9 replies to this topic

[supermotolee]

hello all

what do you guys and girls do on your really low minis? i built my car last year with my 1380 and wound the hi lo's down until i could just about get away without the front wheels scraping but i later found out when pulling it all appart that i'd been running it around on the bump stops the whole time with practically no suspension travel due to it being on the bump stops all the time. can you trim them down or run without them totally? will the top arm actually hit the subframe when going over bumps? are there any special tricks i can do before i assemble my front sub frame? my aim is to run the car at a aimilar height but get some more travel on the front suspension i am fully aware of the perils of speed bumps...

thanks guys/girls

lee

[OllyD]

Aren't bumpstops there for the specific purpose of preventing further travel? As in, things start ripping off if they go any further?

[supermotolee]

not sure thats why i'm asking...

[Dan]

You must have some form of bump stop. For one thing you won't pass an MOT without them. Some people cut them down but the wisdom of this is debateable. I think that if the shocks are the lowered type or fitted to lowered top pins there is some scope for trimming them but you really aren't going to get much travel when you wind it right down.

[Sprocket]

Yup the shocks are the problem area.

The bump stops can be trimmed, I had to do this on mine and i hadnt lowered it that much. There is however a 6mm spacer fitted under these on the later 12" wheeled minis when they left the factory.

The only other thing to consider is the fouling of the wings on full bump. I cut away all the wing that was not necisary, right up to the fixing points of the arches. The rears are going to be tubbed before Avon this year.

I have fitted the poly bump stops, but dont rate them to be honest, better off with the rubber ones trimmed a little.

If you leave them off, expect the wheel to hit the body when you fall down the crater like pot holes in the roads these days.

[supermotolee]

right thanks guys how easy is it to fit bump stops when the car is back together? or am i bets off trimming some and fitting them before the subframe goes back in?

thanks again

lee

[Dan]

Usually pretty easy even with the car on its wheels but it will be much harder on a drastically lowered car I should think.

[supermotolee]

thanks i'l see what condition my new subframe is in and if it has bump stops already and i'l trim them a bit see how we go i've got some coil springs instead of the rubber dohnuts to go in so i'l be seeing if they improve the ride of the car they are the blue ones not the harder red ones

[Dan]

If you've got it that low you might be needing the harder ones. You have to remember that what you have done is remove the first half of the suspension travel, if the springs are lightweight it will spend all of its time on the bumpstops again.

[supermotolee]

i'l try to find a compramise between comfort and ride height
thanks lee