Coilovers install by zirconmr2

9 minute read

Coilovers install  

Compliments of zirconmr2 @ totalmini.com

11-24-2013

since the big shut down no-one has posted a how to on upgrading your suspension. so heres mine.

there are many different brands for the mini, i chose D2 racing.

this guide is useful for r56 owners too, the suspension from the gen 1 fits the gen 2, with the addition of a washer on the rear shock absorber.

heres my coilovers

FRONT

loosen wheel nuts

raise the car and support on stands

take off the wheels

both sides of the car are raised because we need to disconnect both ends of the drop link to make fitting easier

now the wheels are off, remove the brake line from the shock absorber

and now the wheel speed sensor

now remove one end of the drop/stabiliser link, i removed the end at the roll bar, if keeping existing drop links, remove the end at the shock absorber, these are various different sizes so a set of spanners 14-18mm should suffice

now you need to remove the 18mm pinch bolt at the bottom of the shock absorber, there are reports of these snapping, first time i did this it was fine, this time one snapped, to be preparedfor this have a set of cobalt drills handy, and a good drill, and some extractors.

its a good idea to soak the pinch bolt with penetrating fluid a day before attempting the task.

now support the bottom ball joint with the jack, to catch the hub and lower it as the shock becomes free

grab hold of your springs and wiggle quite vigorously and the suspension will begin to come apart

it may need a bit of force, but i didnt need spring compressors to get these out, get the bottom of the shock out of the hub and move to one side so it doesnt fall into the hub again

now up to the top, remove the 3x 13mm nuts, on the last one stick you hand in the wheel well and support the shock absorber so it doesnt fall on your toes!

lower the shock out of the car and you are left with this

depending on the brand of replacement coilovers you may need to strip down the shock absorber now, D2 come with top bearings so not needed here, if you buy ap coilovers you will need to get spring compressors to allow to dismantle things safely, do it the ghetto way and its on your own head!

to change the top bearings over is quite easy,

use spring compressors to take tension off the spring

remove bolt at top of shock, 19mm or 21mm

take all the bits required over to your new shock and rebuild

once your shock is assembled place the top bearing in place and scure with the 3x 13mm bolts, steady brake disc in the upright position and use your jack the raise it up, make sure the brake lines and wheels sensor wire are in the correct position and jack the suspension up until the shock absorber is fully in place.

(there will be a pin on the new shock which locates in the gap where the pinch bolt is)

now refit the pinch bolt (i recommend a new one), the brake lines and the wheels speeds sensor wires and repeat on the other side of the car (dont refit the drop links yet, when both new shock absorbers are in place then refit the drop links.

because of the difference in length doing one side then the other puts torsion on the anti roll bar and makes it a bit hardet to fit, this is why i say do both side at the same time.

if you pinch bolt does break

you can drill out the old bolt and use screw extractors etc, to remove the shock. i used a grinder to cut the pinch bolt locating bracket so the shock could be removed seen in the differences here

drill this out!

then the best thing to do is fit a nut and bolt to clamp the shock absorber, BMW could have done this to save us all this headache!

ok, when you are done, put the wheels back on and lower the car to the ground (not by adjusting the coilovers just yet! jeez youre eager!)

the front done its time to do the REAR

again raise the car and put on stands (both sides again)
remove the wheels

now remove one end of the drop/stabiliser links, the top end is eaiest to get to, do both sides now



again place your jack under the bottom of the suspension to catch it as it drops
now remove the bottom bolt holding the shock absorber (21mm). remove the brake lines and sensor wires.



now remove the 2x 13mm bolts at the top and lower the shock absorber out of the car



you need to take this lot off your old shock and put it on the new, it is under pressure, but not as much as the front, i didnt use spring compressors but you can if you wish, when the nut comes off the top it gives a bit of a kick, keep your face, small children and animals out of the way!



once dismantled you may need all of these, place them on your new coilover and tighten them up,



if you have bought fully adjustable, D2, meister, BC and the like, you now need to drill holes in the car for the remote adjusters
if you dont, you will need to drop the shock every time you want to change damper settings.
its easier to do it from inside the car, i had pre-drilled holes from when i had the interior out to replace the rear speakers, basically you want a hole (not 2 doh!) drilled here, remote adjusters require different sized holes depending on the manufacturer, drill accordingly



now locate the top of the new coilover and secure with the 13mm bolts,
use the jack to help locate the bottom 21mm bolt and secure,
place the brake lines and sensor wires in their brackets.
now do the other side
now connect both drop links up, again this is left to last because of the difference in length between your stock shocks and your new coilover.

ok, done, put on your wheels and put the car on the floor.

check your ride height is suitable, if not adjust it before moving off!
also check clearance of the wheel, you may need spacers with some setups

remember this is a guide, i may have missed a few pointers but it worked fine for me, if in doubt as to your abilities, DONT. get a pro to do it

enjoy your new stance, and your much improved ride quality!