Where do you get a racing CV and how much is it? I want to lower my car more in the front but this definitely gets me thinking.

 

Hmm... my vibration seems to be coming from the front passenger side, though. Do you know anything about the operating range of the passenger side CV's?

 

Sorry, I wrote my last post in a rush. It is the passenger side drive shaft. If you look at some of my previous posts there is a breakout diagram of the passenger driveshaft.

 

So, where to get those racing CVs now? I want to lower my Cooper S, but I don't want my axle to brake real quick neither do I want to get vibration etc...

I hope someone got a solution for this!!!!

 

Hi there,

Has anyone had any success with the problem mentioned above. I am experiencing the exact same thing after I lowered my car. Is there anything else that can be done besides installing my standard springs.

Regards

 

I'm still looking for a solution on this problem!!

Where to get racing CV joints?

What else can be done to get rid of the vibrations??

 

I'd probably start by checking with these folks:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...&highlight=dmh
http://www.driveshaftshop.com/1offaxles.ivnu

 

Does this problem happen w/ all lowered Minis? Is there a threshold beyond which these cars should not be lowered - i.e. are there options which would lower the car slightly without running into vibration problems? My plan was to upgrade springs along w/ shocks/struts now that I'm beyond the 40k mark and nearing the end of warranty..

 

Thanks a lot!! I sent them a mail!!

 

A cross reply is necessary...

I do not know why some experience vibration while others do not. Spring and dampers as well as upper strut m ount design - pillow ball for example - will not absorb vibration. Tire compliance is yet another. I'm suggesting that the difference may add up to a very minor vibration to some, and fairly noticable to others.

Also, individual tolerance is near impossible to determine.

A clearer reason might be this one; we may have a group of folks who have lowered their cars without adding more neg camber. These folks may not experience much vibration. However, when more neg camber is dialed in, the CV joint angles are even more severe, especially when turning or doing so while accelerating. The combination of lowering and camber angle may cause the vibration...or more severe vibration.

 

The more negative camber, the BETTER the angle gets on the outer joint!!

A lot of people made tests in germany, and the more negative camber they had, the less vibrations they had!!!
But it wasn't really noticeable!!

 

You cannot look at a car motionless, it must be moveing since this is a dynamic condition.

I could pose the argument that lowering is beneficial as well - to a point; the axle and LCA become more horizontal. And camber values change with static ride height which in turn affect dynamic camber. All these affect the orientation of the wheel thru the suspension stroke. Wheel offset will affect this as well since it affect camber compensation. There are lots of variables, that we know. I don't like the vibration, but I've learned to live with it.

 

Where did I look at it "motionless"?? LOL
Without even moving the car, you will never find out whether it's vibrating or not..

You are right about that "lowering is benefical", but for the Mini that is a few millimeters only!! Everything lower than that gives disadvantages...

Well, now there is this problem, but we (at least in germany) won't just "live with it", it's not my way to live, if there's a problem, there's also a solution as well, and I'm sure we will find that solution!!

 

Race type CV joints are the fix. Beyond that, live with it.

I would expect that a 10mm reduction in height is acceptable and should not cause any problems. If so, then the JCW kit will also cause problems.

I tend to thin slice my way thru problems - remove what doesn't matter and focus on what does. A 10mm drop is acceptable to BMW and is therefore a logical threshold. Also, since camber is also repsonsible for locating SAI/Kingpin in a Mac strut, load on the tire changes and therefore on the bearing and therefore the CV joint etc. There are a hell of a lot of factors invloved.

The point here? Finding the exact cause or causes will likely take a great deal of time using equipment not found in a typical garage.

Perhaps it's simply the half shaft carrier bearing...since its location does not change with ride height or any other suspension changes...its range may be quite limited. That is the easiest and most simple place to begin - equalizing the cahnges to the inside and outside of this bearing.

 

Got an update:

I installed H&R springs ("red", 35mm drop f/r), and also got the vibrations!!

But a first solutions has been found!!

I will install the parts in the next days (hopefully this week...), it worked very well on a friend's car with the same springs and the "same" vibrations!!

Though, even "meb" won't believe this, this is a 1st solution, and another one is also short to be finished!! Some friends will test this on friday evening!!

The 1st solution is for cars with "slight" lowering only (max. 35mm), the 2nd one that hopefully will work will work on all cars!!

I will post infos about it once all the tests have been completed!!

 

oooops...

 

ooops...

 

It will go away after 1K miles or so depending on miles on the CV's.

 

Over 96,000 miles lowered, no vibrations. Original CV joints and axels. Not saying others don't have problems, but they aren't universally experienced.

Scott
90SM

 

I really doubt its an alignment issue. One should ALWAYS get an alignment done once springs or any suspension is rearragned.

 

I just checked the feedback from my friends who tested the 2nd solution, and, good news, it WORKS!!!!!

So, no more vibrations!! We will now "long term" test that solution, but me and friends all know, that this is THE solution!!
Millions of cars with that "extra part" can't be wrong!! We just needed the right idea, and we found it!!

 

So, what is it?

 

Sorry guys, no informations so far!!

 

I lowered mine with the Altas "blue" springs, total drop of 1" all around - no problems, the initial vibration was there for about 1K miles until the CV joints self-adjusted themself and now it's great. Also added the Ireland 22mm rear sway bar = excellent combination!.

 

The CV joints can't adjust themself!! They wear out, and if you're lucky the vibrations will go away, but that won't stop the effect of wearing out a lot quicker than under normal conditions!

We haven't finished all tests, so I can't tell you all the details about how to mod your joints, but all I can tell you is, that you can keep your axles and joints, you will just need to modify them a little bit....