Improving handling

[Chris KC]

I can't promise the car will meet your expectations once you have replaced them, but I suggest decent tyres and sound road springs should be your starting point.

[Paul Nott]

Really appreciate contributions, I've only had the Seven for a little while (a project for me and 12yr old son) and learning as I go.
I've completed more work than expected but enjoying the challenge. 
New tyres will be ordered next, is this a fit at home job?
Have plenty of experience of changing mountain bike tyres but never a car tyre.
Once tyres are on will check camber, Ive had one radius arm off, so wonder if angle has changed.
No doubt rear springs will be changed at some stage.

[David Stepney]

Yes, Paul. You can fit tyres at home. You will need a pair of stout tyre levers (to get the old ones off) and a rubber hammer (to get the new ones on). A bit more work than fitting bicycle tyres, but the technique is about the same.

[John Mason]

One bit of advice on changing tyres something I learnt from personal experience. If using tyre levers to remove the old ones insert them on the rim that faces inwards so that if the rims get scratched it will not spoil the look of your car. When fitting new do just the same as you do with bike tyres put a little air in the tubes to prevent the inner tubes getting trapped by the tyre.

John Mason.

["Slack Alice" Simon]

Warm the tyres before starting, if you can,and wear shoes with good solid heels to stand on the tyres to push them off the rim and into the well.


Unlike mountain bike tyres, car tyres usually need a bit of lubrication to help the putting on.


Do not be tempted by washing up liquid, use talcum powder.

[Nick Salmon]

I agree that new tyres should transform handling.

Have you checked to see if the shock absorbers are functioning? On my Special, which we use for trialling and on the road, if I forget to tighten the shocks back up after having had them loosened off for the trial, the next time I go out on the road the car reminds me...in no uncertain terms!

[Paul Nott]

Hi Nick
I purchased a double arm front shocker and fitted with new link bushes.
I haven't adjusted the shock from its delivered setting, there was no information on adjusting, is it adjustable and if so how?

[Ian Williams]

I can fit new 19" tyres simply by walking them on, no levers involved, that's provided they are not freezing cold, so yes very much a job that can be done at home. Paul if you are unable to work out the castor and to tell when the car is adequately damped then I respectfully suggest that you take it to a reputable A7 specialist and get him to sort out all the issues.

[Nick Salmon]

Paul - I am not the best person to give you advice on setting up double arm shocks as my own experience of them was not good. I simply could not get any improvement on my A7 special's handling with a set of them and I reverted to standard setup - which is perfectly adequate for my use.

Yes, they are adjustable. In simple terms, the pivot bolt tightens against a star spring and exerts pressure on the frictions discs in the circular bit of the shock arm. The more you tighten, the more the resistance to the movement of the arm as the suspension gets compressed and released while you drive down the road.

If there is not enough pressure the suspension will bounce around and you will find the steering highly unpredictable. If there is too much pressure the suspension springing will not function well and be too stiff. You will then have poor steering because their is no compliance - the the wheels will be 'juddering' over bumps etc.

The happy medium is to find the point at which there is enough compliance but not too much - and you will get there by experimenting with tightening and loosening the pivot bolts. Try a turn or two of the nut each time, then take the car for a run.

If you want some idea of what I am trying to explain, tighten the nuts right up - go for a short drive. Then loosen them right off (not so far that they will unwind off the bolts and get lost) and do another short drive. You should notice a big diffence. Then start experimenting.

Have fun...!

[Bob Culver]

As previous I fitted hydr sas to front of RP. These greatly reduced pitching ion poor waved surfaces but at brisk open road driving could not detect much difference (unlike similar mod at rear which transforned handling). I suspect that for ordinary motoring gains to be made from dampening changes at the front are not great. If tightening s.as do not fracture the star washers.
I dont know what tyres were like new in the 1930s. Tyres used on my car were not particualrly old at the time but most extremely difficult to remove and fit. (i still do tyre changes on the "moderns") So much so that I did doubt if they were like that new. Recent ones went on like bicycle tyres!! The wall strength of modern very thin material is amazing. Presumably the soft side walls act as radials and reduce the camber steer (when the surface tilts relative to the wheel, the wheel tends to run off course) So just how the cars handled in their day is a puzzle.