I was wondering if anyone has run this set-up on your Mini. I have a 05 MC non-S. I drive aggressively, some people have commented on how quick this MC is. I am trying to improve the handling just a little more without breaking the bank. TSW linear springs - $230, IE fixed plates - $180. Next step would be Koni yellows and adjustable rear control arms.

Would appriciate comments. Thanks.

 

Lots of posts on this subject. General opinion is the biggest bang for the buck is a rear sway bar. It is ~$200 and is an easy install. Suggest the 19mm. Next would be the IE camber plates. A great way to really get that "go cart" handling without affecting the ride. If you want more then go for the shocks and springs.

 

Thanks for the input. I have done the rear bar, performance tires, EBC reds, cai and cat back. I tried to improve the power, but there are only minimum gains there. I am now wanting to go to the next step with suspension. Based on a number of threads and some drivers' input, linear springs are "better" for performance driving and th IE "fixed" plates seem to be bullit proof. Just wanted to see if anyone had tried this combo and what they found.

 

I've been running that set-up on my 04 MCS for quite a while. Love it! Koni Yellows work great with the TSW Springs.

Jim

 

I am running the IE fixed plates and they are fantastic. The added camber is just what the front end needs. No tire wear problems. They do run a heavier bearings and housing than stock - as you say: bullet proof. They also double as a "mushroom preventer" for the shock tower. Great for a Gen 1. As long as you are doing springs and shocks, these are a must-have Just remember, you will need to have an alignment done to reset the toe-in when you put these in. Keep us posted on the outcome

 

Colin I'm running the IE fixed plates, with stock springs & an 19mm H-Sport rear bar. My camber numbers are -1.8 & -1.9 front & -1.5 & 1.5 rear. With lowering springs you may have more camber than you want. For me my suspension is at the sweet spot for a street driven car.

 

Crashton - How you getting that front camber? The IE plates are advertised as only -1.25 deg. The TSW springs give only a mild drop (~1"), nice for the street. Seems that would not be a problem.

 

Bolted them on took it & to the alignment shop. The sheet they handed me back has those spec's on it. Your questioning me made me go look again & yes those are the numbers I have. I think if I put lowering springs on, even a mild drop of 1" would give me more negative camber than I'd want on the street. My thinking is you'd need adjustable plates & rear control arms to get a decent alignment.

 

I put them on an R56 which has the alignment slots. Came out perfect. The -1.25 that IE said plus the added -0.35 the slots give. Total is ~ -1.6. That is why it surpised me. I would not have expected that much with an install on a Gen 1. Great that you got that much, the car needs it.

I do know some Gen 1s who are running ~ -2 with adjustable plates and find that it is really good on the street and no unsual tire wear. So I would think if the lowering adds a little more negative camber, he should still be in the "good zone". Just my 2 cents...

 

A friend also has the IE fixed with stock springs & he is very close to what I have. I'm happy with my front tire wear, but the rear still eats up the insides of the tires. There was just enough adjustment available to get both sides to 1.5. My next step is a set of H-Sport rear arms so I can dial a little more camber out of the rear.

 

Thanks, Crashton, I thought you were running the plates, was not sure what springs. Those camber settings sound pretyy good to me. Yes, lowering springs should put it at about 2 degrees.

 

Jim are you running the Koni's now? Did you run with stock shocks/struts before? I have heard that normal driving is better not too rough and track driving is great. Comments?

 

Eddie07S
The added neg 1.25 deg that is advertised by I.E. fixed plates is in addition to what the front neg camber is in the car currently. It is very common to end up with neg 1.8/-1.9. When installing be sure that you take care of any mushrooming that may have occured. That is a very common problem on first generations.
Steve

 

That makes perfect sense. I was really wondering if my MINI was some sort of super de-cambered special edition.

 

Steve - Gotcha - interesting the difference between the 1st and 2nd Gen for these plates.

BTY - Pulaski, NY? How's the snow belt treating you and your Mini? We'd take some of that snow at Gore Mtn if you want to send some up there Got my racks on and the Thule box is waiting.

 

Eddie07S
This is definately not my favorite season of the year. My GP will never see snow or salt for as long as I own it. This is the time of year that it goes up on jackstands so it can get a complete cleaning underneath. Hopefully some year I can move south and get out of the cold.
Steve

 

Understandable...only another 4 months

 

Well, I guess I was good this year. Santa is a little late, but will be bringing new TSW linear springs, IE fixed camber plates and a Mini-Mania lower stress bar. Anyone who installed this set-up, are there any tricks/modifications that were on top of the basic install? Will front springs rub? Started spraying my pinch bolts and rear lower shocks bolts with rust blaster.

 

Go Santa

You are probably already doing this but - Make sure you get the rust buster in the slot in the carrier where the pinch bolt goes through so it gets into both sides. Maybe tape the bottom and side of the slot so the buster doesn't just drip out. You also might want to think about investing in a good MAPP gas torch. Plenty of posts on here about breaking that bolt. A little heat can help to loosen it. Also, be very patient with it. 1/8 or 1/4 turn out at a time and then screw it back in. The rust gets jammed in there and that was the only way I found to work the bolt out.

General concensus is that up to -2 deg there should be no rubbing with stock springs. Maybe Steve (Crashton) can speak to the Gen 1s, but from what I have been told you will be OK.

An old spark plug socket (13/16 maybe?) with the external hex on the top end is good for loosening and tightening the nut on top of the strut. You can put a box wrench on the end of the socket to turn it. This leave the hole in the top so you get the hex wrench in to hold the strut from turning. Don't tighten that nut with an impact wrench, there are posts about that method breaking shaft off the strut.

I'm sure others have some thoughts here. But once done you are going to love it. Don't forget to get an alignment done to reset the toe-in.

Post results...

 

Hi Crashton,
I'm fitting IE fixed plates with Koni FSDs but my 2003 MCS Works has Sports Plus suspension, I think the springs are lower than stock 'S' springs, should I get a set of Stock springs?

 

Rudolph - Sorry, not Crashton, , but I looked into this and could not find a definitive answer with respect to the JCW Sport springs. However, for lowering springs in general, Way Motors seems to know a lot about this subject and says that you should not pair those shocks with any lowering springs - See post #23:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ml#post3180308

In a nutshell, Way says no-go, even for the JCW springs. Also, the Koni web page only list the FSD shocks for the "S" not the JCW. You could try calling/contacting Koni directly to know for sure. There are others who like the Koni yellows over the stock shocks and they will work with those springs.

 

You'll be fine, the sport suspension springs are stock springs, the JCW springs which are red are lowering springs and that won't work, but your sport suspension springs will be fine. They are not any different than the standard S springs.