R50/R53 :: Hatch Talk (2002-2006) Cooper (R50) and Cooper S (R53) hatchback discussion.

R50/53 IE fixed camber plate toe

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Old Apr 25, 2012 | 07:22 PM
  #1  
micromini234's Avatar
micromini234
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IE fixed camber plate toe

Well i'm wondering what you guys think the best toe is for front and rears, seeing as how an alignment from mini is $200!! I cant exactly redo it a lot everything is stock and the ride height will be stock because i'm cutting the brackets on the shocks. As well CT has pretty curvy road and hills, so i'm looking for street performance, less under steer and better cornering, fair tirewear. Anything would be really appreciated *this a 2003 non S
 

Last edited by micromini234; Apr 26, 2012 at 03:55 PM.
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Old Apr 26, 2012 | 07:24 AM
  #2  
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Some alignment generalities, not specific to a particular car. If you want to reduce understeer, you can consider some toe out for the front, a less toe in at the rear (sometimes you end up with toeing out the rear, but that can be unstable under the brakes). Tire pressures will affect balance, more pressure raises the effective spring rate but sometimes also can create more grip from the tire so you need to experiment there. You can add some negative camber to the end that is breaking away first. Have fun experimenting, alignment can be done pretty easily at home with very simple tools (string and jackstands to measure toe, a plumbob and scale for camber).
 
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Old Apr 26, 2012 | 07:38 AM
  #3  
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You should be able to find a good tire/alignment shop that will do a full 4-wheel alignment for about $100.
You do not state what year your car is so you may or may not be able to adjust the rear camber.
Going along with what dw1 has suggested I would suggest:
Zero to slight toe-out in the front (0 to -0.07 degrees per side).
Zero toe in the rear. Around -1.0 to -1.5 camber in the rear.

I would also suggest a 19mm adjustable rear sway bar to compliment the camber plates and alignment.
 
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Old Apr 26, 2012 | 04:18 PM
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micromini234
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Oh oops I edited it, its 2003 non ,so I already know its not adjustable, yeah I was planning to get a 19mm swaybar too, In the rear you suggest 0 toe in, does 0 toe in have a negative effect on cornering c controllably ?
 
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Old Apr 27, 2012 | 03:54 AM
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Sounds good to me
 
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Old Apr 27, 2012 | 07:34 AM
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I have not noticed any issues with zero toe in the rear.
You might notice slight handling differences with toe changes in the front.
OEM setting usually have toe-in (positive angle) because this provides straight line stability. Toe-out makes for faster turning response but the car will tend to wander very slightly on the highway (tend to follow road irregularities a little more) but I have not found it to be an issue. My 2012 Subaru Outback wanders much more on the highway than my 2006 Mini with a little toe-out.
 
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