Currently I have an H-Sport Rear Adjustable Sway Bar 19mm on the middle setting. Everything else is stock on the car, I never had the $500 sport suspension option either.

When adding the full JCW suspension do I leave the H-sport in or do I just put the full JCW suspension on, including front and rear bars?

Also, I was planning on ordering the suspension and having a BMW/Mini shop near me do the install. This wont void any warranty right? I figure how would a dealership know when I bring it in for service if my JCW suspension was installed at a shop or another dealership.

Any other advice I may need?

Thank you!

All the best,
Gene

 

I would keep the 19 mm RSB. I have the sports suspension and love it. The JCW will be nicely better. If you track or autoX your car, you will like how the JCW front sway bar balances the car and how much flatter it corners. It will still rotate nicely.

 

So keep the current 19 in there and forget about the JCW 19 that comes with the kit?

 

I believe the JCW is 18.5 mm. The 19mm is already installed, which means you save the cost of that part of the installation. Plus yours is adjustable, which will give you the flexibility to fine tune the car. Compared to the JCW bar the 19 mm bar on the mid setting should be about 10% stiffer and on the stiffest will be about 50% stiffer. So I would forgo the JCW bar. If you look at the Race and Compition forum, especially under the autoX part, you will see this (JCW suspension with an aftermarket RSB changeout) is the stock class setup of choice. The setup you are planning should be great for the street. You might be able to get the dealer to not order the JCW RSB and save you that cost also.

I have not heard of a dealer voiding a warranty because of an aftermarket RSB. Seems unlikely they would, but you see complaints on here about that sort of thing. I didn't have any warranty issues on my '07 when I installed one.

 

I agree with keeping the 19mm rear bar as it is. You would save yourself a big piece of change if you used an independant repair shop that is familiar with MINI's to do the install if you are unable to do it yourself.
Steve

 

Great! Thanks guys!

Maybe I'll put the saved funds into SS Brake Lines and resonator removal as long as the exhaust is down.

Any idea why on the official dealer install sheet is says the computer needs a flash for the install? Obviously it's ridiculous but just curious as to what the reason is.

 

Maybe the sheet is for the "full" Dealer installed JCW upgrade for the "S" model and that would include the Hp boost to 189 Hp. You don't want that.

 

My advice is buy better suspension.. honestly.

The price you pay for the JCW suspension you can end up with much nicer suspension and even coilovers that will walk all over the JCW suspension for half the cost.

 

That's what I've always heard but when I did my research I didn't come up with anything. Mini Morristown has the JCW suspension for $923. Without the swaybar I may be looking at $823? Everything aftermarket I looked at was either more expensive or second rate stuff with so-so reviews. I don't track my car but I drive it very hard around the winding hills where I live. I want better balance and feel from the car and a bit of a drop in height. What on the aftermarket scene is tried and true that I'm going to have zero problems with for less than $823? I've hear horror stories of squeaks and unbalanced springs, failing struts...etc..ect. I'm all for aftermarket but please open my eyes to what's better before I finishing entering my CC number on the JCW suspension.

Thank you!

 

In all honesty for your price range the BC's are a great option as are the Megans. Both have a great warranty and a great track history on MINIs as well as race cars all over the world. You can even find the H&R coilovers for around $1000 new if you look right. Also the ST coilovers, made by KW as an entry level coilover can be had for around 800-900.

Just a few options. I got my KW V1s - retail $1600 for $300 and my JIC_CROSS - retail $2600 for $450.

Just gotta find the deals or know a few people.

 

+1

My conclusion too. Also, the JCW springs are only a mild drop, ~1/2 inch. Most coilovers have an inch or more drop. That difference can be important with the roads in NY.

 

I am just curious what you guys think is 2nd rate suspension.. i mean you are comparing to stock JCW suspension... anything is a step up from that imo.

The only coilovers I wouldnt buy are VMAXX. Most of the other options seem to be pretty decent, if any still better than OEM.

 

My point is more that for the price of the JCW springs and shocks the comparable priced (~$800) coilovers are not going to be as good. The JCW stuff is matched to the car, whereas coilovers will need to be setup. Maybe not a big deal, but something that will need to be done. Overall, for the money the JCW suspension is hard to beat.

 

Megan Racing and BC is decent as far as coilovers go but a step up from the JCW suspension. Megan Racing also comes with camber plates and adjustability on fronts and rears. I don't believe JCW suspension has either featuers.

Also, ANY change in suspension should result in realignment and corner balancing(whether it be OEM or aftermarket) if the desired result is to get the most out of the new system.

 

No, the JCW suspension is not adjustable. Megan and BC both seem to be decent products. Both are a few hundred $ more than the JCW. For the street these might be a little much with spring rates at least 50% more than the JCW. Also, the adjustable camber plates have no rubber dampening which is going to result in a harsher ride. I know a couple of people using BC on their street/track cars...they work well for the track, but neither would recommend them for the street. Also, if you are not looking for much drop, both of these will be more than an inch minimum whereas the JCW is 10 mm drop. The OP hasn't said that he is interested in the amount of drop coilovers will give; I would not.

A lot of this discussion is tied up in "what the objective is". This is where the OP needs to make the decision. Hopefully, this discussion helps in making that decision.

