So far I've seen quite a few "it's not worth it, just a thicker sway bar" to "it also has strut differences and the 'regular" ride is too spongy"

Can we get more info/maybe a consensus on this?

I was looking at opting for it, but it *mostly* sounds like it is mis-spent money, but it is not unanimous. (Not that I expect a unaniminity) Now i don't relly know what to do........

 

As well as is the JCW suspension installed at the factory, VDC or dealer when ordering a new JCW MINI?

 

If your question is Sport Suspension (or not) the SS comes with 2mm thicker antisway bars, that's it, for $500. The bad news is that a thicker rear asb promotes some oversteer and a thicker front asb promotes understeer. So it could be a wash. The car wants to understeer quite a bit. So I just bought a 19mm rear bar (3mm thicker than stock) and it's fine for me. I don't think thicker front bars are very useful (nobody makes them except JCW in the suspension kit along with the springs and coilovers). Lots of people make thicker rear swaybars. That should tell you something right there. Because the SS has the same springs and dampers it won't ride any stiffer than stock, and it's not lower. Just my .02.

 

The sport suspension (not to be confused with the Sport Package... which may in fact now include the sport suspension) comes with different springs, dampers, and sway bars... all slightly stiffer than the stock setup (sway bars are 23mm in the front and 18mm in the back).

The JCW suspension comes with different springs (4cm shorter), dampers and sway bars (23.5mm and 18.5mm), which are much more noticeably stiff than even the sport suspension

All of the springs in all three options are linear rate, but I don't know the actual rates

 

Source?

 

see my post about the installed JCW suspension.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...35#post2407035

Rear stablizer bar 18.5

With installation it cost me $2,145.
$875 Suspension Kit (4 struts, bushings, 2 stablizer bars etc.)
$420 Springs (4)
$103 Tax
$600 Labor
$149 (4 Wheel Alignment)

 

MINIUSA, Motoring File, and reliable sources here on NAM. I've researched it quite a bit

 

It's not that I don't believe you, I just want to see the info "from the horse's mouth", so to speak.

 

i as well skipped on the sport package in favor of going a la carte aftermarket as budget allows. by my math dollar for dollar you get better stuff for your driving tastes and addictions for slightly less. i did get the LSD and DSC

 

I got the Sport Suspension on the Clubman and I really like it. I was concerned the runflats with 17" rims would be too stiff for comfort but I would rather have firm over soft any day. The cornering is un-beliveable !

On inspection of the struts I see each has a part label with the words "Sport" stamped on them. Seems possible that the sport package on the 2008 Clubman came with more than just stiffer sway bars.

Another thing I have yet to figure out is why there is some kind of height sensor with a linkage to the left rear suspension arm. Anyone know what this sensor could be used for?

 

I bought my MSC with the Sport Package, DSC and LSD. In retrospec I wish I had done without the DSC because I like driving without it most of the time and you have to turn it off each time you start up the car. However for the average driver, DSC is probably a good safety feaature.The LSD was an absolute must in my opinion but I also take my car out to the track at least once a month. For the money I would have probably been better off going aftermarket on the suspension. I all ready ordered a set of lightweight rims and high performance summer tires and can't wait to see how they compare on the track to the run flats.

 

sensor is most likely for the xenon headlight calibration at start up.

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...55&hg=33&fg=30


yep it is

 

Cool, the auto leveling is even more sophisticated than I thought.
Makes me feel better about the cost of Xenons.

 

I think I have already felt the LSD pulling the car as I powered through turns. At least I know on our Mazda 3 you would have to back off the gas or the wheels would slip and hop. Torque steer with the LSD seems acceptable when you are launching and shifting.

There does appear to be a potential for unexpected swerve while going straight at constant speed. Twice now I have been driving along and hit bumps and had the car dart to one side; faster than my reaction time. It has only happened when I had a loose grip on the wheel and although not accelerating there was a slight incline meaning torque to the wheels was higher than on the level. I suppose I can just train myself to hold on tighter whenever going up an incline. If anyone knows of something else that could cause this please let me know. I did have the DSC on all the time, but that should only help if I had a severe swerve.

