H&R RSS Autocross Report

Completed the autocross today with the RSS. I am very pleased with the performance of the RSS on the track. The coilovers kept the car firmly planted on the corners and I was able to get the oversteer that I wanted to trailbreak (throttle steer) the car.

I was a little concerned during the first session when I was working the cones. There was a section of new pavement and then a small dip in the old pavement at the section I was stationed at. The cars would gain lift at the new pavement and come down in the dip. Probably half of the cars were scarfing their splitters or valance, and a few were just plain bottoming out. I didn't want to bottom my mini out but I didn't want to slow down in this section either. I noticed the cars with firm suspension seems to get through it fine. So my turn... the RSS did fabulous and even tough my mini is lowered about 1.5 inches, the car did not scrape the bottom end. So I still had suspension travel left even though may others were bottoming out their cars. The JCW just flew. It could easily keep up with the heavier Carerras and I matched times with most of the seasoned Boxster drivers.

So the RSS is pretty firm for the street, but still streetable and definitely trackable. No body roll and just plain tight.

 

You might try a bit of anti-seize on those threads to help protect them. Be sure to torque them down as well.

Thanks again!

 

2007 Mini Cooper S, H&R coilovers installed a week ago. Looks great but notice a distinct shimmy or vibration WHEN GETTING ON THE THROTTLE. No vibration during normal driving. But when I punch it in first or 2nd gear, I can definitely feel vibration in the tires...

Any ideas? I did have an alignment done after coilover installation...

Anyone else notice a shimmy or vibration after installing coilovers?

Thanks!

John

 

I daresay your CV joints have had it :(

Do you have a local garage that can take a look?

 

I'm taking it to the garage that installed them tomorrow to take a look-see. I've only driven the car about 100 miles since lowering it...wish me luck

 

As I understand it this is not a result of the coil-overs but is tied to lowering the car which causes a sever angle of the axle into the CV joint on "some" minis. This is covered under another thread if you do a search. I guess you either need an upgraded CV joint or raise the car back up a little.

 

fingers crossed

 

Yes, I have the same problem since the installation of mine (street H&R coilovers). I suspected one of the axle (if not both) was not suited for having the car that low. Also, the vibration has been getting worst and I'm concerned this could affect other parts.

Adam, if you read this what do you recommend? I'm sure since you sell them you most probably have seen this issue before. Do you know which axle is causing this?

I guess for now I'm not planning on replacing any axle so I'll just raise the car until the vibration goes away...

Thanks!
Dan

 

After a full day of driving yesterday, I've come to the conclusion that the shimmy or vibration I am feeling when accelerating fast in first gear is actually good ol' torque steer. But it is not the same 'feel' that the torque steer had when the MINI was stock, prior to lowering the car. It is less torque steer now that the vehicle has been lowered. After a day of driving and analyzing, I can report the MINI is smooth in all gears at normal acceleration. When I do romp on the gas, there is a slight...and I mean slight...shimmy in first gear and not much, if any, in second. If I am driving in fourth and down shift and punch it, there is no vibration during acceleration.

So for now, I'm going to keep an eye on it. If the vibration or shimmy gets worse, I'll report back!

 

That makes sense! Keep us posted!

 

Anyone in the SF Bay Area have these? I'd like to hear what people think about them on our local cratered roads.

Also what's the highest setting these can be set for? I'm worried about scraping on everything if I slam it too low.

I mostly want to kill the squat/dive on acceleration/deceleration and of course kill all that nasty stock body roll.

 

Hopefully someone in SF can help on the road concerns.

On the height, you can set it about 1-1.2" lower than stock at the highest setting. certainly high enough to keep you from banging on everything.

They will help improve the handling the way you desire.

If I can help in anyway further, PLEASE let me know!

Adam @ PERRIN Performance

 

The H&R's sound very interesting to me. I don't even own a Mini yet but I've started research on suspensions. All I want is a mild drop ~ 1 - 1.2". For my purposes, I'm lowering strictly for looks and will only be doing street driving. The H&R's that I want are the sports.

