softer ride.
Turbo Mini Forums

Hi Guys,

Trying to come back from the extream hard setup i've ended up with to a more... usable setup.
Currently use Gaz adjustable shocks and hi-low with standard rubber donuts, for some reason this has left me with a super hard ride. only say 1-2 inch MAX travel when i jump up and down in the door wells.

Could this just be damper settings or has somthing gone horribly wrong?

I want a ride which handles well but doesn;t make and man hole cover feel like jumping a speed bump.

For the record, my car is EXACTLY like this, with the same setup (Gaz + Hi-Los) and I was whinging about it just last night.

Book marked this thread incase you get a good reply!

The Gaz shocks are known for Seizing. Take one off and have a look.

If something is worth doing, it's worth doing half of.

When i jack the car up all four wheels drop, does that indercate there ok? or do i really need to take them off to have a better look?

Doesn't sound like they are seized then. Tried turning them down?

If something is worth doing, it's worth doing half of.

Riding on the bump stops?

Saul Bellow - "A great deal of intelligence can be invested in ignorance when the need for illusion is deep."
Stephen Hawking - "The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge."

When you jack the car up, do the wheels drop very slowly? If so, you might have the dampening/rebound set too hard. I had issues with this on my Gaz - I thought I'd only stiffened them up a few clicks, but it went from quite hard ride, to teeth shattering. I wound them back out a bit and the car is supple enough not to break teeth, but stiff enough not to roll too much.

Wind the adjusters anticlockwise all the way, and then try about 10 clicks clockwise on the front, and 7 or 8 on the back and see how that is. My Gaz shocks will go from allowing the car to bounce with full suspension travel when you jump up and down on the sill on their softest setting, to barely any give at all on the hardest setting.

Mine are on the softest setting - still too hard for my liking!

Your springs may have gone hard.

But it's stiff shocks that make a mini feel stifly sprung, I find that GAZ and Spax and the like even on minumum is too much for road use.

The Kayaba gas-a-just dampers are great for the road, but would be limited for track use.

The basic problem is that minis have very little suspension movement, so they will always be stiff.

Fastest 998 mini in the world? 13.05 1/4 mile 106mph

Similar to an Elise then i suppose - they are always a bit crashy.

abits fine, but relieing on the harness to keep me in the seat over and man hole cover is abit much. I'll have a play around to night.
I'll try and take some videos of the travel before and after kind of thing.

Mines like this. Same setup.

The front is fine, but the back is stupid. The shocks are only set to 4, and it still feels like something is going to break everytime I go over anything more than a light bump in the road.

I've just raised the rear hi lows a bit to see if that helps.

I'm pretty sure that one of the shocks has seized.

In the 13's at last!.. Just

i have my gaz shocks on 3 clicks at the front and softest on the back .

Medusa + injection = too much torque for the dyno ..https://youtu.be/qg5o0_tJxYM

iv got gaz and orginal dohnuts its dosent seem too hard bit bouncy maybe on a crap road but there set at bwt 10 alround

Done now needs redoing lol

I was always under the impression that the softest setting was similar to a standard damper so you should start from there. Set them all to soft and go for a drive. Adjust 2 clicks harder all round at a time and go for another drive. keep doing this untill it's 'uncomfortable', then back off 4 clicks, if that takes you back to the softest setting, so be it, job done. there is no need for 28 or 32 settings on a road car! double upthe clicks and halve the problem

Sounds like you have been driving modern cars too much :)

Mine is better on the road with them wound all the way off! And it makes the trailer jump about less when there wound off haha

Mines the same and is too stiff. I think a set of new doughnuts might help me because mine are squished right down.

Turbo parts collector at the moment, almost ready.

Mine is looovly with its red dot cones, gaz's on 3-4 rear and 5-6 front.

firm but supple (as minis go)

Edited by Joe C on 30th Mar, 2011.

I spent ages hating the ride in my mini, I've got Gaz coilovers, and had them set at 20 clicks rear and 28 front, thinking hard way the way forward for a fast road setup. I had a hateful ride and sodd all grip from my a032r's.

For some reason, turnig the shocks back never occurred to me.

Took advise from a guy at combe last year and backed them right down, and it's like a brand new car again! The ride is better than my daily A3 now, and I've got BAGS more grip.

It rolls a tiny fraction more, but the improved handling in real world terms is simply brilliant! It also makes it 10x more enjoyable to drive :)

Mr. Prawn, the friendly Crustacean- slowly making steps towards forced induction.

Pah... What you lot need it Hydro.

I run a supercharger and I don't care the TB is on the wrong side.
VEMS + 12 PSI + Liquid Intercooler = Small Bore FUN!

Already got them on. but the rears are starting to look a bit beat, the lip on the body cuts into them

I run a supercharger and I don't care the TB is on the wrong side.
VEMS + 12 PSI + Liquid Intercooler = Small Bore FUN!

I have no experience as new to the Mini scene but would it be an idea to change the rubber cones for some coil springs? I was reading a Mini mag the other day (not sure which one), but it mentioned about better ride quality and how to fit them.

I did consider them myself but if you pirce up hi-lo, dampers and coil spring, you might as well go for coil over suspension.

Speed doesn't kill, suddenly becoming stationary, now that's what'll get ya!

What company is it that sells them stubby spring that go in place of the rubber donuts?
I remember seeing them at one point but not in the last mini mag I bought.