I'm probably the oldest guy on the board at 62 - have loved cars forever - first sports car was an '86 RX-7, then a 94 BMW 325is, then a 2001 Boxster.

Sold the Boxster at retirement, perhaps a mistake but wasn't sure of finances.

Sold the BMW in '06 (12 years and 170,000 miles). Now i have an automatic Rabbit (brain freeze) which i'm giving to my wife - why did i ever buy an automatic???

I'm going to order a JCW MINI soon.

There are two options for suspension - which should i get (or both)
- sports suspension
- JCW suspension

Thanks in advance,
Steve

 

Welcome! (and I'm not too far behind you on the seniority front)

The factory "Sport" suspension and the JCW suspension are mutually exclusive in that they each include different anti-roll bars, springs and shocks, so it's one or the other. The JCW suspension will lower the car slightly (30 MM) and will certainly provide much better handling. The ride is another matter, and the main problem is that people's comments concerning what handles well, rides well, etc are purely subjective. Run-flat tires verses non run-flat tires further complicate the discussion. You really need to drive a car with a given suspension configuration yourself to know if it's a good choice for you.

You might see if you can find any locals with either a sport or JCW setup on any R56 (the same chassis is used on all the R56 variants) or even ask your dealer if they can give you a local reference. Most people ordering any kind of optional suspension are probably enthusiasts and will likely be willing to offer you a ride in their cars so that you can see if it works for you.

Good Luck!

 

Thank you!!! for the quick and comprehensive answer - exactly what i needed.

 

Hey geezer . I'm about 19 years behind you but we all know 19 years goes by in the blink of an eye.

I would suggest purchasing the car with the base suspension, i.e. stock.

Drive it, get to know it and then decide how you want to move forward. The stock suspension is tight (read: great handling already). Unless you track your cars you won't feel the difference until after some seat time behind the wheel anyway. The stock suspension could be all you need or ever want. Get to know your car before dropping the loot. You may be financially well off, if that is the case, get the whole shootin match. You might as well pick me up a set while you're at it

The cost to purchase suspension parts will be the same, buying the parts with the car or buying it later. You're still going to pay for local labor and parts.

You won't truly appreciate what you have unless/untill you've gone without.

 

I agree with Motor Head. If you can locate a dealer that has both set-ups available, definately drive before you buy. I have a 2005 Cooper S (R53) and I put the JCW suspension on after living with the stock setup for about 40,000 miles. I also replaced the rear sway bar with a 25mm (thicker than stock) and that also will change the dynamics of ride and handling. The new R56 cars ride remarkably smoother than the old chassis so I'm not sure what to tell you to expect, but I know for me the ride borders on the jiggly side depending on road conditions. In any car I have ever set up, the one constant I have found is if you want better handling and still have a smooth ride, change the struts/shocks and leave the springs alone.
I would reccomend either now or later down the road the KONI FSD strut/shock package. FYI, I'm 51, so you're not alone out there.

 

man SmokeM i'm tellin' ya - i used to hear the "old" people say each year goes by faster and darned if they're not right - that's why i'm buying the MINI

i don't drink, smoke (ok an cigarette once a month) or have any other major vices so what the heck... - this will probably be my last car since i'm retired and my wife and i do occasional road trips, probably about 12k miles / yr.

thank you for the advice

This board reminds me of the 2001 when i bought the Boxster - so much car knowledge available. Also, same cool tracking system once you got your VIN - i think i waited 4 months or so for the Boxster and it was agonizing - i think the MINI lead times are about 5 weeks at Princeton MINI.

Thanks Mezspeed - i never really gave much thought to after market mods - i always bought my cars "stock" and kept them that way - i'm not really a "motorhead" in that sense - i just love cars. But now you got me thinking...

Thanks again guys!

 

Yeah, I was on the fence about the sport suspension but realized as soon as I got behind the wheel of a JCW that it would not be necessary. It handles well enough for any road I'll be throwing at it (no autox for me) and I need the extra clearance (winter) and comfort (potholes).

Good luck!

 

I actually just recently upgraded my stock suspension to the JCW suspension. I know this is very subjective but I couldn't be happier with the improved handling PLUS I think the ride is BETTER in many ways. I have not driven on any crazy pothole invested roads yet but I try to avoid them for the most part anyway.

I do track and participate in spirited group club rides. I can easily tell the difference in the set-ups. The JCW is much more stable and solid vs stock. BTW, I am 49.5 years young.... hahaha

I live in Raleigh, NC and would be happy to give you a ride if you happen to be located in my neck of the woods.

