10 replies to this topic

[mr.x]

Does an Mpi Sportspack have standard size rubber suspension cones or it does it require special cones? My car is sitting about 2.5cm lower on the left hand side rear then the right hand side rear. The front is about 3cm lower than the rear, but level (normal?). Should I go ahead and put a set of 4 new cones on? The ride seems harsh, but I'm used to driving in bigger cars and have never driven in another Sportspack. Its hard for me to tell if something is wrong, besides seeing one side of the lower then the other.

Anything else on the suspension that I should replace?

[bluedragon]

Does an Mpi Sportspack have standard size rubber suspension cones or it does it require special cones? My car is sitting about 2.5cm lower on the left hand side rear then the right hand side rear. The front is about 3cm lower than the rear, but level (normal?). Should I go ahead and put a set of 4 new cones on? The ride seems harsh, but I'm used to driving in bigger cars and have never driven in another Sportspack. Its hard for me to tell if something is wrong, besides seeing one side of the lower then the other.

Anything else on the suspension that I should replace?

The cones are the same as all other Minis. After 9+ years, it may be a good idea to replace all the cones, but I would say you won't see a dramatic improvement in ride unless your cones are totally squashed.

The real answer to the ride height issue is to get hi-los (adjustrides, etc.) that will let you alter the ride height. The suspension will settle over time and the heavier corners will droop more, especially with a driver in the seat. So a hi-lo will let you put the height exactly where you want it and keep it there. If your main concern is ride height, I'd get those before cones. But you have to remove the cones to install hi-los, and it's a lot of work especially up front, so you might as well change the cones while you're at it.

New cones or old, the Mini won't ride anything close to a modern car. I changed my cones after 10 years/60,000km and noticed no real change in ride. The short wheelbase of the Mini and limited suspension travel is the main barrier, and the big 13" wheels also hurt the ride. But it still won't ride like a Honda Civic.

If a smoother ride is important, switch to 12" or better yet, 10" wheels. You could also try converting to steel springs which most reports say really improves the ride, but at a considerable cost in handling. I don't know how those soft springs cope with the mass of the large and heavy 13" wheels.

(oh yeah, may want to test your shocks too, or, if you have the Konis, dial them up to the higher settings to compensate for wear. Mine seemed very flaccid after 10 years/60,000 km, and flabby shocks won't help the ride any.)

Edited by bluedragon, 29 June 2009 - 08:37 PM.

[mr.x]

What should I get for Hi-los? Does a hi-lo kit normally come with new cones or should I go ahead and get the cones now? Do hi-los replace the shocks? I've never seen hi-los on any car before, so excuse the questions. Should I go ahead and replace the shocks? They are 10 year old Konis, but have only covered 26,000 miles.

I'm not switching the wheels off to anything else. I love the look of wheels. I realize a smaller wheel would help, but I'm not going to be swapping them out.

[bluedragon]

What should I get for Hi-los? Does a hi-lo kit normally come with new cones or should I go ahead and get the cones now? Do hi-los replace the shocks? I've never seen hi-los on any car before, so excuse the questions. Should I go ahead and replace the shocks? They are 10 year old Konis, but have only covered 26,000 miles.

I'm not switching the wheels off to anything else. I love the look of wheels. I realize a smaller wheel would help, but I'm not going to be swapping them out.

Best to look at a diagram of the suspension such as can be found at places like minimania. But fitted into each cone on a Mini, is an aluminum fitting commonly called the "trumpet." It too is somewhat cone-shaped.

On a stock Mini, the trumpet is a fixed length piece. A "hi-lo" (a brand, similar pieces can be known as "adjustarides", etc.) is a trumpet whose length is adjustable. So by varying the length of the hi-lo, you can adjust the ride height.

So everything else is the same (shocks, cones, etc.) A hi-lo kit usually just has 4 adjustable length replacements for the stock trumpets. The genuine Hi-Los are available from places like Mini Spares. I think the Adjustaride competitor is sold by Mini Sport, and there are also a number of no-name copies as well. I personally have the Hi-Los. Others may be able to testify as to other brands.

