I think I may have originally posted this in the wrong forum, so I'm copying it to here where it seems more appropriate...

SO.. I've got almost $700 worth of parts in my cart over on Mossmini.com right now. I'm a little apprehensive of what I've chosen. Please tell me what you think of this:

I'm looking at putting the Sachs brand struts and shock absorbers on all 4 corners.. they're a stock replacement. that's the easy part. they're not bilsteins or anything, but they're better than the originals i'm riding on @ 114k+ miles..

my uncertainty is on the Apex lowering springs. they drop it 30cm (~1.2 inches). and I recently put some tires on, they're a little bigger and wider than stock (205/55r16). i believe they're about 1.5 inches larger diameter.

All in all, I figure that I'm only changing my stock ride height by -1 inch or less..

my concerns are that I'll bottom out the Sachs struts with the lowered springs, or that I won't have clearance behind my fender flare. Most other cars, I know, can have that edge rolled, but the Mini can't since it's a plastic trim piece.

Should I just skip the lowered springs??

 

Your tire size has nothing to do with how much your suspension is lowered. So it doesn't matter what size tire you have, your suspension will still be lowered 1.2 inches with those springs. The car will not sit 1.2 inches lower, due to the larger tire diameter, but the suspension is still 1.2 inches lower. To me, that's quite a drop on a stock-like strut. I would maybe look for lowering springs that don't quite drop as much, like the TSW's. As for the tire clearance, you can always just shave some of the plastic lip on the flares, but if you're running on an OEM wheel, I don't think you'll have any problems since the OEM offsets are pretty conservative on track width.

 

yah, I hear ya.. the sales guy @ moss told me that since i wasn't trying to race it, i'm more interested in the look, I ought to be o.k. with them... but he's a sales guy after all. ::wink wink::

I just didn't see any struts/shocks anywhere that specified that they were o.k. to use with lowering springs.. nothing at all. which isn't to say that I just didn't miss it..

 

Remember, going with a larger tire, you willsee a reduction in acceleration...but lower rpm's in cruise....more down shifing on slight hills to mantain speed...I did not look up the % change, but most folks try to pick a size within 3% of stock, but some do 5% ok.
IMO if you installing lowering springs, go with a shorter strut/shock, maybe a koni sports (they are shorter, so they are "lowering spring compatible" if you will.....the shorter springs will accelerate wear on the new ones...but many have done it....people seem to have good luck with TSW springs and OEM/equivelents, but that being said, any strut you buy will feel great after oem's with 100k+.

 

no doubt, zippy. thanks.

I have DEFINITELY noticed the difference in the acceleration and rpms @ cruising. granted, @ 114k+ it's not all that peppy to begin with... I've been considering the injen short ram intake and that SLR chip...

cause, you know.. I don't race..

they don't call it racing unless someone's trying to get there first, right?

//on the fence

 

Pretty much all of your OEM direct replacement shocks/struts have the same stroke length as well original. This also includes many aftermarket products. The main problem with using a lowering spring with that much drop(on OEM shocks) is, the shocks WILL bottom out. If they hit bottom to hard it can and will cause damage to your new shocks. I know from experiance and an empty wallet that you cant miss every pothole and sooner or later it will happen.
Now with tires that are that tall your fender gap is probably closed up pretty good If you lower your suspension another 1.5" where is the extra tire going to go? there isn't much extra room in the wheelwells of a MINI, on the sides or top they will probably rub over bumps.
My solution is that if you still want to lower your car, it is your car do what you want. If it where me in your position I would (A) Find a spring that only lowers the car 1/2"-3/4" it is in a somewhat safe zone for stock struts. (B) Change tires to 205/40/R16 find a shorter strut made specificly for lowering and use the 1.5" drop springs (many other parts may be required to get an alignment) and let the body scrape over speedbumps. Or (C) save my money for a complete suspension setup(coilovers, camber plates, rear controll arms at a minimum)
But all in all the choice is YOURS

 

Point well taken, thanks big D.

looks like this is going to take some more mulling over before i drop $$.

 

ok. good call on me asking this question in here.

after some deep thought and a little measuring.. i'm going to skip the springs for now..

Thanks for all your input.

 

No Problem, I've got a year of siting in Iraq not seing my car to help yall with yours

 

If its an early model you may want to look into getting adjustable lower control arms for the rear, you don't want to ruin those new tires too fast.