Yes...I'm listening

 

My passenger front setup seems loose. When I go over a bump, it feels/sounds like there's about a 1/8" of play in there somewhere. I've checked to make sure the bolts are still tight, and they are, so I'm not sure where the play may be, so I'll have to take it to my guy. I've had my Megans since March, and it sounds like it's been getting a bit worse recently. Originally it was only on a small stretch of road when it was cold, and now it seems to happen during a larger portion of my commute to/from work.

I'd like to take my car in to my tuner ASAP to get it checked out, but if there are other fixes ready megans up front, I'd rather pay to have everything taken apart once rather than twice.

 

...hmmm...I have the newer components and this looseness appeared a day or two after the install and now sounds and feels like the front end is about to come apart. I'm headed home early to pull these apart...hopefully its just and endlink I did not tighten properly

I need to go on record here. Steve has been a wonderfull help thru all the difficulties all of us have faced. I received new springs, perches and two new cylinders two weeks ago. As you all know I installed these and the difference in confort was amazing given the 140lb/in increase in rate. However, comfort here is due soley to more suspension travel.

Here's the bad part. The rate differential is too big. An ideal rate after a lot of experimenting is around 300lb/in front and 325-335lb/in in the rear for a mostly road driven car. This setup also needs more suspension travel - which is not possible. But the truth is the truth, 2" of suspension travel is not enough. I know that I'll need to compensate with tighter valving at the track and that's the wrong way to go about adjusting dampers. The dampers need to be re-designed and there are ways to do this. The current fix will work for folks who never see a track, but the dampers need to be adjusted on the stiff side - no less than 13 or 14 from full hard to keep from tagging the bump stops - which are currently cut in half.

The Megans posses an incredible value and had the potential to grab huge market share in this community. Many, many folks have looked for direction from me, and a few others, from the very beginning. I cannot endorse these units for track use for the above reasons. There are ways to design these properly, albeit at some expense. But Megan - not Steve, is resisting. Megan discussed pulling out of this market and perhaps it should if it cannot find a suitable fix. Again, Steve has been wonderful, period But none of his good will and efforts can fix the damping problem these posses.

If I were keeping the Mini - and that changes almost hourly lately , I would select another manufacturer. I hate to write this, but there are literally a few dozen folks looking for an honest perspective from me. There you have it.

My experience and opinion may help seal Megans fate in the Mini community or it may make it take a deeper look at a real solution; make the damper body an inch shorter - the stroke becomes and inch longer and add an inch to the (300#) springs. This will not leave lots of room for aggressive drops, but these are ill advised anyway. There should be room for a 1"-1.5" drop which is all anyone interested in true performance needs. And, from my experience, there isn't a lot of thread needed for corner balancing the Mini...the right front appears to be a consistent area for large adjustment and large is relative, it ain't all that much. All other components and the endlink attachment point are not affected by these suggestions. ...would be nice to see a completely different bumpstop too. Steve, talk with your boss...

 

I hope they stay with it, because a lot of people would buy these coilovers if the problems were worked out. I would pay another $250-$500 for a set that would make Meb happy, and it would still be a bargin!

 

With regards to my last post, disregard need to go have the megans looked at. Meb identified the problem, told me the solution, and 3 mins with my box'o'tools and it was fixed.

Thanks Meb!

 

kinda just waiting. winter is coming...kinda waiting.

 

What was the problem?

 

Steve, any updates... Hello, is anybody there? Hello...?

 

The lock nut on top of the damper worked its way loose.

 

True. An adjustable wrench = fixed.

 

Whoa be VERY careful with that. There are two bearings that are below and above the pillowball. One is thick and the other is thin.

I had someone snap a front shock because he installed the shock with the Thicker bearing on top and the thinner one on the bottom and it did not allow the suspension to move. What had happened after that is the shock piston actually stretched out a little and he thought he had a loose top nut so he tightened it. And then the shock simply snapped after it stretched a bit more.

BE CAREFUL WHEN YOU REBUILD THESE THINGS!!!

 

whats the story?

 

These can be switched inadvertantly, but they really only fit properly one way.

 

Does anybody have any updates on the springs? It's been a few weeks since Megan Racing posted about receiving the springs but as of now I still have not received anything. Have they been shipped out yet or ...???

Steve, are you around? What's going on?

 

Springs are coming in about a week. I have been laying low because everytime I give an ETA it falls through on my end because of the factory. And then I have a mob with pitchforks at my front door.

Also, I noticed that I get the best results when I am at about 135mm preloaded on the 160mm springs. My car still sits just a little high, but I'm running the stock 16's in the front at the moment.

 

I thought the springs were 150mm?

 

I don't know if 160's or 150's are coming in. I used springs from another application for prototyping purposes.

 

i cant believe that this has not been resolved yet. first it was 2 weeks for new parts out to everyone, then it was they shipped the wrong ones, then its they are coming in a week. its friggin NOVEMBER already!

i dont see how anyone can possible trust anything that MEGAN says right now.

thisproblem was first identified 8/26/06...

 

We need to stop talking that way. I am frustrated also. I've been waiting like a year for these things to evolve to the point where I will buy them. Changes with overseas suppliers take time. If we continue to have a bad attitude twards Megan Racing they are going to pull out of the Mini business altogether, and those who have bought them will be really screwed.

 

Thanks. But as for trusting the company or not... that's upon the individual. Trust is a big thing in the industry, anytime you place an investment in your vehicle you have to trust the manufacturer. If one doesn't trust us then there's not much we can do. I am fighting for this just as much as anyone else, right now I am at the whim of the factory and the shipping companies.. if I could of had these the day after this issue was brough up, trust ME I would of given them out. But I don't... and I can't.

All and all, if you don't want to trust Megan Racing, then I mean.. so be it. Just know that I personally am trying my hardest to get these springs out to the community.

 

sigh.

 

Eibach makes a seemingly equivalent 150mm x 2.5" - 8kg spring. I've seen it listed for $60 and ships the next day.

 

I'm fairly confident the Eibachs will work - I've used lots of their springs in the past. You can order just about any length you want too. I would not oreder springs that are longer since you'll need to adjust these to the very top of the last thread on the cylinders. If you order long springs, they will simply bind at some point...part of me thinks a spring a little shorter might work, but I'm not sure. A spring an inch shorter might leave the perch at full droop and make a lot of noise in the process.

 

Megan,

whats up?

 

if anyone is interested om me

Michael