Hi everyone, I am a new owner of a prefacelift dark ble MR2 roadster with only 44k miles on the clock and it is in great condition except for one issue which I have. At high speeds lets say 70mph + the car seems to be very nervous when you turn in. It feels like the rear isn't in sync with the front and it feels nervous. I am used to mainly driving front wheel drive front engined hatchbacks and occasionally my brother's caterham and I am wondering whether it is a trait of the car or just my paranoia. I have checked the tyre pressures and corrected them to 26psi front to 32psi rears and it has improved matters a little but there is still an underlying feeling that the car is twitchier than a speed addict. It feels a little like when you have a worn ball-joint or worn suspension mounts or bushes but at low speeds it seems fine. Turns in well and gives good steering feel (would prefer less assistance but lets not be too fussy). I have tried changing my drip at the wheel and loosening my grip on the wheel which helped a touch. I am thinking about checking the wheel alignment/geometry. Any ideas? Has anyone else suffered the same issues before?
Hi Dan and welcome.
You've checked pressures, but are tyres to spec (all same make, good tread, right sizes)? Certainly after that a geometry check would be useful.
You may well find a bit tricky on motorways or the like if it tries to "follow" HGV indentations, but after that things will start to cost.
Hi Dan
Agree with everything Roger says, also look into additonal bracing, front, rear and underneath if you want to stiffen everything up
does it have the plastic spat in front of the front and rear wheel?
how about the big one underneath the nose?
Quote from: "roger"Hi Dan and welcome.
You've checked pressures, but are tyres to spec (all same make, good tread, right sizes)? Certainly after that a geometry check would be useful.
You may well find a bit tricky on motorways or the like if it tries to "follow" HGV indentations, but after that things will start to cost.
Thanks for the welcome. The motorway in question seemed fairly smooth and I don't think it was a tramlining issue although the camber due to the crowning was quite steep as I was on the fast lane. Funny you should mention tyres. They are all the correct size but the fronts are Firestone Firehawk 700 (not a bad sporty tyre) whilst the rears are Goodyear NCT5's (more of a touring tyre). The NCT5s are an ok tyre for a Ford Focus but not one that I would choose for the MR2. However they are all fairly new and I would be surprised if they are the cause of the issue. Am I wrong? Seriously I was not doing trackday speeds. Just motorway sorts of speeds.
Quote from: "markiii"does it have the plastic spat in front of the front and rear wheel?
how about the big one underneath the nose?
Sorry I don't know what you mean by plastic spat. Are you asking about the plastic linings inside the wheel arches and are you asking whether it may have been crash repaired? Patience with us newbies... s:D :D s:D
I would suggest your problem could well be the tyres - not all the same make all round is considered a no no. Plus you mention that the fronts are a 'sporty' tyre whilst the rears are a 'touring' type. The two don't mix. I bet that others will probably agree that if you fit a set of the same make all round e.g.toyo's with the correct stagger, then it could make all the difference.
MarkK
I too switched from hatchback, front drive, front engined to the MR2. I have Yokohamas all round, and geometry is fine, but the driving feel is completely different at high speeds. I couldn't believe how twitchy she felt on the motorway compared to my Pug. The twitchiness now that I am used to it, is now increased responsiveness !
Having the same brand of decent tyre all the way round would certainly make a difference though. I know the usual advice is just to not mix brands across an axle, but the 2 it is important that they are all the same, especially as in this car the back would occasionaly like to overtake the front !
As weird as it sounds, my car used to feel like this, it could vary hugely depentant on stretch of road. It felt like the car was going lighter and felt like it was wondering. Eventually i fitted a rear spoiler and it made the car feel very planted and fine to drive. If the steering feels like your front tyre pressure is too high.
Check list.
1. Tyre pressures
2. Tyre sizes and same make/model all round.
3. Full global geometric check (don't confuse this with wheel alignent, a geometry check will check and 16(ish) different angles, adjust as required.
