Just wondering if anyone has lowered their Mini in an area with medium to high amounts of snow in the winter. I was thinking about getting the TEIN Super Street Coilover Suspension with the Electronic Downforce Controller because of the adjustable ride height but the price of the H-Sport Stage 1 TVS System seems to be more attractive (TEIN - $1,630 VS H-Sport - $537.25) Does a 22mm drop make that much of a difference?

You input is much appreciated! Thanks!

Randy

 

its not comparable like that... tein ss is a full blown coilover replacement that includes shocks, height adjustable (raise it for winter, drop it for summer), and rebound adjustable from inside the car, the H-Sport TVS only one thing is that it's got camber plates (isnt it), and sway bars... of course, you can always skip the height adjustment thing and go for the TVS, add koni adjustable shocks

know this... as im experiencing this first hand... with lowering (im on eibach prokit which is 1 inch front 1.2 in the back), snow tire choice becomes extremely limited..
also, maybe someone else with real info can chime in but i thought tein type ss will rust because its not stainless... i think it is just steel body isnt it

do post results when the teins are on.. that was my first choice until i found out their astronomical 500 lb/ft spring rate!

im loving my eibach/koni combo, everyone complains they ride real hard... but i guess its part of the beast!

 

ranzo- the EDFC is a dampness programmer (3 settings in 32 increments), not a height adjustment like on a Praxis system. SS springs are too stiff.. like
500lbs/in.


1" will make a difference in snow clearance...but you can get taller
snow tires to off set that a little bit... i'd do something like 195/60/16 size
if you can find it (vs stock 195/55/16 or 205/45/17).

 

Thanks for you response Kyriian.

Sorry, my question might have been a little confusing, let me rephrase.

Is lowering springs a bad idea in an area with medium to high amounts of snow? Adjustable ride height (TEIN) VS Non-adjustable ride height (H-Sport)

H-Sport Stage 1 TVS System consists of...

Coils: Drop (based on 2002 Mini Cooper S, 3.02 and later)
Frt: 7/8" (22mm) Rr: 7/8" (22mm) Rates: Frt: 195 #/in Rr: 300 #/in
Sways: Front 27mm Tubular 2 Position Adjustable Stiffness: +16%, +27% (Compared to stock S)
Rear 19mm Tubular 3 Position Adjustable
Stiffness: +54%, +88%, 128% (Compared to stock S)

I wanted to get the coilover suspension because of the adjustable ride height but it's more than double the price! But if the lowered stance is going to kill my Mini in winter I might just save up and get the coilovers...

I googled Koni and found this set up on Minimania for $1,755.00.

http://new.minimania.com/web/Item/NMK1060/AddedFrom/CatBrowse%2D%20SUSPENSION%5FNM/InvDetail.cfm

Seems like you get way more stuff plus better quality for that price range... thanks for your suggestion.

 

The problem in the snow will be when you get to the point where the snow is flowing over the hood of the car. What depth of snow that happens at will depend upon the density of the snow. The problem is that once you get to that point, as soon as you come to a complete stop, you will be stuck. The snow under the car will effectively be holding the wheels off the ground and you will not be able to go anywhere. I've only come close to that once. Lowering the car will increase the chances of that happening.

Of course, this ignores the potential problem of having the lower front bumper cover thing coming into contact with chunks of snow / ice (snowplow droppings) as you're driving down the highway. That won't cause you to get stuck, but it will cause cosmetic damage to the car. At stock height, this is already a bit of an issue. Lower the car an inch and I'd seriously doubt the front end of the car would last a winter without damage where I live (northern Vermont).

 

Okay so 1 inch I'm doomed, but 22mm not a problem? Cool. So I'll just go for the cheaper route and just pick up the H-Sport TVS System.

Coilovers are pretty expensive compared to the H-Sport set up. I understand that they are different components but what's the performance difference between the two?

 

Also, check the height range on the coilovers. Yes, they are height adjustable, but on many the range of heights goes from "too low for winter" to "too low for driving at all". In other words, even at the heighest ride height, you may still be around an inch lower than stock. I think the pilo coilover is one of the few that actually lets you run at a higher than stock ride height.

