Have not done it but have owned these and did discuss it years ago with the techs at Turner Motorsports. I would advise anyone to go ahead and play with spring rates on these coilovers (which happen to still be my top choice for street/HPDE to date). I'm not sure what style fronts you may have, if like the factory barrel style or the more standard coilover style spring. But if you switch springs it's a good time for new top pearches and a good 2.5" dia. spring.
The front's are the barrel type. They are whatever came with the kit. Not that I have any complaints about them, but was wondering if there is something "extra" to be had. I remember there was a guy named Aaron who was an engineer for Hotckins that was running PSS9's with some different springs at local AutoX's. Are there benefits one way or the other between barrel and non-barrel type springs? P.S. Are springs normally marked with what rate they are?
Wheel fitment/clearances. Non-barrel types allow more front camber adjustments without clearance issues. Barrel springs are generally progressive.
Yea, mostly a camber thing. You can get much more with the 2.5" or 2.25" sprigs. Also you get a huge choice on spring rates now. I always recomend Hypercoils. Thing is that they come pre dynoed and matched as pairs. I would say that you ave 100 lbs in either directon to play with in rates. Maybe more.
So how do I tell what rates I have now? What will the effects be going up, or down in rates. What rates should I be shooting for for a daily driver / occasional track day.
PSS9 might be your choice as the best package for street / track, but I respectively disagree. I would also say it is subjective. I like the KW V-3s. They are double adjustable and allow you to independently tune the rebound for different conditions. The fact that they are twin tube is an advantage on a MINI. Twin tube dampers are shorter for a given travel. The KWs do not limit travel even after the car is lowered. People think MINIs ride hard because they are on the bump stops almost immediately. Barrel springs allow more spring travel before spring bind. Spring bind is when the coils contact each other. The clearance between the spring and adjustable spring seat on cars with strait wound springs is very close to the tire and might require wheel spacers. Strait springs need to be longer to prevent coil bind. This lowers the spring seat and can lead to clearance problems. PSS9 package comes with progressive springs. The only advantage I can think of progressive springs is they are an attempt at providing a smoother ride. In my opinion, and Nathan has given us this great forum to pontificate about what we think we know, MINIs and most cars with struts have such limited suspension travel that wheel rates that most people find acceptable on the street are on the bump stops very quickly. If you are on the bump stops the spring rate goes up real quick. Racers do not like progressive springs because most racers like their car to respond in a linear way. When you drive into a corner the way (rate of change) the car rolls conveys control to the driver.
I am not sure a change is needed either. But I figure we can hypothesize about it. I sort of agree with what CarlB says about progressive vs. linear springs. At least my gut feeling says it's true. Whether I would be able to tell a difference in real life is impossible to tell without trying them out. Do springs loose their "bounce" with age and use?
Do springs loose their "bounce" with age and use?[/QUOTE] Racers say springs take a set. What they are describing is the spring losing length. They also change their rate (bounce) when they lose length or take a set. Eibach and Hyperco springs do not take a set. I understand there are some Japanese springs that are as good, maybe better. The best spring steel comes from Japan.