I really don't like to spin the wheels and make noise and it seems I do like to go around turns fast, so I think the LSD is still better than no LSD. It just make you think that Mini may have a better solution with the 2009 Traction Control.

 

For those that have proof that the sport suspension does indeed have stiffer springs and struts instead of ONLY thicker swaybars please post up some information such as a factory build sheet etc.

If it's just $500 for swaybars I'm out but if it has any kind of stiffer spring/damper rate it's worth it. I need to know, ordering next Monday! According to MiniUSA the sport suspension only mentions swaybars and nothing about springs/dampers.

 

The front bar on the JCW is a 24mm , don't know about std to sport springs, shocks are different for all three. Source is Mini parts manual.

 

not sure about spring but sports suspension does have different part number than standard suspension: http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...76&hg=31&fg=10

 

Interesting, anyone have specific numbers as to how much stiffer the springs and dampers are even an estimated percentage?

 

OK, let's get to the bottom of the shocks and springs issue with the 07 Mini Cooper S (mine) as a guinea pig. I just rolled under mine and took this part number off the right rear shock: 35563911. The rear springs, both of em, have two white stripes and a red stripe wrapping around the lowest coil.
Now, will someone with an 07 Cooper S WITHOUT SPORT SUSPENSION (forget sport PACKAGE) please look at their rear shocks and give up the number on the white tag by the bar code? And check for those easily seen stripes on the rear coils?
MAYBE this will give us some closure here.
I ordered my R56 with sport SUSPENSION, LSD and DSC, as individual items. I have no PACKAGES on my car. Everything was picked as "line items", one at a time.
Let's compare some numbers. We all wanna know! THANKS!

 

those values are closely guarded secret. even if an aftermarket shock/spring makers knows the value, unlikely they will share that with anyone.

 

Surfblue now answers his own post:
I just spoke to my MA at eastbay mini. He's been there a while and knows his stuff. He assures me that the sport SUSPENSION on my 07 MCS is strictly the thicker sway bars. The SHOCKS and SPRINGS are the same as a normal COOPER S (note that I said S!). He says if you want different stiffer springs and shocks, you would order the JCW package. And they'll be glad to install them if you want them.
That said, I like my car just fine as it sits, running sixteen inch wheels. I DO have to go with lighter wheels and non rf tires, but I just haven't been able to get off the dime and do it. It's not like the car isn't a blast to drive as it sits.
With these facts in the light of day, I can understand why many of you would opt for aftermarket goodies rather than the dealer option parts. However, "ease of installation" does have it's merits...as in "DONE!"
THANKS to my MA. He knows who he is. That would be Robert Mathews at eastbaymini.com . I worked in sales for over two decades and I would do business with Robert again, gladly.

 

sorry I don't buy it. why does the parts manual show TWO different part number for sports and non sports suspension shocks? easy answer is that because there is a difference. the hard answer is there is a difference between the two however the difference is unknown to people out side of MINI corporate.

 

Ok Guys, I've done a little bit of research for you. The sway bays in the Sports Suspension and the JCW Sports Suspension Are indeed different, as well as the springs and the struts.
Sport suspension being the smaller by a couple of mm of the two. The JCW springs are of course a stiffer spring rate ( No i dont have the linear spring rate, I couldn't find it.), and lower the MINI about 10mm at the most ( I'm still trying to get an exact # from parts) and lastly the Struts are revalved.

Heres a part number for the front left strut on the stock R56 31 31 6 782 211
and the part number for the front left JCW strut R56 31 31 6 782 719
Part number for the Sport suspension Front sway bar R56 31 35 6 772 753
Part number for the JCW front sway bar R56 31 356 778 646

So yea, you can see different part numbers for different parts.

Sorry about the misinformation SurfBlue. When you called me a little while ago, I was going off what I was told by one of our newer techs (senior techs weren't here). I'll make sure to do my own research before trusting anyone elses opinion. If you have any more questions, be free to call me up.

 

You can search on Motoringfile, but Gabe has mentioned that the Sports Suspension does indeed include different springs and struts in addion to the swaybars.

 

Link? My MA told me it's only a difference of swaybar thickness not spring/shocks.