 

One inch is 25.4mm... so the difference between 22mm and one inch is a little more than the thickness of two pennies. A penny, according to a quick google search, is 1.43mm thick.

 

huh? 22mm is one inch. You can probably get way by just using taller
tires. but again, if you're talking about deep snow (like 4+ inches, you
should probably not lower it at all). the taller profile tire idea is like a
half-assed job to get additional clearance. personally, I would take a
different car out (AWD) in deep snow.

 

I just made myself sound silly didn't I? Sorry I just had a blonde moment. Okay H-Sport is a bad idea then.

Darn. That means I should get some coilovers then...

snid:

You suggest the Pilo coilovers?

Everyone:

What do you guys think about this set up?

http://new.minimania.com/web/Item/NMK1060/AddedFrom/CatBrowse%2D%20SUSPENSION%5FNM/InvDetail.cfm

 

koni full coils are real nice... from what i heard...

from what i do know though... spax coils and the megan coils are the ones that can return the car to stock height

we'll know how it turns out later on when snow starts falling here

 

So I'm guessing your riding an inch lower? You are in Toronto? I'm in Calgary so I'm guessing we get the same amount of snow. Let me know how it goes...

 

I'm not suggesting them as I know pretty much nothing about them. I was just pointing out that they are coilovers that allow you to not only go to stock ride height, but also allow you to get a higher than stock ride height, which I think is pretty rare.

But, since that's about all I know about them, don't consider it a recomendation.

 

We have a great deal on a coilover.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=53788

With Camber plates, it's even raisable above stock level for winter areas.

Thanks
Dan
Pilo Racing

 

I just put on the snows last week. I'm running 195/50/15 Goodyear Ultra Grip IIs on stock MINI holeys. '05 MCS with H-Sport springs. Looking at the car now, i'm a little nervous about this coming winter. My old '02 MCS ran the same set of wheels/tires but on stock suspension and I had no problem. We get a ton of snow here in Montreal, i'll keep everyone update on how it goes.

cheers

Amit

 

Look at the bright side - you won't have to pay a snowplow. When you leave for work, you'll take care of your driveway on the way out. And you'll find people inviting you over to clear their driveway.

 

So how is everyone's winter so far? Was the lowering springs okay for snow?

 

Last winter I was on stock springs and 195/65R15 snow tires - yes, I know those are the wrong size for a MINI, it's all I could get at the time, and they worked just fine other than having the speedo be a little off.

This winter, I have the JCW suspension upgrade and 185/65R15 snow tires.

So, the change in ride height due to tire size is -0.3 inches, and the change in ride height due to the suspension upgrade is around -0.5 inches. Less than an inch total loss in ground clearance from last winter (last winter I had more ground clearance than stock thanks to the taller tires).

Yes, I do notice the loss of 3/4" to 1" (but really only -1/2" from stock). There have been a handful of occasions where I'm driving down a snow covered road, and I see a pile of snow in the middle of the lane that has already been obviously "flattened" by previous traffic. Even though other people have already hit it and flattened it down, I still scrape on it. I guess I'm one of the lower cars around here.

And those chunks of ice / snow that come out of people's wheel wells? Forget it. No chance of sneaking over the bigger ones.

I haven't noticed any real damage to the chin spoiler thingy, but I haven't looked that hard either.

Bottom line, for me: A stock MINI is already pretty low, but there's a good chance someone else who is lower has already taken out most of the hazards. A lowered MINI - you're going to be lower than most of the people who got there before you... be prepared to scrape on stuff.

Lower more than 1/2" and things are gonna get ugly fast.

 

We have had quite a bit of snow up here in Montreal. MINI has been running through everything no problem. However I am scraping snow everywhere I go. It's fine when it's fresh and fluffy with the -10 degree temp + wind chill it's all starting to turn into ice. I'm trying to stay off the beaten path to avoid running into the big ice chunks. Car goes great, just hope everything is intact underneath We'll have to see how it is when I put it up on a lift again. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Amit