4. Suspension components, check for worn ball joints and bushes etc.. extra bracing can help too.
The plastic spat mentioned earlier refers to the little plastic tabs the sit infront of all 4 wheels, look like very small mud flaps, these divert the air around the tyre instad of forcing it under/through it, if these are missing it could make the front end light at high speed.
If everything checks out to be as it should and you still find it too twitchy, consider fitting lowering springs, TTE and Tien are both good quality options, lowering will improove the handling and won't let as much air under the car, after I switched to 17" wheels I had a similar problem... lowering fixed it.
Good luck with it.
Quote from: "Stephster"I too switched from hatchback, front drive, front engined to the MR2. I have Yokohamas all round, and geometry is fine, but the driving feel is completely different at high speeds. I couldn't believe how twitchy she felt on the motorway compared to my Pug. The twitchiness now that I am used to it, is now increased responsiveness !
Having the same brand of decent tyre all the way round would certainly make a difference though. I know the usual advice is just to not mix brands across an axle, but the 2 it is important that they are all the same, especially as in this car the back would occasionaly like to overtake the front !
I have come from a Pug 306GTi-6 with Koni sports all round and that can occasionally tramline but because it is a front wheel driver with the engine weight over the front wheels it feels quite nicely planted even when it is being tugged and gragged by the cambers and grooves in the road. The MR2 though is naturally light at the front as the engine is in the middle so you would expect some lightness in the steering compared to the 306 which is fine. It was just the "twitchiness" that occasionally catches me out. It hasn't actually moved off line but as you turn in off camber it feels like the weight transfers rearwards wanting to throw the back out. If there even a dusting of snow it would have swapped ends for sure! In the ice I had a slow speed tank slapper that I just managed to hold onto. Classic turn into the round about, front end ploughs on, I came off the gas (bad idea) and the tail swung out pretty damn quickly, slight over correction of opposite lock and caught it the 2nd time round. Phew! Always used to catch the 306 1st time round so I will definitely have to learn about mid engined handling.
Damn shame about the tyres as the NCT5s are brand new and are actually good tyres but not for the MR2 and I can't really afford to get 2 Firestones especially as I would probably choose Toyos or similar over them. At the same time I can't afford to die... s:scared: :scared: s:scared:
Quote from: "VVT-i"Check list.
1. Tyre pressures
2. Tyre sizes and same make/model all round.
3. Full global geometric check (don't confuse this with wheel alignent, a geometry check will check and 16(ish) different angles, adjust as required.
4. Suspension components, check for worn ball joints and bushes etc.. extra bracing can help too.
The plastic spat mentioned earlier refers to the little plastic tabs the sit infront of all 4 wheels, look like very small mud flaps, these divert the air around the tyre instad of forcing it under/through it, if these are missing it could make the front end light at high speed.
If everything checks out to be as it should and you still find it too twitchy, consider fitting lowering springs, TTE and Tien are both good quality options, lowering will improove the handling and won't let as much air under the car, after I switched to 17" wheels I had a similar problem... lowering fixed it.
Good luck with it.
Thanks for the check list. For point 3. above, Is the MR2's toe, tracking and castor adjustable at the front as well as at the back? For point 4, it feels like the bushes and ball joints are tight at low speeds and there are no knocking or clonking sounds coming from the steering. It is just the high speed changes in direction that are making me sweat! Maybe I'd better get some new tyres and just stump up the cash. My life is worth more than £120 or whatever it will cost me. I will be checking the spats tomorrow when there is some light. Hopefully it will be obvious what you are referring to. My wife would divorce me if I lowered it.
The regulars are missing one obvious check here. Make sure it has the spare wheel in the frunk. Unlikely, but if thats missing it would cause the front to be floaty at speed.
Sorry to reraise this issue but I found a 4 wheel geometry readout that may explain my handling woes. It shows that the right hand side rear wheel has a camber of -2.31degrees (ie cambered out) compared to -1.16 on the left. Would that cause a handling issue at high speeds? I was gaining some confidence the other day at lower speeds and it was feeling ok if not perfect. Its at high speeds that the car doesn't feel right. Its a strange one because everything feels new, it damps well, steering is consistently light ( a little too light for my liking but not bad), but at high speeds especially when you are giving it some beans, the car feels unbalanced. A little like it is out of phase and porpoising.
