wrinkly
59 posts
Joined: 10/09/2004 08:51:29
Location: POTTERS BAR United Kingdom (Excluding channel Islands)
cone springs and coil springs
Firstly, Huddersfield spares has nothing to do with the real Minispares Centre set up 30 years ago and none of their parts are similar. Minispares and keith Calver done lots ot testing on the coil springs and Minispares would not put their name to them as a road going item. They might be fine in the hands of a pro suspension tuner but unless the car sits fairly high the coil springs have a possibility of unseating and breaking. there is nothing holding them in place and the Japanese have made them a conical shape to help overcome this tipping action of the spring. Many customers in countries with rough roads have this problem and it is nothing to do with the spring strength and quality. there are however quite a few USA citizens using them with success on the long straight or even roads they have. There are lots of Canadian Mini owners to ask in the clubs and this would be your best bet, or try Mini Mania web site for info
Posted: Dec 01, 2004 09:36 AM
Darren35se
54 posts
Joined: 10/01/2005 11:40:06
Location: Telscombe Cliffs United Kingdom (Excluding channel Islands)
coil spring conversion vs cones
I am interested in these coil conversion kits... http://www.minispares.com/Product.aspx?pid=36782 I would like to know how the car handles and what the ride is like on these compared to the standard cones. The main reason is I assume these do not sag or loose their performance over time like the cones. Ta.
Posted: Feb 23, 2005 04:20 PM
BALDYMAG
77 posts
Joined: 24/10/2004 10:49:55
Location: Uckfield United Kingdom (Excluding channel Islands)
cones coils
Hi Darren not had experiance of the coil set up myself , Some say ok on track but not really suitable on road.. There is a big differance in price.I. I should think if u put a new set of standard or uprated rubber cones from minispares in you 35 you will notice the differance.They have been there 10 years.. u done anything to the suspension, it looks a bit lower than norm? When the salt is off the roads u can drive my mk1 to see what u think.., its got all new suspension with the usual uprated and lowered bits including 4 new rubber cones... Dave
Posted: Feb 24, 2005 09:37 PM
Ulv
9 posts
Joined: 17/09/2004 12:09:47
Location: Kozia wolka Oman
One thing is very strange. If you buy this spring by www.sracer.com, you will pay for spring + integrated Hi/Lo + Upper A Arm Rebound Bumper - 550 dollars plus shiping which is almost equal to 280 pounds. Does anybody can tell me why minispares rised the price so much?? Best regards Witek
Posted: Mar 09, 2005 01:37 PM
Leonard
95 posts
Joined: 10/11/2004 19:56:22
Location: Stroud United Kingdom (Excluding channel Islands)
new cones
you probably need new suspension cones and knuckle joints. you need a cone compressing tool. jack the front of the car up, and take the wheel off. take the big front subframe bolts out from inside the engine bay. the cone compressor goes inside this hole. take the top suspension arm off at the hub end and the subframe end. the trumpet should come out. then uncompress the cone and take it out. this is simplified so i probably missed bits out Leonard
Posted: Mar 23, 2005 07:32 PM
Vince
68 posts
Joined: 31/01/2005 17:24:31
Location: Seneca United States
cones vs springs??
Due to some evident suspension settling (1993 Mini Sprite), I need to replace some suspension components (ie cones especially) and that has got me thinking about the whole sprung suspension idea. Are there any disadvantages to using springs instead of cones? How about the competition cones? I use the car as a driver (though not daily) and it is going to be used for some autocrossing and hillclimb events (autocrossing about twice monthly). Along the same lines, I will need to replace the shocks and I would like to lower the ride height. How is this related to the whole spring vs cone debate? At the same time, some previous owner apparently had a mishap of some sort in that I have found the drivers side tie rod has been bent and straightened - though not perfectly. The car pulls to the right and some aggressive tire wear has resulted in the outside tread being ground off while the remaining three tires are still as new. In this vein, I am thinking about adjustable tie rods and lower arms (to add negative camber for handling). Any advice regarding any or all of these questions is greatly appreciated. I am needing to change at least the tie rods and cones very soon. Thanks, Vince
Posted: Apr 02, 2005 05:09 PM
sakaic
3 posts
Joined: 05/10/2004 18:39:27
Location: Malaysia
I use a set of spax coilovers and I found the kit to be not so suitable for everyday use as when I get the ride height right, the ride becomes too harsh when there is only one person in the car but just right when there are four and when that happens it bottoms out easily. Also, I have a problem where the rear right has to be compressed more to obtain an equal ride height for both sides. Anyone with a solution ? I am using the yellow damper with a purple spring.
