76 replies to this topic

[Mini_Magic]

Moulton Ltd made the original rubber cones I believe, so all of them from 59 - 00 (minus hydroelastic) would have that stamp on it. Cones are propably just old and worn which is affecting the handling, original cones are always a bit harsh.

[Natalie]

anyone know how to get rubber out of a carpet ???

Try placing brown paper over the rubber spots and going over them with a warm iron.

[THE ANORAK]

anyone know how to get rubber out of a carpet ???

Try placing brown paper over the rubber spots and going over them with a warm iron.

thanks, I'll try that

anyway, sir Alex moulton was the designer of the original rubber suspension for the mini (and yes, original cones should have moulton stamped on them) but the smootha rides are his latest version of the same thing. they have been around for quite a while now but they have never really taken off. mini sport are the only stockists i think, and there is a bit more about them on the mini sport web site, anyway....

back to the ride. i deliberately came home the bumpiest way i knew tonight to get some more feed back from the system.
first thing, the car seems to be tramlining a little bit more than usual but this may be down to the change in ride height ???
the whole thing seems to be a lot softer but then you would expect that with new suspension anyway.
the main difference is the lack of harshness in the ride, yes the mini still gets pushed around by the bumps and does still ride over bumps rather than through them but with the car being so light you expect that anyway, but now the neck breaking harshness has gone.
general pot holes and ruts in the road are now a lot better and the biggest improvement is still over the speed bumps.

lets not make the mistake of thinking these are going to turn the mini into a Rolls Royce but they will certainly make it a lot less tiring to drive which is what they claim to do.

the next test is going to be when the car is fully loaded for Mini in the park, I'll let you know how it goes.

[Bungle]

whats the body roll like on fast bends


i have heard they rolly a lot more

[THE ANORAK]

whats the body roll like on fast bends


i have heard they rolly a lot more

actually the roll is more noticeable on the slow bends, once you chuck it about a bit it stiffens up, but yes, i guess a long fast sweeping bend would put it to the test, I'll have to see what i can find and have a go, then I'll let you know

unfortunately i don't have a brand new standard set up to compare it against, but it does roll more than before.

it certainly still drive-able and believe me, I've chucked it about a bit, but i wonder how much the yoko's are helping. i guess it would be a lot less stable on budget tyres ???

[flamejob]

I love THE ANORAK's posts, nice and verbose!

Have you got a linky to the product page?

[Danny341]

anyone know how to get rubber out of a carpet ???

Surely you can just get your angle grinder back out and angle grind it off? After all, it worked when trying to get it off the car!

[Mini_Magic]

Have you got a linky to the product page?

http://www.minisport...it-product.html

[THE ANORAK]

ha ha, thanks for the vote flamejob

actually the wife's got some nail varnish remover to try on the carpets but i said it was a bad idea as it would probably just turn it into a big black stain

right, to answer bungles question about body roll.... i would have to say that the roll is more of an issue at slow speeds (like turning off a main road into a side road etc) but it's really not that bad when your whizzing along on a nice sweeping corner. like i said before, chuck it about on a twisty bit and it stiffens up quite well.

I'm going to stick my neck out and say the only down side is a slight loss of feel to the car (its a bit more floaty) but that may be simply due to switching from stiff old cones to new ones.

I'll see how things settle in, got a good bit of driving to do at the end of the month as we're taking the mini on holiday with us

[taffy1967]

Sounds good from you're descriptions buddy, but the fact you're still using firmer dampers is probably helping with the handling at speed.

I wonder how it would ride and handle with the standard type dampers that generally come with the kit instead?

[THE ANORAK]

right, just a little more feed back on the body roll....

took the kids out for the day on Thursday so the car was fully loaded. on the way home we came to one of those sections of road that pass over a main road / motorway, curve round 270 degrees to the left and join the main carriageway.

well lets just say, under those conditions, yes it rolls

anyway, got the exhaust remounted and sealed up yesterday, (leaking at the "y" piece) so every thing should be nice for MITP

Edited by THE ANORAK, 01 December 2007 - 07:25 PM.

[Bungle]

i have always wondered how smootharide cones and a anti roll bar would work

[THE ANORAK]

right, due to popular demand I'm updating with the latest on the smootha rides.

some of you will know that we took the mini on holiday with us a the end of last month. it was fully loaded with 2 adults, 3 kids and a roof box full to bursting.

with all that weight in it the car was sitting visibly lower. a weeks driving would give a good idea of how things behaved in these conditions.

well i have to say the previous comments about body roll still ring true, at slow speeds the car does roll more than it used to but start throwing it around and things stiffen up.

the most noticeable thing is that i have stopped watching the road for every little bump and hole and have stopped bracing myself for the following thumps and crashes. this is due to the new confidence that the car can handle the knocks now. i guess this it what they mean when they say it makes the car less tiring to drive.

another funny thing is that sometimes, when on the rolling back roads, i get the feeling that i can feel the rear radius arms working their way over the bumps a lot more, it's happened a couple of times now and its quite strange to be able to feel so much feed back (or maybe I'm imagining it ??)


i hoping that the new cones will also help preserve the car a bit more. it's getting on a bit now and crashing around all the time was doing it no good.

would i recommend it to people.

if your a bit of a speed demon who likes the car to be set up stiff like a race car then no, it's not for you, but if you want to take things a bit smoother (but still have fun when you want to) then yes, I'd say it was worth it.

there's always the option to fit adjustable shocks to help fine tune things.

the most important thing is, it still drives like a mini

[DivineMisfit]

Thank you for the descriptive thread, I am sure with will quench a lot of curiosity about the smootharide kit.

[Mini_Magic]

the most important thing is, it still drives like a mini

This was by far my biggest worry!

Thankyou ever so much for the update, I'm defiantly going to get the kit for my birthday now

Getting fed up with paying more attention to cracks and bumps in the road than where I'm going!

Not too bothered weather it has perfect handling (mine has 13s FFS!) but I don't want to loose the feeling of driving a Mini

Once again cheers for the review