I know a lot of you will say tyres and I agree that the tyre difference front and rear are not perfect but it is more that just this. When I get a chance I will be doing a new 4 wheel geometry but would like to get some feedback from those in the know. Does anyone have the propoer camber, castor and toe figures for a pre-facelift roadster with 185/55 15's with 6" wide wheels at the front and 6.5 width 205/50VR15's at the rear?
Finally does anyone know someone that can help me with 4 wheel geometry near Woking-Guildford in Surrey and how adjustable is camber, toe and caster in the front and the rear?
Thanks in advance
Mattperformance, just by the NEC has all the numbers, plus the geometry equipment. Not too far from you. Send him a PM. Very good guy to know.
Let me get this straight so you want advice,people tell you it is really important to have same make tyres all round you ignore this as it will cost you money to do this and want other options? Start with the basics first,change the tyres! s:roll: :roll: s:roll:
Cost of new rubber, £260ish. Cost of alignment check, £45ish. If youre going to fit tyres, alignment will need doing anyway. Id go for alignment first, myself.
Those geo settings sound sfuck fuck sfuck ed there should me a small percentage of difference between each side. Never heard one one positive the other negative. If you imagine it one wheel will push in the other out lol. Making it super twitchy. Go somewhere else. You usually have green and re on alignment readout. What colour are all te boxes? Can you scan it?
QuoteSorry to reraise this issue but I found a 4 wheel geometry readout that may explain my handling woes.
Looking at this again, the whole point of a 4 wheel geo check is to adjust the angles to achieve factory settings (assuming youre not going to the track).
Why would the geo be left outside spec? I can only think of two reasons.
1. There is suspension damage which means the adjustment cannot be made to bring the angles back to spec.
2. The camber bolts are siezed into the crossmember and cant be adjusted.
I have been to these (http://www.blackboots.co.uk/) guys before when i had a mk2 and they are brilliant. They are not cheap but they were the only people to solve my mk2 issues that no one could fix up here.
Quote from: "dick2ski"2. The camber bolts are siezed into the crossmember and cant be adjusted.
The cross-member bolts adjust toe, not camber. Camber is only adjustable on the rear using crash-bolts (undersize bolts that allow movement between the strut and the hub until they are tightened). Whiteline also do some adjustable camber bolts that have cams on them.
I've had experience of this with a local "specialist", they tried adjusting my camber arms ... couldn't and just hid the results the best they could while charging me for the honour of being their customer.
Sounds like you need some proper investigation of your suspension and some crash bolts to adjust the camber.
Quote from: "SteveJ"Camber is only adjustable on the rear using crash-bolts (undersize bolts that allow movement between the strut and the hub until they are tightened). Whiteline also do some adjustable camber bolts that have cams on them.
Actually Steve that is not correct, you can adjust the camber by using either Megan or Che adjustable lower camber arms, a lot easier to use and less stress.
I still can't see where the setting go from + to - according to Ilogik - are you looking at a different thread???? s:lol: :lol: s:lol: s:lol: :lol: s:lol: s:lol: :lol: s:lol:
Yes agree on the tyre front, get them all the same then start with your settings, sounds like the back could have seen a bit of action with those setting, might be worth checking for damage.
Rob.
QuoteThe cross-member bolts adjust toe, not camber.
Sorry, I was confused by the fact they are called bolt, camber adjust. (48190-32010)
Quote from: "life of bryan"Let me get this straight so you want advice,people tell you it is really important to have same make tyres all round you ignore this as it will cost you money to do this and want other options? Start with the basics first,change the tyres! s:roll: :roll: s:roll:
I have taken notice of what people have said about tyres and I am sure it is a factor. However, you haven't felt the way the car handles and it is not just the tyres. I have had enough experience of driving to know that this is not purely a tyre issue. To find an old 4 wheel geometry report and see that one of the readings is out gives me some indication that this must be a contributing factor. To slap on some tyres and see how it goes and have them wear strangely due to an off camber wheel/suspension setting doesn't make sense to me.
