Austin Mini Spring and Suspension Connection
Lately, our sales staff have been getting a number of questions about replacing or updating the suspension springs or cones, so it seems appropriate to have a quick look at all the options available for most Classic Minis.
Mini Coil Spring Conversions
We can speak from experience here, because, as Mini enthusiasts, more than a few of our staff members have done coil spring conversions, including “wet-to-dry” conversions. Some of the Coil Spring Conversions we've done are:
- The Austin Mini red coil spring upgrade. The red spring coil provides a nice firm ride for high performance Minis with 13 inch wheels that can be set up to be very low. The stiff springs minimize the deflection of the wheels, keeping them from hitting the body in normal driving.
- The Austin Mini blue springs are for early cars that have the stock 10 inch wheels, or where a nice gentle ride was the first priority for the owner.
- Then there's the Competition green coil spring kits. Created for those with a competitive edge, these green spring kits provide a more responsive ride to your Classic.
These coil springs are a great choice to improve durability over even the basic rubber cones, as most can install them and forget about them. And they're worry free, as we’ve never seen one collapse over time under the weight of a Mini. They are also very easy to install, not requiring even a spring compressor when coupled with the basic Hi-Lo adjustable Mini “trumpets”. We do highly recommend this method since it allows very easy and precise ride height adjustment with a box wrench without lifting the car, even for very low cars!
And by the way, all these Coil Spring Replacement Kits are direct-replacement kit that includes everything to replace the harsh riding rubber cones .
Coil-Over Suspension Kits
Another very trick way to set up a Classic Mini Suspension is with a SPAX coil-over kit. SPAX from the UK, has made these for many years and they provide additional adjustability of spring rates by using different springs, typical of how race cars are set up. They also feature adjustable ride height and can really simplify the Mini suspension by putting the springs and shocks on a common mount, and doing away with the standard Classic Mini springs altogether!
Mini Rubber Cone Suspension Options
Of course, many of us like our Mini to be “the way it was designed” so you can still just replace the rubber springs with either the:
- Stock Austin Mini rubber cones.
- “Uprated” quality rubber cones that provides more durability.
- Full-race rubber cones that is really too stiff for most street cars!
Replacing The Austin Mini Subframe
Another very well engineered option for the rear of just about any Classic Mini is the rear coil over ‘subframe’ made by the VTEC guys over at Minitec. This is a fully adjustable (toe, camber, castor, and ride height) unit that completely replaces the rear subframe with a coil-over design that is gaining favor with Classic Minis even without the Honda engine package!
Call Mini Mania
Fixing your Mini up to reflect the beauty of the Classic while providing the comfort of today is an easy thing to do. And at Mini Mania we strive to help you in any way we can, whether providing you the best Mini parts at the lowest prices or one-on-one consults to help you with any questions of concerns you might have.
Need help? Call Mini Mania at 800-946-2642 about any of these options!