8 replies to this topic

[Cooper Me]

Firstly a little back ground.

I bought my 2000 copper S 2 years ago and at the time i live in the city. She was standard spec (to my knowledge), firm suspension and cornered/handeled great. Anyway now i've moved to the country where even surfaced roads are things people dream of at night and pot holes are real life and everywhere. Potholes can be avoided but driving down these roads in general feels like what it must have felt like to drive a tactor in the 1930's down a dirth track road, bumpy and jaw rattling!!

So i've spent the last few weeks reading about suspension, how it works, how i works in minis and want to do to improve it. Basically theary, while extremely interestin, sucks! I feel i know it all but i don't know how to do it practically with really products that are available. coil or rubber cone, damper or coil-over, do dampers come softer than the ones i have on at the moment and will that alone make much of a differnece? How soft do adjustable shocks go? I don't plan on racing it so why can't i just get soft/middium shocks?

I found this statement on a thread (Dry or hydrolastic suspension? Which is better?) on this site and i was hoping someone might be able to give me more specific details. Brand names, exact set up, whats the best set up, etc? Mini spares product numbers? ;o)

"Better to get dry rubber cone suspension - although now you can get coil springs to go instead of the rubber cones and these are in 3 grades - medium,soft,too soft - and are said to give a more 'forgiving' ride."

I'd like a more forgiving ride please help!

[taffy1967]

If a more comfortable ride is of paramount importance to you, then your best bet is to invest in the Moulton/Smootha Ride System that's marketed by Mini Sport: -

Moulton Smootha-Ride Product Details Link

Moulton Smootha-Ride, Mini Sport Link

It's claimed to offer superior ride comfort and the kit also includes new standard dampers, plus replacement Smootha Ride rubber springs too.

The only negative side is your likely to experience more body roll, but I don't know how much more myself.

As for other options, well Adjustable dampers are generally only as soft as standard dampers when their on their least most setting. Once you start to turn them up they get firmer.

The rubber springs on your Mini could have partially collapsed, gone hard or sagged with age and therefore are making your ride harder than what it would have been when your Mini was new. So you could just fit new standard rubber springs (Mini Spares sell genuine replacements), but you might find that you need new knuckle joints too.

Coil over springs are known to be generally firmer and some cheap after-market types have snapped in use, which isn't fun when your driving around a bend at speed.

Anyway if it was me and I wanted greater comfort then I'd go for the Moulton Smootha Ride system and I can vouch for Mini Sports Adjusta Ride (adjustable suspension), because I've had it fitted to my Mini for over a decade and it's been superb.

Edited by taffy1967, 26 April 2007 - 12:10 AM.

[Mincento]

i wouldnbt recomend coilvers FULL STOP if you want ride comfort, the arosa in my sig is on very expensive coilovers and the ride quality is appauling

if you have a mini sportspack whihc is what i think you do, i have read one article in miniworld where the owner changed the standard fit koni soport shocks (yes they have them standard) and he fitted spax adjustables i believe and said the ride quality was much improved

whether any of the options will give better ride quality though is all guess work, the smootha ride kit out of all the options most likely will give good ride quality but for give me for saying this but i would guess you brought your mini partly for how it handles and im not totally sure on just how much the handling would be sacrificed in favour of ride quality with this kit?

wayne

[whiskymac]

I have the smootha ride installed on my car, and would recommend it to anyone - the ride is much more comfortable and yet I dont seem to get much more body roll - a fair bit more than before, but adjustable dampers can control this to a degree. Only problem is with carrying two people in the back, likes to rub the arches then!

[Cooper Me]

Hey guys thanks for all your help!

“if you have a mini sportspack”

Yes I do.

Fitting spax adjustables to improve ride quality was my first thought but I read an article on the mini spares web site (http://www.minispare...le.aspx?aid=360) and it basically says adjustable shocks are rubbish in general and if I was to use any I should use Kayaba Gas-a-Just non-adjustable or Avo adjustable. Any opionions on this?


“but forgive me for saying this but i would guess you brought your mini partly for how it handles”

This is very true. So when Whiskymac suggests smootha ride with adjustable dampers that sounds great? (pretty expensive though but worth it if it works). I wounder has any one tried this? I would like medium handling with medium comfort. I can’t imagine how changing the truimpt and knuckle joints would improve ride quality? Just change Suspension Cones to Moulton Smootha Ride Suspension Cones?

Taffy1967,

When you say rubber springs and them potentionally having gone hard 1. are you talking about the Suspension Cones and 2 how soft should they be? Hard to answer the last part I know so would it be a good idea in general to replace them? How often do they normally need to be replaced?

