Suspension Anyone soften RSB for winter driving?
1st Gear
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 41
Likes: 0
From: Stow, MA
Hey there
Having your RSB on a stiff setting will result is your car to be loose, in other words it will tend to oversteer when pushed. In my opinion it is a very smart idea to set your RSB to a softer setting so it will be balanced. Or even a tight setting (understeering) if you will feel more comfortable. In winter conditions, cold temps, gritty road surfaces, wet or slushy roads will get you to face a lot of "on the edge of traction" conditions, especially if you have a heavy right foot (hey, why else drive a mini if you won't have some fun
) So setting your car's attitude becomes more important than in warmer times.
The reason for this is that oversteering/understeering are conditions that you only see when you push the car to the limits of lateral traction. In summer, with your nice p-zeros, clean roads, warm weather, you have oodles of traction so even if you are on the stiffest setting, you may not ever experience oversteering if you are gentle through turns. However when conditions change to winter, you are driving closer to limits since you dont have as much traction as in summer. You will more likely see the car's tightness in turns.
You have a couple options. You can set the RSB to its softest setting to balance the front to rear. You have a 22mm sway bar so even in the softest it should be slightly loose (assuming you have standard 22.5 mm cooper s fsb), but still easier to hold your line. Another option is to put on winter tires so you have better traction so you will not be driving as close to limits as you are right now. However the fact is your car will still be loose when you push it. You will not be changing the attitude by changing to winter tires.
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Having your RSB on a stiff setting will result is your car to be loose, in other words it will tend to oversteer when pushed. In my opinion it is a very smart idea to set your RSB to a softer setting so it will be balanced. Or even a tight setting (understeering) if you will feel more comfortable. In winter conditions, cold temps, gritty road surfaces, wet or slushy roads will get you to face a lot of "on the edge of traction" conditions, especially if you have a heavy right foot (hey, why else drive a mini if you won't have some fun
) So setting your car's attitude becomes more important than in warmer times. The reason for this is that oversteering/understeering are conditions that you only see when you push the car to the limits of lateral traction. In summer, with your nice p-zeros, clean roads, warm weather, you have oodles of traction so even if you are on the stiffest setting, you may not ever experience oversteering if you are gentle through turns. However when conditions change to winter, you are driving closer to limits since you dont have as much traction as in summer. You will more likely see the car's tightness in turns.
You have a couple options. You can set the RSB to its softest setting to balance the front to rear. You have a 22mm sway bar so even in the softest it should be slightly loose (assuming you have standard 22.5 mm cooper s fsb), but still easier to hold your line. Another option is to put on winter tires so you have better traction so you will not be driving as close to limits as you are right now. However the fact is your car will still be loose when you push it. You will not be changing the attitude by changing to winter tires.
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1st Gear
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 41
Likes: 0
From: Stow, MA
As per winter tires and traction... Let's not let our "beliefs" speak in this matter. When the temperature gets close to or lower than freezing, your summer or seasonal tires absolutely *will* harden and lose some of its traction capability. Add the smooth slick surface of your nice Direzzas against the icy road surface, and voi-la; regardless of what you believe your seasonal tires suck against winter tires in terms of cold weather traction. This is a simple matter of tire compounds and patterns (Here is a link that does a comparison of seasonal vs winter tires http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...y.jsp?ttid=154). Whoever wants to see the difference this might make, should try driving another mini with snow tires. Or better yet, attend a BMWCCA autocross event and drive in someone else's Mini on R compounds. That would be a real eyr opener about how much tires matter in traction.
Cheers!
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Cheers!
Sent from my Galaxy S4 using NAMotoring
Last edited by espedaire; Feb 20, 2014 at 11:37 AM.
Michelin's warning...
While Pilot Super Sport tires are designed to allow sports cars, sporty coupes, performance sedans and supercars to achieve their full potential in dry and wet conditions, like all summer tires they are not intended to be driven in near-freezing temperatures, through snow or on ice.
Continental's warning...
Like all summer tires, the ExtremeContact DW is not intended to be driven in near-freezing temperatures, through snow or on ice.
All manufacturers have similar warnings on HP and UHP summer tires. Not so much on HP A/S tires.
Winter tires are available for a reason.
Just because you've had "no issues", doesn't make them right or safe for the conditions.
Even winter tires are not safe or beneficial in all winter conditions. There are times when even the best are ineffective. That is the time to stay home.
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5th Gear
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 707
Likes: 5
Hey there
Having your RSB on a stiff setting will result is your car to be loose, in other words it will tend to oversteer when pushed. In my opinion it is a very smart idea to set your RSB to a softer setting so it will be balanced. Or even a tight setting (understeering) if you will feel more comfortable. In winter conditions, cold temps, gritty road surfaces, wet or slushy roads will get you to face a lot of "on the edge of traction" conditions, especially if you have a heavy right foot (hey, why else drive a mini if you won't have some fun ) So setting your car's attitude becomes more important than in warmer times.
The reason for this is that oversteering/understeering are conditions that you only see when you push the car to the limits of lateral traction. In summer, with your nice p-zeros, clean roads, warm weather, you have oodles of traction so even if you are on the stiffest setting, you may not ever experience oversteering if you are gentle through turns. However when conditions change to winter, you are driving closer to limits since you dont have as much traction as in summer. You will more likely see the car's tightness in turns.
You have a couple options. You can set the RSB to its softest setting to balance the front to rear. You have a 22mm sway bar so even in the softest it should be slightly loose (assuming you have standard 22.5 mm cooper s fsb), but still easier to hold your line. Another option is to put on winter tires so you have better traction so you will not be driving as close to limits as you are right now. However the fact is your car will still be loose when you push it. You will not be changing the attitude by changing to winter tires.
Sent from my Galaxy S4 using NAMotoring
Having your RSB on a stiff setting will result is your car to be loose, in other words it will tend to oversteer when pushed. In my opinion it is a very smart idea to set your RSB to a softer setting so it will be balanced. Or even a tight setting (understeering) if you will feel more comfortable. In winter conditions, cold temps, gritty road surfaces, wet or slushy roads will get you to face a lot of "on the edge of traction" conditions, especially if you have a heavy right foot (hey, why else drive a mini if you won't have some fun
) So setting your car's attitude becomes more important than in warmer times. The reason for this is that oversteering/understeering are conditions that you only see when you push the car to the limits of lateral traction. In summer, with your nice p-zeros, clean roads, warm weather, you have oodles of traction so even if you are on the stiffest setting, you may not ever experience oversteering if you are gentle through turns. However when conditions change to winter, you are driving closer to limits since you dont have as much traction as in summer. You will more likely see the car's tightness in turns.
You have a couple options. You can set the RSB to its softest setting to balance the front to rear. You have a 22mm sway bar so even in the softest it should be slightly loose (assuming you have standard 22.5 mm cooper s fsb), but still easier to hold your line. Another option is to put on winter tires so you have better traction so you will not be driving as close to limits as you are right now. However the fact is your car will still be loose when you push it. You will not be changing the attitude by changing to winter tires.
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1st Gear
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 41
Likes: 0
From: Stow, MA
Today on my way to work I was driving down a icy road. My front end slid and then my rear came around real quick. I got it under control and then it happened again. My front started to slide with my rear coming around real quick. When I got to work I started to remember my 22 mm NM rear sway bar is set to one setting from the stiffest. Do people set there RSB's to softer settings for winter. This is my first time driving my mini in the winter. It normally stays in the garage.
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