I'm not sure of a good shock test for a Mini - on normal cars, they say compress one corner with weight, release it, and if the car doesn't stop oscillating within 1 up/down cycle, the shocks are finished. Not sure how this holds true on a Mini. For me, I wanted to switch to AGX shocks anyway.

When I removed the Konis, they seemed pretty easy to squash and compress with my bare hands, and I'm no weightlifter. Worse, I could extend them quite easily by hand (and that is the main purpose of a "shock", which is more properly called a damper.) It quells the rebound of a compressed spring (or rubber cone in the Mini's case.)

So (perhaps wrongly) I felt they were finished. The new AGX were much stiffer out of the box, resistant in both directions to hand applied force (which is nothing compared to what a car suspension delivers.)

But, all Konis have adjustment to compensate for wear. You have to remove the shock, then there's some trick to compress it and rotate the body to move it to the next higher setting. There are 5 settings I believe, but I don't have a step-by-step to illustrate how to adjust them. Best to get feedback from someone who has practice at it or maybe go to Koni's website.

If they are finished they can be rebuilt, but the AGX's for me weren't that much more than the cost of having the shocks rebuilt.

[nicksuth]

If you have the funds available, the best thing is to go for a full kit of Cones, HiLo's, Shocks and Knuckle Joints - these can be bought at a reasonable price from minspares>>>>>>>>>>>>>

http://www.minispare...Suspension~Kits

In my opinon, handling is more important than BHP !!!

[mr.x]

Which kit should I get? I have the funds available and I'm ready to get something, but I want to make it is good kit at a fair price.

[bluedragon]

Which kit should I get? I have the funds available and I'm ready to get something, but I want to make it is good kit at a fair price.

Any of the MiniSpares kits are fine. Others are too but I have no experience with them. I personally have the MSSK3012 kit which I am happy with. Over 15,000 miles of use, no problems at all.

When you alter the ride height from stock, the alignment changes. So it's a good thing to have all the other suspension adjustment bits included in the kit. It may not be neccessary if your goal is to maintain stock ride height, but being able to keep the suspension in spec with adjustable pieces is still beneficial.

Don't get a final alignment until you put a few thousand miles on the car though. The suspension will settle, so if you do the full bore alignment outright, it will go out of spec (even if you measure the ride height and keep cranking the hi-los to maintain it. It's hard to be that precise.) Let it settle, then crank it to final height and have it fully aligned. But make sure it does have a rough alignment so the car is safe to drive while you let the suspension settle.

I chose the C-STR687 uprated cones, which might be a good choice for a heavier Mini such as you have. I didn't notice much difference though in ride or handling, though they seem to hold their shape better. But if you get these cones, I'd recommend painting or coating the silver parts of the cone. I thought these were some sort of aluminum and didn't paint them - they rapidly rusted and looked awful after a few months. (cosmetically ugly, structurally unaffected.) And it's a lot of trouble to take the front ones out to remedy the problem after the fact.

Beware that there is a possbility of getting counterfeit or cheaply made cones that will rapidly collapse. Get the cones (stock or uprated) from a reputable vendor.

[mr.x]

What should I get for shocks?

[mr.x]

My friend over at Mini Spares is telling me to get the MSSK3004 kit

Is it any good?

http://www.minispare...itle=SUSPENSION PACKAGE OF HIL...

[bluedragon]

My friend over at Mini Spares is telling me to get the MSSK3004 kit

Is it any good?

http://www.minispare...itle=SUSPENSION PACKAGE OF HIL...

I would say "yes." I have those hi-los, and the quality is excellent. I have no personal experience with those KYB shocks but I researched shocks before I bought mine and everything indicated the KYB's were of high quality and are of good performance. I opted for the AGX shocks (also made by KYB) simply because they also had a good reputation and were adjustable. If you're not the type to tweak your shock settings regularly, then I would think the KYB's in this package would be a good choice. But again, no personal experience with this particular shock model.

[Guess-Works.com]

Well if it's a sportpack, it'll already have KONI dampers on, which unless are knarckered, are worth keeping on the car...