I had a similar problem repairing a car recently. When trying to set up the geometry we just couldnt get it within tollerance. It was only then that we noticed that the cast iron knuckle was bent.
Once that was changed it was perfect.
Quote from: "FGrob"Quote from: "SteveJ"Camber is only adjustable on the rear using crash-bolts (undersize bolts that allow movement between the strut and the hub until they are tightened). Whiteline also do some adjustable camber bolts that have cams on them.
Actually Steve that is not correct, you can adjust the camber by using either Megan or Che adjustable lower camber arms, a lot easier to use and less stress.
I was going to edit the post as I knew some smart-arse would say that but I stand by what I posted - the standard car is only adjustable using crash bolts (or other 3rd-party upgrades).
Quote from: "danrem"Quote from: "life of bryan"Let me get this straight so you want advice,people tell you it is really important to have same make tyres all round you ignore this as it will cost you money to do this and want other options? Start with the basics first,change the tyres! s:roll: :roll: s:roll:
I have taken notice of what people have said about tyres and I am sure it is a factor. However, you haven't felt the way the car handles and it is not just the tyres. I have had enough experience of driving to know that this is not purely a tyre issue. To find an old 4 wheel geometry report and see that one of the readings is out gives me some indication that this must be a contributing factor. To slap on some tyres and see how it goes and have them wear strangely due to an off camber wheel/suspension setting doesn't make sense to me.
It's not just about slapping tyres on but removing a known problem in the first place, once you've done that you can start on the alignment, nobody is saying drive the car around. Did you ever check the front for the small plastic deflectors which was mentioned earlier, they should look like this:
(http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h70/FGRob/IMG_0366.jpg)
It's surprising how much difference things like these make.
Totally agree with Rob on the deflectors - Markiii's car was missing those so we did back-to-back comparisons with and without them when he bought a set. The difference was like night & day at higher speeds.
Quote from: "SteveJ"Quote from: "FGrob"Quote from: "SteveJ"Camber is only adjustable on the rear using crash-bolts (undersize bolts that allow movement between the strut and the hub until they are tightened). Whiteline also do some adjustable camber bolts that have cams on them.
Actually Steve that is not correct, you can adjust the camber by using either Megan or Che adjustable lower camber arms, a lot easier to use and less stress.
I was going to edit the post as I knew some great person would say that but I stand by what I posted - the standard car is only adjustable using crash bolts and adjustable arms.
Just corrected that for you Steve. s:wink: :wink: s:wink: s:lol: :lol: s:lol: s:lol: :lol: s:lol: s:lol: :lol: s:lol: s:lol: :lol: s:lol:
QuoteActually Steve that is not correct, you can adjust the camber by using either Megan or Che adjustable lower camber arms, a lot easier to use and less stress.
I still can't see where the setting go from + to - according to Ilogik - are you looking at a different thread???? s:lol: :lol: s:lol: s:lol: :lol: s:lol: s:lol: :lol: s:lol:
.
shows that the right hand side rear wheel has a camber of -2.31degrees (ie cambered out) compared to -1.16 on the left
I have some camber adjustment bolts for sale, think they are for the front though s:P :P s:P Can't remember s:lol: :lol: s:lol: They are toyota ones.
Quote from: "Ilogik"QuoteActually Steve that is not correct, you can adjust the camber by using either Megan or Che adjustable lower camber arms, a lot easier to use and less stress.
I still can't see where the setting go from + to - according to Ilogik - are you looking at a different thread???? s:lol: :lol: s:lol: s:lol: :lol: s:lol: s:lol: :lol: s:lol:
.
shows that the right hand side rear wheel has a camber of -2.31degrees (ie cambered out) compared to -1.16 on the left
I have some camber adjustment bolts for sale, think they are for the front though s:P :P s:P Can't remember s:lol: :lol: s:lol: They are toyota ones.
