ditch the rear subframe without Coil overs?
Turbo Mini Forums

I have just been reading the coil-overs thread with great interest. Most people advise against fitting Coil-overs as part of there suspension set-up.

As I was planning to use the offset spax coil-overs along with the replacement alloy rear subframe section from mini spares (ie the one that bolts to the body and the radius arms attach to) to ditch the rear subframe and to decrease the weight of the car (to be used on track days mostly). However after reading the other thread the last thing i want to do is bugger up the handling just to save a bit of weight. Any ideas how i could go about still using the replacement alloy rear subframe section without using coil-overs ?

Thanks for the help in advance

personally i think the so called weight advantage is outweighed by the handling disadvantage you need even weight over the car not light at one end heavy at the other

Edited by wolfie on 23rd Jun, 2005.

i dont think id put them on a car again

steve, I don't see how you can do it, unless you fabricate your own tubular subframe, and to be honest your not going to save a lot in weight. I have lightned my subframe, and also solid mounted it, and modified it a bit. If you pickup any bare subframe, there is not a great deal of weight to it.



maybe I should take my rear subframe and suspension off and weigh it, and get nic (greypride) todo the same to his. I bet it would be quite close.

nic, what does yours handle like now?

Team Racing

i did weigh it but i cant remember the figure, it was 20kgs lighter that the std sub, arms, hubs

id be interested in doing that jim, if it is close it consider swapping back

i was chasing a golf a few months back when a car pulled out on us, i stamped on my brakes as i went over a bump and the back of the car lifted off the floor, so perhaps that weight would be good

it doesnt handle too bad, but its very harsh, and its strange feeling the back dip round corners, although with some fiddling and an antiroll bar im sure it would be good

Edited by Nic on 23rd Jun, 2005.

what did you compare it with nic, as I am right in saying you have KAD back arms, and hubs?

Edited by Jimster on 23rd Jun, 2005.

Team Racing

it was rear beam, alloy arms, brake assembly, alloy hubs, no drums, ,and coil overs (all complete)

vs

std subframe, std radius arms, std hubs, std mounts, brakes (no drums), hi los

basically each setup was as it was if it was going to be bolted to the car

if I ever take mine off, I'll weigh it, as it's a lightned subframe, alloy radius arms, with kad alloy disk brakes,

Team Racing

Cheers chaps (pic are quite helpfully as well). Looks like this is one area where I will use the standard set-up and improve that. Seems a waste of money and time if I am making the car lighter however compromising the handling at the same time then it kind of defeats the point of a track car.

As always tops stuff. it would be really intresting if you could get the weigth of each set-up though