hunt Posted April 1, 2019 Author Report Share Posted April 1, 2019 Just as I expected some very in interesting and thought provoking replies, for which many thanks. Funnily enough Pete/Stuart I do have a Trackrite and omitted to mention that as part of my investigation I checked the rear tracking and found between 1 and 1.5 deg TOE OUT. I corrected this as a matter of course to 0 - 0.1 deg TOE IN by appropriately shimming the TA mounting brackets but hadn't appreciated that excessive TOE OUT could cause a similar wear pattern to excessive -ve camber. I like the ride height of the car as it is and even two up with luggage I only occasionally scrape the silencer on a really bumpy road so I am inclined to leave well alone for the moment. The -ve camber certainly does not look excessive when compared to some IRS Triumphs I have seen! The car tracks nice and true so I am reluctant to go for a full 4-wheel alignment, the cost of which would buy me two or three new Vredstein T-TRAC 2s! Tim Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RogerH Posted April 1, 2019 Report Share Posted April 1, 2019 Hi Tim, Gray's Tyres & Exhausts i n Hanwell Middx on the uxbridge road do not charge for their Hawkeye laser system. http://graystyreservices.co.uk/ They make their money on the adjustments but are happy just to let you do it at home. Roger Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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