Spill the beans...what is everyone using for alignment on their R56 for stock class. Assuming the usual R comp/koni setup. I'm thinking

Max front camber
Max castor to get more front camber
1/16th toe out front

1.2 deg neg rear camber
0 toe rear

 

You can search for various settings however.

You are allowed any settings you can manage using stock parts or built in adjusters.

If you have an older Cooper S from 2002 to 2006 then you cannot adjust front camber at all. Front and rear toe can be adjusted.
2002-2004 rear camber cannot be adjusted. 2005-2006 rear lower control arm had a smaller adjuster good for about 1/2 degree.

You want-
Front toe about zero to 1/8" toe out would be fine for street and autocross use, no need to change it. Stock setting is toe in.
Rear toe about zero or from 1/16" toe in to 1/16" toe out. Better straight line stability with some toe in and better turn response with a little toe out.

Tire wear is increased the greater the toe out.

Front camber is about -0.5 degrees for every year. The R56 allows for a small adjustment so get the front more negative approaching -1 degree is fine.

Rear camber should be about -1.0 to -2.0 stock and often about -1.4.
You can try about -1.0 to -1.2 degrees. Too much rear negative camber can increase understeer which is common on front wheel drive cars.

If you are not in stock classes you can add fixed or adjustable front camber plates for up to about -2.4 degrees camber which helps with high speed cornering.

 

nice beans. nothing to add.

minihune i forgive you for having solo events in february while i have several feet of snow greeting me outside my front door.

racing in the winter is a damned dirty job, but someone has to do it!

 

At least these settings for alignment are a place to start.

Try them and adjust for your driving style is the best approach.

I rarely use the same settings each time I align.

For rear toe I used to go for slight toe in but will be trying some toe out.

I've been aggressive for front toe out before and done OK with street tire wear.

What limits front camber the most is likely the suspension parts used so any MINI with about -1 degree isn't bad but certainly not fully optimized and that amount of camber is not bad for street use or looks.

Also don't get too much negative camber in the rear- it's very common but not helpful for autocross. No need to go any less than -1.0 degree, -1.2 is about right.

If you are stuck with -0.5 degrees camber in the front then just go with it, be more aggressive with toe settings.

You can't adjust castor in the stock MINI. Some fully adjustable camber plates will allow for some castor changes. More positive castor is good but might make it harder to turn the wheel.

I am very blessed to have an active Solo group that runs events as much as twice a month when dates allow and up to 12 events per year with one or two test and tunes. They seem unafraid of running no matter how bad the conditions are and we have never canceled an event due to foul weather which at times can be pouring rain (it stops and we clear the puddles).

We even ran all day when the entire state loss power due to a volcano eruption that knocked out all the power stations. We run on generator in the middle of a large parking lot so we were one of the only things that day totally unaffected. Even the gas pumps did not work so some drivers did have trouble with low fuel when going home. Power went out about 7am and did not return for over 24 hours.

 

When I last got an alignment the mechanic said there was no adjustment for the rear camber on my R56. I knew he was wrong but could not point to where it is adjusted. How do you adjust the rear camber?

 

Adjust front camber on 2007 and 2008+ R56 (not the same):
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...djustment.html

Adjust rear camber on an R56:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...amber-r56.html

Most good alignment mechanics can quickly check and see if any car has some adjustment bolts already in place to do some adjustment. It might have been overlooked.

Anytime you have an alignment and you don't like the results you can call the shop right back and tell them to adjust further.

What front and rear camber did you get? Left should = right.

 

Got it done yesterday. Was only able to get -.7 and .9 camber on the front. Car had a bit of toe in front and rear when we started. Feels a lot better now.