Calling all MINI owners with lowered springs.

Did you have any problems with the camber and or allignment?

I want to get some springs, but I thought I read somewhere that the
camber would forever be messed up without a good amount of $$$ to correct it.

This can't be true.....can it?

And what size rims and tires are safe when lowering the MINI?

I want to go with 215s on 17"x7.5" rims
over a 205 on a 7"x 17" wheel.
But I guess either will do.

Thanks in advance.

 

I've read some MINI project cars being lowered and experiencing excessive tire wear due to too much negative camber - I think. And no, camber wouldn't permantly be altered and it wouldn't take a lot of money - relatively speaking - to correct it. Just get a set of camber plates for somewhere in the ballpark of $500.

 

No, No No, Camber is good! You only get about -1 degree negitive camber with most springs.This really helps your handling. With hard cornering the outside edges of the the tire will wear first, and the negitive camber will wear the inner edges. Just rotate your tires every 3,000-5,000 miles and you will be fine. Yes there is a trade off lowering your car but it is worth it. To lower it and adjust the camber out is pointless.

 

well i wouldn't say it would be pointless...just differences.

lowering the car with most springs will help stiff the car up a bit, lower the center of gravity, etc....and none of this matters where the camber is at.

Now the camber you get from lowering them is great for handling, but in a straight line you tend to wander a lot more and you have excessive tire wear...so really just matters what your looking for out of the lower springs...heck some people lower the car purely for cosmetic reasons..they like the looks of it.

Now if you want camber plates to adjust these you can get the k-mac's for around 315...k-mac makes an adjustable rear camber kit for 259.

then there as the people the lower their car and do the plates no to correct it back to stock camber settings, but to go even further :smile:

 

One degree will not cause excessive tire wear. Maybe they will wear out 5000 miles sooner. Sure spend $500 - $600 bucks on adjustable plates and arms or just buy new tires a little sooner and enjoy the 30,000 miles of better handling.

 

Do all the lowering springs for the mini create the negative chamber? Do some brands have more or less? I'm planning on getting the eibach springs, anyone know if it creates a lot of negative chamber? thanks

 

This reply was lost in the 9/10 drive crash but here are some references for alignment and specs.
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...amp;topic=9726
negative camber is common in those who change suspension. I changed to H-sport springs and got -2.4 degrees of rear wheel negative camber- looked like my wheels were slanted inward and the ride quality and handling were uneven rough and poor- especially in a straight line. I did the alignment at a speciality shop and adjusted the rear camber to negative .75 degrees and it is much smoother, handles well and saves on tire wear. Corners are still good due to my other susp upgrades- tower bar, rear swaybar on firmest, adjustable rear control arms. Upgraded wheels with Centerline RPM 17x7 and Yoko ES 100 215/45-17 tires. Everything works good together.

 

ScottG and I just put H-Sport on my car, look great I'll have pictures later, so far
no alignment issues, the flat tire sensor went off, called Randy and he had me
reset it, he said sometimes it gets messed up, pretty simple turn to position one
with the reset button drepressed then it will say on and not flash, after you stop and
start the car again it goes away, I guess it has to re-adjust. to the lower springs,
my car look and handles very differently, more agressive.. Wow thanks again
Randy,...

Now what .. UCC, I am about 1/2 the way there, 475 saved.... save one for
me Randy....

 

For the runflat tire sensor- it will be tripped anytime the car's wheels are rotated or one axle is higher or lower on one side such as when jacking up the car as opposed to using a lift. Just reset it.

So all lowering springs will affect negative camber- how much depends on how much you lower and what other components such as wheels you have installed.

Don't overdue negative camber if you want a good ride and control but if you do lots of track driving then it can be a plus on hard cornering. Be prepared to wear out your tires- get some good track tires and brakes for the track that can withstand the severe heat.