beam subframe and coilovers
Turbo Mini Forums

few questions about the above

is it worth converting to beam for a road car???

if converting to a rear beam should front coilovers be fitting aswell???

will this help handling of a road car( might one day get taken to a track day)

and how to set coilovers up for the road

thanks in advance

Jack Jones

I think you have to have coilovers with a rear beam. As theres no subframe to hold the dohnuts etc.

Ive got them on mine, couldnt tell you what it drives like though, it rolls back and forth in the garage quite nicely though.

Ben.

Build Thread Click Here

im using a beam axle ,it handles a little bit worse than the subframe with donuts,this i feel is cos i cant get it as low at the back as it was cos the shocks are a bit too long , so bottom out if i set the car as low as i want .
having said that , i took it for a gentle blat around combe at trhe mini day thingy ,and it seemed to handle v well at the time.

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

The beam reduces the the weight at the rear end by a fair amount and thats gonna reduce your foot print pressure ie reduce traction. Under heavy breaking the back will unload and lift easier, seen this when following my mate.

You will need to strenghten the rear arch in the shock mount area as the turrets in the rear arch were not designed to support the weight of the back of the car. Also you have removed a major piece of rigid structure from the rear of the car and replaced it with nothing.

Own the day

was told it is a beam subframe rather then axle a ford escort runs a beam axle

is there a difference in sohcks ie lowered standard ride height like adjustables

is it not worth fitting to a road car then???

Jack Jones

im planning on using coilovers all arround, using standard subframes, trying to keep the front fairly ferm yet soft for the extra front end grip and the back abit fermer. thats for road and track use

Drives
-Ford S-max Mk2 Ecoboost
-Rover 100 VVC #2 - track project

Searching is all you need on TurboMinis

if your on the road before me (which no doubt you will be) let me know how it goes please

Jack Jones

Just on the issue of coilovers bottoming out on a rear beam axle.

This is what my setup does on the van and no matter how much I adjust the shock settings (platform height, rebound damping setting etc), I just keep getting banging noises from the rear Spax coilovers bottoming out when going over bumps.

Does anyone else have this ? how did you sort it ?

Is there such a thing as a lowered coilover shock absorber to prevent bottoming on beam axles ?

Anyone got any expereince with Gaz COILOVER shocks ?

What shocks have you gone for with your beams ?

Any replies very welcome.

Richard.

Minivanless, but reluctantly happy living with the decision. There'll be another one day.
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=minimadmotorman#p/u

richard ,
mine are gaz , i tyink its not the shock bottoming out ,its the feeble coil spring going coil bound , when i can im going to stick some 125 lb springs on there .

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

apparently there is 2 differant lengths of coilover for the rear but im finding it difficult to find anyone selling 2nd hand ones who can attulay tell me which type they have!! GAZ list short ones so i will have to give them a ring and buy new ones i guess. GAZ are ones i want, unless i could find some alloy ones.

I think most people would agree the point of rear coils/beam is to loose weight not really to imporve handling as BMC did a pretty good job with that in 1959.

I want to fit a beam to the rear of my car however currently i have the car low enough for a set of 'lowered shocks' (non coilover) to bottom out so im weary of spending out on a set of coilovers and have them do the same, expecialy since i want to go lower as ive just fitted lower profile tyres.

any thoughts?

get some coilover shocks made to suit your needs.

i know a few of the big companies do this but i would imagine it isnt going to be cheap! haha

if its like mine its the springs bottoming out i changed them for some 8 inch 125 pound springs and shes a totally different girl so much better

"Can I legally marry people now that I am ordained in the Church of the SubGenius?" aka i know jack sh"t

i also make things

i love coming home to chrome

I seriously doubt it!

ive never had any problems with my beam!! im running standard height gaz coils and dont get any banging or anything

but i have done very hard braking before and the arse end tends 2 skid and go sideways a bit...lol

Cheers guys.

Sounds like I'm gonna need some 8 inch 125 lb springs then, preferably Protech.

Merlin are just around the corner so I'll let you know how I get on.

Van's off the road at the mo with a blown downpipe clamp and a carb that's waitin for more bits from Burlen - I've just fitted a Viton tipped float needle and I've drilled out the needle valve jet to 0.125" but need a new brown turbo float as the one I've got is tits (my fault with a run up on too much fuel pressure - Doh!).

Ta.

Rich.

Minivanless, but reluctantly happy living with the decision. There'll be another one day.
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=minimadmotorman#p/u