9 replies to this topic

[mattihicken]

im wanting to go really low with my mini, but the terrain I drive on is very poor, so I thought an airride solution would be ideal so I could adjust, ive found a kit but realistically its going to be expensive and will amount up to at least a grand, is there a cheaper way or is this my best option. I don't want the Hi Los adjustable suspension as I ran it on a different mini and when ever I tried lowering it It would rattle and was just terrible, I presume this was because there was no compression?

 

Help would be welcome, Thanks

 

Matt

[Bungle]

when you lover a mini with hilos your not touching the spring so the suspension travel should not change, un like modern cars where you shorten the spring

 

if the ride was terrible i guess you were riding on the bump stops or the shocks were bottoming out

 

only problem with adjusting the ride height often is you will need the tracking reset each time you go up or down

Edited by Bungle, 12 January 2014 - 05:53 PM.

[mattihicken]

hmmm I don't know it was just rattly... besides it wasn't low enough anyway

[Dan]

When you lower the car you loose travel. Maximum bump doesn't change, it's still the point where things bind up. What you are doing is moving the rest position through the suspension travel closer to maximum bump. So yes, you loose available travel. You must stiffen the car up or it will hit the stops more often.

[Cooperman]

The only safe way to really lower a Mini as for racing is to actually raise the entire front sub-frame by cutting away and re-building the bulkhead cross-member, changing the 'tunnel' profile and moving some other fixings to allow the sub-frame to sit higher. That way the suspension travel stays the same as does the suspension and steering geometry.

For the road a lowered Mini is not ideal for reason which have been explained on here by many people over a considerable time period. A search will find that information for you.

[Vipernoir]

In the real sensible world, you can't do both.

Lowering a car generally makes it ride like crap on the road, and the combination of a lowered car and poor roads will lead to underside damage and a season-ticket at the local exhaust centre.

 

Hydraulic suspension is a possibility, a couple of my friends have fitted it over the years, but without a clever controller with pre-set rideheights it can be a nightmare to get it repeatably and level quickly.
There are also issues withthe direction the front wheels point and camber changes as the front goes through the lazy-s.

 

To set everything up so that it drives nicely and sensibly on the road will probably mean that you front wheels look unhappy if you then slam it McDonalds carpark to show off.

[Cooperman]

On the normal roads, especially twisty country roads where a Mini will still seem quick, standard ride height is best with better dampers and good tyres & brakes.

However, if having a lowered car is more important than classic Mini road-holding & handling, then try to keep it safe, drive less quickly and don't expect a comfortable ride.

[mattihicken]

jheez whats with all the hate guys haha, I just want a low mini purely because I like the look of it... I just wanted an opinion on whats best if lowering and if you know people that have used airride systems before and if they worked pretty well, cheers

[Cooperman]

No 'hate' here that I can see. Just sensible advice about how lowering a classic Mini reduces the suspension travel and hence introduces some engineering issues.

Lowering is really for race tracks where the road is almost totally smooth and where lowering the C of G can improve lap times a little.

Just understand the engineering issues before doing any modification and this applies to all areas of modification from engines, to braking, steering and ride height.

Please remember that on here we are not allowed to post any advice which could or will reduce safety or we render our site vulnerable to problems if a crash happens due to the advice given being followed.

[ado15]

As a bit of a correction....

 

Adjusting Hi-Lo's does not change the total suspension travel.

The front suspension is limited by the bump and rebound buffers.

The rear is limited by the shock absorber travel effectively.

Adjusting Hi-Lo's just changes the position within that stroke that the car normally sits.

 

Therefore, lowering a Mini with Hi-Lo's reduces bump travel while increasing rebound travel leaving the total travel identical, which is maybe what people meant