and trying to talk myself into the JCW....

I am thinking that the $500 sport suspension might not really be needed.

How are the JCW's without it? Too much roll? Is the sport not really needed except for track like conditions/driving?

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

I dont have the sport in mine and it drives great no regrets

 

I asked the same question here:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...d.php?t=141369
Got lots of responses...............

We'll see when the car arrives in a few weeks. I went with the Sport Suspension Option in the belief that any added harshness would be mitigated when I ditch the run flat tires that come with it. I'll also be ordering a stiffer rear sway bar for for it when it arrives.

I

 

it depends. If you're going to track it get the sports suspension. If its a daily driver...it may be too harsh depending on your local roads.

For public roads, the stock suspension will work just fine.

 

I had the factory sports supension on my last two R56s - ordered my 2009 JCW without it - I've not missed it. Also, it's 500 bucks you can put towards a good set of coilovers if you're so inclined.

 

I ordered the JCW suspension to go with mine for use as a daily driver. I'll report after I've broken myself in on it...

 

I ordered the sport suspension option for $500 and do appreciate the feel.

 

I have the JCW stage I and JCW suspension.

last weekend I got to drive the 09 JCW that had the basic suspension.

It is really like night and day between the JCW and stock. If you cant afford to go JCW suspsension, I highly suggest at least getting the sport suspension. The body movement on that demo was a lot taking off from the line.

just my $.02

 

Dang, this morning I was all set to go without it, but now I'm being pulled the other way.

I don't plan on tracking it, I'll be mostly doing city (well, medium size town) driving. But I do love to find a road with some twisties on it, so, ............. what to do?

Now I'm leaning on going without it, and adding a thicker rear sway at a later date if I feel the need. (Would that void the warranty?)

Any more thoughts?

 

I did not get the Sport suspension factory option, nor the JCW suspension. I will be tracking my JCW, but I'll upgrade wheels and tires before I do anything about suspension, if I change it at all. It's still my daly driver and I'll use it for road trips, so I won't want to create a ride that's too harsh for everyday use.

My M3 is great as a track and daily car, and it's bone stock. Hopefully the JCW will be similar in that respect.

 

we have the sports suspension and it feels great!

This car is a daily driver. Track or not it has been my experience that if you start out witha better suspension everything will last longer and feel better while it does.

when your are talking 36K + what's an extra 500?

do it.

Meckonica

 

I looked into getting the Sport Suspension. For $500 you get front and rear sway bars that are 1 mm thicker than stock. That's it.

I'd rather wait until I can spend the money to get the full JCW suspension, if I even get it ($2K installed). Maybe the stock suspension will be good enough for me as a daily driver and occasional (2 weekends/yr) track car.

 

Do you know how thick the stock sway bars are?

 

I would think a tighter suspension would cause the oppsite esp on public roads. A stiffer ride transmits more vibration to the chassis rattling more things, no?

Boy, I just drove my wife's Grand Cherokee after weeks of driving the MINI. Did that feel like a boat. It swayed more then the ocean. It felt very strange sitting up so high and not being cradled by side bolsters. The power was also down even though it was a v8.

 

I am told this info came from the parts database.

Standard: Front 22.5mm, Rear 17mm
Sport: Front 23.5mm, Rear 18mm
JCW: Front 24mm, Rear 18.5mm

 

The Bars are as follows: basic Frt 22.5mm Rr 17mm
Sport Frt 23.5mm Rr 18mm
Jcw Frt 24mm Rr 18.5mm
Also all three have differently valved shocks from soft to very stiff. So the sport suspension is a good compromise and will serve you well on the street. Then if you so desire you can piece together the JCW or aftermarket. Hope this helps. Btw I went with the sport suspension and will add the JCW springs at a later date for the .4 inch drop and firmer cornering.

 

RACE you beat me to it, LOL

 

Regarding the specs for the JCW... is that bar reference to the full JCW Coil-over suspension or the bars that come on the stock Factory JCW model?
-thanx both for those nubers either way-

 

All three were given: standard (factory JCW), factory Sport Suspension option, and JCW Suspension (VDC/dealer option).

 

Ah, I see. Starting w/standard JCW, not standard R56. Makes sense, being the JCW forum & all. Thanx.

ok, so then I do want 19mm or 21mm (or 22mm?) rear bar and an upgraded front bar...

For everyone's benefit, the formula for comparing solid bars is:

% stiffness increase = (((new size / old size) ^ 4) - 1 ) * 100

so going to a 19mm bar from the 17mm is:

(((19/17)^4)-1)*100= 56% increase in stiffness

 

Just got my 2009 JCW
Included sport suspension.
With the updated tweaks, rides much smoother than my 2004 S.
Waytogo.
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