Suspension Brakes 1st Gen Most liked posts in thread: What Shocks & Springs for GP

I originally wanted to go with the TSW springs because of the linear rate and ride. But they weren't available at the time. I went with the Swift springs (progressive rate) as they were my second choice. The ride is an improvement over the stock MINI springs and they handle well. I think (because I don't have a direct comparison) that there is a little more initial role than would be with a linear rate spring. I do have a 19mm sway bar, fixed camber plates, and adjustable rear control arms.

Next I want to do struts. I was sold on Koni Yellows as I used them in the past (a long time ago). But I helped a friend put on the Bilstein B4 and I was impressed with the strut. It's an inverted design. He said the ride and performance were both better than his worn out stock struts. I want to help him get the springs on so I can see what the package is like.

That being said you know what the complete JCW spring/strut combo is like. They are designed to work together vs one mfg spring and another's strut. So maybe that is the way to go.

With either the Swift and TSW springs you will need to get rear adjustable control arms because that are a little lower than the JCWs. I didn't see them on your list.

 

Swift Springs are a MUST.

 

I'm a huge fan of the Bilstein Sport + Swift springs. I ran them for a few years on my old car and it was a great street setup. They were comfortable, yet plenty stiff for performance twisty driving and occasional track. I did not miss adjustability at all. It was nice to have an "install and forget" setup.

That said, I'm ECSTATIC about my current Greene Performance + Swift coilover setup, for the new car. MUCH stiffer, probably stiffer than most folks would want on a street car. But simply fantastic handling on street and (especially) on the track.

FWIW, I have a set of used Swift Spec-R springs for sale, if you opt to go that route. PM me if interested.

 

I agree with Dave and Paul, Swift springs are great. Buy the set from Paul before someone else does.

 

With a GP1, I'm a big fan of having four adjustable control arms. Because accessing the rear trailing arm pivots to adjust toe on a GP is not fun (it's not fun on a normal 1st gen MINI, but it's less fun on a GP).

With the upper adjustable arms, once you have alignment in the right ballpark, you can fine-tune rear toe with the upper arms, and never need to mess with the pivot adjustments again. Since rear toe and camber and ride height are all linked, you probably need to fine-tune rear toe any time you make ANY suspension changes in the rear.

 

Ill happily build you something with a lower spring rate if thats what you would like.

 

^ THIS

If you haven't already, you should CALL COLIN and talk with him about his coilover testing, what he does with his custom coils, and why. They perform similarly to a much more expensive setup...

They're Badazz

 

They do look sweet, cant wait to install. :drool

 

Sent you a PM.

 

I hope thats a typo.

having a inverted rear shock to make it adjustable is actually completely stupid.
it compermises how the suspension works for convenience. I really really hate thats how they chose to do that.
I know first hand that AST is a paint to work with, you could have just called and i could have set those up for you. I just did it for a guy in NC.
AST and some others were 0 help for you at all.
I weirdly and stupidly will go out of my way for people if they really do need the help.

As far as 7/8 being stiff for a daily driver it comes back to how the shocks are valved.
Its not a guessing game as far as spring rates if you want the car to be comfortable for a daily driver, i just did a set of those for someone about 6 months ago.
See if you call i can go over all of this with you.
You know you can easily drill the rear of the car to put a adjuster in, its really not a huge deal to do.

That said if you really do plan on putting the car on the market in the next year i would put it on stock suspension and call it good. really though, id never sell the car regardless of whatever reason im given. but thats sort of how i am.
If you need further help you know where to find me.

 

I have Colin's coilovers on my GP, with 7's & 8's. It is firm, but the stock setup was more harsh. I set them before I installed them, ask Colin, and have had no reason to play with the settings.

 

I am the guy from NC, I might be the DD setup too, I know we talked about it. I too was looking for a suspension upgrade. I am a complete noob when it comes to suspension performance and this is too big of an investment for me to throw money at to not be happy with what I ended up with. So I did some reading, and the only thing I came up with is the best setup depends on who you talk to.
I purchased some adjustable camber/caster plates from Colin and was leaning toward shocks and springs when I read a few comments on his coilovers. They were the same comments you see when a GP comes up for sale ‘wish I was in the market’ , ‘if I had the money’, if I didn’t already have’, ‘should of, could of, would of’, yada-yada-yada. Well I was in the market so I invested the extra cash to make sure everything worked together and for the performance that was praised on this forum. I am not trying to sell you on Colin’s coilovers, just attesting to the fact that he will answer any question that you have. I am sure that most of my emails left him scratching his head.
As for the resale value of you GP, if you are going to sell it next year why even bother? Resale only helps you on insurance claims and trade in. What you get for it is what it is worth. Anybody that knows what a GP is worth is not in the market for it because they have too much invested in the MINI they already have. I am sure you have seen some of the prices they have gone for, most well below book value, and with less mods than what you have listed on your signature. I gave up on resale, I know I am never selling mine, the wife has already promised it to our grandson.

 

FYI Coil overs come standard on the GP 2 so I don't think you would de-value a first GP1.

 

Shocks, struts, and spring wear out and need replacement at some point! So replacing them shouldn't be a concern to anyone. Coilovers won't drop the value anymore than replacement springs and struts. If you're worried about keeping it complete, keep the originals in a box for the next owner to keep in his garage.

 

Actually my comment was about helping a guy get the correct springs and set up on his AT5100s His name is Jose.