What are you wittering on about? They are both -ve so the top of the tyre is leaning in towards the car which is what it should do. The fact that one is leaning more than it should could be a sign of a damaged strut. Damage to arms
almost always causes +ve (or too little -ve) camber .
Quote from: "PeteT"I have been to these (http://www.blackboots.co.uk/) guys before when i had a mk2 and they are brilliant. They are not cheap but they were the only people to solve my mk2 issues that no one could fix up here.
Spoke to the geometry/suspension specialist at blackboots and gave him the settings shown on the results of the report. He then said that this was significantly enough out to cause handling problems and then described what he imagined the car would feel like. It was a fairly accurate description of my car's handling. He then advised me to get some Eibach adjustable bolts which when fitted will allow the camber to be changed. I could then go up there and ask his to 4 wheel geometry test the car and the readings indicate that this is still the issue then I could have this fitted and adjusted. Once the settings are correct I can then change the tyres, if it still feels off-balance. Does this sound like a plan?
To answer the others on deflectors, the car has these intact both left and right. Talking about aerodynamics, the wind does seem to affect the car more than it should.... then again it probably would do if your suspension settings were off...
you won't need anything but stock components to get an alignment that will feel safe and predictable unless something is bent
so find teh problem first don't band aid it
if you choose to run settings that are out of spec (and you can make it handle better this way) then yes those bolts are one solution.
Personally I hate camber bolts, megan arms are a much better solution
Quote from: "markiii"you won't need anything but stock components to get an alignment that will feel safe and predictable unless something is bent
so find the problem first don't band aid it
if you choose to run settings that are out of spec (and you can make it handle better this way) then yes those bolts are one solution.
Personally I hate camber bolts, megan arms are a much better solution
Do you know of anyone that could diagnose problems in the Surrey area? I looked up megan arms and they look pricey. I am afraid that I am a total pleb when it comes to cars suspension settings. Can you tell me what is wrong with using Eibach adjustable shim bolts and what benefits the megan arm will have over these. Will the adjustable camber bolts not be bringing the settings to the correct setting or are you worried that there may be other issues behind all of this? Someone above mentioned that there could be strut problems... although I must say that the car seems to handle bumps well when going in a straight line. With my super simplistic understanding of car suspension and settings, my suspicion is that someone has slapped a curb or hit a huge pothole and bent the suspension a little causing the camber to be out.
Dan
if you need anything non standard to get standard spec then something is wrong, camber bolts will let you get it in spec but they cammed onces a a pain to fit, and the smaller ones will slip with time.
I'd be looking at finding the cause of the problem, assuming there even is one. it might be able to be aligned without any trouble, so far you don't seem to have had the actual settings checked, just some vague historic stuff,
Surrey I can't help with but I'd heartily reccomend PSR Automotive in Bishops Stortford or if you really want a suspension guru Chris Watkins at Centre Gravity in the midlands
You could try Matt at AFR Tuning in Crawley, but I doubt if it will be cheap. He set my V6 up superbly, but it still took a couple of hours for that as I had a full geo setup.
Getting the car to a proper full geometry and alignment place is a good start to get their advice, get someone who will communicate with you rather than take your car away to a dark room and come back asking for money.
The car may already have crash bolts fitted and are just badly adjusted.
In my experience crash bolts will be happier to maintain than Megan (or TopSpeed Pro) arms, they may not have the firm control of the pillow ball joints in the Megans but in the real world they're absolutely fine. TopSpeed Pro actually have the arms made and then Megan Racing buy them and put their own stickers on.
Quote from: "danrem"Quote from: "PeteT"I have been to these (http://www.blackboots.co.uk/) guys before when i had a mk2 and they are brilliant. They are not cheap but they were the only people to solve my mk2 issues that no one could fix up here.
Spoke to the geometry/suspension specialist at blackboots and gave him the settings shown on the results of the report.
Wheels In Motion are very highly thought of on the MX-5 forums.
They are part of Blackboots now, I believe.
Quote from: "Wabbitkilla"Getting the car to a proper full geometry and alignment place is a good start to get their advice, get someone who will communicate with you rather than take your car away to a dark room and come back asking for money.
