Ok - looking at buying a Mini S - i am going to campain it in the One Lap of America since i am switching classes. The mini is in what is called the retro class and was, well - empty this year but should have 5-6 cars in it next year. Which would make it fun.
My question is this - What real suspension systems are advailable for Mini S, i am looking for at the minium 2 Way Fully adjustable (15+ compression, 15+ high/low speed dampning adjustments), although a 3 way would be better for my application. I would rather not have them made but i am looking at that as well. From the sparce info that Leda has on thier site (and they have not answered my query) it looks like the might be an option, DMS is another option.
does anyone have anything close to this (no koni,H&R stuff)

Next Q -
I see that all the usual suspects make brake kit's 320mmX28mm 2 piston Fronts - Anyone make rear brakes? or at least a Bias Bar (not sure who that would affect the ABS though, might freak it out)
Are there any Larger (sweep area) brakes out there - the Tarox units are puzzling to say the least - 10 really small pistons?

Any help would be great

 

Okay, I'll take a swipe at this one.
Suspension: I'm currently running the Spax Gen II units. Very reliable with loads of adjustability for both rebound rates and and ride height. They also are worked very closely with the original Mini and have proven themselves in Europe from my own research.
Brakes: I currently have the Stoptechs fitted to my Mini with Tarox Rotors fitted to the rear. This moves the brake bias rearward a small percentage since the Stoptechs were originally designed to work with the stock brakes.
Another way for adjusting bias rearward is to use different compounds front and rear. Since different compounds will grab at different temperatures and the Mini rear brakes tend to run at cooler temperatures from the front, you adjust when the brakes grab by going with a cooler operating temperature on the rear pads and have them bite more quickly and with greater force than with a full blown race pad that needs to be heated up.
One final note: Think about adjustable camber plates. There are now two styles cueently available. JLM's (Board member) are custom made and machined to fit specifically our Mini's. K-Pac (Australian) Look very similar to those offered by BMP for the BMW's.

Hope this helps some in your search.

 

One other thought: (I have really wanted to do One Lap myself) Get the roof rack installed. It is removable and will allow you more storage options for the trip across the US.

 

You only do 2 laps at each track. If you aren't over 200hp
the stock brakes are fine for the one lap. Just change pads
and save some money for coffee!!

 

You might want to look into Ground Control with their coil over kits and advanced design shocks/struts. DA Konis are available for the rear, singles for the front.... There are a few ready to install coil over setups,.... KW, Spax, and such but I doubt one of them is track oriented enough out of the box.... Leda should have the right stuff if they ever get you some info....

This kind of stuff makes me Glad I run a "Stock" auto-X class!!!! after years of running and developing modified class cars....

BTW I agree on the brakes.... go stock with very good pads for 2 lap track sessions....

_________________
Jason

03 MC Black/White
#13 H-Stock.. Atlanta Region SCCA

 

I'll Look at the Spax dampers - Can i assume that they are Double adjustable? The rest of the items are nessecary but not as difficult to source (Camber plates, Springs, Anti-Roll bar, and such). That's good which means they are reasonable and hopefully will be mostly quality peices.
From what i have seen is that nobody is really making a complete kit for the S yet and nothing larger than 320mm. the one lap is a Time trial type competition with only 1 warm up lap and then 3-5 timed laps - so everything has to be dialed in when you come off your warmup lap esp brakes -
I burned up a set of larger brakes this year (although in a lighter car) - not too worried about changing them mid -way. Larger sweep area = more energy turned into heat =faster deceleration = deeper into corners = you get the idea. and the mini is not exactly light so you need to make sure you carry as much speed into the corners as possible
The roof rack is actually a pain.. you have to take it off, you have to unpack the car - your doing this 2-3 times a day. The only way to go is to use a trailer and put as much of your stuff in it as you can, just carrying the bare minium inside the car. makes unpacking at the track fast so you have more time to rest, which is the key. The 1 lap is not scored on the highway only the track.
Thx

 

I think I can say the Spax are quite "track oriented". I've been running them since Christmas, 6 events so far, and it's amazing how well the car handles with this particular setup.
As far as running stock brakes versus upgraded. You may find you have very little time between arrival at your event and the time you run, so time will a factor when preparring the car. 5 minutes to change Stoptechs versus the 10 - 15 minutes it takes to get the stock changed could be difference between making your first run, or having to sit it out.
While some here debate issue of whether the Stoptechs are any better than stock, Tests so far have proven otherwise.
Check out http://GrassrootsMotorsports.com or http://www.zeckhausen.com/mini_products.htm or
http://www.mini-madness.com/SUPERTUNER.html

 

I would go with the Ground Control Advanced Design coilovers with their camber plates. GC uses standard ERS springs in your choice of spring rate and length.

 

Interesting stuff....
If i get one i will definitly be swapping out the brakes - looks like the brembo's since i am most familure with them from my other cars.
As far as the dampers go - I'll again look at the Spax and the leda units but it might be easier to have a set made by moton (who did my other cars setup) this way i have the high speed/low speed/compresion dampening. Dialing it in is another matter entirely since this has not been done before here in the US to my knowledge.

Does anyone know the camber settings that are being run on the track (for instance my 964 cup car runs 2.5 degrees negative in the front and 2.0 rear depending on the track)

As far as the One lap Goes - Generally you have just enough time to get there and wait for your run group - but you can wait a while - swapping out pads on a Set of Brembos only takes 10-15 minutes from the time you jack up the side of the car till you put it down again and head to the other side. This is factoring that you have a battery opperated lug wrench & you have marked & bed'd pads ready to go.

Here is a trick for anyone switch pads out on a regular basis
1. bed the pads according to the manufactures spec's (Pagid has a great online guide for this)
2. Remove only the drivers Front wheel and remove only the outside brake pad
3. Mark this one with 1 file mark
4. remove the inside Pad and mark this one with 2 file marks
5. repeat on the other side of the front. marking the pads 3 & 4 - with 3 being twords the inside of the car.

Box them up and put them in your spares & when you need them you pull them out and put them on - Matched to the roter that they came off of.

If you are brining spare rotors - have a set of Pads that you have already bedded in on them ready as well (mark these and the rotor with a paint pen to tell them apart). and you are ready to go.

when we did the one lap this year, swapping pads was a no brainer (and we only had to once)

 

As a side question, where can we get more infromation on One Lap America?
I'll take a quick guess http://www.onelapamerica.com ?

 

As a side question, where can we get more infromation on One Lap America?
I'll take a quick guess http://www.onelapamerica.com ?

 

As a side question, where can we get more infromation on One Lap America?
I'll take a quick guess http://www.onelapamerica.com ?

 

As a side question, where can we get more infromation on One Lap America?
I'll take a quick guess http://www.onelapamerica.com ?

 

>>As a side question, where can we get more infromation on One Lap America?
>>I'll take a quick guess http://www.onelapamerica.com ?

You were close. Try: http://www.onelapofamerica.com/