Posted: May-07-2008 03:35PM

Rear coilovers can be made to work pretty well if done right.  Quality springs should need no settling and will remain consistent for much longer(forever) than cones.  As Don mentioned, you can easily raise or lower the coil spring seats to adjust ride height. Just make sure you choose units that accommodate commonly available spring inner diameters.  Good springs aren't free, so check with someone, like Don, about a good starting spring rate and spring length.  You really should have a very good idea what ride height(and thereby resting spring length) you plan to run.  Make sure to check for coil bind before full bump and make sure that the springs do not come completely free of their seats when the wheel is at full droop(rebound).  Depending upon your car's weight and the weight of any passengers or cargo you carry, you may have to select your spring rates based upon your own requirements rather than what would normally be "the way to go".  Better to be a little too soft than a little too stiff because you can stiffen the shocks to help slightly soft springs, but you can't compensate for shocks that are too stiff.  So, you have a bit of homework that must be completed before you order springs.  In case it isn't already understood, cutting the ends off of springs is really not a satisfactory method of getting the spring lengths or rates "just right".  Springs that don't seat squarely can cause you problems you'll hate.

I'm not trying to make this any more complicated than necessary, but you may be forced to choose between linear or progressive springs if both are available.  Ask Don.  I'm not sure just how useful progressive springs are on a Mini's rear, but at least consider using progressive rates.  Progressive springs are one way to run relatively soft spring rates under normal circumstances, but still resist bottoming out under unnatural times(curb bouncing, potholes) This naturally adds at least another step to the process of assessing a spring's fitness for the intended purpose. 

Posted: May-07-2008 03:06PM

I haven't driven on them yet though so I can't give you any helpful feedback!

____________________________
CAR47!

Posted: May-07-2008 02:51PM

Don, out of curiosity what brand are your new units & have you retained the original mount locations?

Cheers

Posted: May-07-2008 02:03PM

If it breaks, Improve it !