The car may already have crash bolts fitted and are just badly adjusted.
In my experience crash bolts will be happier to maintain than Megan (or TopSpeed Pro) arms, they may not have the firm control of the pillow ball joints in the Megans but in the real world they're absolutely fine. TopSpeed Pro actually have the arms made and then Megan Racing buy them and put their own stickers on.
Good advice. I will do that first and I have bought the Eibach adjustable shim bolts just in case they are required at £20 delivered it isn't too wasteful. I would hate to turn up get the readings and then not be able to complete the job because I didn't have the bits. I might try the Blackboots place as that is not 1000 miles away and he sounded like he knew his stuff. Also with recommendation from PeteT an experienced MR2 member.
Quote from: "loadswine"You could try Matt at AFR Tuning in Crawley, but I doubt if it will be cheap. He set my V6 up superbly, but it still took a couple of hours for that as I had a full geo setup.
How much an hour did they charge?
anything less than £150 for a full 4 wheel alignment and you will be doing well
Quote from: "markiii"if you need anything non standard to get standard spec then something is wrong, camber bolts will let you get it in spec but they cammed onces a a pain to fit, and the smaller ones will slip with time.
I'd be looking at finding the cause of the problem, assuming there even is one. it might be able to be aligned without any trouble, so far you don't seem to have had the actual settings checked, just some vague historic stuff,
Surrey I can't help with but I'd heartily reccomend PSR Automotive in Bishops Stortford or if you really want a suspension guru Chris Watkins at Centre Gravity in the midlands
You are right about not having actual settings. I am making a lot of assumptions. As mentioned, I will be getting some actual settings from Blackboots and see how that goes. Bloody hell I just want to enjoy this car and it feels like it would be really fun IF the settings were fine.... assuming that is the problem. At low speeds it feels better but not perfect. Usually for example with my brother's Caterham, you get acclimatised and it gives you the confidence to have a play. This hasn't given me that feeling at all.
Thanks for your advise and I will keep you posted.
Quote from: "markiii"anything less than £150 for a full 4 wheel alignment and you will be doing well
s:scared: :scared: s:scared: s:cry: :cry: s:cry:
Good thinking, having the bolts ready to hand makes sense s;-) ;-) s;-) ;-);-);-);-);-);-):grin::grin::grin::grin::grin::grin::grin::grin:;-)
Quote from: "danrem"Quote from: "markiii"anything less than £150 for a full 4 wheel alignment and you will be doing well
s:scared: :scared: s:scared: s:cry: :cry: s:cry:
I think it cost me getting on for 200, but well worth it in my case, as so many bits had been off the car with my conversion and everything was dialled in well.
I think you do get what you pay for sometimes, just like Mark says.
A couple of those and you could buy the equipment!
Quote from: "dick2ski"A couple of those and you could buy the equipment!
Guys I need a more cheerful note here! Isn't there a member who likes to fix MR2s for free/for cost out of the love of humankind? i knew I shouldhave got a Mundano TDCi but my Caterham owning brother convinced me that I needed a mid-life crisis mobile.
trust me you won't know how good a sportscar can be until its aligned properly
£150 to someone who really knows what they are doing is well worth it. The toyota specs you could drive a bus through and still "Technically" be in spec
Quote from: "danrem"Quote from: "dick2ski"A couple of those and you could buy the equipment!
Guys I need a more cheerful note here! Isn't there a member who likes to fix MR2s for free/for cost out of the love of humankind? i knew I shouldhave got a Mundano TDCi but my Caterham owning brother convinced me that I needed a mid-life crisis mobile.
Why don't you come up to the Ding day at Demon Tweeks, the only downside is the timing, it's in May. last year it was about £56 or so for a check and set, I've never paid more than £65 even when I changed over to the Megan chromed arms and full Monoflex coilovers, that was at DT's and I did buy the coilovers from them.
