I know this news is now several months old, but I was just doing the rounds on my favorite damper websites and noticed that Hanchey Vehicle Tech [HVT] has a set of dampers available for the R50/53/56 platform! :biggrin5: Hanchey Vehicle Tech HVT 6100i for Mini Cooper This is absolutely incredible news for anyone actually serious about bringing their MINI to the next level in handling. Throw away those old KWs and go out and buy these immediately. They're ride better and handle better than whatever is on your car now, unless you have Penske regressive's or Motion Control's. And they're only $2k for the set, that's less than the decidedly "meh" KW V3's but with legit damper curves, low hysteresis, and low stiction. Enjoy, Ryan
If you want a blow a much bigger wad of cash get the HVT 6300e (Scroll down near bottom). I got a set going on the car now. Shakedown scheduled for December 13-14.
Whew, 3-ways with ACE. Those've gotta be pushing $10k for the set, no? Just out of curiosity, what tires and spring rates are you targeting? Are you building for a specific race class?
That's close with springs, camber plates, installation, alignment/corner weight. I run 225/45/15 RRs, but will be giving SM7 a try. I've been told the SM7s are almost as consistent as the RRs, but a bit quicker. The car has 450 front / 400 rear now, and is going to 600 front / 450 rear. It has good turn in, but still tends to push from apex to track out. Part of the reason is I am consistently getting to the bump stops at the front - the car will pick up the inside rear 6 to 10 inches. Just completed first year racing GTS2 with NASA & BMW.
SM7's are only in 205/50-15. IMO you should go for R7's in 225/45-15 in front and SM7's in back to get balanced tire temps. With that much inside rear lift, your roll center axis must be whack. What're your ride heights? You probably need to do a drop-spindle, raised inside ball joint mount, and raised steering rack to get a higher front roll center, which will reduce rear inside lift and improve front mechanical grip. Are you running a Quaife? Without one you're leaving tons of time on the table. The spring rates sound fine, assuming you're running H-Sport Comp sway-bars front and back. Sounds like a fun build! Do you have a build thread?
SM7s are much cheaper than R7s, and almost exactly the same size at 225 RRs. Hoosiers run big. The stiffer front springs should stop hitting the outside bump stop at the front and thus picking up the inside rear wheel so much. The car is about 1.5 inches lower than stock, and I run with just a slight bit of rake. Yes, the car has a Quaife. It was the first mod I did back in '05. Still works like a champ. No front sway bar, and H-sport competition 25.5 hollow bar set full stiff at the rear. No build thread.