68 replies to this topic

[baker_boy]

this sounds very interesting. i heard of these when they 1st came out but wasnt sure how theyd fair. if you dont mind me asking, how much was the full kit exactly? and where are minitastic based?

thanks

db

[fishey798]

They are based in little rissington in gloucestershire, if i remember correctly the full set of springs is £188 (race ones are a bit more). They also do a kit including hi-lows. Minitastic

[BoboGib]

Did not realise that they were that close to me, will have to take a drive down there at some point. Go pick me up some.

[kwacktastic]

this sounds very interesting. i heard of these when they 1st came out but wasnt sure how theyd fair. if you dont mind me asking, how much was the full kit exactly? and where are minitastic based?

thanks

db

I assume the prices on their website are still current. I bought the full kit with "fast road" springs and hi-los. I also bought the adjustable Gaz dampers - I'd seriously recommend you consider these too as they complement the coils springs very well. I've since backed the dampers off further - I'm now running one click at the back with three up-front. The ride is very compliant and not at all bouncy. If Yosuke ever gets his power steering kit down to a sensible price, I may be paying him another visit soon!

Edited by kwacktastic, 18 December 2007 - 10:57 PM.

[strebblo]

How much is their power steering kit?
I looked on the website, but it's very patchy on info which is a shame as they appear to sell less than 10 items! I guess they have been around a while - I've seen thier asd in the back of the mags for some time now, they should get it together..

[kwacktastic]

How much is their power steering kit? ....

When I asked Yosuke said he was having trouble getting supplies of the control module. I believe it's sourced from Toyota but they we not prepared to sell it to him for less than about £450 each. That would make to total cost almost £900 apparently. If he ever managed to get the price down to £500 or less for an "out of the box" conversion, I for one would form an orderly queue!



Cheers,

Kwack

[minimad99]

When I asked Yosuke said he was having trouble getting supplies of the control module. I believe it's sourced from Toyota but they we not prepared to sell it to him for less than about £450 each. That would make to total cost almost £900 apparently. If he ever managed to get the price down to £500 or less for an "out of the box" conversion, I for one would form an orderly queue!

Cheers,

Kwack

me too

[Ethel]

I like the idea of his steering arms. Considering many suspension tuning mods give heavier steering and the sports pack rack reduces steering travel using a longer lever to achieve the same reduction and lessen steering effort makes a lot of sense.

[kwacktastic]

I like the idea of his steering arms. Considering many suspension tuning mods give heavier steering and the sports pack rack reduces steering travel using a longer lever to achieve the same reduction and lessen steering effort makes a lot of sense.

I'm not so sure about these for my particular vehicle. I understand that these have an adverse affect on the turning circle. The Sportspack Minis already have a limited rack with a correspondingly enormous turning circle - I'm not sure I'd want to make it any worse than it already is! Might be an option for those with 10 inch wheels though?

Edited by kwacktastic, 19 December 2007 - 03:51 PM.

[ryan69]

How is the fast road kit over speed bumps?

Somehow the council where I live have more priorities than well maintained roads, although they did make one road smooth and then threw on some speed bumps for good measure.

[kwacktastic]

It's very good - it's certainly much better than the original rubber (though that was well past its use-by date!). This only thing I would say is that with this conversion, you're better off running at the standard ride height. You will then be able to deflect the wheels the maximum amount without running the risk of bringing the tyre and wheel arches into contact.

I've been running around on these springs now for several weeks and can honestly say that for my requirements, it was money well spent.

rgds,

Kwack

[Mini Mad James]

Hi Kwack

I have the coil springs from minispares but not on my mini yet, the problem I have is that they keep falling out then the suspension isnt under ay weight, im abit worried that if i go too fast and get air they might fall out again... have you got this problem? Im hoping my dampers wont extend enough to let them fall out

James

[kwacktastic]

No, I don't have this problem with mine.

The reason for this may be that your ride height may be too low. As I said before, the one important factor is that the ride height should be set to standard (ideally) to give maximum possible deflection without the risk of the coils becoming dislodged. On my set-up, the coils are always slightly compressed (even with the car off the ground). The hi-lo's are set so that when the bottom arm is at its lowest point (i.e. with the car airborne) the dampers are at their fullest extension (they cannot go any further) and there is no slack in the spring. It should be possible to adjust yours in the same manner - if not you may need to consider shorter dampers.

I noticed when I was researching which coil springs to buy, that the Minitastic springs were significantly longer than the S-Racer (minispares) sprngs. I noticed also that the S-Racer kit came with a seperate spring seat, whereas the Minitastic springs fitted straight on to the hi-lo. That said, my rear springs have a plastic / nylon spacer fitted (supplied with the kit) between the spring and the hi-lo. I assume this is to address any ride height issues and address any potential for the spring to become dislodged.

Hope this helps

Kwack

Edited by kwacktastic, 21 January 2008 - 04:06 PM.

[ryan69]

It's very good - it's certainly much better than the original rubber (though that was well past its use-by date!). This only thing I would say is that with this conversion, you're better off running at the standard ride height. You will then be able to deflect the wheels the maximum amount without running the risk of bringing the tyre and wheel arches into contact.

I've been running around on these springs now for several weeks and can honestly say that for my requirements, it was money well spent.

rgds,

Kwack

Sounds good, as you can see mine are pretty knackered too, the front end is sagging a bit. Hopefully it mean's I can deal with the speed bumps of London without causing a tailback.

[Millso24]

Hi Kwack,

Where abouts in Essex are you based??? Ive been thinking of getting the same set up from minitastic and live in Colchester if your local would you mind taking me for a spin? Would help me make up my mind as im torn between the minitastic coils and the Moulton smootha ride kit.

Rgds

John