Hey everyone on this thread......welp, finally got the Stagg shocks & struts installed on my 06 Cooper S (R53) along with the following preventive maintenance suspension upgrades as the Coop just turned over 100k:

1) Stagg Struts & Shocks (eBay)

2) New Lemforder Strut Mounts (Front) - PelicanParts

3) New Karlyn Inner Ball Joints - PelicanParts

4) New Karlyn Outer Ball Joints - eBay

5) New Karlyn Tie-Rods (Inner & Outer) - PelicanParts

6) New Poly Front Control Arm/Wishbone Bushings - eBay (Armstrong Distributors)

7) New Front & Rear Heavy-Duty Sway Bar End Links (eBay, purchased from "Donald The Bonald")

8) New Poly Rear Sway Bar Bushings - eBay (PowerFlex)

9) New Poly Strut Bump Stops (Front) & Boots - eBay (PowerFlex)

10) New Poly Rear Shock Bushings - eBay (PowerFlex)

11) New Rear Sway Bar "MOD-Plate" from eBay ("Donald The Bonald")

12) New Front ***and*** Rear Wheel Bearings (installed quality Beck/Arnley on front & Chinese cheapos on rear...so what)

And, all I can say is the car now virtually GLIDES on the road = Like a Damn ROLLS!

Like Nike says with their slogan, JUST DO IT, if your R50, R52 or R53 is now over 100k and I can ***guarantee*** you....You Will NOT be disappointed!!!!!

 

Updates on the ride? Im on the fence on these. Do they still feel decent after settling? Thanks.

 

After about 1k miles, since installation, the Stagg's have completely settled in and they ROCK. Buy them if you are looking to replace OEM, don't want to spend huge amounts of money and I can assure you it is a NIGHT & DAY difference in the ride comfort.

Long road trips are NOT hard on your body and the car actually feels like you are GILDING (i.e. "Riding on Air"), so to speak.

And, as a final point, if you are going to do the install yourself, I would recommend doing ONE section of the vehicle - at a time - especially if you are not using a lift.

I replaced the right passenger side, first, got some experience from doing that one (easy/3 x bolts to remove the old one) and then did each other side - one by one.

Getting the front struts removed is a pain and you HAVE to unbolt both the outer ball joint AND the tie-rod arm to get enough clearance to remove the front struts.

Good luck to you if you decide to purchase the Staggs and let me know if you have any problems during the install! Happy Holidays, too!

 

Yup, Im sold. This is my daily-driver and the 15fwy is painful in some spots. I'll end up ordering the struts, new lower rubber mounts, strut tops, and bump stops all around. Did you find the rears easier to do? Ive dropped in coilovers in the e38 and it was pretty simple. The control arms didnt allow for too much movement so I pushed them down with my boot and slowly worked the strut assembly out. I was hoping that it would be that easy with the R53. I'll order them this week and give you some feedback on the experience. Also, did you change out the springs or keep the OEM springs? Just trying to get an idea as to what height the car will sit at after the new struts. Thanks again.

 

Hey E-Dot, yes I did the right rear shock removal first and it's removing the bottom bolt and 2 X bolts that are screwed up into the top portion of the chassis wheel well.

Also, I did just re-use the OEM springs and I'm really glad I did as I intend to use some 30mm wheel spacers on the rear wheels and 25mm on the front. I noticed, after packing the rear of my R53 with a LOT of gear on a recent business trip that the OEM springs (with all the weight in the back) would ***still*** kept the car's rear wheels from touching the rear fenders, especially if using wheel spacers.....you could just see a "gap" (less than 1 X inch) inbetween the top of the tire & the fender wheel arch.

I had purchased lower springs but sent them back to save some $ and - from this discovery - I'm extremely glad I did!!!

 

Hey HomeStudio- So I havent had a chance to respond but figured Id update you. I purchased the set, along with new hardware, and was able to do the front struts. However, like usual, something went wrong. It turns out that the stabilizer links were gone too. I ordered two, yet only received one. Go figure. Hopefully I'll get a chance to install the rears soon. The fronts though- NIGHT and DAY difference. They feel good. I cant wait until theyre all installed and dialed in.

 

That is GREAT news and sorry I couldn't respond until now. On the Sway Bar End Links ("stabilizer links") you may notice that the metal attachment point on the STAGG struts (the front ones) may be slightly different length (to where the sway bar end links attach to the actual wheel, below) than OEM. I actually ordered both front & rear OEM sway bar end links (brand new sets of 2, for both front & rear) from Pelican Parts and found that the REAR ones actually fit on the FRONT?

I may not be remembering this correctly as it was several months ago that I did both my fronts & rears but I DO remember that the "shorter" sway bar end links that I thought were for "front" position didn't fit at all.....AND........what's even weirder is - after learning this - I installed the longer End links (what I thought were "rear" ones) and then gently drove my R53 to a local Tires Plus to have them align the car, entirely.

Luckily they are only about 3 miles from my garage so it was all good.....just went slow. I also replaced both of my front end tie-rods so the whole car was out of wack.

Anyhow, after they got the MINI up on a lift and removed the front tires.....BOTH of the front "longer" end links I had installed were BOTH = Broken.

Those OEM end links are SO flimsy and THIN metal that I just drove the car back home (I just told them to align the car in a "general" sense and we agreed to perfect it after I got larger/more robust end-links) and wentt right to eBay and bough some from 'DonaldtheBonald' near me in Omaha NE.

The guy makes GREAT stuff and manufacturers it, himself.

I will try my best to post a follow-up reply to this thread with the eBay Item # so you might consider buying a set of his front end-links if you have the same problem. Cool?

Lastly, YES....NIGHT & DAY, right?!!! Feels like the car is = GLIDING !!!!!!!!

I ****love*** modding the Coopa!!!!!!

 

Yes, Staggs provide comfier damping, but be CAREFUL. The strut body is of much weaker sheetmetal than stock, it bends & throws camber off....Here are pics after just 3k miles of regular driving....
Deformed bottom

Camber is all over the place...