I have a couple of questions:

1. How do the H&R sport coilovers compare to NM springs and Koni Yellows in terms of ride comfort? That's the other setup I'm thinking about because the cost is ~ the same.

2. How do these compare to the M7's as far as ride goes. I know the M7's are adjustable for ride and are quite a bit more expensive.

3. Do I need spacers with the H&R sports? I'll be running stock wheels for a while and will switch to some aftermarket wheels later. But will I need spacers for the stock/factory wheels? I'll be getting an '11 MCS and will probably end up with either the conical spoke or the web spokes.

 

I can't speak to the first two, but to #3 you do NOT need spacers with the H&R Coilovers and stock wheels. (shouldn't even need them with aftermarket either.)

Thanks for asking! Let me know if I can help in anyway!

 

Just wanted to add that the H&R street coilovers (im not entirely sure what the difference between sport vs street but perhaps someone can confirm) are very stiff...
I didnt believe they were that stiff until I drove our new e63 amg. I cant even place my head on the head rest and not have the head rest constantly dribbling the back of my head. Cannot imagine how these would feel with oem runflats...

 

I had a few questions about your setup:

Wheel Size and Offset?
Tire Size?
How many threads do you have left front and rear?

I'm currently trying to decide between H&R RSS and H&R Street, but I'm a little worried the Street wont be able to go as low as I'd like. I'm used to stiff suspension setups so ride quality is not a concern to me.

 

http://www.stanceiseverything.com/tag/nathan-gilbert/

He had H&R streets with his custom CCWs. His CCWs were on sale a few weeks ago but you can get the wheel specs from the NAM market.

 

I already know the specs on those CCWs as they were Kris' old wheels. I was asking Spinned for HIS specs as I'm looking for a similar setup to his, with maybe a slightly lower offset.

 

So what is the difference between the H&R coilovers and the H&R sport cup kit:

http://www.altaperformance.com/produ...-Touring-Sport

It seems the drop is a bit smaller, and the height on the coilovers is adjustable.

If I don't need the adjustability then the cup kit (touring) should be fine I'm guessing? Any input from Alta?

 

I love the H&R Street coilovers on my 2010 Clubman S. They pretty much went in from day 1. I used to have Cross coilovers on my 2005 MCS and they were very comfortable, comparing to the Crosses, the H&R's were just as nice but half the price. Of course it doesn't have the adjustments either but I always left them on full soft anyways.

With Stock Sport Suspension and 225/45 Tires (before H&R's)


H&R Street Performance Coilovers went in...


Had some rubbing issues when fully loaded, so I went to lower profile tires

With H&R Street Coilovers with 215/40 Tires


The ride is superb. I've given rides to many people who were all amazed at how compliant the ride was, where they thought it would be jarring or uncomfortable.

 

I noticed you're in California. You have any issues scraping on driveways or just bumpy roads?

 

Thanks for asking! You have hit on the major differences. The H&R Coilovers are going to have height adjustment but no damping adjustment. May be a bit harsh for some, but overall very well balanced for street and road course use.

The Cup Kit: Can't adjust the height, but the included Koni Struts are damping adjustable. Better for most clients and saves $$$$.

Hope that helps! Let me know how I can help further!

Thanks again!

Adam @ ALTA

 

Also looks like the coils can get a drop of 0.6-1.5 ? Is that correct?

 

No issues on bumpy roads...got lots of them here. It feels about the same as the stock sport suspension or maybe a bit more compliant. As for scraping driveways...all lowered cars suffer from that. You just have to go at an angle and go slow lol. Yes, dips in the street combined with going to fast will scrape. I've gone over speed bumps a little too fast causing me to bottom out (skirts him the hump) on the bump as the springs compressed on the down side of the bump. But specific to H&R, no issues at all.

 

Cool... it seems the koni+h+r are the way I'm leaning. However I'm just a bit worried about scraping in the front with -1.4" from stock.