Tristan

no , it's just that it is designed that way from Ford! my post is a bit misleading , I just had a sh1t day , service crew got delayed , navigator got mixed up on the pacenotes , then I broke a CV joint , got going again , only for the oil light to come on. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrghhh...

Okay , yesterday ,well , all I can say is I should have stayed in bed. The PUP is indeed vertical , so that's part of the battle .

first off , I'm rallying this weekend , so it'll wait til next week! lol I'll make a dummy TRE , using flat bar and a nut, to simulate a rose joint , and try it Under the steering arm , to see what effect .

awed at your knowledge and explanations , as per usual.

just trying to picture the movement in my head.. is that rack mounted behind the wheel?

sorry Tony , I don't quite follow?

yeah that would suit me better too , for wheel clearance issues . I was thinking of using a Rosejoint instead of a track rod end , and maybe attaching it to the bottom of the steering arm instead of the top? in general , are there any guidlines for rack position and steering arm angle and it's effect on bump steer? I have to sort it out on one of Dad's classic , his Lancia 037 , too .

the wishbone is pretty close to where it would be on a road car , as I need reasonable ground clearance for the forest tracks . RCAs... are they they units that you fit to the baLLjoint Tony? Thanks for your replies btw.

Hi Tony , the ride height , bump and rebound are all adjustable , as it runs ProFlex 2 way adjustable coilovers. The front wishbones and top mounts , plus the rear axle beam mounts are all either solid or spherical bearing. Front camber is not so easily adjustable to be honest , it runs about 1 degree negative each side. The rear is the same . I've fitted shims between the rear hubs and axle to correct the rear toe. Which is set to total of 2mm toe in. I've modified the front top mounts and bottom balljoints so I can correct the caster , not sure of the actual value ,apart from the fact it's equal both sides. The front toe is about 3mm total toe in , more than I'd like but the car has a lot of bump steer , it toes out about 30-40 mins on compression . Previously I had 2mm toe out up front , but the car was unstable on high speed bumpy stuff . I hadn't measured the bump steer at that stage ..

Black is best and silver is worst for me.... Silver still looks plain , even when polished , whereas black looks fab!

Hi everyone , back after a long hiatus. I'm rallying a FordKa in the Irish forestry championship , just wondering if any of you are doing similar , I'd like to bat a few ideas re suspension geometry around . Thanks , T.

thats a great pic . So De Dion is like a halfway between Independant and live axle ? With lower unsprung weight . The only possible problem is the occasion where one wheel rides up on something , it causes a camber change on the other side , to a positive value?

no adjusters on the ARBs Tony . It's a cracking fun car to drive , the grip is surplus to the power , so you can throw it around... I'll get the toe and camber settings and report back . Any suggestion how to measure the Castor in the home workshop?

I should add , the owner is a Tyre wholesaler/retailer , so tyre wear is not really an issue!

Do WIM have much experience with the venerable Mk2 GTi? I've my mates 8v one in for some repair at the mo... got a good strong drivetrain , but some "clunking" under hard acceleration/deceleration . Suspect Gearbox mount? I'm just wondering , does the lower and stiffer ride , coupled with the better grip from the tyres mean I should be chasing different settings from the alignment? Anyhoo , It's lowered about 60mm on Koni coilovers , with sticky road Yokohamas on 16in rims , and polybushed . Eibach ARBs too. It is very sharp to turn in , but maybe a bit "nervous" in a straight line, and on full throttle exiting turns it's like the torque is pulling the car into the bend , you almost have to steer back to centre . Driving normally , it centres fine . Any suggestions for the Geometry ? It's a road use only car , another weekend toy for the lanes . Thanks..

Sorry to wander , but whats De dion suspension?

I was just wondering if the heat would damage the seal on the ball joint .

They do llook to be different sizes as well as on the wrong sides though , don't they?

Long? as in a high value? and deep... as in lots of negative? so new ball joints every time Tony?

still a cool car!

At home I have the venerable old PCL mk3, my mate has an analogue dial on his . New pressure is 32 all round .

Checked mine the other day... only 20 psi in the rear! Which seemed very low... I was getting tires from my best mate fitted , so quizzed him about it... his pressure guage was recently calibrated so I trust it.. Got home and found mine was 6psi over reading! And it's a well known brand , PCL, doesn't get wet , and is fairly often oiled . Make ya think... And after pumping them up with his guage the car was nicer to drive and had more grip.

no replicas here! Yours was an actual Abarth? 16v motor , LHD , independant rear susension?

Please wait a few moments for Video to Load! this is funny... the Nova is only an average 1600! stick with it til a couple of mins go by , well worth watching. The end is good too.

I reckon so . I'll get a set of current suspension settings/measurements and report back .