Hi folks, sorry if this subject has been delt with many times before. But would shocks and springs from a 2018 cooper S fit a 2015 cooper d? And if they did, will the suspension be sportier than the cooper d has on at the moment. I am trying to do things on a tight budget. As I hear bad things of just fitting lowering springs. also I have 16" wheels, and was wondering if 18" with pirelli zeros would make a difference. I had them on my Seat Ibiza FR, and it was like it was on rails. Thanks a lot, nick.

 

Nick, I can't answer your question about fitment of suspension parts, however I can tell you by increasing tire and wheel size you increase unsprung weight to you car. This will have a noticeably detrimental effect on handling and feel. F1 constructors invest tons of money to eliminate unsprung and rolling resistance weight. I think you'd be well advised to look for the lightest 16" rims you can find and a light weight tire to pair with them. That my friend, will provide a noticeable increase in performance and handling compared to a larger tire and wheel size.

I shed 32 lbs of unsprung wheel and tire weight (17 Tentacle's w/ Hankook RF to to Enkei RPF1's and Conti Extreme DW) on my 2015 Cooper S. Aside from a much more lively handling car, I netted 10 more WHP and 11 more wheel torque. Bigger pretty wheels & tires may look nice, but they have the effect of adding "boat anchors" to the corners of your car/.

 

Thanks very much for the comprehensive answer. I will take your points onboard.

 

I went from 17" Dunlop RF and MINI track Sport wheels to Craven lowering springs, Montegi (American Racing) wheels (almost 1/2 the weight), and Pirelli 235 A/S P Zeros. One should consider the compromise between side wall height and ride/grip. Yea, mine is on rails, for me anyway.

 

Thanks. Yes I might go down that road. Do you think it is worth buying the used cooper S shocks and springs, or would lowering springs be better. I am just worried if I get the s ones that they won't be much stiffer than my standard set?

 

Can't tell you, mine is an S. You may want to check out the difference between stock and S with after market sources. Do a Google. The lowering springs are stiffer (the do settle in) and you can always change the shocks later. If you go used, you may need new front boots and lower pad stops anyway. Shocks are usually determined for the weight of the vehicle and then performance.

 

Thanks

 

 

 

Thanks, I will check them out.

 

I have swapped my R52 with and R53 Sports suspension in the past. Basically they are close to the same but the rear dampers on MINI change and of course the springs are based on the vehicle weight, that's why we use a spring chart for MINIs by Vin when people need them.
The heaver the car they came out of and the lighter the install car, they can raise the car up a couple mm's. Opposite for the other way. On the dampenings, the rears change and if the car is heaver I saw a tighter suspension /dampening swap.