Hello again, I haven't been posting for a while. This time it's to
review the s-racer blue coil spring conversion kit I have fitted (not
coil overs, but the springs that replace rubber cones), so here we go
.... DEEP BREATH ... Not much to say about the fitting process them
except that you want hilos at the front because the front springs are
shorter than the rubber cones. just after fitting them the car was
incredibly high with hilos at the lowest safe position at the front.
The first test drive was one of the scariest things i've ever done.
The car handled hideously because of the exagerated ride height, with
plenty of bump and torque steering. after a few miles the springs
started to settle and the ride felt safer. At this point I was able to
test the ride quality by driving into bumps on purpose. Apart from
bump steering at high speed, the car felt wonderful. The handling was
better than with the standard rubber cones and the ride was MUCH, MUCH
MORE COMFORTABLE. the only problem remains the height. I'm hoping to
see the car settle even more, but if it doesn't I'll have to lower the
hilos and use lowered height dampers to prevent the spring from
falling out of position when the suspension is at it's lowest (sitting
on the rebound buffers). I'll continue driving and will post more
about this problem. Any advice is welcome.

Dantiri

S-racer makes a taller front bump stop at the URL below

http://www.sracer.com/catalog/products/srp0067.htm

This will result in less suspension travel but it's a lot cheaper than
lowered dampers. It does look pretty rough in the picture. My guess is
that it's polyurethane not rubber.

Most sellers of the coil springs insist on customers using Hi-Los. I
would worry more about the rear springs fall out of position
especially when the rear of the car is jacked up. Even the rubber
springs can get dislodged.

The coil springs should come down but it will be slow and steady. The
nature of a steel coil spring it to fairly linearly collapse over its
life. This is somewhat dependent on the weight applied. In the long
term you will probably be better off with Hi-Los on all four corners.

Cheers,

Kelley

On 7 Feb 2005 03:37:20 -0800, dtirinnanzi (AT) tin (DOT) it (Dantiri) wrote:

Kelley Mascher <mascherk (AT) comcast (DOT) net> wrote

Thank you! Actually I was thinking of fabricating my own, but I'll go
for these. It seems the most sensible and cheapest way to solve the
problem

Dantiri

My S-Racer springs came with the poly bump stops.

I didn't notice it being way high after initial installation, and was able
to adjust it properly with the Hi-Lo's right away.

It's been a year now, and just last month I raised the height because the
springs had settled about an inch - probably most of it in the first few
months, but I was lazy about setting it back then.

LOVE 'em - my Mini rides so smoothly over any kind of bump now. The ride
height is set fairly stock, so I don't think I hit the bump stops very
often...

Geoff

"Dantiri" <dtirinnanzi (AT) tin (DOT) it> wrote

"Geoffrey Bard" <bud (AT) fuddlacker (DOT) com> wrote

OK, now that everything has settled, that I've got the right ride
height and the wheel tracking done I must say that the blue coil
spring conversion kit from s-racer is easily the best thing I've ever
fitted to my mini. great handling, superb ride quality. they're an
improvement in every aspect. bumps are felt as slight taps through the
steering wheel at high speeds and are perfectly absorbed at low
speeds. When cornering the steering wheel feels much more connected to
the front tyres than with any other setup i've experienced, giving a
higher sensitivity. One last thing. If you want to buy them I suggest
you order them directly from s-racer in the US, they're about half the
price minispares charges for them in the UK.

Dantiri

Snip...............
If you want to buy them I suggest
How much are they with P&P?

"TurboJo" <Jo (AT) withoutspam (DOT) turbonutter.fsnet.co.uk> wrote

It depends on the shipping method and where you have them shipped. You
can send an e-mail to srpmini (AT) aol (DOT) com. they quoted $100 to ship them
to Italy via UPS, fortunately I have relatives in the US who brought
them over...

Dantiri

Thanks

"Dantiri" <dtirinnanzi (AT) tin (DOT) it> wrote

Hi,
I read your post because the concept of ridding yourself of old rubber
suspension cones seemed appealing.
I can not quite visualise the height problem & I am not sure what a Hilo is
but .......
Had you considered having the springs you want custom made by one of the
many springmakers who specialise in auto spring making. They can set the
spring rate (stiffness) compressed length, & free length.
More to the point you will have a safe spring which if not exactly right can
be remade at modest cost.
I was concerned that the springs you fitted "settled", by which I assume you
mean their length changed permanently due to the weight of the vehicle & its
road loads.
Springs should be designed to alter length in motion in a near perfectly
elastic manner, any yeilding would indicate a poorly made or designed spring
which could ultimately fail.
Dampers or shock absorbers would need to be different for a steel spring to
those designed to control rubber cones, have you done anything about this
aspect?
Pete

"Dantiri" <dtirinnanzi (AT) tin (DOT) it> wrote

The Hi-Lo is a common mod for a Mini and can be installed while keeping the
rubber-cone springs. Check out Mini Mania - they and others sell them.

I'm not actually sure my springs ever settled per se - I just chose after a
year to raise the ride height. You can correspond directly with the source
at s-racer.com and see what he says about the spring quality and settling.

I kept my shocks and they seem to work fine with the springs.

Geoff

"peterlonz" <peterlo (AT) mail (DOT) com> wrote