16 replies to this topic

[mattrsa]

Hi All 

 

I have recently overhauled the entire suspension on my mini with red spot cones, hilo's, all new rubber on suspension arms and new shocks. 

I know it will take time for all this to settle but when have put the car back on the ground this weekend the passenger front is almost an inch higher than the drivers side and the hilo's are set in the identical place. 

 

Is there something I have missed when putting it together or should I just wait till everything beds in before worrying. 

 

Thanks in advance. 

[richmondclassicsnorthwales]

Is the new cone seated correctly ?

 

Otherwise - lower the adjuster that side

[Benoit_Dupont]

I'll suggest getting an heavier passenger then. :)

 

could also be on the rear side the ball end of the trumpett noit being well engaged. 

[GraemeC]

Check everything is seated properly, but has the car moved or been driven since you put it back on the ground?

The flywheel is the heavier end of the engine, so that side will naturally settle a little easier.  If the car hasn't moved though then the suspension can't settle properly as the tyres don't move to their natural position as the car hits the ground.

 

I would personally get a few miles on the car before trying to get it perfectly level.  Its not unusual for the hilos to be adjusted to different lengths, in fact its probably expected as the corner weights of the vehicle are different.

Edited by GraemeC, 08 March 2021 - 10:43 AM.

[Spherix]

Is your fuel tank full or empty?

[Spider]

Were the sockets for the Knuckle Joints in any of the Arms worn ?

[Revd]

An inch suggests something amiss rather than settling of cones -I fitted red spots last year and they barely budged over 1500 miles. Was the car level before?
Are all cones seated properly -especially opposite rear corner.
How level is the car with front dampers removed?

[Tremelune]

What's the issue? Get it level with the hilos and go through a few tanks of gas before having it corner balanced and aligned.

[panky]

I fitted new cones a couple of years ago (Minispares) and I too had a height difference, standard suspension no Hi-Lo's. Turned out that one of the new doughnuts had collapsed, it was worse than the old one I took out. Mini Spares replaced it without a problem and I sent the old one back for analysis.

 

 

 

squished

 

 

[croc7]

Check everything is seated properly, but has the car moved or been driven since you put it back on the ground?

The flywheel is the heavier end of the engine, so that side will naturally settle a little easier.  If the car hasn't moved though then the suspension can't settle properly as the tyres don't move to their natural position as the car hits the ground.

 

I would personally get a few miles on the car before trying to get it perfectly level.  Its not unusual for the hilos to be adjusted to different lengths, in fact its probably expected as the corner weights of the vehicle are different.

Agree with Graeme, I had trouble with the rear hi-lo's/cones staying in place when I raised the car to make adjustments after installing new red dots on all four corners of the car.  For some reason, the rear suspension settled in nicely after about 300 miles but the front, contrary to what I thought would happen, took another 700 before they were relatively close to being settled in to the lowered height that I wanted.  Even had to shorten the trumpet.  Kind of like chasing correct corner weighting, I found that adjusting one corner altered changed the ride height of the opposite corner.  I wasn't able to get them exact but close.  An eighth of an inch isn't going to affect my use of the car anyway.

[sonscar]

Admittedly I am not an engineer but the whole process of "settling" seems wrong to me.A spring is by nature springy,it compresses and then returns to its original.For it to "settle" it must have passed its elastic limit and collapsed?For sure it does happen,but why?.I am assuming the bolts have been tightened at ride height and nothing binds.Corner weighting a road car also seems overkill,I understand the reasons but then you would have to  always wear the same clothes,never carry a passenger or luggage or fill up with petrol etc.

I once crewed for a single seater driver who could not tell if the dampers were full hard or soft,I probably drive like him.Steve..

[nicklouse]

Admittedly I am not an engineer but the whole process of "settling" seems wrong to me.A spring is by nature springy,it compresses and then returns to its original.For it to "settle" it must have passed its elastic limit and collapsed?For sure it does happen,but why?.I am assuming the bolts have been tightened at ride height and nothing binds.Corner weighting a road car also seems overkill,I understand the reasons but then you would have to  always wear the same clothes,never carry a passenger or luggage or fill up with petrol etc.

I once crewed for a single seater driver who could not tell if the dampers were full hard or soft,I probably drive like him.Steve..

Go look up the info on rubbers and plastics.  And if you do remove a rubber cone the will (eventually) return to their unloaded state. Likewise they need time to get to their operating position/compression.

 

Chris should be along soon to explain.

[sonscar]

Thanks for the insight,rubber cones are on a downward spiral as soon as they are fitted it would seem.The cones on my car are the original 30 year old and definately look like the collapsed pictures but after reading of some experiences of new parts I am wary of wasting the time and expense of renewing them.Steve..

[croc7]

It would be nice to have a report on the new cones offered by Mini Spares.  Has anyone tried/compared them to new red dot cones?

[MiniCarJack]

It would be nice to have a report on the new cones offered by Mini Spares.  Has anyone tried/compared them to new red dot cones?

 

I recently had a set of the new Minispares EVO cones fitted to my '91 along with new KYB shocks and HiLos. I've only put around 150 miles on the car so they've still got a bit more settling to do, but they're a lot nicer than my old knackered cones which must've been the original ones from 1991. That said, they're quite firm, which makes sense as I was advised by Minispares that they're made of a harder rubber compound than standard cones, which should also mean they don't "settle" as low and do offer a slightly firmer ride by comparison. It's interesting when comparing directly with the suspension on my Mk1, which has been converted to a standard dry setup with what I believe to be standard spec cones - despite the cones on that car having done thousands of miles and being at least a decade old now, the car seems to absorb bumps in the road much more smoothly than the '91 with its all brand-new EVO setup, but there is of course a difference with the Mk1 being on 10" wheels while the '91 is on 12s!