Respected suspension manufacturer Eibach has released a suspension upgrade package for BMW’s cheeky new Mini Coupe.

The exciting new two-seater Mini may be the new kid on the block, but thanks to unparalleled access to chassis data and one of the fastest speed-to-market times in the industry, Eibach already has a fully tested kit available that will allow enthusiasts to lower their cars by around 30mm.

The springs feature unique progressive winding technology that has been optimised to work perfectly with the factory dampers. Ride quality is maintained at OEM levels, despite the car’s newfound poise and handling improvement. The kit is priced at £145.22 + VAT and comes with a comprehensive 5 year warranty thanks to an industry-leading surface treatment and deep electrostatic powder coating. Each spring is pre-stressed at the factory in Germany to ensure that it will never sag later in life for a consistent ride height and peerless handling performance.

Also available is a range of precision machined Pro-Spacer kits that can be fitted to give any factory or aftermarket alloys a track increase of between 10 and 50mm. These hub centric spacers start at just £34.78 + VAT per pair.

As the ultimate in automotive perfection, Retro British styling and German precision engineering are doubtless a pretty hard combination to beat.

 

 

espected Swedish suspension manufacturer Öhlins is using its impressive stand at Autosport International to launch several new fitments that will excite road, track, race and rally drivers alike.

After a superb season with the new Mini WRC car it comes as little surprise to find the Prodrive-prepared machine on the Öhlins stand. Having won numerous accolades, trophies and the hearts of many fans, this modern day interpretation of the classic Monte Carlo winning machine is well worth a look.

The Road and Track range has proven to be a superb seller for Öhlins since its launch, and the technicians in Sweden have been hard at work perfecting the latest range of brand new fitments for launch in 2012. On the stand will be the entire new 2012 line up including variants for the Mini R56, Lexus, Porsche 996 and 997, BMW E92 and E46 M3 and Nissan’s mighty R35 GTR.

Other all-new lines being launched at the show include Öhlins exciting range of highly durable ORQ 18/50 off road suspension units, which cover fitments for Dakar, Armoured Vehicles and Trucks. Here, Öhlins considerable competition heritage has been directly translated into the superb build quality and engineering integrity of these components.

With rallying very much in the company bloodline, the latest Subaru R4 rally suspension kit will also be on show, offering visitors a glimpse of Öhlins cutting edge design and manufacturing techniques.
Circuit racing may be less gruelling on the car, but it demands no less precision. In this field of endeavour Öhlins are clearly leading the way with their range of highly adjustable track systems. The TTR units have proven their worth in Formula Nippon, Japan’s Super GT series and Superstars, whilst the TTX range of dampers has already notched up considerable successes across an impressively diverse list of championships; Le Mans, ChampCar, Indy Racing League to name but three. Offering big-league performance for mid-table price point, the TTX40, TTX46 and TTX36/ILX will all be on show.

With historic rallying and racing becoming so popular recently, Öhlins has taken time to engineer a range of stunningly effective solutions for three of the most iconic stars of ‘stage’ and screen. The rallying credentials of the Mk1 and Mk2 Ford Escort need little introduction to even the most casual of enthusiasts, and Öhlins new range of classic race and rally dampers build on the proven abilities of Dagenham’s finest to create a hugely effective chassis for track or off-road work. Porsche’s classic 911 is also catered for, helping to tame the demanding handling of the rear-engined classic.

Öhlins will also be fielding a full complement of their most experienced technical team, as well as many members of senior management and sales divisions, to answer questions and offer advice on the firm’s many diverse products and services.

Commenting on the 2012 showing, Öhlins UK Manager Chris Witter said. ‘We always see the Autosport International Show as one of our ‘must-do’ events. This year, we are very proud to be able to increase not only our stand size and team, but also the amount of new and innovative lines that we have to showcase for 2012. It’s been an excellent 12 months for Öhlins, despite a challenging trading environment, so we’re delighted to be kicking off this new season with such a positive start. We hope to welcome many old and new friends there, over the course of the show.’  

For more information, please visit the Öhlins stand number 7600 in Hall 7.

The new Forge intercooler is significantly more efficient than the stock part – as well as being much easier on the eye. Aesthetics aside, it helps the car to achieve more power by reducing the intake air temperature and increasing the density of the charge mixture within the combustion chamber. (more…)

 

Gloucestershire-based Forge motorsport has launched an impressive pair of dump valves for the new R60 Mini Countryman; A vent-to-atmosphere ‘Blow Off’ valve and a recirculation valve. Both have been beautifully designed and precision CNC machined to offer a direct replacement for the OEM parts.

