Thanks and will do! I'll definetely update this thread afterwards to talk about how the car behaved and where to go next.

Speaking of next steps, I'm already thinking about a set of lighter wheels. In my market, the brands available are Sparco and OZ. If you want them for cheap, you need to wait for the perfect oportunity to find a used pair if not, its brand new.

Currently there is a set of used Sparco Pista 17" wheels with Potenza RE050A 215/40/17 tires . The price for the wheels and tires is at $838 USD... tempting but after doing a bit of research I found out the wheels weigh only 2lbs less than my R112 JCW Challenge wheels.

As for OZ Racing wheels, the chances of finding a used set is rare. And if it comes up, they usually don't go below $1,140 USD If lucky, with some summer tires included and not the wheel alone.

New OZ Racing wheels 17"s go for $1219 USD. I'm waiting to see if I can get a discount on the new set. If so and if the price is right, I would look for the Ultraleggeras or Allegerita which weigh 16lb and 15.4lb respectively. I like the way the Superturismo GT or LM look, but they are on the heavy side for a 17" wheel 21lbs.

So I'm kind of stuck of what to do, go for the Sparcos with the Potenza tires included (New RE050As 215/40/17 are $800 USD aprox. for the set of 4...205/45/17 are $450 USD). Or hold on and wait for some used OZ Racing wheels.

All of this still looking at it from the point of view of a daily driven car and street use. Maybe after track day we'll see if we become an addict or not haha

 

Enkie (hope I spelled that right) makes a couple of wheels that are about 15 lbs.

 

I have ultraleggeras and I wouldn't recommend them, mine are all bent to hell

I prefer my track wheels, 15x8 949racing and I have a set of enkei RPF01 in 16x7

 

You are lucky with the Gen 1s. I tried to fit those 8" wide wheels on my Gen II and they were hanging out of the wheel wells. I currently have a set of Kosei, 15x7, that are pretty popular and very light.

mega72 - what offset are your wheels?

 

the 15x8 are +32 and I dont remember what the rpf01's are

 

Thanks mega72, I had read that problem with the Ultraleggeras as well. Unfortunately Enkei wheels don't exist here, so I'll just be patient and wait for a pair of OZ wheels when they come up. For daily driving purposes, will coming down from a 17" wheel to a 16" or 15" wheel be ok? I don't want to be lower to the ground, would I pair it with a thicker tire?

And first track day ever is all done! What a blast!

Learned so much from other drivers and pushed the mini to the limit. Got a lot of compliments on the stability of the car after taking others for some laps. A lot liked the stopping power of the JCW calipers

As I feared....I have become an addict haha it was too much fun! The sway bar/spring setup behaved beautifully. The car in general behaved really well. However, I do feel like I need better tires for sure. As a club we have a special deal with Bridgestone, so I'll be looking at their Potenza line for some summer tires.

So where do we go from here? Now that I look forward to another track day...not too soon though haha...I'm gonna setup this mini a little bit better. So next mods going in are gonna be:

Powerflex Purple front control arm bushings
Stainless steel braided brake lines (brand recommendations??)

IE Fixed Front camber plates (Do I need these even though I'm at -1.0 already in the front due to the lowering springs? If I'm thinking about going to the track maybe once or twice a year...should I hold on and invest in some coilovers? If so, what brand? (Eibach Pro-Street S?)

Speaking of camber, should I get adjustable rear lower control arms now that I am at -2.0 on the back due to the springs. So it can be pulled back in to -1.5?...will coilovers fix this without changing the control arms?


That's pretty much it for now haha. I will get something done before the next track day for sure, but it probably won't be for a long time...so the wallet has time as well to breathe hahaha.

Any recommendations you guys have, please let me know! This thread is still about focusing on handling and keeping in mind that this track star needs to be daily driven as well . Can't go full TRACK MODE...yet

 

I like lots of rear camber if you can afford the tires.

The bridgestone RE71R are amazing tires, they wear fast though. I did an AX with my jcw today, on fresh pavement I'm not used to the tires being this vocal

 

I run -2 deg camber in the rear for the track. It helps ensures that the back end is not going to come around in a high speed corner where you may need to lift off the throttle for some reason (like the person in front of you does something stupid, like lifts). So I think you are good there. If you were doing autocross and really trying to be competitive I would set it up with something less.

