You have to concern yourself with the mass up front first. Rotation is important, sure. But 63% of 2,600-2,700lbs is moving around up front during braking, acceleration and cornering. Then, consider how much more is needed out back for the amount of rotation you are looking for. Use adjustable dampers to fine tune in some rotation if you wind up squaring your spring rates a bit more. Adjustable dampers will change a far greater range of driving character than most folks think.

You pointed to something else above, squat. The Mini does not have great anti squat geometry. You cannot dial all this out, especially not with springs.

I've got to go sleep.

Good luck

Michael

 

Thanks again for the help, but I'm in no way having any problem with rotation. The car is great when driven hard, it's when I'm changing lanes that makes question if I should take the next turn cautiously.

 

002, everything I've written is food for eliminating what you're complaining about. There many many ways to deal with your situation.

Just set the sway on soft or get a smaller away bar.

 

I have obviously not explained the problem that I'm having very well. Thanks for helping.

 

002,

I am trying to help and I may not completely understand. So I'll try one more time.

You state the your car turns in exceptionally well, or rotates exceptionally well when entering a turn. The reason this is possible IS the exact reason you are having stability or ultra responsive conditions when you simply turn the wheel back and forth. When one builds a car that is ultra responsive, stability is removed. When stability is added, responsiveness is removed.

I still do not know what size bar you have, but I'll assume a 22mm bar. A 22mm bar coupled with a spring set that is biased to the rear by105lb/in will indeed be very very responsive. I personally would never set a car up that way for the street in part, for the exact reason we are here.

Lets say you kept the proportion of stock the front and rear sway bars the same, but up the size of each by 35% - roughly the difference between the stock rear bar and a 22mm bar. This would mean that the sway bars would both be 35% stiffer. Although the balance would be the same as the stock car, the 35% stiffer sway bars would make the car much more responsive to steering inputs. but you've change the rear bar, AND, increased the rear spring rates substantially. This will cause the back end of any front wheel drive car to become very twitchy under many conditions.

Suspension tuning begins with Springs, then dampers, then swaybars. Fine tuning suspension is left to geometry, swaybar settings, tire pressure and bushings. If you like the amount of rotation you have, but find your ride a bit to nervous in the straight you can try a couple of things; softer setting on the sway bar, toe-in the rear tires, add more negative camber to the rear tires, reduce negative camber up front, add a little toe-in up front...the list goes on.

What you described in your openning thread is absolutely predictable based on your set-up. If your question is, is this normal...yes for your set-up. Do you like this??? I don't know. If not, some of the above suggestions will help.

Michael

 

Thanks for your willingness to help. Yes the original question was IF other people experienced this too. I have since found a good swabar setting that I can live with.

I think the "problem" has been taken a little out of proportion. I just noticed that when cruising on the freeway small inputs could make the car FEEl like it could go out of control, not actually do it. It actually handles great!

Thanks again and consider the problem solved.:smile: