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TR6 Spec needed for correct ride height

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steveg

steveg

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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.
 
Would you care to post some pics of the current ride height.
It would be unusual for aftermarket springs to be "low"
 
malbaby said:
Would you care to post some pics of the current ride height.
It would be unusual for aftermarket springs to be "low"
Click to expand...

Was looking for someone with stock 185 tires and springs to measure the distance from the center of the hubcap to the wheel arch, front & rear. So far no takers...

From Good Parts. Note the last line...which I think answers my question :fat::

screenshot.2351.jpg


screenshot.2353.jpg


With the shorter springs, all wheels have negative camber, which impacts tire wear. First I'll correct the ride height, then deal with leftover camber issues.
 
I see your problem.
Surprised that the front [and the rear to some extent] is that low with those high spring rates suitable for competition use. [not for ride comfort].
Were your old springs not suitable?
 
malbaby said:
I see your problem.
Surprised that the front [and the rear to some extent] is that low with those high spring rates suitable for competition use. [not for ride comfort].
Were your old springs not suitable?
Click to expand...

Only had the car 2 weeks. PO installed the springs. The car's comfortable enough - just don't like the ride height and negative camber.
 
Finding it hard to believe that those Goodparts springs were installed, unless they were cut down by PO.
In answer to your question, spacers would certainly help considerably.
 
Spec. from Robert Bentley ( Complete Official Triumph Workshop manual ) Page 46-47 Item ( F ) Top of soft top at bow 50 inches. top of windscreen frame at trim 46 inches. Hood at windscreen at vent 40 inches.
from the top of the tire RIM down to just below chrome strip below door is 9 inches. These numbers state car unladen. I used a 4 foot level to get numbers off my car

I have 16 inch rims 205/60R/16 I have 2 1/2 from top of tire to finder and tire is apox 25 inches to ground from top of tread. From the top of my windscreen to floor 48 inch not 46 as per book.
Your tires 185/ 70 /15 correct??? Check Moss Motors TEC on tires online for OEM sizes.

185 is how wide your tire is foot print the 70 is how wide the sidewall is. These numbers are percentages not real dem. Two different tire brands will have same numbers ( 185/70/15 ) but not be the same real size standing side by side.

Summit racing sheet on tires will show this to be true. Tire Rack has good info on tires but not for TR's They want auto make to fit tires and will tell non are offered .

When you get to aliment another can of worms. at lest three different springs from to hard to to soft . You want to look for number of coils first. if you have the ride you want. then shimming can work you can also get adjustable mounts for rear swing arms. Rear squat is always a work in progress. ( NOTE : A TR 6 is rated at 500 # full load fuel and passenger's and stuff. I am over 200 #so how your car sits empty will change and spring add to that.

This was your start and this web site will get your car back in line. Madflyer
 
I put those same springs on my 4A with the same negative camber. Spacers are sitting on the workbench. The rears are quick work, fronts take a bit more dinkin around.
 
Madflyer said:
Spec. from Robert Bentley ( Complete Official Triumph Workshop manual ) Page 46-47 Item ( F ) Top of soft top at bow 50 inches. top of windscreen frame at trim 46 inches. Hood at windscreen at vent 40 inches.
from the top of the tire RIM down to just below chrome strip below door is 9 inches. These numbers state car unladen. I used a 4 foot level to get numbers off my car

I have 16 inch rims 205/60R/16 I have 2 1/2 from top of tire to finder and tire is apox 25 inches to ground from top of tread. From the top of my windscreen to floor 48 inch not 46 as per book.
Your tires 185/ 70 /15 correct??? Check Moss Motors TEC on tires online for OEM sizes.

185 is how wide your tire is foot print the 70 is how wide the sidewall is. These numbers are percentages not real dem. Two different tire brands will have same numbers ( 185/70/15 ) but not be the same real size standing side by side.

Summit racing sheet on tires will show this to be true. Tire Rack has good info on tires but not for TR's They want auto make to fit tires and will tell non are offered .

When you get to aliment another can of worms. at lest three different springs from to hard to to soft . You want to look for number of coils first. if you have the ride you want. then shimming can work you can also get adjustable mounts for rear swing arms. Rear squat is always a work in progress. ( NOTE : A TR 6 is rated at 500 # full load fuel and passenger's and stuff. I am over 200 #so how your car sits empty will change and spring add to that.

This was your start and this web site will get your car back in line. Madflyer
Click to expand...

Madflyer, thank you for your response.

Couple of comments:
--The Bentley manual, p420 original tire sizes are 165HR-15 and 185HR-15. These are higher-profile than the 185/70-15s. Either 80 or 85% I forget which.

