hi everyone,

just a quick question here that is how long does H&R spring can last?

People have been saying that by changing spring for lowering purpose instead of the entire suspension, spring can last only around two years till OEM suspension got damaged. By then, we would have to buy another set of coilover.

Is that true? does changing spring hurts our MCS a lot?

I did low my MCS with H&R spring and i like it very much.

 

Those springs should last a lot longer than that. The OEM dampers might blow out sooner than they would with OEM springs though. Two years may be a fair estimate if you drive hard or the roads you drive are pretty harsh, but they may last a lot longer than that.

 

They should last about a year. Your other suspension parts will wear out long before that. You'll start to hear a lot of vibration pretty soon and then pull out your wallet to get it all fixed. Anyone who drives 2 years on these things must love punishment.

 

So if I replaced control arms, rear sway bar, coilovers... should they last a while, or is something going to break?

 

Coilovers might be your best bet.

 

typically springs dont break, its the struts that will blow. ive never heard of someone having to replace springs in any car due to failure.

 

I love this never-ending rumor of the stock dampers "blowing out" from lowering springs. Does anyone actually have proof? I didn't think so.

 

^ can lowering springs actually be made to match OEM struts? (go easy on me)

 

Most of them do! You can only change the spring rate a little bit before the dampers can't keep up with the spring rate. The only thing you're sacrificing with lowering springs is compression travel, which will lead to mushroomed strut towers and bruised kidneys . A few brands play with the rates a tiny bit, but all of them I've ever seen are within a reasonable envelope compared to stock.

---To the OP: No, springs are not a wear item. Enjoy for years and years.

 

So wait a minute? Do people that lower their cars with springs have to do a lot of up keep on the suspension? I was under the impression that you put the lowering springs on and were done with it nothing more than the regular maintenance needed? I do not plan on lowering the car anytime soon but that just perked my interest. It sounds like you have to spend lots of money if you lower the car.

 

WHAT the F? I mean seriously? A handful of clients of ALL spring brands have had issue with a vibration after installation. However, it is not universal and certainly NOT a fault of H&R or any others.

We haven't been able to duplicate it on any of the cars we have worked on, own etc. From JIC, to H&R, Mach V etc. No issues.

Plus for H&R at minimum they offer a LIFETIME warranty against sag, failure, corrosion etc. etc.

I have ZERO clue what your tirade is about, but it is not accurate and the OP should certainly take it with a grain of salt.

FOR Eddie818 and Bumgardnern if you need any more information PLEASE let me know! Happy to help!

 

I'm not a vendor and don't have any skin this game, but just am saying from experience and from a lot of other people's observations, this is what happens when you put aftermarket springs on your MINI. Very few will admit to failure, but I learned the hard way. You just need to decide whether the advantage of an inch of aesthetic lowering is worth the risk of trashing your suspension designed by professional engineers. I have made the mistake of a lot of novice owners of the MINI and just wanted to share my experience. If it's the comment of a vendor with an interest at stake, caveat emptor.

 

I have had the H&R springs on for about a year with the Alta lower control arms and a 19mm Rear Sway Bar and haven't had any suspension squeaks or rattles or whatever. Yes, I will upgrade to coilovers eventually, but for now the springs seem to be doing just fine. I drive hard and on some craptacular roads. When I bought the springs I was aware that the struts will suffer and MAY prematurely wear. No biggie, because when they go then comes the coilovers to fix the whole thing. There are plenty of people rolling on H&R and Mach V springs. I haven't heard of any massive suspension failures from them. Then again this is a forum (the good and bad advice) and all you can do is make an informed decision for yourself. Motor On!

 

WELL then lets agree to disagree. Also, until you have driven a lowered MINI I think it unwise to interject an opinion. The handling improvements, etc are superb. BUT to each their own and I welcome you to your opinion. I think my biggest issue, was the may the message was given, not as much the information. Your reply to my reply, has FAR more information that the original post.

Thanks again!

 

THANK YOU!

 

Thanks everyone~!!

We all learn from each other and all the informations are greatly appreciated~!!

 

Translation: You discount a vendors vast experience in exchange for your single mishap where you reassembled your car poorly after the install and now you want to blame the lowering springs. You also assume that the MINI's suspension has a precise ideal and that MINI welded "the perfect" specifications into the stock setup. If this was the case, how could they possibly have standard, sport and JCW suspensions?


ALL suspension setups, including [some will say especially stock setups] are a balancing act of compromise. When I re-designed the geometry of my R53, I chose to trade NVH, longevity, poor-weather capability, ground clearance, and ride comfort for outright mechanical grip throughout the friction circle and precise feel. It's a boatload of things to throw out the window of consideration in search for two goals, and it required a bunch of tuning to perfect the objective balance, grip, and subjective feel. In the end, the suspension meets my goals and nobody at MINI called me to tell me their engineers are offended I trashed their religion. Suspension is not magic or art, it's geometry and physics. The simple act of changing where the ride height is within the stock suspension travel range is such a miniscule change in the big picture it's practically without consideration in comparison with a complete redesign.

 

My h&r sport springs broke after 7 years, 3 months, family car driving. Probably from potholes and typical roads.