Just upgraded my suspension on my 2005 MCS. Here's the setup:

Koni Yellow Shocks (Front @ 1/2 turn from full hard, Rear @ 1/2 turn from full soft)
H-Sport Springs
H-Sport Rear Sway Bar (Stiffest setting)
17" Kosei K1-TS (+42mm offset) with 205/45 Avon M550's

Everything seems ok with just me in the car, but this evening with my wife and kids in the car I rubbed like crazy (approx 550lbs of total bodyweight). I haven't had a chance to take a close look, but it seems that the rubbing is at the reflector on the rear fenderwell. It could be rubbing in other places, but until I have some sunlight to look, this is one spot I'm having problems with. I've searched the boards and there are one or two people running a similar set-up with little or no rubbing issues.

What is the progression of steps I need to take to resolve?
What damage (other than the obvious wear on the tires) can I do if I just let it wear-down the problem areas over time?

My MINI is no longer passenger friendly and I'd really like it to be on occasion.

 

When I had H-sport springs and stock shocks I had rubbing in the rear with four people and on bumpy uneven roads. Happens all the time.

1. Make sure that your tire pressure is up for four people. Try 37 or 38 psi cold.
2. Tires do wear down from the rubbing as does the inner wheel well liner. As both get worn the rubbing gets less but it does take time.
3. If you don't loose control of the car and the rubbing is minor it doesn't pose a safety concern.
4. If you don't want to wait you can get a dremmel tool and start trimming the inner edge of the wheel well plastic. On the left rear at about 2 O'clock and on the right rear wheel at about 10 O'clock. If you let the wheels rub a bit then you can feel where the plastic is wearing down so that is the place to trim it.
5. For a how to trim see:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ead.php?t=6618
6. I never did trim mine and I hardly notice the rubbing anymore after two sets of street tires.
7. You can get slightly smaller tires to reduce the tendency to rub- try 215/40-17.
8. Slightly more negative camber in the rear might help clearance a little. You can try about -1.6 to -1.8 degrees using an adjustable rear control arm or using the 2005 adjusters for the rear control arm- set to max neg camber.

 

Thanks for the reply, minihune. I did come across the link you posted in my search. That may be a weekend project here shortly.

Just curious about your statement, " using the 2005 adjusters for the rear control arm- set to max neg camber". I've been told that the only way to adjust the camber on the MINI is to buy aftermarket adjustable control-arms. Are you saying that 2005 camber is at least somewhat adjustable?

One of the things a couple of us were noticing at our local meeting this past week is that compared to a 2004 with a similar set-up (wheels and tires different, but the suspension bits were the same), the 2005 seemed to have a lower drop than the 04. Anyone else notice this?

 

Your actual drop will depend on the weight of your MINI with options ordered and which springs and shocks were installed (there are many that can be installed at the factory based on the options ordered).

Yes, you can adjust rear negative camber a little in the 2005 MINI using a small cam.
See
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=41556
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=45296

Alignment specs
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=41617

 

Thanks again minihune!

 

I just found a post here on NAM that referenced these strut spacers http://new.minimania.com/web/Item/NM.../InvDetail.cfm.

How well do these work and are there pitfalls to using them?

 

As stated in the ad, they will add positive camber, and you just got through lowering the car, so why would you want to raise it half an inch? You did want your center of gravity lower, right?

 

Yeah, but without the rubbing! :smile: Actually, my real goal was a better ride, the drop was a side-effect.

We also noticed that the back looks considerably lower than the front -- ie, I can still fit two fingers in the gap between the front tire and the wheel arch, in the back my fingers dive right into the tire.

It seems to only be rubbing on the driver's side -- even with a passenger in the front.

 

How long have you been running on those springs? It took my car several weeks to finally settle down and pick a stable position.

 

They were installed on 9/6, so not that long. I've heard it takes a while for the settling.

 

I went out to the garage to clean my dirty windows from today's rain and decided to feel around under the wheel wells to see if I could feel where it might be rubbing. I did find one place on the drivers side, but I also noticed something else -- the drivers side wheel seems to be closer to the fender arch (ie., extends further out) than the passenger side!

Is this normal? Can it be "fixed"?

Of course, the fix may cause BOTH sides to rub.

 

I have a 2005 MCS with Kosei 17 inch wheels and H-sport springs. My car also rubs only on the rear driver's side. The distance between the fender arch and top of the tire is less on the driver's side. The good news is that the rubbing is almost gone after 2,000 miles.

 

It sounds like you have less negative camber on the driver's side. This is an '05, you should be able to easily adjust that.

Since there are now two people complaining of the same issue, I'll share an anecdote that might lend some insight.

A coworker of mine was riding in the car with me when I spun my MINI. The turn was a beast of a left-hander, and it was dirt that loosed the rear end. Nevertheless, he told me at the time that many automakers add more negative camber on the right side, as (for some unaccounted reason) cars tend to break away more easily when turning to the left. Perhaps the driver feels more confidence turning left, and will apply more force to the turn. Admit it, when you turn right, you feel slightly less stable in the car (maybe it's the realization that, if the car rolls, you're going to hit the pavement immediately).

