After letting down the back end of the project mini off the axle stands after finishing up fitting the new brake lines, handbrake cable, etc. I found that the rear end sat on the arches, which wasn’t too much of a problem as I just re-adjusted the hi-lows a bit more.
But the thing that concerns me is, with the front hi-lows wound all the way down the front suspension sits on the bump stops and the front wheels are just clear of the wheel arches. Which is fine as even with the front suspension bottomed out the wheel won’t make contact with the arch.
Only with the rear it seams I don’t need the hi-lows on their lowest setting for me to come into trouble with the wheels coming into contact with the arches. And the problem being if that did happen it would most certainly rip the arch extensions off, which I’ve spent mean hours on fitting and blending into the bodywork, so is not something I want to happen.
So are there bumps stops that could be fitted to the rear to reduce the upward movement of the wheel so it doesn’t make contact with the arches?
They do exist, Ethel posted a video in the video section of a US mini, and i spotted rear bump stops on his car, I’m going to get some of these aswell for the same reason as you, i’d rather not smash up my arches.
You can get add on rear bump stops to fit - hydrolastic cars had them.
If you’ve had the rear suspension cones off you’ll have noticed the cone shaped affair on the subframe that makes getting the rubber cones out a pain: that limits the rear suspension travel when the inside of the rubber cone runs in to it. Of course, lowering the rear suspension stops them working properly, unlike the front ones.
> If you’ve had the rear suspension cones off you’ll have noticed the cone shaped affair on the subframe that makes getting the rubber cones out a pain: that limits the rear suspension travel when the inside of the rubber cone runs in to it. Of course, lowering the rear suspension stops them working properly, unlike the front ones.
Ah but that would probably be ok if I was running skinny 10’s that fit under the arches, but instead I’m using 12x5” wheels and read drums with the built in spacers.
The steel dome inside the cone spring doesn’t actually work as a bump stop itself I don’t think but a bump stop was fitted to the inside of the cone on later Minis and on the ERA turbo. There are a coupe of different types if you search through Mini Spares for them. They thread inside the end of the spring using the spring compressor thread that is normally useless at the rear. So you can either use them or fit the Hydrolastic type.
Have the knuckle joints been changed? Mine is on 12x5 and whenever i hit slight bumps in the road they caught the arches. I couldnt get my fingers between the wheel and arch. Changed the front knuckles and it was sorted.
> Have the knuckle joints been changed? Mine is on 12x5 and whenever i hit slight bumps in the road they caught the arches. I couldnt get my fingers between the wheel and arch. Changed the front knuckles and it was sorted.
(For the front anyway)
All the suspension knuckles have been changed, one of the rears snapped off in the radius arm because I was in a bit of a mood when the arm put up a bit of a fight when I dissembled the subfame, although those aren’t the problem.
I want this particular mini to sit as low as possible without casing damage to the arches/exhaust etc., hence the hi-lows being wound down, but the wheels I’m using are 12x5’s but there of a “think” metro offset so they stick out a bit more.
And on a side note, I can get the rears of the 25 with standard suspension in good condition (as in it’s all been replaced within the last year or so) with only an uprated set of dampers, running standard 12x4.5” steels to scrub the lips of the arches/plastic wheel arch extensions, but that’s me and roundabouts for ya.
> dont run the car on the bump stops - it wont handle at all well :s
rear bumpstops are available and i use them on the Mighty Minis: Mini spares part number C-AJJ3313
hth,
Dave
I don’t plan on running the car on the bumpstops, just I want to know that i don’t have to worry too much every time I come to a speed hump, bump, pot hole etc that the wheels aren’t going to rip the arches off.
word of warning the era and sports pack rear bump stops do not work if the rear is heavly lowered, as the spring position under load stays the same.
they work by reducing the amount of compression travel of the spring not the travel of the radius arm, ie if the era bump stop and spring allow 40mm say of upward travel (reduced from the standard 60mm ‘estmated’) of the wheel and the wheel is only 20mm from the wheel arch, there will be contact.
I think you can fit both the ERA and 1275GT stops at the same time as one fits to the cone and the other to the frame. That should do the trick. Hydrolastic stops would probably work better though.
Oh and yes the ERA stops are indeed just an exhaust bobbin cut in half, using a rocker cover nut as a lock nut to keep them in place.
