hey all, a while back we pumped my hydro up a bit as I thought it was low.. got it up but the rear end is so high. I've tried lowering it again. The front is about where I want it. but the back has a whole hand gap. I dont like it. lol


someone mentioned putting washers in the knuckles or something similar? what are my options? i was tempted to go dry sus but everyone says it's awful hahahah

Sometimes they're a little like that. Putting washers under the front knuckles does bring up the front in relation to the rear.

You often see that when pumping up hydro, the front doesn't come up until the last few PSI, namely around the 290 mark. This is because the weight of the engine is over the front, and it is only the strength of the springs in the rear which counters this. The back will rise until such time as the rear springs come into tension enough to counter the weight of the engine. So it may be you need that extra few PSI (At risk to the very old bag) or the washers under the front with a few less PSI, or as some have found, new springs to replace the old ones. I pump mine up to the full rated pressure and adjust, as I am lucky enough to have a stock of spare bags to hand, and have not had any bag burst problems so far with this set.

I have noticed as well, that the mini soon after it's been pumped up from flat, that the front will sit a little lower, but will sort itself out over time. I am wondering if it is just me, or does the internal rubber of the damper take a certain shape which takes some time to readjust once pumped up again?

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SooperDooperMiniCooperExpertEngineering

All garage work involves equal measures of enthusiasm, ingenuity and a fair degree of irresponsibility.

What Mick said ^^^.
Mine sits more level than most even after 45 years, only because I have Cooper S/GT bags in front and Matic/Mini K ones in rear.

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DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

my last one sat perfect. not sure what bags it had but I imagine just the standard deluxe ones.


I dont imagine fitting a shock up front will change it much? if I'm going 1275 I suppose its a worthwhile investment anyway?

if all else fails I will go the washers up front. but possibly a new rear spring if its required and worthwhile doing.


how involved is it to get the washers on? it's probably one of those things once again where I imagine waiting will pay off and I can do it when I change to 7.5 disc brakes up front

Putting washers in is one of those lamentable jobs under the front end. It may take a half day under the guards. You need to drop the hydro pressure and take the knuckel joints out, maybe removing the upper arm to do so if it proves especially difficult. Then you fit the washers and reverse the disassembly and then have it pumped up. The good news is the washers are nothing special. Just a decent normal washer to fit over the knuckle where it fits into the hydro bag.

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SooperDooperMiniCooperExpertEngineering

All garage work involves equal measures of enthusiasm, ingenuity and a fair degree of irresponsibility.

Fitting shocks up front won't make it sit higher, however it will make up for the displacers' lack of internal damping due to 40 years wear & tear. Worth doing, but just use normal Mini shocks. KYB or similar.

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DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

Thank you. I might try the washers over a weekend. maybe wait till I get my discs and just do the whole lot. Then do the shock

All my cars I've been restoring I've shortened the rear hydro struts

Now there's a trick I've not heard of .

Seeing how the struts work in compression not tension they're length would appear some what irrelevant.

Cheers, Ian

Not questioning your logic Ian , but if by putting washers under the front trumperts , lengthens the ride height , why wouldn't shortening the rear trumperts , lower the rear ride height ?, would this theory not be the same as Hi-Lo's ?

I'm just thinking along the lines of say , normal suspension setups , where springs determine the ride height , and shockies determine how fast it goes up & down ,

If you shorten the rear struts how will the back wheels ever touch the ground?

put a really heavy towbar on it like I did

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did I tell you that I won a trophy?

This one has me thinking...

It is the springs on the rear which compensate for the ride height of the front. If you lower the rear, you make the bag push out further to take up the correct height to bring the springs to tension.

So the bag will simply push out further until the springs come into play without affecting the front. Well that's my minds eye of the situation anyway, I might be wrong...

Hydro is such a dynamic suspension...

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SooperDooperMiniCooperExpertEngineering

All garage work involves equal measures of enthusiasm, ingenuity and a fair degree of irresponsibility.

Take the spring away and play with the car. It will rock back and forward quite easily. The spring is there to set a rate on the pitch movement. It also sets the final trim level.

Front bags sag more than rears over time due to the constant weight of the engine and the lack of constant passenger weight in the car.

I would say that lengthening the front or shortening the rear struts will have pretty much the same effect.
My preference would be to lengthen the front with a spacer as it is the front displacer that has caused the problem in the first place!