 

Thanks Tu13es and Augie 05

Augie - you're just a kid... - i appreciate the offer for the ride - I live in Pitman, NJ (about 10 miles east of Philadelphia)

My brother used to live in Raleigh (beautiful city, btw). He moved to Boone about 15 years ago (also beautiful - but hard to make a living there)

Augie - Did you notice any difference in the steering after the upgrade - i read a British reveiw of the JCW complaining about torque steer. Is it a real issue?

 

It's a little surprising if you're not ready for it. Supposedly it's a lot better with the LSD being electronic instead of mechanical.

That said, I don't mind it so much as to not get on it.

Woo this car is fun!! (Just picked it up tonight)

 

Hey, you're in my neck of the woods. If you would like to take a spin, PM me and let me know. I have a stock suspension JCW.

I'm not in any rush to upgrade anything other then cosmetically. It handles just fine on the street. But take this from a person that has driven Jeeps for the last 10 years and other low performance cars before then. I don't even know what its really capable of because I'll never push it that hard on the street to find out. But it takes the turns like it its a magnet on a piece of steel. I don't even have to brake for any turns if I don't want to. My wife and kids are jostled a bit so I try and keep that to a minimum.

Check out Prestige MINI. They move more product then any other dealer in the US. They may have what you want or may be able to get it sooner. They may also get you a discount .

You will love this thing. It handles like a dream. It rides pretty well and has get-up-n-go when you want a little excitement. I'm very happy with it. I just clicked over 3k miles and its not even 2 months old. I really have to stop driving it. I just LOVE driving it. I can't wait to see how it does on the track.

EDIT: just thinking about this a little more. I think a more worthwhile mod would be better seats. Really. The OEM seats while they are supportive, they don't hold you in as much as they should esp. taking turns aggressively. This could translate into a more sloppy feeling car. With a seat that cradles you better, you'll be more in tune with the car make it easier to identify the slop. I think this will be my first major mod as A Recaro seat is very expensive, as much as some coilovers .

 

Boone is great. Love the mountains and the Blue Ridge Parkway. Great drive for the Mini and the other surrounding roads are great too!

Torque steer actually improved (less of it) when I went with the JCW suspension set-up. Another side benefit of the upgraded suspension.

 

Did you catch these write-ups? Will make you want the JCW probably.

Part 1: http://www.motoringfile.com/2007/08/...rt-suspension/
Part 2: http://www.motoringfile.com/2007/08/...-at-the-track/
Part 3: http://www.motoringfile.com/2007/09/...ion-long-term/

However I can say this with-out question.... I have a '98 MB C43, that is perhaps the 2nd best "turning" road-going C43 on the globe; 2nd only to the ex-motorcycle champ and MB enthusiast who designed & engineered the custom suspension kit, using custom parts he designed & machined, and Penske 8100 racing dampers [the heart of the suspension; he was sponsored by Penske when he raced, and knows how to 'tune' the suspension of both cars & bikes].

Here's the point. After all that effort and $ spent for the increase in speed I'm able to go around turns that it gave me, I'm going as fast or faster around the same turns with sometimes a more balanced feel with the stock JCW suspension on the MINI... So this is my long-winded way to echo any who said just get stock, live with it for a while, let it break in and settle, then decide on what you want to get; bigger rear anti-sway bar and some adjustable links may be enough. Granted, I've not yet hit demanding back-to-back tight twisties nor done club racing, which may change my outlook. But if your driving is mainly roads comprised of sweepers and not spaghetti, stock may just do it.

 

SmokeM - unfortunately Prestige MINI is 125 miles from me (Princeton MINI about 50 miles so i'll probably buy from there). There are two phila area dealers closer the Princeton is just so easy to get to from my house. I sent you a PM to set up a test ride - thanks for the offer!

Augie - thanks! last time we went to Boone we did about 90 minutes on the Blue Ridge Parkway - definitely a MINI road!

mimim8o - read all 3 reviews - really great info there - appreciate the links to them and especially your additional comments!

Tu13es - I probably will not track the car or autox - just have fun on the back roads around my house - there are still a few country roads around here - plus some day trips with my wife.

 

Yeah, this will be one of the first things I need to change about my car. I got the cloth seats, so no lumbar support and it's killing my back. I'm hoping I can find a good back pad that doesn't look ridiculous and it'll save some money. If not, I found someone that makes custom seat covers that have an air pouch for lumbar support for about $300 per set, which isn't awful.

No way I want to spend $2k or whatever ridiculous amount for a Recaro seat.

 

I think you will be really happy with the JCW, in that case. A friend came over to check out my car yesterday. He was really impressed, but when I told him it had a bigger turbo he was all "Whoa, I don't think I'll need that." He seemed pretty unimpressed. Then I took him out for a spin and got on it. "WHOOOOAA!!!!!!!! WOW!!!!!! THAT WAS AWESOME!!!!! THAT FELT LIKE A ROLLER COASTER!!" was the response, more or less. I think I may have at least convinced him to get a MCS if he does get a MINI.