Which are better, oil or gas dampers? Going by price that’s a silly question but is there a performance difference?

The smootha ride kit at first glance look to have KYB Premium Oil Shock Absorbers, dose anyone know if this is true?

I read somewhere that only upgrading the front suspension of the mini would really make a difference to the comfort of the driver, I never carry passages so would this be ok? Can I have adjustable front suspension and standard rear? I’ll definite end up changing both if that’s the way to go but I wouldn’t mind doing it over 2 months pay checks! ;o)

Sorry for all the questions!

[whiskymac]

To be honest i would say i now have medium handling and medium ride, in fact the handling is still very good and the ride is far better.

My old cones were knackered, compressed down to half their original size over 21 years and gone pretty hard due to being compacted. My lower arms had also never been greased, so in fact the bearings were solid and i had pertty much zero suspension travel - great handling but a harsh ride. But as i used smootharide cones i've no idea how this compares to new standard cones - but after a couple of weeks or settling the cones, there is not as much body roll but it is still very comfortable (for a mini!)

I bought the kit from mini sport when it was on special offer, £300 or something...maybe £200 i cant remember! included 4 smootha ride cones, new knuckle joints, adjusta rides and adjustable rear camber and tracking brackets.

[Jammy]

i wouldnbt recomend coilvers FULL STOP if you want ride comfort, the arosa in my sig is on very expensive coilovers and the ride quality is appauling

Have you had the corner weights set and did you calculate which springs you'd need?

[taffy1967]

Taffy1967,

When you say rubber springs and them potentionally having gone hard 1. are you talking about the Suspension Cones and 2 how soft should they be? Hard to answer the last part I know so would it be a good idea in general to replace them? How often do they normally need to be replaced?

No I was refering to the rubber Springs or Rubber Donuts as some call them. And they shouldn't necessarily be soft, but they shouldn't be squashed or rock hard either. I've heard some owners claim that it's a good idea to change them every 5 years or so, but my Minis is still riding on it's original springs and it'll be 17 years old this year.

I have the smootha ride installed on my car, and would recommend it to anyone - the ride is much more comfortable and yet I dont seem to get much more body roll - a fair bit more than before, but adjustable dampers can control this to a degree. Only problem is with carrying two people in the back, likes to rub the arches then!

But if your using Moulton/Smootha Ride, then you wouldn't want to fit adjustable dampers because that would cancel out the softer ride and make fitting the Smootha Ride Kit pointless? And if your rear is rubbing, then you could always raise your suspension to compensate for this? Or fit a rebound button (or whatever it's called) as fitted to the ERA Mini Turbo. But I don't know if it would be suitable for a Moulton Smoota Ride Spring/Donut?

Anyway I've had the standard Adjusta-Ride kit and Gas Spax adjustable dampers fitted to my Mini for over 11 years now and it's been superb. The ride is firm but still pretty comfortable and the handling is brilliant and I could see a major difference when I then drove my sisters or nieces Minis with a standard set-up.

So the choice is yours, but from the sounds of it Smootha Ride would be the one to go for and you can adjust the ride height to suit too.

[Mincento]

i wouldnbt recomend coilvers FULL STOP if you want ride comfort, the arosa in my sig is on very expensive coilovers and the ride quality is appauling

Have you had the corner weights set and did you calculate which springs you'd need?

Come on Jammy you dont think Fk automotice get that technical when they make a set of coilvers do you? they are £600 worth of polished stainless, fixed damping, fully height adjustable with a drop of upto 120mm, for my car you can get top of the range fully adjustable and specific setting Kw's but at over £1100 youd have to be doing some serious competition driving

back on topic Cooper Me i do aggree after confirming you have a sportspack that the ride is a little harsh BUT what i will also say here is with a standard sportspack due to the 13's as standard if driven remotely hard you can get tyre rubbing, but what concerns me is if your going to fit softer suspension then you may get quite alot of rubbing which can be dangerous ill never forget when in with my mate we were bombing along at 100 in his SP, hit a bump in the motorway and the front arches rubbed on the tyres, didnt think much to it then got next service and while he got a drink i looked round the car and noticed there was grove about 2mm deep where the arch had touched, now do this at 70 with softer suspension few times and youd be bordering on lethal

also one main reason the SP's ride so harsh is due to the low profile tyres fitted to the 13's which wont have as much side wall flex as say 10's or 12's

new bushes all round and new trumpets i would think would transoform the ride quality to an extent though

wayne

Edited by Mincento, 27 April 2007 - 12:10 AM.