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MG MGF Technical - toe in settings again (sorry)

i have been scouring the achive for the figures .
i know the recomended toe in is 5 min front and rear,is this per wheel ? giving a total toe in of 10 mins.(i need to know what to ask for)
sorry if this is a silly question but i want to get it right when i have my new tyres fitted and i dont know how the gauge actually works.
my tyres are worn on the inside edge and the ride hieght was a bit low,had it pumped up and now running at 368, so the camber should be about right.
i dont know if i should bite the bullet and have an allignment check done at brown and gammons (£76 quid), or just get the tracking checked.

thanx in advance
mick
j watson

Yes, that's right: a total toe of 0 degrees, 10 minutes. If you've not got the compliance washers at the rear, then you'd probably be better off keeping the standard rear tracking settings: 0deg 10min toe in per wheel - total toe of 0deg 20min.

Just get the tracking checked: shouldn't cost much more than 40 quid.
Rob Bell

Alright rob. still pedalling the same figures i see. good lad.

changed the car completly (for the better)
Matt

thanx for the help .
getting it done at the weekend.
only had the car 1 month and still trying to find excuses to drive it.used the autoglym on the roof yesterday and its come up like new,well worth the 20 quid.i was a bit concerned when the roof locked up but after looking around on here i found the answer.terrific bbs, thanx again.
j watson

No problem Mick.

Matt - why change a winning story? LOL ;o) What are you driving these days?
Rob Bell

A manta ofcourse

stripped, caged, harnesses, bucket seats. 16v engine, AP4 pots, bilstean dampers LSD (not yet fitted)

a lot of fun, and cheap to run. but a bitch on the road. rear is far to hard for the road and jumps all over the place, will happily skip a foot or so coming off a roundabout if the road isn't smooth. and no heater makes for some cold drives home from track days...but the petrol fumes help with the bordom of no radio ;)

Oh and the body panels don't all match... its a classy car

http://www.picman.co.uk/data/20040321BatCad/Grp%202%20Inter/D265/DSC_3244.jpg


Matt

ROFL I didn't think that you'd keep that Manta for long! Good for you! :o) Somehow I thought that you'd have gotten over parental resistance and gone for a 'Liz by now, but a nicely focused Manta - now that's cool! :o)

MG Track day community is developing: check out http://www.mgs-on-track.com/
Rob Bell

Parental ... lol.... surely you mean Spousal.

Its actually my second manta. first one lasted 6 months. was too rusty so i binned it

Then a supercharged MX5, just imagine being able to supercharge a k series without a worry in the world ;). great engine, great car, very fast.... but just didn't click with it so sold it after 8 months

then got this manta and got the misses an astra as a run around cos she won't go near the manta.

I had heard the MG track thingy was going well, i am still registered on an MX5 list and they have fallen by the way side a bit and just have cat fights all the time but don't actually organise anything.



Matt

Oops - sorry Matt ROFL

Yeah, noticed the collapse of the MX-5 list :o( Shame, as the Donington day they organised was always superb.

We're looking to resurrect this - but it's still early days.
Rob Bell

i borrowed some tracking eqipment and just set the tracking myself ,(at least i know its how i want it)total 10 mins toe in front,i left the rears at 20 min,the diference is trully amazing ,i'm no racing driver but the diference in turn in is so much better and seems more stable in a straight line.

thanks for the help guys.
j watson

i was surprised to find that they only needed half a turn to get the correct toe in.they were set at 10 mins toe out.
j watson

Nice one mick.

What equipment did you use BTW? I kind of fancy the idea of being able to set my own car's tracking (a bit of a pipe dream, as I don't actually have a level area of tarmac on which to do it).
Rob Bell

my brother in law has a small workshop and i was able to use the equipment,pumped my hydrogas up a bit to,did my coolant pipes on his 2 post ramp a couple of weeks ago.(very handy).the gauges were the same as these :
http://www.justoffbase-tools.co.uk/tools.asp?parent=1I2291P1244M0

expensive bit of kit just to do your own though.

j watson

Is this not the equipment that most tyre fitters use which only does the front wheels?
David Clelland

you can check both front and rear allignment (albeit seperately) .obviously a four wheel laser alignment would have been better but i am just trying to save my front tyres from any further damage at the moment.
j watson

J Watson,
Sorry to disapoint you but 4 wheel alignment is the only way to set up MGF tracking, ! you can individually adjust front and rear but both need to be in sink , "not possible with conventional tracking kit " You could end up with your car running like a crab and knacker your tyres in no time.
Robert
R J Hemphill

if it was running like a crab my rear tyres would be shagged as well and they are fine, so for now i'll save my 70 quid.
cheers anyway
j watson

J Watson,
I think you are missing the point, front and rear wheels need to follow the same track and as the MGF as well as many other cars with adjustable front and rear tracking need 4 wheel aglinement to be acurate. As an x automotive technician with 40+ years experience on performance cars i strongly recommend a full lazer track, could save you £££ in the long run.
It is possible to set tracking up without lazer equiptment but is a very exacting job which requires a great degree of skill.
Your car could in effect run like a crab and still not scrub the tyres but would give you adverse handling problems and could result in loss of control.
All that you would do by adjusting the front track is just to get the front wheels to track parallel +or - but your rear could still be tracking the same only on a different plane, so your car would in effect be crabbing.
Robert
R J Hemphill

i fully understand what your saying rob,
the tyres only have a couple of thousand left on them and will soon be replaced at which time i will get the four wheel allignment done, but having only just purchased the car funds are a bit tight at the moment and was just trying to get the most out of what is left.
the car does handle much better now though and hopefully will stop any further inner tyre wear.

mick
j watson

This thread was discussed between 14/04/2004 and 24/04/2004

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