As for the fixed camber plates. It seems that lowering the car gave you -0.3 to -0.4 camber. Pulling the pin gave you -0.3 and with the car's normal -0.3 the total gives you the -1.0 deg that you have. If you install the camber plates you should then be able to set them to -1.6 to -1.9. The -1.6 should be a really good compromise between a track and street setup. If you go to a sticky track tire, like the Bridgestone RE71E, then you have room to set it to the -1.9. Camber has a lot to do with how sticky the tires are. The more sticky the tire is, the more you need camber to stay on the tread.

As for wheels, 16" are typically only a little lighter than the 17". With the JCW brakes, you might be better off with the 17" as they will allow more air flow around the brakes. But, in general, the MINI is setup with tires that are about 24" in diameter. So whatever tire you get should be that size plus or minus a little bit. For example, the car has an option for a 205-45x17 tire which is about 24.3" in diameter. Going to a 215-45x17 only takes the diameter up to 24.6", not much change.

 

I like the short tires, speedo is way off though, 65 in my car is 60 on gps

 

Sounds like my 15" wheel setup. But it makes for great gearing on the track and lowers the car an inch as compared to the Toyo R888s I had been running.

 

Thanks eddie! How about the coilover option? Should I hold off and save up to kill two birds with one stone or just get the IE Fixed camber plates.

By the way. Here's a pic from the track day to share with you all:

 

Nice...lot of MINIs there

The coilovers can be a nice option, but you just did springs, right? Coilovers give you adjustability over a good shock and spring. But an inexpensive coilover setup isn't going to be as good as a simple spring/shock setup such as your current springs and either Koni Yellows or Bilstien sports (B8s). Also, coilovers tend to lower the car more than I thought you wanted. If you get coilovers, you will need to learn how to set them up, what heights you want and stiffnesses; how do you want the front set in comparison to the rear. At your experience level, I would suggest sticking with what you have and learn what its limitations are, then decide. With the camber you currently have, you could put off any further changes for now. If you are willing to learn what all of the adjustments of coilovers do for you, be willing to spend a bit of money for a good set. For me, I really like what I have (MINI sports springs and Bilstein B8s). If I want some adjustability, I would get a set of KONI yellows.

 

Awesome. Why Mini Sports springs and not Eibach Springs?

Then its settled. The furthest I'll go is for the Powerflex bushings, stainless steel metallic brake lines (brand recommendaion on these?), IE Fixed Camber plates, and either the Continental DS you mentioned previously that wear better than the RE71Rs or some Potenza R050A(what's your take on these?) ...depends on the price too since we have a deal with Bridgestone and not Continental.

Later I'll take a look a the shocks and I'll be on the lookout as well for some light wheels. Then I'll calm down and wait for the next track day. Thanks eddie!

 

Get another set of tires and wheels they can be just track or super sticky street, smaller diameter gives a truly fun set up even if not an every day thing and if you get different ideas they can be readily sold used is fine for fun. dont change anything untill you find you have an idea of why its important to you,,, read about setting up race suspensions and go to the track just to look around. Drive a lot just to drive. Find some way or place to slide safely you need to start finding that point and how the car behaves.

 

I bought the car with the sports suspension option. I originally opted for the JCW suspension but dropped that when I found that there was a $1500 installation change in addition to the $1200 option cost. The sports suspension was $500, installed. I really liked the balance the car had with that suspension so I chose the sway bar upgrade to keep that same balance. With the idea of only changing one thing at a time (yes, I know it is 2 items that changed but I only changed the overall roll stiffness. So I treat that as one thing) I left the shocks and springs alone. This year, when I found that the shocks were shot, I left the springs in place and put in the new shocks. These shocks are a bit stiffer in the rear, so I didn't want to compound that change with a change in springs. Hence my current setup. I do have a set of TSW springs which have a slightly higher rate in the rear, which would have a similar effect as stiffening the rear sway bar, and would lower the car an inch. But I am not sure if I want to go down that route. The ride is pretty stiff right now and lowering the car may be an issue in the winter here with the snow.

