OK, I plan on finishing up my Swift Springs Spec-R install this weekend. The rears are all that's remaining. According to their literature, I can expect a 1" drop in the rear. Does anyone know if there is enough adjustment with the elliptical camber bolts and toe setting bolts to handle a 1" drop? Or will adjustable camber arms be needed? Also, does toe change if the camber bolts don't need adjusting with a 1" drop? I have the IE fixed camber plates and will be setting the front toe to -1/16" total. Should the rears be set to zero toe... or should they also have a slight negative toe as well for a primarily street driven MINI? Lastly, is there an ideal rear camber and toe setting for a street MINI? Thanks all....
Not sure about the R56 but on a R53 you can take some of the camber out but not all, the lower adjustable control arms are needed for that. If you do not plan to track it at all and aren't planning on pushing it real hard elsewhere, you might consider sticking pretty close to the factory settings on toe. I run 0 toe in the front with a tick of toe in, in the rear to help it track straight going down the highway. Zero toe or a tick of toe out in the front helps the car on turn in when pushed, be careful with toe out though because it can cause the tires to wear. 2 cents
^ Very good advice. I run a bit of toe in at the rear. I feel it helps high speed stability. On my R53 they were able to pull 1/2 degree of negative camber from the rear using stock parts. I'd like less back there, but that's all I can get. The front of my car is just under 1/16 toe in. Like minimark said toe out can help on the track, but on the street you may not like it.
The stock rear lower control arms have enough adjustment range. Toe will change with drop. .05 degree more toe-in for the rear than front. Optimal rear camber settings are based on use; -1.25 to -1.5 for a ball park, -1.1 for strictly urban-don't-spill-the-pot-of-beans driving. As a general rule once there is sufficient negative camber up front, .5 degree less camber in the rear than front.