21 replies to this topic

[B088Y]

Hi,

Was looking at spax shocks for my 92 mayfair, are these any good or are makes like Gaz better?

Cheers

B088Y

[Wil_h]

All pretty much the same in the price band I presume you are looking at.

[AVV IT]

I did a fair bit of asking around on this before parting with the cash to upgrade mine from standard. The general theme seemed to be adjustable vs non adjustable dampers. (i.e. if you don't have adjustable suspension, then is it really worth paying out for adjustable dampers??) As mine is the standard non adjustable type and the general consensus seemed to be "No" then I went for "KYB gas -a -just" all round which are a big improvement. They are supposed to be a 25% upgrade on standard Rover dampers, but as my standard items were 17 years old and very much passed their best, it was more like a 125% upgrade!!

[bunch1980]

I did a fair bit of asking around on this before parting with the cash to upgrade mine from standard. The general theme seemed to be adjustable vs non adjustable dampers. (i.e. if you don't have adjustable suspension, then is it really worth paying out for adjustable dampers??) As mine is the standard non adjustable type and the general consensus seemed to be "No" then I went for "KYB gas -a -just" all round which are a big improvement. They are supposed to be a 25% upgrade on standard Rover dampers, but as my standard items were 17 years old and very much passed their best, it was more like a 125% upgrade!!

I got same about £17 each from minispares much more better damped ride, still quite harsh but thats because my cones are about 17 years old and most likely to hard. The old ones still had oil in bet had no rebound or damping as such just pushing them by hand so god knows what they did when on car!

[B088Y]

sounds good the ride is awful at the minute so it needs dealing with lol

do i need to change the cones as well or will it not make much of a difference?

this is what i had in mind

http://www.minisport...fo_SUSKIT6.html

OR

http://www.minisport...fo_SUSKIT2.html

not sure which or even if they are much different ( i am not very knowledgeable on suspension)

cheers

B088Y

[GreenMini17]

I wouldn't use Spax if I'm being honest. They went bust about 18 months ago and since then, the quality of there stuff is crap, its all cheap chinese crap now, they are owned by some halfords style company now. Says it all.

I would go with either protech or Avo, the only trouble with Protech is that the alumium will go a funny colour with the rain and salt on our roads.

[B088Y]

what are Gaz like?

Got a friend who used to have a road race mini and he suggested them for mine

Edited by B088Y, 11 October 2010 - 02:31 PM.

[minilester]

...lookin forward to this as i wanted to smoth out the ride of my mayfair as it bounces like a 4 year old on a sugar rush...

[B088Y]

...lookin forward to this as i wanted to smoth out the ride of my mayfair as it bounces like a 4 year old on a sugar rush...

yes, yes indeed i end up looking like i drive a willys jeep!

[pikey7]

sounds good the ride is awful at the minute so it needs dealing with lol

Define "awful".

bouncy? driving over a pebble means a visit to the chiropractor? Wallows?

What do you want it to be? Racy? every day but racyish? smooth as a magic carpet?

It may not be just dampers...

[AVV IT]

sounds good the ride is awful at the minute so it needs dealing with lol

do i need to change the cones as well or will it not make much of a difference?

this is what i had in mind

http://www.minisport...fo_SUSKIT6.html

OR

http://www.minisport...fo_SUSKIT2.html

not sure which or even if they are much different ( i am not very knowledgeable on suspension)

cheers

B088Y

So adjustable suspension is what your after then??

.... that's great, so long as you really do want adjustable suspension that is??..... In my opinion adjustable suspension on a road car is a bit of a gimick (this is only my opinion, & I'm sure that a great many adjustable suspension mini owners will strongly disagree with me here), but from what I have seen, so many people seem to spend forever adjusting and readjusting it to get it set up "just right" only for it to give pretty much the same ride and height as a non adjustable set up does! (which is basically why I've stuck with a non adjustable set up myself)

That said, adjustable suspension does have the unarguable bonus that you can stand at the bar with all your mates, or next to your car at mini shows and boast that your mini has fully adjustable suspension and how it is therefore vastly superior to a non adjustable version! Which does sound so much better than "yeah its just got standard suspension!" .....But if adjustable is what you really want for your mini, then you should go for it!! (regardless of what old cynics like me say!!)

As for the cones.... if they are the original items (i.e. 18 years old and probably pretty much been around the clock too) then it would be well worth replacing them, particularly if you're fitting hi-los, as you will be taking the old cones out any way! After all there is little point spending all that cash on an shiny new fully adjustable suspension, only to have it bouncing around on tired and sagging rubber. If your going to do the work yourself then there is an excellent "how to" guide in the FAQ section here click here

Oh and if I were you and I had decided upon an "all singing, all dancing" fully adjustable set up, then I would probably go the whole hog and go for a spring conversion too!! like this....it's not that much more expensive than new cones and that way, you can not only preach about the benefits of adjustable suspension over a standard set up, but also the massive gains of springs over rubber too!!

[Hughes]

Pro Tech

Edited by Hughes, 11 October 2010 - 05:18 PM.

[TopCatCustom]

I thought the quality of the Gaz ones I has was very good, I liked the big knurled adjuster knob which made it very easy to reach in and turn them a few clicks either way, the old Koni or Spax ones I took off had stupid little screwdriver adjusters which were seized up and rubbish. It would be nice if anyone could tell us the weight of various types and if Mini World have done a road test or something!

[B088Y]

sounds good the ride is awful at the minute so it needs dealing with lol

Define "awful".

bouncy? driving over a pebble means a visit to the chiropractor? Wallows?

What do you want it to be? Racy? every day but racyish? smooth as a magic carpet?

It may not be just dampers...

very hard bounces basically, and everyday racey is good.

[B088Y]

Coil over sounds like a good route, but i wasn't aware theres not much difference between adjustable and non adjustable, do they differ massively on price and what actually consists a set up on it then? Shocks and cones??

sorry to sound daft but suspension isn't a strong point of mine

cheers

B088Y