Think about it, if the car was properly aligned at the factory to build specifications, then there is no need for any extra parts to realign to those specifications. The only reason to add camber plates and adjustable control arms is to exceed factory specifications for those who want the ultimate performance, and note I did not say need, I said want. For most daily drivers factory specifications is the best setting, IMHO

Now if you were to change to adjustable coil-overs or lowering springs, then you would change the geometry of the suspension so that you would need more adjustment that what the factory parts can provide, to bring the car back to factory specs at a minimum, hence the need by a lot of folks for camber plates and adjustable control arms.

 

There is an article on setting up a MINI to handle its best in Moss Motersports, don't remember which issue, that I was reading earlier this week while at the dealer. For the alignment it was suggested for the rear toe start a 1/32" tolal toe out and adjust out from there. 1/32" was recommeded for most people, any more can get squirly for non-proffesional drivers. Front toe should be have a total toe out of 1/16" to 1/4". Keep the toe out below 1/4" unless you are running the car on the track, because it would cause too much tire wear for everyday driving. The rear cambler (on newer models that provide this adjustment) should be as close to zere as possible. Front camber should be as negative as possible, even though there is no adjustment for front camber, everything can be loosened and the front camber can be nudged slightly. Anytime that you are getting an alignment, you should be seated in the driver's seat (if the shop will allow it) or place a ballast for your weight in the driver's seat. If you drive spirited with a passenger, their weight should be ballasted as well.

I am curious to know how the factory alignment compares to the setup in the article. I know that with my Miata, the factory Mazda alignment is quite different than the "recommend" setup that you find in the Miata forums. Changing the alignment to these new numbers changed the handling charateristics of the vehicle dramatically. The vehicle now sticks to the road much better on hard turns. The rear used to always want to swing out, now it's very, very hard to get the rear to swing out, even in the wet.

A good alignment can be potentially be the best suspension upgrade that you can do to your vehicle.

 

How difficult is it to understand that with a 3-point rear suspension system, with the upper and lower control arms attached behind the rear axle, when you adjust *one* of the points (say the lower control arm) you will alter both the camber and the toe? While it is not incorrect to say that "all you need to adjust rear camber is an adjustable length lower control arm" it is certainly misrepresenting the fact that by doing so you will also adjust the toe, from whatever it was to whatever it ends up. Hence the compromise. When I lowered my car with springs, the rear camber went from -1 to -2 deg. The toe went from zero or slightly in, to toe-out. If I reduce the negative camber by shortening the lower control arm, the wheels toe-out even more. You need both lower and upper arms adjustable to get the camber and toe exactly as you want it. Period.

cheers, phil

 

Actually, you can adjust the rear toe by shifting the position of the
trailing arm (loosen the three bolts, shift (MINI has an eccentric socket tool
to facilitate this) and tighten again). If you need to change the toe more
than this allows, then you will need both uppper and lower control arms.

 

Yeh, I heard about adjusting the trailing arm attachment point, but I understand it's a biatch to access. Much easier to put a wrench on a control arm and rotate IMHO. Still, they are costly ($400+ a full set).
Anyway, I'm going the control arm route, and will save weight also (why not, I'm already down to 2500lbs...)

cheers, phil

 

Rear toe is indeed adjustable on all years, rear camber is adjustable on '05 and up. To adjust rear toe you loosen the three bolts holding the trailing arm pivot to the frame and either grasp and turn the wheel by hand or use an eccentric tool that you turn in the pivot mount to adjust. I did the former method. There is even a small 'hatch' built into the plastic rocker panel molding to access one of the bolts. I added H-Sport lateral links to give me camber adjustability.