Quote from: "markiii"trust me you won't know how good a sportscar can be until its aligned properly
£150 to someone who really knows what they are doing is well worth it. The toyota specs you could drive a bus through and still "Technically" be in spec
For mostly fast-road use does anyone have the best toe, camber and castor angles for a 2000 pre-facelift MR2 on standard suspension? My wheel and tyres dimensions are standard ie. 6" wide 185/55VR15 front and 6.5" 205/50VR15 rear.
I have driven well aligned sportcars before and have trackdayed with my brother in his Caterham Superlight with 185bhp, which felt lovely around Brands and Anglesea. Should have noticed that this one had an issue but only tested it below 70mph in a variety on London suburban areas and it felt ok at lower speeds and I was blinded by its low mileage, great aesthetic condition and great service history.
PM me your email and Ill send the numbers.
First up, the camber difference is probably a red herring. A 1 degree difference could easily be in the tolerance of the strut leg to hub fixings and could possibly be sorted by loosening the hub carrier to strut leg bolts on the side that is the higher value, pulling the top of the wheel outwards, holding it while tightening them up again. However, a 1 degree difference will not be the cause of the issues you are having. Most modern tyres will happily work at much higher values that that. You may increase wear a little on the inside edge of the tyre, but that will be all you would expect to notice. Having too much camber on one side could be an indication of a bent strut rod, but this nearly always causes leakage. Normally, when a car has been kerbed, the lower arms are damaged and this leads to the camber being reduced as they are always going to be shorter once bent.
You could check the condition of all the bushes in the suspension, check torque of all the mount point bolts too. However, the most bleedin obvious thing here is mismatched tyres. I have driven an MR2 on mismatched front and rear and that particular combination (Nexen front and Kumho rear if I remember correctly) made the car feel horrible at around 60mph and even worse in a bend. Seriously, if that had been the only MR2 I ever drove, I would never have bought one. These cars are very sensitive to tyre choice. If you can get the Firestone 700s for the back end, I would go for it. I have run them on other cars and personally prefer them to Toyo T1R. It will probably cost less than a full geometry check anyway. Knowing the relative grip and behaviour of both tyre types you run, I would say you run the risk of unexpected and sudden oversteer in the wet. The FH700 is a tyre capable of very high grip levels.
Good alignment is essential and a full alignment machine can cost a lot of thousands to buy, so you will have to pay a fair bit to use one. These cars are very sensitive to alignment too. I currently run parallel front and 20 minutes total toe rear. Camber is 1.5 deg fronts and 2deg rear. The car is light but stable, even at very high speeds, turns in reasonably quickly and resists oversteer quite well. I run R888 which are OK up to 5 deg of camber.
Chris
I set mine to these settings after fitting Tein springs, running Yokohama AD08 tyres, I find the handling very nice and neutral
(http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b219/Phil-GT4RC/MR2/IMG_0174.jpg)
Quote from: "alfajerry"Quote from: "danrem"Quote from: "PeteT"I have been to these (http://www.blackboots.co.uk/) guys before when i had a mk2 and they are brilliant. They are not cheap but they were the only people to solve my mk2 issues that no one could fix up here.
Spoke to the geometry/suspension specialist at blackboots and gave him the settings shown on the results of the report.
Wheels In Motion are very highly thought of on the MX-5 forums.
They are part of Blackboots now, I believe.
Yes, i believe they are the same company. It looks like they have merged into one.
Can I ask a question about the camber angles and settings etc. should they be the same on the left as the right. We had our facelift checked and adjusted at the weekend and there is a different setting on the left to the right. I put this down to road camber etc but now im not so sure having seen Phils settings above.
Quote from: "matchlessman"Can I ask a question about the camber angles and settings etc. should they be the same on the left as the right. We had our facelift checked and adjusted at the weekend and there is a different setting on the left to the right. I put this down to road camber etc but now I'm not so sure having seen Phils settings above.
Camber is specifically a product of the tolerances between the hub and strut leg and although it should be the same, most drivers would not notice a degree difference. It is not adjustable with the standard MR2 suspension. The settings for toe must be near equal on opposite sides or the car will "crab". Thrust angle should always be close to zero (this effectively being the difference in direction of travel between the front and rear wheels).
Chris