Finally got my rig in my shop for some extended suspension tweaking. For starters, my suspension is stock except for 16" OZ Superleggeras with Toyo T1 tires, Rogue exhaust and intake, BMP lightened flywheel and Quaife.

As we all know, camber is not adjustable without some accessories like adjustable strut tower mounts and adjustable rear control arms; mods I plan to do along with a coil-over swap and sway bar.

FYI, i measured the camber and ride height as she sits, with a driver in the car, 1/3 tank of gas, ready for the track:

FL: .3 deg neg, 5" ride height; FR:.3deg Neg, 5" ride height
RL: 1.5 deg Neg, 5-7/8" ride height; RR: .8 deg Neg, 6" ride height.

(ride height is a relative thing; I measured from the jacking pad lowest point near each wheel to the floor ).

Anybody else have measurements?

 

just measured toe:

front is Toed OUT 1/16" at ride height

and sway bars:
front stock: .950" (24.3mm)
rear stock: .670" (17mm) (I have the S with "sport suspension&quot

Mini madness rear bar: .875" (22mm)

 

The H&R coilovers just showed up!

Since this is the first seeing.

They are a single spring design (no "tender springs&quot The front spring coil radius tapers to give a sort of variable rate effect.

stock front spring wire: .550 dia (14mm)
H&R front spring wire: .470 dia (12mm)

some more info:

a 13/16 spark plug socket with a hex will fit the stock shock shaft nut; you turn the hex and put an allen key through the drive square.

the H&R though uses a larger nut: 7/8", not a spark plug size.

I assembled the R side without the spring to test full travel and camber: a preliminary effort to get the technique down.

at full extension: +.3 degrees
-1": -.1 degree
-2": -.1 degree
-3": -.3 degree (this is the full travel)

I'm on to the FL.

They do not have a "flattened area" on the lower tube for wheel clearance (as the stock units do) I'll let you know how the wheels fit or if they need a spacer.

height adjustment is via a threaded collar and lock nut; no spanner wrence was provided, but I'll figure that out. Finally, If I can figure out how to post a pic, I'll do it.

Also: my 16 x7 OZ Superleggera wheels have 5.5" offset AND THEY CLEAR THE STRUT BY 1/2"- no wheel spacer needed.

 

jlm: my H&R coilovers are sitting at UPS in Denver, but won't actually be delivered until tomorrow.

I talked with Adam at Alta and he told me that they fit BOTH the 17" and 16" stock MINI wheels onto their H&R coilover equipped MINI Cooper S *without* spacers. So I'll be more than a little miffed if I need to do spacers.

 

some final measurements ro the H&R front coilovers:

stock shock spring: 13.5 lbs; H&R: 11 lbs

range of travel: 3"

camber over range of travel:
The car was leveled within 1/16", left to right by measuring from points on the sprung chassis under the car. A digital level was placed across the tire vertically. It reads to .1-.2 degree accuracy.

fully extended: LS: 0 deg; RS -.2 deg, toe=0.00"
1" compression: LS: -.2 deg; RS: -.8 deg, toe 0.00"
2" compression: LS: -.6 deg; RS: -.8 deg, toe 0.03"
3" compression: LS:-1.0 deg; RS:-1.0 deg, toe 0.00"

that means there is no bump steer, very good news!
another note: the drop links for the sway bar aren't bad. they have no rubber bushings, just a rod end (good news). I'm going to mod mine to make the length adjustable.


the H&R spanner wrench was apparently out of stock and will come later.
There is no bump stop for the front H&R. The stock unit has a very nice compressible urethane? donut on the shock 5/8"shaft, but the H&R uses about a 1.5" dia shaft, so the old one won't work. There seems to be room inside the spring perch for a larger donut, so I have to dig one up.
H&R tells you to use the stocker bumpers for the rear. Tommorrow i might get to the rears and stqrt figuring out an adjustable camber plate.

by the way, the LS strut is a ***** to get out because the hub won't drop far enough, so I jacked up te suspension to compress the spring and then held the spring compressed with a small bar clamp; that made the strut short enough so it would clear the lowered hub. No problem on the RS

edit: just found out from H&R that the front bumper is internal.

 

Thanks for the update jlm. We'll be doing my H&R coilovers later today... just waiting for UPS to show up.

_________________
dave@northamericanmotoring.com 454 paper cranes

 

My H&R's showed up yesterday, but we only had the time to do the rears last night, before heading off to a MINI5280 meeting. Today Randy and I will do the fronts. :smile:

BTW, my H&R's came with two of the ride height adjustment wrenches.

 

just put in my rears and the madness bar. fyi: stock spring wire: .450 dia, H&R wire .407.

also, at full extension, the H&R is 1-3/8" shorter than the stock rears (I haven't attempted to set ride height yet, just comparing the two units with springs on the bench.

note that the upper spring perch is diufferent LS vs RS and is so marked, other wise, you wouldn't know the difference (guess how I found out!)

 

The Left Side Rear has kind of poor access to get the wrenches in to start the height adjustment. The Right Rear was much better.

 

fitting the H&R coilovers and so far, the minimum front drop I can get is 1.5" from stock and that is too much (should be 3/4&quot something is a-whack.

also, the fully lowered rear gives negative 3deg rear camber, too mcuh for the street

 

did some final measurements for the rear:
this is with the H&R rear shocks fitted without springs, car frame on stands and leveled, raiing both sides m1" at a time and taking measurements, using digital level for camber and trammels for toe, reading from a line scribed on the rubber of the tread surface (toe in is with respect to tire diameter.)

full extension: 1/8 toe in, -.6 camber
+1": 1/16 toe in, -1.2 deg camber
+2": 0.0 toe, -2.2 deg camber
+3": 1/32 toe out, -3.0 deg camber (maximum compression)

 

jlm: wow. I really have to admit I am impressed with how much detail you're putting into this.

 

wait until you see my front adjustable camber and caster plates. I should get them finished tomorrow or the weekend , and I am making an extra set for Randy to consider. Also rear adjustable control arms are done this weekend; they are useful, but hardly innovative.

If only I could figure out how to post a picture...

 

I have just had the H sport springs and the Madness rear bar installed today. Obviously the camber and caster can not be changed from the stock set-up without plates but the toe can. Does anyone know what a good setting for a street car would be. We could not find stock spec's so we set the front at 1/16 toe out and the rear at 0 toe. The 2 sides were different so we thought it best to even them up. Any help is appreciated
Rich

 

Here are the factory spec's for the "S"

Total Toe (front) 0deg 18'+/-5'
Camber (diff L/R max 30') -30+/-25'
Track offset angle w/ 20 deg
steer angle on inside wheel -1 deg 16'+/-30'
Caster (diff L/R max 30')
W/ 10 deg steer angle 4deg 47'+/-30'
W/ 20 deg steer angle 4deg 55'+/-30'
Rear Toe (total) 0deg 24'+/-8'
Camber (diff L/R max 30') -1 deg 32' +/- 30'
Geometric axial diff 0 deg +/- 10'

This is from the BMW GRP WEB TIS for axle align R53/Cooper S