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There
seems to be much confusion over the use of Metro hubs
on the Mini.
Here
are some comments on the subject.
The
post-1984 Metro uses a different size top ball joint,
which has a larger taper and will not fit the Mini upper
arm. This can be solved by fitting a pre 1984 Metro
top joint.
Although
this will allow you to physically fit the hubs, the
Metro suspension geometry is different to the Mini.
This means that there will be enormous amounts of positive
camber (the wheels will lean out at the top).
Some
people (including high profile magazines) have suggested
that fitting longer lower arms will get the wheel to
the correct position. This may, indeed, get the wheel
to somewhere near its original camber angle. But, this
is taking a very simplistic view of suspension design.
There is far more to it than just getting the wheel
to the right angle in the static state. Suspension is,
by its very nature, a dynamic device. It is important
that the wheel behaves correctly throughout its motion.
By using Metro hubs with longer lower arms, the ‘kingpin’
axis is still not the same as the original Mini. This
means that, when the wheel is steered or the suspension
is operated, it will move in a different manner to the
way it should.
There
is little point in getting into the technical details
of what actually happens to the wheel, but it is fair
to say that it won’t be as Issigonis intended it
to be!
Our view is that the use
of Metro hubs and longer lower arms should be avoided.
If you do insist on using vented discs and 4 pot calipers,
then start with Mini disc brake hubs. You can then build
up the Metro vented discs, drive flanges and calipers
without wrecking the excellent suspension geometry of
your Mini. It works very well in standard form, why
mess with it?
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