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MG MGF Technical - Wild Tracking Settings!

I just had my tracking set and found that my settings before adjustment were:
Front 0 degrees, 25 minutes toe in each side (50 minutes total)
rear 0 degress, 20 minutes toe in each side (40 minutes total)

They have been set to front 10 minutes toe in each side (20 minutes total) and rear neutral. I have compliance washers fitted. The rear handling has been transformed and is a dramatic improvement but the steering is not as sensitive - I'll give it a try for a while but may go back to more toe in on the front.

By the way the printout has the figures shown as +ve values. I presume that +ve is toe in whilst negative is toe out. Anyone know?

Jason H
Jason H

Jason,

My car drives really bad at the moment and not sure that the tracking is correct - I need to find someone local to me that knows what they are doing..

I have always used a mates garage - but the handling is really bad now, and I have checked everything out - and it just leaves tracking now! - but no one seems to know what they are doing and they just set it to Rover standard settings, which are NO good for My F.

Tyres:
Front Khumo (spelling not right I know)
Rear Pirrelli P6000

Front seem to wear on onside and rear on outside..

Help!

Regards,
Mike Gibson
M R Gibson

Mike,
I used Protyre in Bristol, and they were very helpful with a superb laser tracking system. I see they have depots in Fareham and Poole which may be near you, but if not I am sure others from Hampshire who use this board may be able topoint in the direction of someone who can help.
Jason H
Jason H

>>By the way the printout has the figures shown as +ve values. I presume that +ve is toe in whilst negative is toe out. Anyone know?<<

That's correct Jason.

You've gone for 0º rear. Be careful, as the rear of the car will be less stable in the straight and in cornering (although you'll improve turn in as a result of this modification).

>>
Tyres:
Front Khumo (spelling not right I know)
Rear Pirrelli P6000
<<

Mike, your tyre combination probably isn't helping your cause in terms of finding a good handling balance. When you can afford to, change all four tyres to the same brand/type. If your preference is Pirelli, then P7000s are very highly regarded...

>> Front seem to wear on onside and rear on outside.. <<

This observation clearly indicates a tracking problem: too much toe-out at the front, and too much toe-in at the rear. You definitely need to get the car retracked.

Isn't Micheldever Station in your area (just off the M3 onto the A303)? Highly recommend these chaps. Ask for the front tracking to be set at 0º00' and the rear to 0º10' or 0º05' toe IN (each wheel - so total toe would be 0º20' or 0º10' respectively).

Hope this helps
Rob Bell

Jason, Thanks

what sort of problems and handling issues have you had - off to a meeting back soon.

Regards,
Mike
M R Gibson

Rob,
Thanks - actually the rear is not set to neutral - after it was all tightened up the readings were 2 minutes toe in each side which I just accepted as I had to get back to work!, and this is only just outside the Rover range without compliance washers. It is interesting that the rear should now be less stable, the reason I had it checked was instability in a straight line at the rear and although I have only driven a short distance since the adjustment the situation does seem improved!
If toe in makes the rear more stable then with 20 minutes rear toe in (40 minutes total) I should have had brilliant straight line stability!
Jason H

>>If toe in makes the rear more stable then with 20 minutes rear toe in (40 minutes total) I should have had brilliant straight line stability! <<

Things are never quite that simple Jason, as there is a practical limit at which too much toe-in will start to be deleterious. When you've got 40' of total toe, then you've probably comfortably exceeded that limit!

+0º02' rear is fine - as this is what I'd accept as being okay on a setting of +0º05' ± 0º03' with compliance bush spacers fitted (as you have). :o)
Rob Bell

Rob,

Thanks for this information - what would you suggest I have mine set to as the standard Rover settings are rubbish and don't do anything for me..

Regards,
Mike
M R Gibson

Mike, the answer to your question is coloured somewhat by what you want out of your car. But a good compromise would be to fit the B&G rear compliance bush spacers, and go for 0º00' front toe, and 0º05' toe IN at the rear. This should result in a very nicely handling and predictable fast road car.

To go more extreme than this would necessitate fitting alternative bushes - which need not be desirable...

You could go for a little more toe-in at the front if you wish: this improves motorway stability, and although initial turn in is fractionally slower, the stability once into a corner is much better :o) This leads us to the BBS settings which are +0º05' (toe IN) front and rear.
Rob Bell

Rob, Big thanks

think that I will try what you said as standard first without getting these spacers (how much are they?) will any garage be able to do this? and how different are these settings to the Rover standard ones?

Regards,

Mike
M R Gibson

Mike,
The rear setting is nor much different to the standard Rover settings , slightly less toe in is possible with the compliance washers. The big difference is the front with toe in instead of the Rover toe out. I changed to front toe in a long time back and never regretted it.
The compliance washers are quite cheap, I paid about £10 a few years ago, not sure how much they are now. Any garage can fit them, I fitted mine myself. Again they are a good improvement and well worth the money.

Jason H
Jason H

Completely agree with you there Jason! :o)

Tim Woolcott has written an article for MG World on replacing the rear tiebar bushes for polyurethane items - the basic principles are the same, so it should be worth looking out for.

Alternatively Mike, you could always persuade Jason to tell us how he did his (I'm afraid that I had mine fitted along with a whole host of other things at Tech-speed! ;o) - so I can't give you first hand experience-based advice)
Rob Bell

Rob,

Thanks for reminding me......there may be a bit of a wait until in come out in print.

I've written the piece on bushes but need to finish the piece on the shocker replacement before sending it off to Phil.

tim woolcott

This thread was discussed on 17/07/2003

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