17 replies to this topic

[RitzRestoration]

Hi guys, thinking of getting a coilover set up but was wondering if it was a straight fit and if there any good with road use. anyone got them ?

[nicklouse]

coil overs. the suspension pick points are in totally the wrong place.
coil repacements for the rubbers. totally the wrong spring type.

not really sutable for a mini suspension design.

people will buy them and say they are great.

would i run them on a road car. Nope.

[Spider]

coil overs. the suspension pick points are in totally the wrong place.
coil repacements for the rubbers. totally the wrong spring type.

not really sutable for a mini suspension design.

people will buy them and say they are great.

would i run them on a road car. Nope.

 

For road use and if your thinking of replacing the rubber cone set up with the springs (what ever type), yes, I agree completely.

[Carlos W]

The problem I have with coilovers is the shock mounts aren't designed to take the whole weight of the car.

 

The 4 small bolts on the front are nowhere near strong enough. It needs a total re-design to tie it into the crossmember

[Cooperman]

For a road car there are no advantages whatsoever to replacing the superb true 'rising rate' rubber cone springs with after-market coil springs of either the coil-over type or as direct cone replacements.

The spring rate as determined by the rubber cone compression is exactly right for a road Mini and for serious competition a harder cone is available.

So as 'nick...' and 'Moke...' have both said, stick with cones for best results.

Personally I have great doubts about the consistency of the spring rates of the coil springs offered as part of these kits and the spring HAS to be a rising rate spring with very close tolerances on the actual rates. To achieve the actual accuracy and true deflection figures of the rubber cone spring with close tolerances would mean the springs should cost a lot more than the suppliers are asking.

That is without considering the body strengthening necessary if fitting coil-overs due to the different way in which the suspension loads are resolved into the body-shell.

[RitzRestoration]

Cheers, this really helps it's a lot of money between the coilovers and some cones and shocks. Anyone recommend any cones for fast road?

Also seen the rear coil spring setup to replace the cones, has anyone fitted them or know if they handle well?

[One step at a time]

After reading up on this for my current project, using red dot rubber cones and adjustable shocks seems too be the most commonly used for price and performance.

[nicklouse]

again you have the problems of the spring rate. easy to manage on a single seat race car but not for a road car. again not worth it.

[Dusky]

Adjustable shocks are one of those go faster things they sell too. Why would you need it? Do you plan on adjusting your shocks each time you take it for a spin? Probably not.

[nicklouse]

Adjustable shocks are one of those go faster things they sell too. Why would you need it? Do you plan on adjusting your shocks each time you take it for a spin? Probably not.

actually they are actually useful. not that much on a road car but on a car used for some form of competition they are quiet important.

[Swift_General]

Cheers, this really helps it's a lot of money between the coilovers and some cones and shocks. Anyone recommend any cones for fast road?

Also seen the rear coil spring setup to replace the cones, has anyone fitted them or know if they handle well?

http://www.minispare...|Back to search

Stick to standard. The problem with coil springs is their rate remains the same regardless of the load (see Hooke's law). A mini is a comparitively light car so when you load it up with people it becomes reletivly heavier compared to a more modern car that would weigh much more in the first place. For example if empty a mini weighs 600kg and is then loaded up with 4 people at 75kg each it is now 50% heavier in total. If a car weighted 1200kg to start then the corresponding figure would only be 25%. Without an increasing spring rate as cooperman elludes to a coil spring will effectively soften relative to its stiffness when empty. That's the genius of the original idea.

[Dusky]

Adjustable shocks are one of those go faster things they sell too. Why would you need it? Do you plan on adjusting your shocks each time you take it for a spin? Probably not.

actually they are actually useful. not that much on a road car but on a car used for some form of competition they are quiet important.

thats what I want to say, way too many people wanting a full race suspension on a road going mini. And it only ruins the driving pleasure..

[Cooperman]

Cheers, this really helps it's a lot of money between the coilovers and some cones and shocks. Anyone recommend any cones for fast road?

Also seen the rear coil spring setup to replace the cones, has anyone fitted them or know if they handle well?

 

The rear spring set up is again for racing applications on totally smooth tracks, most definitely not for any sort of improvement on the roads.

 

I've found the best cones for road use, and indeed for rallying, are the standard original ones as sold only by Mini Spares.

 

They give the very best compromise for all road use. If you were building a race car the advice would be different, but for a 'not quite so slow' road Mini (no such thing as a 'fast road Mini'  ) the standard original ones are ideal.

 

For dampers you might want to look at GAZ or SPAX. They have a wide range of adjustment and for best all-round use set the ride height to standard and don't set the dampers too hard, but do set the fronts slightly harder than the rears. Ensure the suspension geometry is set accurately to the optimum settings and you'll find these dimensions if you do a search on here.

[RitzRestoration]

How about the adjusta ride kit or hi-lo kit? I would like to be able to adjust the ride height on the car, I know this might sound silly as its already low but it's just something I would like to be able to do.

[RitzRestoration]

How about the adjusta ride kit or hi-lo kit? I would like to be able to adjust the ride height on the car, I know this might sound silly as its already low but it's just something I would like to be able to do.