I had been holding off getting the JCW suspension "upgrade" for a long time fearing that the ride would be more choppy than with the stock Sport Plus suspension. Wanting a bit better handling in the twisties, I finally made the change and found that not only does the JCW susp provide a more precise feel with less body roll, but the car feels much smoother on uneven pavement. It also no longer bottoms out on the chuck holes.. How is this all possible? I've always heard that the JCW suspension offered a rougher ride (mostly from folks who chose not to opt for it), and that made sense given the higher front and rear spring rates.

 

My experience has been that the car is much, much tighter, and, although you still feel the bumps, they are less jarring. Ditching the runflats helps tremendously with the ride as well--that probably made a bigger change in the smoothness of the ride than the suspension--but the way the car drives with the suspension is incredible; its an order of magnitude better with regard to handling.

I've got all the JCW performance parts you have with the exception of the strut brace, and out of all of them, the suspension was probably the biggest bang for the buck.

I'm debating a short shifter and engine damper at the moment....

 

...Mini of Stanford quoted me $1,300.00 for this kit today? sounds a wee bit high to me...especially for a car out of production. I thought they might want to dust these off and get rid of them.

 

I won't buy them! lol.

 

Check with Morristown MINI. I bought the JCW suspension from them for under $700.

 

You're not thinking of going back to OE are you Meb?

Or are you just trying to sort out the spooky handling issue with the crappy parts?

 

I guess that goes to show if they don't own it, their opinion at worth much

 

I think so, sad to say.

The subframe comes off momentarily to remove the pflex bushings and replace them with stockers. I'll also replace the LCA ball joints.

I'll give it a ride and see if the problems are related to those components. The reality is that there are many parts available for this car, some from very reputable manufactuers, that are not ready for prime time. So based upon the miles I drive every week, and the quality of roads, it's best to consider something designed for the road.

When and if this car becomes a track only car, a long shot at this point, I'll invest in the best that money can buy...but pure track.

The JCW kit was relegated to my second choice after H&R. But I think I may have made a mistake. We'll see.

 

That's where I bought mine as well. Best deal on the JCW susp I could find.

 

Any idea what would be a reasonable dealer install cost for the JCW Suspension?

 

My dealer shows install for around $1000, not that I think that is reasonable!

Is the JCW suspension a DIY install?

 

anything is a diy install, if you have confidence and tools

 

I had my JCW installed for about $300, obviously not a dealer. Should be no more than 4 hours labor. The installer, who does a lot of Mini work and races a highly modified Mini in endurance events, did not like the JCW set up at all. He called my car a "brick" after a test drive. My impression was definitely improved stability at speed and near the limit, but also a much harsher ride on the street. Don't kid yourself, the JCW spring rates are higher and the struts have stiffer valving. There can be only one result...

To compensate, I run 45 series non-runflats at a relatively low pressure on the street, then crank them up for the track. After about 30k miles on the JCW, I am now thinking of swapping out for something a bit more supple, and likely adjustable. It would also be great to get a little more drop for eye candy purposes. Maybe H&R springs with Koni yellows? Koni coilovers?

 

Good choice. I went down that road once before 20 years ago. Many of those parts really are not streetable regardless of what "reputable" manufacturers tell you. Remember, they are in business to sell you something. Its up to the enthusiast to research and select these "upgrades" properly.

My Mini is still stock but my RX7 has been completely rebuilt in every way with a select group of stock and upgraded/aftermarket parts. Lots of stock parts actually. Totally rocks on the street and track.

 

At say $100/hr, that's 10 hours labor.

Crazy even considering adding an alignment.

 

+1
The only parts that have undergone 100,000 mile durability testing in desert heat and arctic cold are factory stock parts. They are also engineered to be cost-effective and replacement components will be readily available down the road. Whenever I look to improve the performance of a car, I always try to see if factory parts from a larger/heavier model (like brakes or higher durometer rubber bushings) will fit first.

I'll consider aftermarket if there is a known problem with the factory part (expansion tank), if I have different sense of cost-vs.-benefit than the factory (tires, shocks), or if the part was not factory-fitted for liability reasons (big rear sway bar). Especially if some trailblazer like Meb (thanks Meb!) reports good results.

Custom is worst of all. Believe me you don't want to be the engineer and guinea pig if you don't need to.