Suspension 1st Gen R53 Greene Performance Coilovers / Ride Height Help

Discussion in '1st Generation: 2002–06 R50, R53 & 2004–08 R52' started by BumpDaddy, May 3, 2018.

  1. agranger

    agranger MINI of the Month June 2009
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    #21 agranger, May 9, 2018
    Last edited: May 9, 2018
    OK... you asked for pics, you got 'em!

    Here's a good middle shot of my rear driver's side coil over:

    [​IMG]

    I then took out a tape measure and placed it on the floor, stretching up so that it pressed up against the bottom of the frame rail (where you bolt the top of the coil over to the car) and locking it there.
    I took 3 higher res photos for you, top, middle and bottom of the coil-over so you can see where each part is along the tape. I lifted the boot a bit so you could see the silver ring showing the top of the body (under the lower edge of the boot).

    FYI: to adjust the height, as I understand it, you should loosen the lower lock ring so that it spins freely. You should then turn the entire black threaded shock body so that it screws down into the lower housing. You can see a hole in this housing at about 11.75 inches down that shows the threads peeking through. The upper spring locks should be raised only to a height that just holds the springs and keeps them from rattling around and then locked together. They are not used to adjust height... just to keep the springs tight enough to not bounce around at full droop (wheel in the air).

    Hope that helps!


    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
  2. agranger

    agranger MINI of the Month June 2009
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    Also, on Rufus (my red car pictured above), the big picture is a live action shot from the Dragon. I was in the middle of a curve and the outer springs (the ones visible) were under load, so you can see how little this setup moves. The lower, slightly dark photo, is in my garage at a stop (and right after I had the alignment done and had about 300 miles on the car to settle the springs).

    Like most folks here, I went for a performance look... wasn't looking for slammed or stanced. I hate bottoming out as I'm 6'4" tall and that usually means I'm going to be slammed into the roof...
     
  3. Dave.0

    Dave.0 Helix & RMW Powered
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    From what I can see in the pictures from the OP the guy working on your car has no idea how too adjust coil-overs.
     
  4. myles2go

    myles2go Active Member

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    Yes, those are 17" wheels. That picture was taken in April 2014 right after putting the coilovers on and before I set the final ride height. I wanted to protect the GP side skirts so I didn't run it this low for long.
     
  5. BumpDaddy

    BumpDaddy New Member

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  6. BumpDaddy

    BumpDaddy New Member

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    So Dave and Myles each have a vote in that my mechanic is to blame for incorrectly adjusting the coilovers based off the pictures. I am beginning to think the same. Also, Myles says they are not close to bottoming out, which is what I was puzzled about since my mechanic says they were. I appreciate the feedback from everyone on this forum!
     
  7. agranger

    agranger MINI of the Month June 2009
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    Hey Bump... where in the world are you? If you are near Charlotte, NC, I'd be happy to have you swing by to see what we can do together.
     
  8. MCS02

    MCS02 Moderator
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    Welcome to MA!
     
  9. agranger

    agranger MINI of the Month June 2009
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    Any resolution?
     
  10. BumpDaddy

    BumpDaddy New Member

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    AGranger - thanks so much for uploading your photos and the offer to help! Unfortunately, I'm in the Chicago area, otherwise I'd accept your offer in a heartbeat! I did reach out to Colin and sent him these photos and he's looking into it. I have been out of town and haven't had the chance to rip into it, but I plan to this weekend. Note that mine do not look like the way yours are set up at all. Based on your photos, I have some work to do.
     

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  11. fishmonger

    fishmonger Well-Known Member

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    How about a shorter road trip to Madison, WI? 2 1/2 hours and you can do a direct A/B comparison

    I can make room in the garage on a weekend and we'll get that thing dialed in. Only thing is, if it changes ride height a lot. it will likely feel weird without an alignment and I am not sure I'd drive very far without that.

    No matter if that works out or not, my car with Colin's coilovers will be on jacks in a week to install the Milltek exhaust. I'll get you full details, measurements and photos then.
     
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  12. myles2go

    myles2go Active Member

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    BumpDaddy, Now that I can see the entire shock, those look like Colin’s new coil overs, Gen 2. They will not look like mine, Fishmonger’s, or Agranger’s and the setup may be different. A friend of mine was running them at the dragon this year. I would still say his car was sitting lower than mine. Nice setup but the info you are getting on this thread may not apply.

    I do like that the rear adjuster is accessible outside the car.
     
  13. fishmonger

    fishmonger Well-Known Member

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    Even if photos of our setup don't help, I can see a lot of threads on these "Gen2" coilovers that can get dropped to get it leveled. For sure, whoever installed them did not set them as low they can go.
     
  14. myles2go

    myles2go Active Member

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    Yes, they should go lower.
     
  15. BumpDaddy

    BumpDaddy New Member

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    Fish! What an awesome offer! Yes - if we can make that work, I will gladly take you up on it. I was just in Madison over Memorial Day weekend for BratFest (great time)! Took me less than 2 hours to get there.

    As far as driving it after the adjustments is concerned, I know a local place that rents car hauler trailers. I rent from him when I do track days. I can throw it on there and just do an alignment when I get back.

    I'll send you a PM with my info. Hopefully we can work something out. Thanks again.
     
  16. Sully

    Sully Administrator
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    Agreed - that is awesome!
     
  17. fishmonger

    fishmonger Well-Known Member

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    I'm gonna ask Myles over to help ;-) Actually, with a few extra hands this job won't take very long. The wheels on/off and jack up and down time is at least half of the total job time. Need a racing pit crew and you can to do the job in 30 minutes. A real lift would be great, too, but not in my garage. In Chicago, you can rent them - $40 an hour.
     
  18. agranger

    agranger MINI of the Month June 2009
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    And this is why I love owning a MINI. :D
     
  19. MCS02

    MCS02 Moderator
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    Absolutely!
     
  20. myles2go

    myles2go Active Member

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    Let me know when and I'll try to make it over to lend a hand!
     

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