As for tires, I am not overly familiar with those Bridgestones. They are listed in Tire Rack and they may have a test of them. That is where I would start.

And, what Euler said. +1.

 

Thank you both! I know it sounds that I'm just buying everything on one go but I just started this thread to get ideas and recommendations to use along the journey. Believe me, I've learned a lot through here and on other threads as well. And attending my first track event was a whole other experience....truly incredible. So much that I think I'm gonna be stuck with this car for a while... on purpose It's just so much fun and its also nice that it is very mod friendly. I don't plan on touching the engine at all. Maybe if I get a second car and I can afford having this guy exclusively for track...but that won't happen in a while haha.

In a couple of months I'll most likely install the IE Front Camber Plates and Powerflex Bushings. I'll just let the rest of things take their course and change them as needed. Another track event, which is very unlikely in the short run, would definitely rush a couple of things such as tires. But there's plenty of time for that. I'll keep this thread up to date as well!

Thanks again eddie! You've been very helpful along this ride!

 

You're welcome.

 

Hi all!

Here's a quick update on the Handling Monster! Rear seat delete!



Got a little inspired and took out the top parts of the seats as well as seat belts and other components. In total (weighed) it was around 36lbs. Left the bottom of the seats to reduce road noise during the daily driving. But if an autocross/track day event comes up. I'll take them off for another 10lbs reduction because #weightreductionbro

Aside from that DIY. I have purchased the following:

IE Fixed Front Camber Plates
Powerflex Front Control Arm Purple Bushings
H-Sport Rear Lower Control Arms

With those on their way. I think I have completed my list of all-things-handling. Some tentative things are a rear upper strut bar, steel brake lines, and racing seats (I am sliding out of my OEM with this stiff of a setup hahaha).

I am on the lookout for some summer tires. Currently conducting some research on what's available locally and prices. Some that can work on the street as well as on the track.

I'll keep this thread updated. Signed up for an autocross event this month!

Any further recommendations are welcomed!...especially now that we have evolved from a daily driven car only to a daily driven car witha couple autocross/track day events a year (Track day in November as well! :P)

 

Thanks for the update, looking good!

Drive Hard. Drive Safe. Keep Grinning.

 

what about caster anyone changing that? It'll increase dynamic camber as you turn, drawback/advantage to mcpherson strut suspension

I know of 2 strut plates that will allow camber and caster changes, I'm thinking about moving from eibach plates to one of the ones like collin greens plates.

I still get horrible outside tire wear on the track even with -2.5 camber

 

Bigger front sway bar.

No, not kidding.

Body roll causes the camber to decrease. Stickier tires will cause even more body roll and even more loss of camber. Sway bars decrease body roll so you maintain camber in a turn. Stiffer springs, which most people do to control this, will also decrease body roll, but, unlike sway bars, that is not their main function so that change affects other things that you will have to deal with.

With the large front and rear bar and -1.5 camber I have very even tire wear. I can't say I'm easy on the car out on the track.

Caster change is helpful but it is a function of steering angle. Unfortunately the actual wheel turn in angle is small on most tracks so the benefit of a caster change is less pronounced then it would be for autocross where steering angles are high. You may see a noticeable affect from it and can't hurt.

 

I'm going with springs first, 9kg/mm front and 10kg rear swaybars have a hefty penalty in TT classing, I already paid the penalty with my coilovers, so stiffer springs is a no penalty change

 

Will MINI parts count towards penalties? A JCW front bar would be a good help. This is considered a stock part in SCCA.

But the front bar change is a PIA. It is not the first choice for most people.

 

yes, jcw front bars would count it has to be "base" config

If I suck up the penalty I can take some points for the JCW pulley and hotchkis adjustable front/rear bars I use the rear on my autocross car

I ordered KW perch & helper springs for my V3 coilovers, I still need to order springs not sure what length to go with

 

Softer front springs paired with a stiffer sway bar works well with trail braking. Trail braking will hold the front down with the soft springs. This increases the camber through a turn. The stiffer sway bar will cut the body roll, maintaining the camber. Stiffer springs will cut the body roll maintaining camber but you loose some of the effect that trail braking gives you.

It's all about trade offs.

Hope the change goes well for you. Who are you ordering springs from and what brand (eg: Swift springs?)