Like many others I have the vibration under acceleration that came about after lowering my MINI (H&R Springs). I really would like to get rid of this problem and was curious if getting the JCW Suspension kit would alleviate/get rid of the vibration? Would be nice to have it back to OEM specs in case any warranty issues come up I am trying to avoid any unwanted problems down the road..

As always thanks for the input.


EDIT: I did have the MINI aligned immediately after we lowered it and am still running the stock tires.

 

What were the changed values, if any, on the alignment specs after lowering the car?
Is it possible the week OEM lower control arm rear bushings are creating that vibration?
Is it at all speed related?

- Erik

 

Not sure what the changed values were. Will dig up the paperwork tomorrow and see if it gave a before/after snapshot. However they did say everything was brought back into OEM specs.

The rear lower control arms are aftermarket and it's not a vibration from them.

No speed really is not an issue which is why I didn't think it was a suspension problem at first. I get a vibration 100% of the time when under higher torque loads from acceleration. Just getting on the throttle will bring about the vibrations and it subsides as I let off the pedal. At higher speeds on the hwy you can start feeling the vibe come back in but normal day to day driving on a street you cannot feel it unless accelerating.

 

Mine is the same way. I have not gotten an alignment, but I dont believe mine went TOO far out of spec.

Mines mostly when accelerating in the lower RPMs in 1-3rd gear. It was really bad previously (I have H&R coils) and after raising the front up a few threads...it still does it just not as badly.

 

Has anyone traced it to binding CV axle tripod bearings or the like?
If you're saying that when you raise it up slightly the vibration is reduced, something tells me that you're getting back into the efficiency range of the bearing perhaps.

With an intensive VW background, we've seen the same thing when lowering significant amounts.

- Erik

 

From what I have read that is exactly where it is. That's why I was curious if getting the JCW suspension should fix this? (putting the coils on was a temp. mod originally)

 

What's included in the said JCW kit? Wheel uprights? Axles?
Will you be sourcing all OEM parts?

- Erik

 

What are wheel uprights?

JCW suspension kit is the F&R Sway bars, F&R Springs, F&R shocks.

 

Mine does it too w H&R springs... i did get it aligned however, but its been like 18K miles and it still vibrates sometimes through second gear....

Like others said its the angle of the axles... Some said it wears in and stops vibrating, but i guess we'll see. Mine has seemed to improve, but on hard accelleration its definately still there.

 

I'm willing to bet that it's not the CV joint angle alone. I have my car lowered an extreme amount (6") and I have no vibrations at all. I know there can be some variance between cars, but mine are at such an extreme angle that you'd imagine I'd be encountering the same issues if it were the CV's.

The VW's only have the issue when lowered an extreme amount too. Your CV joint angle is barely even changed on something as conservative as H&R springs which only drop the car 1.2-1.4". If you're curious, put your head under there and check your CV angle. I'd venture to guess that it's pretty close to level.

 

The JCW Kit May In Fact Solve Your Problem " I Too Dropped My Car On H&R's But I Dont Have Any Vibration, I Do Have The JCW Strut Bar Though So That May Help ? If Not Maybe It Is The JCW Components That Smooth Out The Ride With The Suspension Mod. Too Bad You Couldn't Borrow A Strut Bar From Someone ( If You Already Have A Strut Bar And It's Doing It With It On Then Disregard My Post And I Will Go Sit In The Corner In Utter Quietness lol )

 

Another name for a hub or steering knuckle.

- Erik

 

Do ALL the H&R springs vibrate, or just some? I was planning on getting them in the spring along with new wheels because I like how much the H&R springs drop the car. Are there better springs out there somewhere that won't make the car vibrate?

 

It's not actually caused by the springs themselves. It's an effect of lowering the car whether you're using one brand or another. For some reason, only some cars experience the vibrations while many owners never experience a vibration at all after lowering the car.

 

No vibrations with H&R springs here!

 

Awesome, I'll go for it.

 

The vibration when accelerating hard is a minor inconvenience when having to deal with how AWESOME your car will look

Ive gotten used to it...Like they say. Mine mostly happens in 2nd gear alone. I havent noticed it happening at a higher gear/speed

 

I went through that crap for a year. Finally pulled the Mach 5 springs and put JCW's in. Vibration disappeared.

There's a boatload of threads about the problem - I don't think anyone has been able to pinpoint the cause. It's bizzarre that it happens in varying degrees and sometimes not at all.

 

It is extremely weird. Then again, I think it might have something to do with not only the amount of the car being lowered, but in which way.

Rally, I know you have airbags on your car, do you drive your ride that low on the street, or nearly as low?

I know my car has a very considerable amount of rake on it...Im not sure if it would have anything to do with the vibration in this with the way weight is being transferred when accelerating, since a majority of my engine weight is directly on the front (my front coils only have 3 threads until they are bottomed out).
Ive thought about lowering the rear more to see if this changes the way it vibrates.

 

Yah, I only raise it about an inch when driving.

 

Interesting. I just got an alignment yesterday and the vibration is still there until acceleration, just not as prominent.

Fail.

 

I have NM springs and have this issue as well. Under acceleration when I hit around 3K RPM mainly.