I am about to put Yellows, NMs (front and rear) and lower control arms (rear) on my 78K mile '08 MCS. It is a southern car so no rust, just road grime wear n tear. What ancillary parts should I have on hand to complete the job properly? Powerflex stuff? Way's bottom shock mount? Way's cut bump stops? Spring seats? Protection boots? I've not had one apart before so I want to have the small parts on hand so I don't have to do it over later. I appreciate recommendations. Oh, not racing, just street. TIA.

 

I don't see that you are replacing the RSB. With the rear shocks out of the way, you are 3/4 of the way there, and it is largely regarded as one of the best mods. I would check the yellows to confirm if they have the tapered lower seat for the rears, if not, you will need them. I would not think that you would need shorter bump stops.

See how deep your budget is, you are 15 minutes away from installing camber plates. Fixed IE plates are about $200, good adjustables are $350 or so.

If you are unsure, I would call Way.

Mike

 

Thanks Mike!
RSB is on the way! I was also wondering about the front camber adjust. I have the rear lowers, but I guess I've been under the wrong assumption that adjustment will be there for the front? NM alphas are advertised at 1.2 in drop. I'll give Way a call in the meantime. Aside from bumpstops, I was wondering if there are any other small parts that are often trashed after 78K miles, spring seats or what-have-you; soft things that rot.

When do you need camber plates for a street setup. I'm reading that the fixed are designed for stock springs.

 

Front camber is good. Adjustables give you some flexibility but the fixed ones work well. You want to get something around -1.6 to -2 in front cambr and said and done. This will help in the initial turn in

 

MikewithaMini
Be VERY careful when replacing the rear lower shock bolt. You have alluminum rear trailing arms and the bolt that secures the lower shock mount is a self tapping bolt with fairly high torque. There have been plenty of stories of people that stripped that thread out of the trailing arm. It seems to work best to install the lower bolt first, then the upper two. You may even think about changing that bolt to a non self tapping style. Just be sure that you get the correct grade bolt.
Good luck, Steve

 

I also read the horror stories of the rear lower bolt snapping. I was incredibly careful installing my coilovers and didnt have a problem. Now if I were to repeat the process I would be largely more concerned. If youre going to be taking it apart more than once its highly recommended you fix this "design flaw," but if youre careful you can get away with removing and reinstalling once. I did, and luck is typically my worst enemy.

 

Yup, had mine snap in january this year going straight at 80 mph down I-15 near Tucson AZ. It was evening and I could see the sparks coming out of the front of the car from the shocks impacting the road. Lucky to be alive since the car became unstable.

Work on mine was done by a mini mechanic. All suspension bolts was checked and retorqued yearly before track season. So I was pretty surprised when it happened.

 

Possibly torquing the self tapping screw repeatedly caused it? What actually snapped?

 

It is starting to be a more common problem for suspension modders. The lower suspension bolt connecting the rear shock to the aluminium trailing arm.

Not sure about constant torquing snapping it. I torque it to mini specs. It is a big class 5 bolt. You would think the aluminium trailing arm would be the problem.