1/8" toe-in at front?  Static setting should have toe-out.  Wheels draw straight when power goes down...unless I've missed something along the way.

Have not used coil springs of any colour.  We did simply swap 15 year old cones front/rear on the first build...added hi-los etc.

Current Mini sedan had new cones installed on rebuild, with heavy duty adjustable tie-rods, aircraft grade heim-jointed lower arms, hi-los, rear camber brackets & shims set-up with standard toe-out at front, zero toe at rear and >1 deg. negative camber at the 4 corners.

With extra jump from the 1380, front subbie also got extra stitch welds and gussets for tie-rod ears at front.  Also reverted to hard mounted subframes and ditched the big rear trunnions.

I must ask for a ride & drive in a Mini set-up using coil springs...

Left-to right:

Old cone, new stock Moulton, new Moulton Smooth-a-Ride (for front only)

The Smooth-a-Ride has a taller, more tapered cone wall which provides more compliance at light loading. As you turn in or brake, the lighter part compresses quickly and you then get about the same springing as the stock cone.

(The BBQ has since been painted!)

Keep in mind that some cars left the factory with rear springs that did not have the compression nut installed.....one would have to drill and weld in a nut to compress if moving to the front.

I think, if on a budget, new genuine springs and budget ajustables are the best choice....with good quality shocks ( KYB? )

There have been some poor quality of modern replacements but the quantity seems to have been reatively small and as I recall they weren't sold by the major Mini parts suppliers. 

The late model ('80's-on or so) cones tend too collapse (almost literally looking like donuts) in 5 to 10 years. The rubber tends to become very soft. When this happens the suspension travel becomes very small and the ride is very harsh. As Ian said, with some experience it's pretty easy to tell, by looking through the cutouts in the subframe towers, if you have collapsed cones. The early cones tend to get harder with age. This can improve handling a bit over time but the ride can get a bit harsh for some. 

Swapping the late model rear cones to the front will usually be an improvement but I doubt that they would last for more than a couple of years.

Kelley

You need new cones when your old ones are shagged beyond redeption...  If the car's stance is lower than seems reasonable and you think the knuckle joints should be OK, then it is time to pull things out and have a look.  The rubber cones should be something like 10cm thick - ratty ones may be more like 5 or 6...  Also if the rubber is cracked /separating from the internal steel form then new ones are definitely in order.

Old cones, provided they are intact,  might be considered a performance enhancement - on a smooth surface (think lowered/stiffened springs on a "normal" car).

You can get some idea of their condition by looking through the slot in the front subframe - at least on the clutch side.  But really, the only way to be sure is a visual inspection -out of the car...

With the (alleged) poor quality of modern replacements it worth thinking seriously about swapping the genuine rear rubbers to the front and just getting new ones for the rear.  (Front and rear springs are the same - the difference in installed rates is achieved through the suspension geometry.)

Cheers, Ian

Never quite understood exactly how you tell you need new cones.  My fronts don't look so hot, but still...

If you're 1999 Mini is still on the original cones then just replacing them with new cones will transform the ride of the car and raise the ride height as well. 

The cheapest route to improving handling is to put on new cones (which you probably need anyway) and Hi-Los for convenience although they aren't required. Change the rubber subframe mounts for new rubber or solid mounts. 

If you want to go further and have 13" wheels go to 12" wheels. The unsprung weight reduction is helpful and you can lower the car a bit more. 

After you reach this point you have to spend money. While coil springs are about the same price as rubber springs to make them handle you need at least a rear sway bar which raises the price and Hi-Los are really required. Another method of improving handling is to switch to 7.5" brakes and 10" wheels.  

Cheers,

Kelley

Yes, I went with Smooth-a-Ride and it is softer. The front cones are visibly taller than stock, so the front end will sit higher and require adjustables. The rear cones are genuine Moulton stock cones. I bought the full kit. The knuckle joints that came with the kit are a bit different than stock - the straight shaft that fits into the adjustable trumpet shaft is a bigger diameter.

Several year later, I'm still waiting for them to "settle", so my car is suitable for off-road with the extra ground clearance.

Most people say that that the 12's and 13's are already bumpier due to the lower profile height.  I'm on 10's which probably do half the work of the suspension.  Therefore you would want to set up softer than us guys with 10s.

Not sure if I've ever been in a car with springs, one of those things you don't remember to ask.  But the springs vs. cones debate is eternal and springs do not appear to be the slam-dunk you would assume.

I did GAZ adjustable too - make sure you set them all the way soft (Knob all the way to the left).  Very easy to install and very noticeably better.

Obviously Hi-Los which are also cheap in comparison to absurdly overpriced cones.

But the biggest suspension improvement for me is the adjustable tie rods and one of the many DIY alignment gauges out there from Summit or Jegs, combined with the ghetto string alignment, adjustable camber brackets as mentioned above and adjustable lower arms.  

This way you can try different setups various people endorse.  Currently I'm at 4 deg. caster, 2.5 negative front camber and 1.5 negative rear, 1/8 toe-in front and back.  Rock steady on the freeway at 80, I can sneeze without going into the wall.  And able to scare the bejeezus out of any passenger on turns.

The adjustable front lowers are expensive but required.  In the rear you can save the money on the camber brackets by doing as the brits do and dremel about an eighth out of the top of the hole the 11/16" arm bolt sits in - the big one you see.  If you don't like the result buy camber brackets but mine fit like total crap and just caused more work.  lus, they didn't go high enough and I had to dremel them anyway!

