R56 w/ JCW Suspension
 

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ewthread&f=192

It's amazing how much difference half an inch can make. :)

Nice, do you have anymore pics? What are dial-in springs??

The JCW springs come in about 4 different rates, depending on which car and combination of options you spec'ed.

I've seen the JCW pics, too. After seeing the set up in person I don't think it looks any different from the stock R56. Still visually too tall IMO. Maybe it'll settle down over time... but at basiclly double the price of a quality aftermarket set-up? Triple the price of Sport Suspension and springs of your choice? No thanks.

I think the ride height looks perfect - from the factory the car looks lifted, and that trait is more pronounced with 17s or 18s. This car with 18s shows an even gap all the way around the arch. Does it appear slammed? No, but this suspension (if it's anything like my 06 JCW suspension) maintains lots of travel and reasonable comfort to go along with better handling....

Just seems too pricey for such a small drop.

I am a JCW fan but this seems wrong.

That's the popular opinion about JCW I guess....

I love all the JCW stuff I've tried (207 factory HP engine kit and brakes; suspension; and 18" wheels).

Most people don't knock the product itself; it's usually the price. Which I don't personally understand when we're already talking about 22k-30+k car.....I mean, I get why a kid with a 95 Civic might throw a $200 set of springs on his factory struts, but to throw them on a fairly expensive car without much thought as to how they interact with the car or the struts seems wrong to me.

This kit is designed to work with both the accompanying struts and the weight of the car, and it's not really about the drop. It's about maintaining enough suspension travel to still be streetable. I know that may not seem like an issue for someone with glass smooth roads, but it makes a huge difference for people who live where the roads are filled with frost heaves and potholes.....

Yep...I kind of like the JCW suspension with the aero kit, If I didn't have already springs and sway bars by the time the JCW kit hit the street, i would have one.


which means moonroof or not
and sport pkg.

'cose of weight on your MINI.

+1 if you have an aero kit, is a good way not to scuff it, and also have a bit of a drop, certainly with excellent upgraded struts, and specific spring rate to weight...I have a look on my MINI and is nice but the performance of the JCW kit would be superior IMO to standard spring rate H&R's and spec MINI struts.

At close to 3x the price... I should hope so!

Not Hope... Its a reality! :-)

Huh, that looks like a stock ride height car.....:no:

Yep "looks" but is 1" lower then stock.

+1 :no:

What are the benefits then? It seems for that price, a great set of coilovers could be had and installed as well as a good sway bar and maybe some control arms or something.

I've got an R53, not an R56, but I've gotta say - I had the JCW suspension installed, and I really liked how it handled. But I wasn't crazy about how it made my car sit - big rake and looked totally stock height in the rear. It didn't have the nice stance that all of the other (apparently '05) cars that I saw with it had.

So I swapped out the springs for some TSWs. The cars handles just as well with the new springs, but rides better. And the stance is 100% better. I'm a little less sold on the JCW suspension parts. If I was starting over again, I'd go straight to the aftermarket for suspension parts. And after seeing the pics above, I'd ESPECIALLY do that with the R56. It needs to be lower.

Rally, it's the never ending JCW vs. aftermarket debate... don't go there... :wink:

i ahve some brand new coilovers for sale :D check the sig

Yah but in the case of suspension.....warranty can't really play a part. Not to mention....most of the respectable coilovers come with their own warranty.

With the engine, you risk them denying warranty work if you have some aftermarket pulley installed....but what would they deny if you had coilovers installed?

ninja why are you selling them?

easy, defective CV's or axle bearings due to excessive lowering... believe me I had that discussion with my dealership :roll:

I understand that most people need to see that the car sits lower in order to justify spending $$ on a new suspension.

But, while a lower center of gravity is certainly one trait that can help a car handle better, we are talking about street driven cars here. And so "suspension travel" must be taken into account as well. And with the crappy roads that exist in much of the country, you can only go so stiff on the springs, and that means maintaining enough travel to still have some comfort left.

There's only about 5" of travel to begin with; knocking off 1 1/2" will certainly result in a very stiff car. I know people have done it, and they may talk about a great ride or even improved ride over stock, but on bad roads, that just won't be the case. No doubt on smooth roads it will feel better, but not on real world New England roads.

Also, big drop springs need to be so stiff (as to not constantly bottom out) that they will often employ a progressive design, which does make for a less harsh initial hit, but also means a loosey-goosey feeling going into turns, instead of the immediacy of a linear rate spring.

I guess it's such a big deal for R56s due to the very high ride height that they start with, and the fact that the arches look huge, and seem empty with low profile tires....

If looks are more important to you than anything else, do not get the JCW suspension.

If handling and maintaining some usable ride height are, it's great.

I'm more familiar with the R50/R52 JCW suspension, as that's what I have. but...

The JCW suspension is in the $1200-$1500 range for parts, and you get springs, dampers, and sway bars. So, for the people that say 3x the price... what spring / damper / swaybar combo are you looking at for $500?

Okay, so maybe it's 3x the price of just springs. Sure. But springs without dampers is usually a bad idea.

The benefit of the JCW suspension is that it doesn't dump the car so much that you cannot drive it on bad roads / dirt roads / snow / etc. The dampers are matched to the springs, which is a very good thing. No problems from possibly lowering too much. Great handling. I'm very pleased with mine in my R50 Cooper.

I've seen MINIs with just springs on stock dampers, and when really pushed at an autocross / track, you can tell that the springs and dampers aren't always working together.

A MINI on PSS9 will outperform a JCW suspension car, assuming the PSS9s are dialed in correctly. But, PSS9s are more expensive than the JCW suspension.

The benefits? the benefits are that you get struts that are pair out to spring rate taking in consideration the weight of the MINI

Thats all..oh does not seem like much but I can tell you my MINI with H&R's and stock stuts "LOOKS" nice but does not have the quality ride that a JCW set up will give me.

Yeah a coilover set is better and all that but even with coil overs you need to dial them right to work good.

All and all In my own experiance the H&R spring pair to stock struts DO NOT compare to a JCW suspension kit, periot.

Yeah does not lower the car to satisfied the eye but you are not riding on a side car looking at it the ride quality is just not there.

Oh and I have 18's on mine with non run flats.

I'm not even saying to get coilovers to lower it a ton.....I'm just saying that at that price, coilovers can offer spring rates teamed with proper struts, adjustability, the ability to cornerbalance..... And you can lower it just a tad more to "satisfy the eye".....(I'm not saying slam it...just a little more lowering)

Of course H&R springs +stock struts is no good.....the stock struts were meant to be used with stock springs.

But i can understand what cooldaddy said about the cvjoints and bearings......thanks

It's close. Remember that to truly corner balance the car, you also need adjustable swaybar endlinks. So add that to the cost. Plus the alignment / corner balance will cost more than just an alignment with the JCW suspension. And, if you go too low in the back, you'll need adjustable control arms to get rid of some camber back there (not a problem with the JCW suspension), so possibly add that cost in too.

And, personally, I like having fewer adjustments on my car. Fewer things I can screw up. Someone who knows more than I about tuning would probably love having adjustments to play with.