 

If you are looking for a good street ride without a lot of drop the JCW springs offer a pretty good result. If you are open to a few more dollars I would forgo the JCW struts/shocks and put a set of Koni yellows on the JCW springs. While you are there a set of Ireland Eng. fixed front camber plates which will give you an added negative 1.25 camber and you will have a street suspension which would be hard to beat for the price.
This combination will ride pretty comfortably with the Koni's set at soft, plus you will get the added protection from mushrooming with the Ireland fixed plates. It all boils down to what your intended use of the car will be.
Steve

 

Good points.

The IE fixed camber plates are a great idea. However, combined with the slots in the top of the strut tower, you should get about about -1.6 deg camber, at least that is what I got on my '07. As long as you are changing shocks and springs, this is well worth the modest expense.

While I agree with the benefits of the Koni Yellows, they are about 2x the price of the JCW shocks. That could be a factor.

 

Eddie07S
I guess I should clarify the added negative camber. The Ireland Eng fixed plates will add negative -1.25 to whatever your existing camber is. A good majority of people shoot for somewhere between -1.8 to -2.0 front camber and neg 1.5 rear camber for a street ride with pretty even tire wear and good handling.

On the Koni yellows subject I think the old addage " You get what you pay for" fits pretty nicely. It was just a suggestion, if affordable, to save the price of the JCW struts and shocks. I have not priced the JCW struts/ shocks but Motoring Werks is still offering good prices on Yellows
Steve

 

All good points...choices, choices, choices



Just wish the Koni rear shocks were bottom adjustable.

 

Thanks for all the input!

This car is my daily driver. I live an hour north of the city in beautiful winding road horse country and go to school in Manhattan. The city roads will always suck so it is what it is. The car gets driven 2 hours a day on the highway and very hard around the roads where I live. I'm not planning on auto-crossing the vehicle and will likely never track it. My goal is to get better turn in feel, less roll, and all around better feel/control. Also, a very slight drop would be nice. A slightly rougher ride is fine but I don't want some jarring nightmare. I don't want to go too low as I have the JCW aerokit and that combined with the city roads could pose a problem. What I want is a simple no brainer. Something that I can install, enjoy, and never worry about again. I'm going to get the extended warranty on my vehicle in the next few months. While researching, I've heard mixed opinions on the longevity of every setup I came across. If my JCW suspension fails for some bizarre reason, I'll have a warranty.

What are the issues of mushrooming that you guys speak of? I'm not familiar.

Thank you for all the help.

Best,
Gene

 

Gene,
Glad you enjoyed our discussion.
My experience with switching from the stock suspension to the sports suspension was much like your objectives. So I would expect that the JCW suspension will be even better in that respect.

A great way to improve the turn-in feel is to add camber. There is a free -0.3 deg that you can get by having the dealer pull the plastic pin from the top of the strut tower and moving the strut top in. This will not affect the warranty and it can be done when the shocks/springs are put in. Also, set the toe in as close to zero as the specs will allow.

However, if you want a big improvement in the turn-in feel, the IE plates are one of the best ways to achieve it. The IE plates will raise the car by about 3/16 inch, so you will lose about half the drop of the springs, and I would check with the dealer about affect on the warranty with these.

As for your last question, there is no indication that mushrooming is an issue with the Gen II MINIs.

Last suggestion is the JCW strut tower cross brace. While it won't help handling, it will cut down on the front end shake, cut down on the chance for mushrooming and generally strengthen the front. This is a DIY that you can do at any time.

 

Eddie,

Thank you for sharing all the knowledge!

Best,
Gene

 

Let us know know what you finally decide upon and how you like it.

 

Soooo...foot in mouth over here.

I placed my order for the JCW suspension from Mini of Morristown for ~$950. I get a call from someone over there who wanted to confirm the order and wanted to make sure I was aware that the suspension kit does not include springs. The guy saved my *** because I would have been pissed if it came in without springs. My mistake, not theirs. It's tiny writing but whatever. So adding in the springs I'm between $1300 and $1600 in parts for the JCW whether or not "Front Spring $193.18" counts as the front set or just one spring. I have a feeling it's just one. So now that we're into the $1500 neighborhood it seems coilers may be the better way to go. Maybe. Perhaps.

So many coilover threads are just talking about the lowered stance of the car. There's no dub sticker on my car and I couldn't care less about how mean it looks lowered. It's a Mini. I'd like it a bit lower but my main goal is to increase the fun to drive aspect. Will coilovers accomplish this as much as the JCW setup will or would have? Again, just to remind, I already have a RSB installed, the rest is stock.

Thank you!!!!

 

I put the JCW suspension on my car a week ago. The rear swaybar is an H-sport competitor bar set on medium. I have yet to install the JCW front sway but will. The swaybars are part of the JCW suspension and a way to get increased spring rates while cornering. That allow you to have a ride that is not harsh yet still flatten out the car. To achieve the same with just coilovers I would think you would need stiffer springs resulting in a bumpier ride.

I really like the JCW suspension so far and am looking forward to getting the front bar installed. For me I also needed to stay stock for autocross so coilovers were not an option.