Do them all at the same time. You will need to drop the rear for the sway bar ...... then drop it again for the springs. Save yourself time and money and do it all at once. Also, get replacement end links. You will be amazed at how puny the stock ones are.

I have the NM 22 and the only reason I would consider upgrading is because the 25 offers greasable bushings. Other than that the 22 is fine. It's a solid bar, the 25 is hollow

 

 

Stock bar is hollow, though. The solid bar is significantly stiffer. There is a thread somewhere with the rates that NM calculated... sorry don't have that link handy.

 

They do sell the greasable bushing and bracket for the 22mm separately.

 

Good point, but then you've spent more money than the 25mm! I'd go with the 25 =)

 

What do you mean drop the rear for the sway bar? I've replaced the rear sways on other cars and the rear is usually just jacked up and unbolt the old and bolt up the new (for FWD cars).

 

Not Mini, they make it more fun

 

He means drop the rear subframe to do the sway bar. Which yeah is a bit of a pain. You save a bit of time if you do the springs while doing the bar. The springs come out as part of the bar job. But, an early part of the job, before you get to the subframe. Only like 20 or 30 minutes if you did springs alone later... plus getting yourself dirty all over again.

 

If your pockets are deep enough consider Coilovers. I never had luck with any lowering springs on any car I did in the past.
I got the JCW pro coilovers (around $1500) and am very happy- could have even gone more aggressive but the car is very drivable. I also went with Eibach F/R sway bars, maintains the same understeer/neutral feel just more aggressive.
Good Luck!

Check this link for the sway bar info.
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...bar-kit-3.htmlFront stiffness vs stock 24mm hollow:
Eibach= 202%
H&R loose= 202%
H&R stiff= 223%

Rear stiffness vs stock 22mm hollow:
NM 22mm loose= 136%
NM 22mm stiff= 168%
Eibach 23mm loose= 163%
Eibach 23mm stiff= 200%
H&R 25mm loose= 227%
H&R 25mm stiff= 281%

 

^^^^^ Good info right here! ^^^^^^^

 

Mike is quoting the numbers I calculated on those sway bars... Cool! Just want to throw a couple caveats on there, lest they be taken as gospel! For one, I based the "stock" on MY car, which has the OEM Sports Suspension option. I believe the same parts as a JCW. The bars are the same outside diameter, but supposedly have thicker walls, though I don't know by how much. So the increase over a standard car would be even greater than these %s. Second- these numbers are just churned out by a calculator I found online, based on measuring the bars. It might be off, and notably another member once contacted NM for some data on their bars, and received fairly different info from them. I do think that the relative difference between brands still holds up, since they were all calculated in the same way. But take it all with a big grain of salt.

Rock on.

 

We've installed over 1000 bars on MINIs and with the F56 we have done more than I can count. We actually decided that we didn't feel the 22mm solid bar was enough of an improvement to justify the time and cost. So when we made our WMW F56 bar we decided to only offer a 25mm which has been perfect, and made it cost effective.
https://www.waymotorworks.com/wmw-25...5-f56-f57.html

 

Here's bar rates = from the horses mouth (no disrespect intended there)...

Hello Charlie,

Thank you for your email. We actually did not measure in detail on the roll resistance but we have the stiff-rate for these bars. I hope they help:

OE 33506859891: 298 lb/in
NM 22mm (P1/P2): 400/506 lb/in
NM 25mm (P1/P2): 625/791 lb/in

(P) Hole position.

I run 25mm bar with Bilstein PSS10 coilover at road course tracks and you are able to throttle steer the car easily... Not sure if that is what you are looking for

Thanks,
Jerry T
NM Eng.

Cheers,

Charlie

 

 

@MikeMJCW , great! Didn't realize. I was looking that the spring rate #s that my calculator made, and they were not those numbers. But the important thing is the difference in rates, the %. So as long as that matches.

@WayMotorWorks - looks awesome! Didn't know you guys had a bar. So it's hollow, right? Hollow 25mm does sound about perfect, and this price is a lot more attractive than the NM 25. How much is the ride quality affected?

 

I got the Eibach Springs and the Eibach Front and Rear sway bars for my 17 JCW. The solid bars are 28mm Front and 23mm Rear, and have been the best upgrade I have done on the car so far. The car is super neutral around corners, and the lift-off oversteer is very, very easy to play with on the track. The understeer is all but gone, and the car is so much more responsive. The attached picture is from a recent track day, where I was flat out on a left hand curve, and the car is virtually flat.

 

How was the front to change? I want to do this eventually but I heard it is a PITA to do

 

Enough that I went to a local shop to have them do it. There are issues with the steering rack when dropping the subframe, and I wanted to have a warranty of some sort in case there was a problem. But yeah, huge PITA

 

I had the dealer do both front and rear Eibach's- there's an older post where I'm crying about the install cost $800 ish F&R I think. But I agree with elsnaibs as to what an improvement it is.
We hijacked MNI LIMO's thread, poor guy just wanted springs and one bar!

 

The shop I went to charged me 600, and did both front and rear. They basically did the rear for free, as it's pretty easy. Did the springs myself, which was also really easy. But zero complaints the car is amazing now.

 

Interesting. Im afraid to ask my shop to do the front. It will be a mortgage payment I have a feeling

 

 

I installed H&R 27mm front and 25mm rear solid bars, along with H&R springs, thats a go kart!!
J_L thinks its too stiff!! Not me!!

 

FIY

For the LA People:

Mini of Valencia will install your front bar for $360 flat. See Jessica (Service advisor)
They are mod friendly!!