Anyway, that tendency is supposedly why you'll see more camber dialed in on the right side of the car. Camber is almost undoubtedly your issue, and it's a snap to change.

 

I have the same negative camber on both sides - - 1.5%.

Mini USA, however, allows up to a 10 mm variance in ride height at the four corners.

 

Thanks, good to know.

 

This weekend we had a little MINI get-together and when compared side-by-side to an 04 MC40 with similar set-up, BOTH of my rear wheels had more negative camber than his MINI. I had noticibly more negative camber on the passenger side than the drivers side.

I guess my first step is to try to adjust the adjustment that is already available. If that doesn't work, then I control arms are in my not-too-distant future.

I did find that it is rubbing on both the outside and inside of the tire sidewall

 

I wonder if your wheels' offset is part of the problem. I too have an '05 w/ H-sports, but am running 17's w/ a 215/45. Wider and taller than your 205's but I don't seem to rub. Hmmmmmmm........... Wheels are Flik Wasps.



Later

 

Part of my problem might be in my "tyres". I'm running AvonTech M550s which are 8.1" wide. Kind of on the wide side.

 

I take that to mean that your section width is 205. Mine is 215, which is 10mm wider. I only have rubbing on the outside. If your offset is too bad, not only will your tires rub, but the wheel itself may rub. I only have about 10mm of space between the wheel and the suspension.

I can't think of the name of the part, but I'll try to get a picture and post it to my gallery.

 

What I mean is that for a 205/45 spec tire, mine is somewhat wider than most.

I did get a chance to look in the fenderwell yesterday as I just happened to catch a nail in that driver-rear tire. There is a good 6-8 inch long "wear" mark along the top of the inside fenderwell. What I was seeing on the inside of the tire while it was still on the car was actually part of the manufacturer's markings on the tire itself. So, I'm probably only rubbing on the outside.

I do have an appointment tomorrow with my original installer to check out the camber issue. I'll report back what I find out.

 

205/45R17 is stock on a 17" wheel.

Ouch; nails suck! I had my run-flats ruined by a nail. Oh, well: it gave me an opportunity to get tires mounted on my SSR's.

I really don't think you should be having any rubbing issues at all with the 205's, unless there's a huge difference in wheel-offset. And we'd be talking close to a 5mm outboard difference. Have you had a chance to compare the offset of the stock wheels against your current wheels? You might want to do that before going to the dealer, as they might charge you for "diagnostic time" if it's your offset.

 

Right, but I think the Avons may be a smidge wider (like 1/2 inch) than say, Pirelli PZeros.


You won't get an argument from me there. There is so much housing construction going on in our area it almost had to come from that. Couple that with some very spirited driving on Saturday -- the head of the nail is shorn/sheared off. I was very fortunate not to have gotten a flat out near "BFE" Texas.

Offset is +42mm and I was running V-Spokes before (although the suspension came after the new wheels/tires). I actually DID rub prior to getting the suspension a couple of times on some pretty good sized dips in the road -- bumps didn't do it, but not too abrupt dips would if I was going fast enough.

I had it looked at today and the options are:
New tires -- shoot for something slightly narrower than the Avons.
4 adjustable control arms (I like this option ) to bring the whole wheel in
live with -2.8 camber and dremmel the crap out of the wheel well

I'm exploring the control arms but know very little about them and have posed the following questions on our local club board, maybe I can solicit some help here too:
1) Which control arms should I get if I go that route? The H-Sports, Alta, and Irelands are the ones I found easily and are within about $70 (hi/lo) for 4. If I have to get adjustable ones (and I know I do) I want some that are going to be easy to adjust.
2) I was reading about the "bushings" on the control arms, I don't want a noisy or harsh ride, that was the whole purpose of the springs/struts was to smooth things out. I also don't want to put undue stress on my already bad back. Should I get polyurathane (sp??) or rubber bushings? What are the pros/cons?
3) The Xenon-leveling sensor is mounted to the lower control arm. Where is the best place to relocate that and how?

Any other advice is welcome. Thanks in advance.

 

I have H-Sport lower arms. They're very nice, but the jam nuts tend to get loose. Have your local gorilla tighten them, or use Loc-Tite.
Installation of upper arms will be a major PITA. Just getting the right length socket to get the lower ones out was a problem, due to the location of the gas tank. But getting the upper ones, whoo.
H-Sports have polyurethane bushings, but there's no noise (even without grease), and I haven't noticed any additional harshness.
Can't help you there: I've got "normal" headlights.

 

Yeah, I talked to the mechanic that did my installation about how many labor hours to install both upper and lowers and he guestimated 2 hours and explained the problems getting to the upper arm. :(

Thanks again for your responses!