For more on cupping see
http://www.dunlopmotorcycle.com/infocenter_faq.asp?id=9

Cupping may be worse if the tire rides up and down from being out of balance, mis inflated, subject to hard braking or uneven road surfaces.

I have had many sets of tires for street, track and autocross use and none have had cupping.

From the bentley MINI service manual I found on page 320-22
Front camber -0.30 plus or minus .25 degrees
Rear camber -1.32 plus or minus .30 degrees

The other stock alignment parameters I posted were from my alignment shop.

I'm currently running-
Front camber -2.3 degrees
Front toe 1/16" out
Rear camber -1.6 degrees
Rear toe zero
works fine for street, autocross and track. no severe wear noted with frequent rotations (every 1000-2000 miles at least)

 

I just got a set of M7 springs and I am going to have Steve's Auto Clinic install them this coming Wednesday. He is also going to install a set of controll arms and do the alignment so that it is close to stock. I am pretty excited to see how it turns out since I have similar concerns about tire wear.

 

You should be fine. Get a print out of the final alignment specs.
Ask for the settings to be set to the stock range as this will give you the smoothest ride. You can also ask for the rear camber to be set to the most negative within the stock settings or roughly -1.6 degrees. Tire wear should be fine as long as you keep tire pressures up (not over) and balance your wheels as needed (due to wear and rim damage). Front camber cannot be adjusted but should be fine at roughly -0.5 degrees.

 

Steve has the factory settings program for his 4 wheel alignemnt system and will definatly set you up properly. If you want something other than those specs just let him know and you will get what you want.

Randy

M7 Tuning
www.M7Tuning.com

 

Scott,

This is off the topic, but I'm thinking of studying mechanical engineering and also going into the automotive industry. Could you tell me a little more about what you do as an automotive engineer? Where you studied? Who you work for? I would really appreciate any information or suggestions you can give me. Thank you.

((Hyper Blue))(((((((((((((((

 

Added control arms to the rear...BIG difference!!!

 

I certainly hope everyone knows an alignment is mandatory after any ride-height change. Camber has minimal effect on tires. Toe, on the other hand, has a drastic impact.

 

Evidentally not bad at all as I can't feel any extra road noise, and certainly could not visually see any cupping in the first place, so it must have been very subtle. So I'm a happy camper!