Posted: Apr 02, 2005 08:33 PM
Suzy
142 posts
Joined: 08/09/2004 21:50:17
Location: Woolavington United Kingdom (Excluding channel Islands)
There was a recent long thread on MiniMainia discussing coils. You may find it handy to take a look. http://www.minimania.com/web/threadid/64595/InfoID/1/SiteMessages/6/msgthread.cfm
Posted: Apr 03, 2005 05:17 PM
Stuart
243 posts
Joined: 17/05/2005 11:14:28
Location: Frome United Kingdom (Excluding channel Islands)
cone filter
Ive just bought a cone filter for a 998cc 1.5 inch S.U carb. it comes with a gasket, but as with most mail order stuff, i dont think itll have fitting instructions, so, how do i fit it? also im having a full 2 inch exhaust system fitted with a peco 2 back box. its a single box system (well 2 if you include the back-box). its a 1989 car with 75,000 miles on the clock, does anyone think new jets will be needed. it runs smooth enough now with a good mixture. Cheers Stu
Posted: Jan 09, 2006 10:32 AM
Paul
25 posts
Joined: 13/10/2004 20:07:25
Location: Rochford United Kingdom (Excluding channel Islands)
Suspension Cones
Is there actually any difference between the front and rear suspension cones in a mini? I bought a set for my cooper and the fronts were twice the price (almost) yet seem to have exactly the same serial numbers on them as the rear. They were only distinguished by felt tip pen telling me that they were the front. Have I just been had?
Posted: Feb 05, 2006 08:09 PM
kjw911
36 posts
Joined: 10/04/2005 18:45:44
Location: BROADSTAIRS United Kingdom (Excluding channel Islands)
Competion rubber cones
Install some competition rubber cones they are much stiffer and will help prevent body roll.
Posted: Feb 06, 2006 07:56 PM
markh
1 posts
Joined: 18/02/2006 18:35:29
Location: London United Kingdom (Excluding channel Islands)
Coil spring / rubber cone suspension conversions
Hi, I have a sports pack mini and was hoping someone might have some experience with coil spring conversions. As the sports pack has the Koni dampers, would a coil spring / rubber cone conversion be a good mod? also, what about the coil over damper conversion?
Posted: Feb 20, 2006 06:01 PM
spike6511
17 posts
Joined: 15/06/2005 12:12:12
Location: Bracknell United Kingdom (Excluding channel Islands)
Question about hi/lo and Rubber cones
I need to get new cones for the rear of my car, I have a set of hi/los which I will be fitting, my question is are the standard cones (FAM3968) the ones to use. Forgive my lack of knowledge on this. Steve
Posted: Mar 12, 2006 05:27 PM
Cones
Standard cones are fine, competioion ones are better. If you are replacing the rear cones I would also replace the front ones if you have not already done so.
Posted: Mar 13, 2006 10:26 AM
cones
Many thanks for the reply, Need to find a tool for the front cones to be able to do that. Again many thanks for the reply. Steve
Posted: Mar 13, 2006 12:51 PM
Mini Special
16 posts
Joined: 09/09/2005 18:16:43
Location: United Kingdom (Excluding channel Islands)
???Suspension cone???
My mini has dropped on the drivers side and i have had a look at the suspension cones and they are ok but the trumpet which it sits on has fell to the side and looks damaged i have tried to change it but the thread on the cone is damaged so is there any other way of taking it out without compessing the cone (i have got new cones and trumpets etc to fit so is it easyist to just cut out the trumpets.??????????
Posted: Mar 18, 2006 08:27 PM
Tim
1849 posts
Joined: 18/10/2004 09:40:59
Location: Bournemouth United Kingdom (Excluding channel Islands)
Are you referring to the front suspension? I cant imagine how the trumpet could have fallen out, but if you cant remove it and the thread on the cone is damaged (are you sure youre using the right tool? - I believe some are imperial and some are metric threads) then I would think you could remove the upper suspension arm (carefully) to release everything
Posted: Mar 19, 2006 09:40 AM
Ive never done it but I dont see why not. Dismantle the top ball joint first to let the upper arm drop down as far as it will go, and so relieve the tension in the cone. It may still be compressed, so watch out for everything flying about when you undo the arm.
Posted: Mar 19, 2006 05:35 PM
Giovanni
Joined: 09/11/2005 18:16:01
Location: Pavia Italy
NEED K&N CONE TYPE AIR FILTER
I' looking for a K&N air filter cone type (code 57-0189) for my MPi mini.
I'm italian and I'll pay the whole postage cost!
Please help me!
Thanks!
Posted: May 03, 2006 04:50 PM
Viney
6 posts
Joined: 13/05/2006 21:50:39
hi
i know ebay is a very good place to look for both new and used K&N filters, hopefully person selling will b happy to ship out to you aswel if you are willing to pay, but most ahip to europe ne way.
Posted: May 14, 2006 01:56 PM