I just finally installed the NM 25mm sway bar and end links last weekend. I have only been out for a few drives with it and have tried both the mid and stiffest settings. I can definitely feel the difference between the two, and I do have to say that it really does make the car handle better.

In my test drives the other day to check it at both settings I really did not get a chance to push it through any great curves or anything. I really want to get the car to as neutral a point as possible when it comes to under/oversteer. I am wondering about the following.

Has anyone found the stiffest setting to be too much?

What setting do you use and why?

 

As a former racer, I would suggest starting with the softest setting and working from there. Otherwise you could have a very nasty surprise ... maybe not, but better safe than sorry. Or you could do like we used to do ... determine that you went too far when you go off the road backwards.

 

I recall reading someone that auto-x's their hardtop set his/her's to the softest setting as anything higher and they were lifting the inside rear wheel on hard turns which they found to be counterproductive to their times.

I'm assuming most people probably just put it on the stiffest setting. I have mine set to medium and am planning on trying the soft setting to see how it feels in comparison.

 

I briefly tried mine on the medium setting before I had summer tires on, and found the car to be a little too tail happy under hard/fast cornering. I got into a bit of a slide situation in a roundabout, but fortunately recovered from it. I went straight home afterwards and put it back to the soft setting.

I've got summers on now, am still on soft, and am still happy with it. Even the softest setting feels quite a bit stiffer than stock, but still retains what I feel to be a reasonable tendency toward balance or slight understeer depending on the surface and conditions.

--Matt

 

I had a similar situation on medium with the stock run-flats. That's why I want to move it down to soft.

 

does the F56 run on the bumpstops like the earlier minis do?

 

I am going on an extended road trip this weekend so I decided to take the 15 minutes and change it down to the softest setting for that. It will be mostly highway unfortunately, but at least will get some more time with it and see how it feels and can make a decision on if I want to go stiffer from there.

 

Tire pressures are really important too. I think the suggested pressure is way too high, which would also make the car a bit twitchy, especially with the bar. You might try dropping pressures down to around 35 all around an go from there.