29 replies to this topic

[sam27]

Hi iv seen a few threads on the spring conversation, but wanted to ask a few questions myself I have emailed minitastic but haven't had a reply yet:( i run my mini fairly low and was wondering if they are good when used low? And what's the best set to get when running the car low? Also can I use them with genuine hilos or do I have to get there full kit? Thanks

[CMXCVIII]

Surely coil springs are exactly the wrong thing if you run the car low?

 

By definition, the coils will bind.

 

Jon

[Mini Manannán]

I heard they'd gone out of business?  

[paulrockliffe]

Surely coil springs are exactly the wrong thing if you run the car low?

 

By definition, the coils will bind.

 

Jon

 

You would lower the car with HiLos, effectively shortening the trumpet, the springs aren't any more compressed than normal.  Though you would want the spring to be harder across the start of its travel, because the bump stops arrive much sooner, and the springs provide the opposite as they're softer initially, so definitely stick with rubber.

[sam27]

I saw there add in the mini magazine so guessed they were stil in business but when you go to there website it takes you to some sunglasses shop, iv seen a few minis run them low with the springs and heard good reviews

[Dusky]

On the track they're great on our mini, wich has 2 cm bottom clearance so fairly low. All depends on what you ll use it for..

[minifreek1]

Surely coil springs are exactly the wrong thing if you run the car low?

 

By definition, the coils will bind.

 

Jon

I run coils on mine and it hasn't suffered from spring bind yet....

 

Im also running Hi-Lo's with them....

[sam27]

Sounds good to me, it'll be used for shows and weekend use, I'm 21 so will put it round the bends aswell what spring do everyone recommend that can be used with hilos? I'm also running lowered gaz shocks

[minifreek1]

Mine are the medium springs, I thought that the race springs would be too hard for road use... not exactly hard to change though...

[sam27]

Yeah I was thinking those, and you run them with normal hilos? And how did you order them seen as they don't seem to have a website

[Orange-Phantom]

Have a search on the forums regarding swapping from Rubber to Spring suspension.

 

For example...

 

http://www.theminifo...hts/?hl=springs

 

The general consensus is that the original rubber suspension is much better at it's job than converting to springs, unless you are racing on a track or on billiard smooth roads.  Put it this way, I've got springs on mine, which was lowered, (I've raised the suspension back to where it should be as it was just terrible on our bumpy roads and I actually wanted to use the car on the road properly).  I'm now putting it back to proper rubber suspension as after driving a few mini's with rubber suspension which were properly setup, they drove soooo much better!

[Cooperman]

Coil springs cannot and will not ever be as good as the original rubber cone springs. This has been explained so often it is getting boring 9do a search).

 

The Mini must have a correct rising-rate spring and the very limited suspension travel means that only a rubber cone spring will do the job properly.

A coil spring is good for racing on a totally smooth track, but as soon as it is necessary to drive over bumps they simply don't work as well as rubber cone springs.

 

It is strange that now, after 60 years, people might consider coil springs, No doubt it is sales hype from those wishing to take your money. The Mini suspension was originally seen as a real step forward in suspension and it cannot be bettered on our little classic cars. 

 

You might make a coil spring work on a road car if you raised the ride height to the maximum to give a lot more suspension travel and help prevent coil-binding, but that rather defeats the reason for having a spring in the first place.

[Spider]

You won't get coil bind by running them at a low ride hight, however, you'll find they'll be too soft and you'll hit the bump stops on the smallest road surface change.

 

I'd suggest Red or possibly even Yellow Dot Cones.

[Orange-Phantom]

You won't get coil bind by running them at a low ride hight, however, you'll find they'll be too soft and you'll hit the bump stops on the smallest road surface change.

 

I'd suggest Red or possibly even Yellow Dot Cones.

That's exactly what mine was like when I brought it back from England to the Isle of Man.  Flippin awful!  Slightest bump and it was bouncing off the bump stops!  That's why I raised it back to standard height which resulted in it being much better!  Personally I cannot understand why you would want to lower a car and ruin the handling and driveability of it, plus it being a pain in the posterior to get over speed bumps.

 

I'm going to put Red Dot Cones on mine soon.

[Cooperman]

Presumably some owners are prepared to suffer the ride/handling/road-holding degradation you get with lowered cars because they want their cars to look like racing cars, despite the fact that on public roads they will not drive as well as cars with standard ride height. Each to their own.