Each unit is entirely hand-fabricated by Forge’s time-served craftsmen here in the UK, and uses motorsport-quality materials and fabrication methods to create a unit which is both hugely effective and aesthetically pleasing at the same time.

These valves take into account the car’s electronically controlled bypass valves, where fitted, and are recommended where the car’s boost pressure has been increased by an ECU software upgrade or simply for those wanting an improved Blow off sound, a more efficient operation, or simply as a solution to the many failures that have occurred.

The most common complaint on the OEM solenoid valve is a split diaphragm preventing the valve from opening fully, or not at all. This doesn’t always result in a check engine light, as the valve can still be blown open by the boost pressure. Forge’s engineers have seen many valves with this problem during testing. The other common problem is that the diaphragm retaining ring is made from very thin plastic that goes brittle with heat cycles, and eventually fails. This may prevents the diaphragm from sealing correctly, causing the same problems as mentioned above. This particular failure has also been known to result in the valve falling apart upon removal from the turbo, though in extreme cases, bits of plastic can enter the turbo and destroy it.

Forge’s alternative is a fully engineered solution offering both significantly improved reliability .The new vales are piston based, with no internal diaphragm to fail. Being of all aluminium construction, it replaces the original unit with a pressure/vacuum operated piston valve that still also retains the desirable OEM ECU control over valve actuation. This design of valve has been proved on the VAG scene for many years. The spring is interchangeable for different levels of boost, and the solenoid is ‘plug and play’ with the wiring harness which is included.

Priced from just £189.79 including VAT, the Forge valves looks as well as they performs. An essential upgrade for any Countryman!

For more information or to buy this part online, please click to www.forgemotorsport.co.uk.

Öhlins, the highly respected specialists in advanced suspension has released the new benchmark in road-friendly, track-ready coilovers for perennial BMW Mini. As the official suppliers to Prodrive’s latest Countryman WRC, the Swedish firm has enviable experience with the marque dating back to the late 1980’s when Öhlins first entered the road and track market with dampers for the original shape MINI. The result is a kit that offers unrivalled levels of performance, allied to notable levels of comfort.

The already capable credentials of Munich’s pint-sized pup, combined with its exquisite chassis, makes it the perfect recipient for the unique features of the Öhlins kit, which finally solves the puzzle of how to achieve a truly comfortable ride from competition-quality units.

Both front and rear coilovers are precision-machined from carbon steel and feature full dust and weather protection. With single bleed adjustment, the Öhlins units have inbuilt adjustable platforms and are pre-assembled with 60/50 N/mm springs front and rear respectively. Build quality is exceptional, with flawless anodised detailing and deep, lustrous powder coating. Öhlins’ pioneering dual-flow valve technology means that despite their light weight and slim-line profile, the Road and Track kit responds to road undulations in exactly the same manner as a traditional Macpherson strut set-up. The use of needle valves in the damping unit also means that even when the oil gets hot after a hard session on the circuit or ‘B’ road, the damping rate is kept absolutely consistent, even when the viscosity of the damping fluid changes. The front units arrive pre-assembled with superbly engineered ball-bearing top mounts, whilst the rears bolt directly to the OEM top mounts.

This unparalleled quality helps to explain Öhlins 2 year warranty and thanks to their racing heritage, each unit is fully serviceable and even upgradeable, should requirements or car specs change.  
Height adjustment is achieved by simple adjustment of the precision-machined threaded body and damping and rebound are tweaked simultaneously in one simple twist of the easily accessible knurled knob; allowing the daily commute to be clicked off with limo-style smoothness, but, after a few seconds of adjustment, track days to be dispatched with racecar precision.

The racing credentials of this kit are further endorsed through the successful partnership between Öhlins and BMW Motorsport.  When BMW replaced the 320i E46 S2000 touring car with the E90 in 2006, they turned to Öhlins and this gave birth to an active development partnership that has led to Öhlins dampers being the preferred choice for their GT/Touring Car Race programme.  So it’s no surprise when BMW and Prodrive joined forces that Öhlins was nominated as suspension partners on the MINI Countryman WRC project.

The last addition to the Prior-Design’s family is the MINI Cooper S. Altough all mods are done exclusively outside, they sure affected the car in every aspect, making it more agressive.

The PRIOR-DESIGN Body kit consists of: a Front Bumper (429 Euro) giving you the chance to change the original MINI fog lights, plus improves the airflow and adds more aggressive look to the car, a Diffuser (419 euros) which allows you to install either center or left/right exhaust system, and Skirts (349 euros) which gives a harmonious relationship between the front and the rear parts of the kit.