TR6 Spec needed for correct ride height

[Madflyer]

My wife and I do a lot of road trips in the TR6 it is our road car Canada to Mexico most western states Nat. Parks etc. And most hours top down so we do not talk much. I guess our longest trip was about 2,500 miles but we did two car show in the same month so add another 1,500 mile to Sothern California so 4,000 month. Madflyer

 

[pdplot]

My '71 TR6 did not have door pulls and the panel was pulling away from the door so I drilled a small hole in the top and installed a screw and trim washer to hold the panel when I pulled the door shut. I also (finally) had an electric motor installed on the cellar door and installed a 4-bulb LED fixture to replace the 2 lamp fluorescent that took 5 tries to get it to light. My back was not allowing me to pull open the cellar door.

 

[Foura]

Hi all,

My new TR6 has Good Parts springs all around and I'd like to shim it back to more of a standard ride height. Need a stock ride height (185-15 tires) F & R in order to buy the correct shims.

Good Parts uses the distance from the wheel center to the fender arch.

Thank you in advance.

Steve, you originally asked for the measurement from the wheel centre to the wheel arch. Mine is 380mm front and rear (which is 14.96” in American). Figures for windscreen or soft top heights won’t be much use as they vary with tire size and spring condition. I originally had 185/80x15 Michelin XAS on the car. I replaced them with Hankook Optimo in the same size but I believe that they are slightly larger than the Michelin’s. I also run 195/65x15 Michelins on the car which have the same radius as the original 165x15 that the car had when new. They lower the car by about 1”. The 185s have a 7% greater rolling radius which is roughly the equivalent of going from the standard 3.7 diff to a 3.45 TR6 diff. Good for long trips!

The measurement from ground to wheel arch on my car is 28”. This is the same as mentioned in the very good suspension article on the Buckeye’s Triumph TR6 web site. Like Malbaby, I still think that there is something else odd about your car. One possibility at the rear is that your suspension brackets are wrongly installed but the front is way too low. Do you have any other TR6s in your neighbourhood that you could look at? Look forward to further reports.

 

[steveg]

Rocky,
Measured one side: front 26-1/8"; rear 26-5/8". Ft wheel center to arch: 13-1/2".

Just got my 1/2" spacers and will install them hopefully this week and report back.
I also noticed my car has a lot of shims for the lower front A-arms.
After I deal with the ride height via spacers, will address the rear swing arms with adjustable brackets if necessary.
Baby steps...

 

[malbaby]

13.5" is very low. Would be good for a track car with shortened and uprated springs
1/2" spacer should give you an extra 1" in height.
Your springs are either super soft or have been cut.

 

[steveg]

13.5" is very low. Would be good for a track car with shortened and uprated springs
1/2" spacer should give you an extra 1" in height.
Your springs are either super soft or have been cut.

We'll see. When I get them out to install the spacers, will photograph, measure and compare to the specs on Good Parts' website. Will followup when I have more info. Am not averse to getting thicker spacers if necessary.

FWIW - the ride is good - no bottoming, which I assume would be a problem with too-soft springs. Compared to my Healey, the TR6 is a comfortable ride indeed.

 

[steveg]

Front spring free length. Wire size: .536"

From Good Parts' description:

"Good Parts front springs offer both increased stiffness and lower ride height compared to factory TR6 front springs. Spring rate is 390 lb/in compared to the approximately 305 lb/in. of the stock springs. Ride height is approximately 14-14 ½ inches from the center of the wheel to the fender edge, which is roughly 1” lower than factory spec springs. Ride height can be increased with Good Parts aluminum spring spacers. Spring free length is approximately 8⅞ inches."

https://www.goodparts.com/product/springs-front-tr6-390-lb-in-pair/

Homemade compressor 1/2" x 17" all-thread with 1"x2" x 4" steel channel as lower plate.

Edit: after installing front 1/2" spacers, wheel center to arch now 14.5" vs 13.5" before - just as Malbaby said above. Camber now looks correct. Rears not yet installed - waiting on rebuilt shocks from Worldwide Auto Parts.

 

[Madflyer]

One of my members just got those tires how do you like them so far. He has a Morgan with wire wheels. Balance, road noise, handling ?? could I pass on any thing. Madflyer

 

[steveg]

One of my members just got those tires how do you like them so far. He has a Morgan with wire wheels. Balance, road noise, handling ?? could I pass on any thing. Madflyer

if you're referring to the Vredesteins above, they're specifically made for vintage sports cars. Plenty of good reviews on TireRack's site.

I had the 185/70s on my Healey and they were fine in normal driving. I don't do any gymkhanas or any of that type of thing.