--One is able to order tires by size from TireRack. I ordered these shipped to a local installer; mounted yesterday and shown in my car picture above.

screenshot.2356.jpg


screenshot.2355.jpg
 
Last edited:
I live in Northern Nevada and Tire Rack is 10 miles away. But I use Summit Racing for my tires which is also only 25 mile away. The reason I do that is all tires now are dated. and I know I will get tires made at about the same time. Many time in the past at tire stores they say they have two and will get the rest from some warehouse. I normally get 5 at a time for my 4X4 or with my TR 6 I went to 16 inch rims. Madflyer
 
sail said:
I'm putting in 1/2" spacers. Hope it comes out right, I don't want to do it again.
Click to expand...

Looking forward to the results.

Edit: I ordered the 1/2" spacers and in a couple of weeks will report back.

Will plan on using the same spring tools from the Healey, unless I find out for sure they don't work or are dangerous.

screenshot.2357.jpg
 
Last edited:
TR4A.jpgThis is my 4A which has the same GoodParts springs front and rear. It has one spacer(1/2 inch I think) under the right rear spring which levelled the car up nicely. It now has the same ride heights from side to side at both front and rear. As you can see, it is sitting quite a lot higher than your car. I would be checking your suspension before putting in spacers. Have you confirmed that you do have GoodParts springs? Are all the mountings and bushes in good condition? Mine has poly bushes all round. Something does not look right. The tires on mine are 185/80x15 on 6"rims.
 
Foura said:
View attachment 64831This is my 4A which has the same GoodParts springs front and rear. It has one spacer(1/2 inch I think) under the right rear spring which levelled the car up nicely. It now has the same ride heights from side to side at both front and rear. As you can see, it is sitting quite a lot higher than your car. I would be checking your suspension before putting in spacers. Have you confirmed that you do have GoodParts springs? Are all the mountings and bushes in good condition? Mine has poly bushes all round. Something does not look right. The tires on mine are 185/80x15 on 6"rims.
Click to expand...

I've ordered the 1/2" spacers all around. From what I can tell, the bushings look OK; my mechanic concurs - he looked the suspension over when he redid the rear u-joints and hubs. The PO had just installed the springs (still shiny and new) and I'm taking his word for it they're Goodparts.

After I install the spacers, if the camber needs additional work, will install the adjustable trailing arm brackets in the rear and remove shims in the front as there are quite a few there.
 
When you put spacers in, I would be interested to know if the "new" springs have been cut down, or for you to measure their height.
As with "Foura" I do not believe that your springs are genuine new Goodparts.
 
malbaby said:
When you put spacers in, I would be interested to know if the "new" springs have been cut down, or for you to measure their height.
As with "Foura" I do not believe that your springs are genuine new Goodparts.
Click to expand...

Will try to remember to measure them out of curiosity. Cut down unlikely.

Goodparts rear springs free length: one set is 10-1/4"; the other is 9-3/4". I suspect mine are the latter because of the camber.

Goodparts fronts: 8-7/8"

TR Register site in the UK has a discussion with measurements of stock spring lengths, which are evidently from a late TR6 when the factory had sorted the sagging rear spring issue:

Ft - 10.03"/261mm -- Goodparts approx 1-1/8" shorter than stock
R - 11.5"/292mm -- Goodparts as much as 1-3/4" shorter than stock

https://tinyurl.com/y5nsfdgc
 
First very nice TR! and I see more than nice paint. I put those door pulls on my 6 I did not like the padded door rails. I first had a 1962 TR 4 with little or no problems other than the fence I tried to go through in a gravel parking lot. That how I got my TR 250 in 1970. I have yet to put pic of my TR 6 on this page. A motor is easy to this PC stuff and at 74 to late to learn. As I look at your car I would say my 6 sets the same. My question is do you know why you were not level to start with. When I got my 6 it was the same way. As I did a frame up that was corrected as I started with a different frame. And last AH or TR do you like best.

Madflyer
 
Madflyer said:
First very nice TR! and I see more than nice paint. I put those door pulls on my 6 I did not like the padded door rails. I first had a 1962 TR 4 with little or no problems other than the fence I tried to go through in a gravel parking lot. That how I got my TR 250 in 1970. I have yet to put pic of my TR 6 on this page. A motor is easy to this PC stuff and at 74 to late to learn. As I look at your car I would say my 6 sets the same. My question is do you know why you were not level to start with. When I got my 6 it was the same way. As I did a frame up that was corrected as I started with a different frame. And last AH or TR do you like best.

Madflyer
Click to expand...
Thanks for the comments about my car Madflyer. I had the car retrimmed during the rebuild and noticed something different as I drove home. They had not replaced the door cappings. I retrieved them but did not bother to refit them as I liked the slight extra shoulder room. Not sure why the car was not level. It was a frame up rebuild but I found it was out diagonally. Fixing the right rear corrected the left front also. I like the looks of Healeys but I think the TR is better to drive and much easier to work on. We drove it from Melbourne to Perth and back for the Triumph National Rally last year. 5300 miles in 3 weeks. And we are still married!
 
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