27 replies to this topic

[liam1288]

hi guys, ive got a 1990 mini city e... i was wondering if solid subframe mounts are any good as a replacement for standard mounts with rubber...??
cheers!

[AndyMiniMad.]

Solid mounts will make the ride very noisy as there is noise transferance through the mounts. I went for pollybush tower mounts and rear subframe mounts with solid teardrop mounts. in my opinion this is the perfect road car setup. but every one has a different opinion on this!!

[Cooperman]

Solid front mounts are really a vital thing if you want crisp and accurate handling. It makes the car feel more like the Mk1, 2 & 3 which were solidly mounted as standard.
No more worrying about broken mountings at MoT time either.

[liam1288]

hmmm, do they noticably improve the handling? or just lots of noise? ha ha

[liam1288]

yeah, ha ha i got an advisory for them oin my mot so im looking into them

[wile e coyote]

Yep - that's a well spent thirty quid or so - sharpens up the handling very nicely indeed - but - and there's always a but, in this case 2:

1. Noise - solid mounts will feed back more road noise - the downside of stiffening things up

& 2. Stress - and this is anecdotal 2nd hand info - if you solid mount the entire front sub, towers, body mount and front teardrops its a little too solid and can lead to the front panel to wing join fracturing - so fit everything else but just renew the rubber teardrops (combine this with polybushing the lower arms and using the uprated tie bar bushes, minispares do a mixed material kit - and jobs a good un...

[AndyMiniMad.]

If you can put up with the extra noise then yes solid mounts are better. you can always get ear plugs haha!

[liam1288]

Yep - that's a well spent thirty quid or so - sharpens up the handling very nicely indeed - but - and there's always a but, in this case 2:

1. Noise - solid mounts will feed back more road noise - the downside of stiffening things up

& 2. Stress - and this is anecdotal 2nd hand info - if you solid mount the entire front sub, towers, body mount and front teardrops its a little too solid and can lead to the front panel to wing join fracturing - so fit everything else but just renew the rubber teardrops (combine this with polybushing the lower arms and using the uprated tie bar bushes, minispares do a mixed material kit - and jobs a good un...

cheers mate, would you be able to post a link to this mixed minispares kit?

[liam1288]

ear plugs, ha ha!

[wile e coyote]

yep - this one...tie bar bush kit...

http://www.minispare...=...7257&title=

[AndyMiniMad.]

you gonna use it on track or just for road? what engine you running?

[liam1288]

you gonna use it on track or just for road? what engine you running?

its a 998 with stage 1 and yeah just road matey

[Kam]

Solids all round will make your car very shaky at idle, transfers everywhere, might bother some

+1 to wile e coyote's reply

[Cooperman]

All Mk1, MK 2 and Mk 3 up to about 1980 had solidly mounted sub-frames.
The manufaturers changed when they perceived the market sector for the Mini changing more to 'little old ladies and mums' and tried to improve the NHV (that's noise, harshness and vibration). Unfortunately this spoiled the crisp handling for which the Mini was renowned and gave rise to a new failure mode, rubber mounting failure.
Solid mounting really doesn't make the car noticeably more harsh, but it does improve the entire 'driving feel'.
It's the first thing I do to any Mini I own which comes with rubber-mountings on the sub-frame. It also makes the car stronger in a rash ase. I've never heard of solid mountings causing body spliuts. After all, Minis whih are raed and rallied have solid mountings and have not suffered this way. The only body splits I've seen have been in the front bulkhead where the rubber mountings have failed at the very front and the extra load then carried by the rear rubber mountings (i.e. into the front bulkhead) have caused fatigue splits which have to be plated to repair.

[Cooperman]

All Mk1, MK 2 and Mk 3 up to about 1980 had solidly mounted sub-frames.
The manufaturers changed when they perceived the market sector for the Mini changing more to 'little old ladies and mums' and tried to improve the NHV (that's noise, harshness and vibration). Unfortunately this spoiled the crisp handling for which the Mini was renowned and gave rise to a new failure mode, rubber mounting failure.
Solid mounting really doesn't make the car noticeably more harsh, but it does improve the entire 'driving feel'.
It's the first thing I do to any Mini I own which comes with rubber-mountings on the sub-frame. It also makes the car stronger in a rash ase. I've never heard of solid mountings causing body spliuts. After all, Minis whih are raed and rallied have solid mountings and have not suffered this way. The only body splits I've seen have been in the front bulkhead where the rubber mountings have failed at the very front and the extra load then carried by the rear rubber mountings (i.e. into the front bulkhead) have caused fatigue splits which have to be plated to repair.