Suspension Donuts - which are the “original” ones

[Chrisw]

Hi all

Looking to buy all suspension rubbers soon and been looking at Donuts.
Seen two companies selling them online- both claiming they sell the original ones.
One has a patent number and m-parts sticker
The other is Avon/moulton.

Who has fitted what and is there a difference between them?

Cheers
Chris

[Drakman]

Hi Chris,

Can i piggy back this post and add a question about the use of the red or yellow dot "competition" donuts are they worth using, do they last any longer are they too stiff for road use?

How long do the rubber donuts last "on the shelf" as in new old stock?

Cheers
Dave

[Terry]

Hi,

I haven't noticed any  real difference between the Avon and the M-Parts items and have used both over recent years. Both are slightly taller, about 5mm, than a real original made by Dunlop. Both seem to give a similar service life unlike the cheaper ones with no patent details moulded into them.

Moulten own the rights to the suspension cone and AVON and whoever M-parts are using are licensed to produce them.

Terry

[Bodge]

Dunlop Trelleborg were the manufacturer of the rubber suspension cone used for every Mini that used rubber suspension.  They were all manufactured under the original Moulton patent 763432.

When the Mini ceased production, Dunlop Trelleborg also ceased production of the rubber cone and sold the original tools to M Parts.  Dunlop manufactured the cones in great scale and the process used to manufacture the cones is technically very complicated and not all rubber manufacturers have the ability to do it. 

M Parts now manufacture the cones in the UK using exactly the same tooling but in much smaller scale.  The Dunlop name was deleted as the Dunlop brand is still a trademarked name.  The Moulton name was also deleted to avoid confusion but the original Moulton patent 763432 was retained.  They are manufactured to exactly the same specifications as the originals and every single one is tested.

Rubber cones with Alex Moulton or Avon VMS imprinted onto them are manufactured using Alex Moulton's prototype tooling.  These cones were never used on any production Mini or sold as a spare part through the aftermarket.  They are manufactured in the UK by Avon VMS which are now part of the larger South Korean company Dongah Tire and Rubber.

All products using natural rubber degrade over time so it would be better to buy brand new items made using fresh rubber rather than new old stock which may have been sitting on the shelf for a number of years.

Hope that helps.