 

I hope to meet SmokeM this weekend for a test ride - thanks SmokeM for the gracious offer.

Then later in the week i'm going to visit Princeton MINI and drive a JCW if they have one available.

I'm honing in on the specs. One accesory i think i'll change is from the JCW Alacantara wheel to the leather version (after reading some posts about both). That's the great thing about this forum - so much useful information.

 

Sounds good! I would agree with the JCW Alcantara wheel. It felt good but it's too soft and I'd kick myself forever if it wore out. I drove a MCS with the leather MFSW and later a JCW with the Alcantara wheel. I really didn't notice a huge difference, but I wasn't paying attention. I guess long story short I like my leather MSFW and can't see justifying $500 for the JCW one.

 

Yeah but don't forget it has the air bag in there and it reclines.

I have issues spending 2k for Nav when you can stick your head out the window and ask someone or buy a 7 dollar map I'm afraid if I ever got the racing seat, I would never leave the car.

If you haven't sat in a racing seat you should. They are very firm and supportive everywhere. It would probably do wonders for your back. The only thing is with their higher then normal side bolsters, it can be challenging getting into and out of the car.

 

I like driving in the winter with good driving gloves when you can get a "sticky" grip on the wheel which is why i originally thought about the alacantara wheel.

Here's my current specs:
- JCW MINI hardtop
- dark silver / black
- black "wide" bonnet stripes(keep fluctuating on the stripes yes / no)
- checkered cloth upholstery
- JCW leather steering wheel
- JCW standard 17" challenge spoke tires (not run flats because i like the standard rims much better) - looks like it will be slime, AAA card and a compressor for me)
- white turn signals
- alarm system
- mud flaps
- black carpet mats
- black rubber mat (boot)
- MINI valve stem caps
- wheel locks
- MINI black license plate frame

To keep the price "down" i opted out of the packages or (what i consider) "non-essential" cosmetic items.

Some things i have fluctuated on but probably won't get:
- Sports suspension
- JCW Sports suspension
- factory aero kit (not JCW kit) - i like the look of the factory kit - i think i prefer body color paint to the black around the wheels


At some point if the stock seat isn't to my liking i will get a Recaro seat - but one thing at a time...

Steve
P.S. Comments / Suggestion / Opinions on options are more that welcome!

 

Nice spec signcarver. I do have a couple of suggestions though;

Rear fog lamps - aside from their obvious functional value, they replace the cheap looking blanks that you will otherwise get in the rear bumper.

Also, you might want to consider getting coco mats verses the Mini mats. I first used them back in the late 70s and early 80s when they were popular, but not since until now. They are MUCH better than they used to be (at least this brand is http://www.cocomat.com/style.htm), as they have a heavy rubber non-slip backing and nice hand stitched edging. I think they look great and they always appear to be clean as the dirt settles in under the weave until shaken out. I have a DS spec too and chose the grey dot on black. I think they play nicely against the Mini's retro interior themes and have a picture of them in my gallery.

 

Man, Motor Head that is great advice - i did not realize about the fog lamp blanks - added rear fog lamps.

Also, i remember coco mats as a kid but only the rich kids could afford them - they were, however, the coolest mats you could buy - gonna take your advice there too. Check out the pics in your gallery and the mats look great.

One other question - any thoughts on the arm rest?

Thanks,
Steve

 

You should really look at one in person to decide. It doesn't give you much storage and looks rather cheap in my opinion. Some people comment that it gets in their way as well. There are some after-market ones out there too that might be a better option if you want it for storage space. I left it off, and although I have an armrest in my other car, I don't even miss it. For long trips, I've found that placing a small pillow between the seats works better than a lightly padded arm rest anyway. While you're at it, look at the chrome-line interior. It's another love it or hate it thing, but even if you don't like chrome outside; like the mats, it adds a retro touch - especially with the piano black dash.

By the way Steve, if you go with the mats from the company I recommended (expensive but well worth it), order now, as the rubber has a non-offensive, but rather strong odor that will take a month or so to dissipate. I just washed the backing with soapy water and let them sit out in the garage for a month.

 

Thanks Motor Head - added the chrome line, removed arm rest

i'm pretty sure i'll be ordering both the car and the mats this week!!!

Steve

 

Signcarver, noticed that you didn't order the sunroof. I didn't either and don't miss it at all here in Texas. I got my JCW last month but have only put 400 miles on it so far. I have the arm rest and so far it seems ok and doesn't get in my way. I switched to the JCW leather steering wheel and like it better than the standard MFSW. I have the carpet mats and like those over rubber.

Motorhead, like your car choices! I have an 04 S4 avant MT too. Tried to sell it but not in the mood to give it away...