SE autocross and suspension thread.

Hehe hehe hehe

 

Thanks for getting back to me. Let me know how your next event goes.

 

My favourite Clarkson interjection is "a little poo came out!"

 

Thanks for the update. I'll be lowering my SE with the H&R springs when I get back from Australia. I've seen some hardcore custom cars here.

 

New to the forum. Picking up my SE tomorrow. Has anyone here tried adding “packers” to the bump stop to adjust for the roll and give it some stiffness from the rear?

 

Direct answer: I don't anyone has tried that.

It's not legal in Street class to make the bump stop engage sooner than stock. You can exchange for a firmer one though.

The car actually rotates ok out of the box, then starts to get pretty fun with a rear bar.

 

Thank you. I did not know that. Currently want upgrade tires before I add a rear bar.


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Yes MINI ought to be more forthcoming on spring and ASB specs and interchangeabilty with SE.

Can you really compete in GS class with non-stock/altered bars??

For a less-ambitious person, are there places to add shims in the ASB mounts to balance the corner weights?

 

You can do one sway bar in Street (it hasn't been called Stock for many years.). Can also change the them diameter 1" (but not the width) and the offset by up to 7mm. You can also legally do the BMW camber correction front knuckles if you're hardcore, but that's significant cost and labor for not much camber. I doubt there's any legal off the shelf dampers due to the height change.

The access to the rear sway bar mounts is restricted enough that it would be a huge pain to shim. I doubt there's any tangible benefit to doing that on the SE. Any F56 RSB will fit back there but the install is more difficult than on an ICE car because of the battery.

Again, the car is pretty fun with just a good set of tires. You're right in the torque sweet spot of the car on most courses. There's not enough wheel for the weight, and the power cut in sweepers likely keeps it from National level competitiveness but the dimensions and wheelbase make it a natural born killer on small local style lots.

 

Yes, I was not far behind a very consistent 2006 JCW in my first event (he gave me lots of good advice about the course beforehand), and I was on all-season tires. I believe the front tires eventually overheated, and the last run got lots of understeer. Next time I should be on Summer tires, and I will try to measure the corner weights to determine if there is any value messing with that.

 

Look up a video about how to get an I3 into "roller mode" or "dynamometer." The process is the same. Just be careful if you drive it in that. It turns off a lot of the safety stuff.

 

I tried it last year during SCCA races. It gave me more power out of tight turns and the tires were spinning lots, but it also cut the abs completely and I was having a really hard time slowing down in a hurry without locking up, making lots of expensive smoke.
On another note, I had my 1st event in EVX last Sunday, after lowering on H&R springs and Bilstein B8 shocks in the back. I also mounted 225/45/17 Falken rt615's on Motegi Tracklights 17x8.5 42 et. I had some rubbing in the back and had to cut the plastic wheel well arch and also use some spacers under the spring insulators. Also cambered the rear wheels to the max. I wish I'd gone with less of a drop. Anyway, I came in 1st in EVX class, beating 2 Tesla model 3 performance and a model S plaid! That after being told I wasn't going to be competitive against them when I showed up. Next, I'll be installing adjustable camber plates up front for some negative camber to keep my tires from peeling like last year.

 

Congrats that is awesome, way to show the Tesla's up.

 

Thanks again for the insights! How bad was it pulling the subframe back rather than dropping with gravity assist? Do you think it would have been much easier on a lift? Also, how floppy was the battery box, like should I be ready with a scissor jack or something to support it while abusing the subframe?

I ordered the 22mm NMeng. bar and Whiteline adjustable links. I did not spring for the grease fitting mounts.