Well David, I'll tell you that I was in the same position. And that's why I went with the Blue springs. I hadn't driven one with blues, but it was the best option for me. It softened up the daily bumps in the road (as much as you can in the mini) but still kept it stiff in the corners. Again, I would get Hi-Lo's and at least adjustable lower control arms and rear camber plates. And adjustable shocks, to me, are just the best investment you can make in suspension.

I think I lack the appropriate vocabulary to answer the "what I want" question well...

I don't want a super-tight race car, nor do I want a soft and floaty "cruiser". Currently I feel every bump and pothole in the road so it would be nice to soften that out a bit but I want to be able to take the corners enthusiastically without the car rolling too much. 

I don't know enough other Mini owners to get a large enough sample of different setups so I'm on my own in this one. The prices aren't too far off from "basic" to high end and I don't mind spending a bit more if it helps the ride.

Again, it's a daily driver so nothing too tight and hard to drive and yes, I'm running 13" wheels and would prefer not to change... THANKS

-David

 I'm  completely on board with Terry  here as well.  My experience  had been with 12's  and 13's  on all setups I explained that I had first hand knowledge  with. 

 so the real recommendation is to establish what you really truly want your car to do,  try as many cars as you can with different setups,  then buy to budget. 

I was going to say to try a car close to yours with springs before you make any decision.

But before changing/replacing cones/springs, I would add all the adjustable suspension components so that the suspension can be set properly with what you have now.

There was never any consistency with the suspensions as they left the factory, you could get one close or off, luck of the draw.

The idea from my perspective is to eliminate the variables. If it is a more recent car then it may have 13s which may react differently with springs. Low profile tires do not have a lot of give to them.

I have a sedan daily driver with red springs and 13s. We have a wagon in the driveway with new rubber and 10s. When it is on the road, it is also a daily driver. 13s ands 10s are different. Both cars have fully adjustable suspension components.

There will never be a final answer to this questions.

Terry

There seems to be a lot of opinion in here being given as fact.. and no one really has enough information to make the right recommendation in the first place.

You can't say that steel coil springs aren't good on a mini. I'll admit that it's a "different" handling characteristic, but that definitely doesn't mean bad (unless you're a purist). I'll bet that most people that make that comment haven't driven one for months. And I'll almost guarantee you haven't taken it onto a track. I've done both. I've daily driven it, in fact. I've also driven with cones for years (old and new cones). And I've had all of them with hi-lo's.

But all of that means nothing if we don't know what the OP wants to do. Do you want the smoothest squishiest ride ever? Do you want an ultra stiff racecar? I can make a WAG at what you meant, but it wouldn't be prudent.

So here's my OPINION on what each setup will net you.

Hi-Lo's with Blue Springs will give you a ride that I consider plenty comfortable to daily drive. They are just as good as the brand new cones I had, but they cornered better. After upgrading the blue springs, I went with a set of GAZ adjustable shocks. These range from ultra soft to nearly static. I can tell you that handling on the track with blue springs, Hi-Lo's, and GAZ shocks turned about 3/4 stiff was a real joy. It stuck like no other, and had taken out so much body roll that the tires broke loose before the suspension gave. So I'm very happy with the suspension I have for ME! If you want something similar, then grab that setup. I also have adjustable upper and lower control arms as well as camber adjusters in the back. For even more control over your handling and body roll, try poly bushings all the way around.

Fancy Coil-Overs... I've riden in the car, but at the time it was set up for very low and very stiff. It was pretty great though. And it felt more like a custom suspension than anything I've been in. I'm sure it can be adjusted to be softer than it was. Again, if this is to your taste and budget, I would go for it. In fact... if I had the budget, I would DEFINITELY do this. But that's my taste and what I want to do. It's also a great setup for people that want to go to the track and have a lot of adjustability. But there are a lot of opinions on track setups so I won't go there.

I'm personally not a fan of new cones on original trumpets unless you're really looking the all original thing. So if you want the stock suspension, I would go with new cones and Hi-Lo's to allow you to adjust each corner to level the ride and make the drive a bit more enjoyable. And to be able to lower the ride height temporarily while the cones take about a month to really settle in.

And I can't speak to the Smooth-A-Ride's because I've never experienced them. But I will deffer to the opinion of others who have said that it is significantly softer.

I'm using Blue Springs front and Rear with Hi-Los on my 35th Anniversary Cooper and it gives a softer ride, but still corners great.

And if you are running 13 x 6" wheels, get rid of them. 12 X 5 will make amazing changes to ride and handling.

There is another option that is not listed. I am installing a steel springs with two inner coils. I just started so will have to finish before I can comment on ride.

The smootha ride kit is softer rubber, so you will lose some handling but softer over bumps... If you go with a complete kit, get adjustable lower arms so you can get the adjustment you want.

New rubber cones will transform a mini still running around with original (and now quite hard) rubber, and will retain all of the amazing roadholding that the rubber suspension is capable of.

Putting steel coil springs in a mini is like throwing out what is great about a car, and giving up the attributes that make it so awesome (say, like putting a Chevy 350 in a Porsche).

Norm

Option 2 is the only choice,   add a set of good adjustable shocks and the handling will be spot on.   I like GAZ adjustable shocks.    Go ahead,  full Monte,   New suspension bushings and knuckle joints while there.