So im starting to look over MINI stuff (ive been out of the loop for sometime) and other cars too E46 M3 (used) or new 335i but this is more of a MINI question

My current MINi is just a R50 Cooper with premium package and about it. Not a whole lot else (and I love her, duh)

Now, im looking at the R56 (S) and I have a few questions about some of the performance options.

Some things I had in mind were the following:

Sport Suspension $500
DSC (in sport package)
LSD $500

My question is, is the LSD or Sport Suspension a good idea?

So far, im at $31,000 (this has the JCW in it ) :impatient

 

DSC and LSD absolutely from a safety perspective. I would only go for the sport suspension if you want to drive it like a sports car -- which, looking from all your previous cars -- looks like you do...

 

LSD YES DSC YES
Sport suspension is a tough one, I have it and like it well enough but I am contemplating coil-overs. So that would be effectivly wasted $ if I do it :(

 

would you notice sport suspension more so in higher speeds then? why Coil-overs instead of the Sport Suspension?

 

I'd scratch the sport suspension and go with the JCW suspension. Everything else you list is well worth the $.

 

Between the sports suspension and the JCW Suspensions is a $800 difference. My question almost comes down to, for either of the items (sports suspension or JCW suspension) when do you notice that difference. What exactly and when exactly does it do what its designed to do

 

LSD is NOT a safety feature. Putting more power down when exiting a corner is not safer than allowing some wheel spin and coming out slower. Period.

 

so then same question, what do you gain from LSD (besides the Go Carting feel that MINI says)

 

Seriously, if you have to ask, don't spend the $500. Not trying to be a *****, just saying that you clearly don't want or need it, so why get it?

 

I dunno about that. Doesn't it decrease torque steer, which is pretty noticeable in the MCS?

(I ordered the DSC & LSD, but not sports suspension.)

 

Ohhhh, not true. The LSD is a safety feature as it improves traction and control in low traction situations such as snow, rain, or ice. It allows the even application of power to both wheels and helps to keeps the car pointed in the desired direction.

Having owned two MCSs with DSC, one with and one without LSD, I can absolutely say that having it is much better than not having it. Any time there is reduced traction and I am accelerating, especially thru a corner, I can feel the difference the LSD makes. I am not talking about hard, all out, acceleration, just day to day, normal, city traffic type acceleration. I will not get another MINI, or any other small high powered, front wheel drive car, without an LSD after experiencing the difference for myself.

The combination of LSD combined with DSC is superb. It seems as though MINI alters the threshold at which the traction control (ASC) activates when they install the LSD. Instead of experiencing the shutdown of the power at the slightest bit of wheel spin, a common complaint among MCS owners, small amounts of it do not trigger the modified system. This is especially nice in the snow.

As for the DSC, let us not confuse it with ASC. DSC is there to help prevent spin outs. It is basically yaw sensors connected to the brakeing system and ECU that will activate individual brakes, or reduce torque to the wheels, in order to stop a spin. Whether or not you select DSC the MCS comes standard with ASC.

As for the Sport Suspension that is a very personal choice. You have to make a decision between ride quality and handling. Unfortunately you can not have both. The more sporty the handling the stiffer the ride. Personally, I find the Sport Suspension Plus on the R53, which is stiffer than the Sport Suspension on the R56, to be comfortable for even long, over 8 hour, drives. And that is with the stock run-flat tires.

After test driving an R56 without the Sport Suspension package I can catagorically say that I would make getting it a priority. The ride in the R56 lost what I enjoy most about the MINI experience. The firm, tight, responsive handling. You need to remember. In the R53 MCS the Sport Suspension Plus was installed as a standard item in the USA, so all earlier cars had it. In the R56 they have made it an option. The bums!

JOHO

 

I got the LSD. Worth every penny, especially if you live where there is any snow, or drive agressively. If you get it now it's $500. If you decide later you want it, count on spending more than 3x that.

DSC is probably worth having if you've ever gotten into a situation where your car has gotten out of control, or could have. It's a safety feature that will remain innocuous until you really need it, then you'll be gald you have it. It came with the sports package on mine. It's kind of akin to asking if you should get airbags if they were an option.

I would drive the car for awhile before selecting any suspension option. Your ride will definitely be harsher, and you can decide later how much you want to modify your suspension. You might want to go for something as much as the JCW kit or coilovers, or as little as a rear swaybar, which for <$200 will make a dramatic difference in handling. I'd like a little lowering but it may be too much of a sacrifice in ride quality to get it. I went with the rear swaybar, and ditched the runflats. Car handles great and is plenty comfy.

JMHO

 

LSD is a performance option. It will let you accelerate faster in snow/ice/rain. If you think that is safer, well... ASC will make sure you have traction at slow (a.k.a. safe) speeds in slippery conditions and is standard, so LSD is redundant for that purpose. DSC most definitely is a safety feature and I would recommend it to anyone - $ very well spent. But LSD? The poster lives in LA, people! S/he really could save the $500.

 

I learned to drive in Los Angeles. I think LSD is a good idea for an MCS in Los Angeles. I don't think a sport suspension is a good idea, unless you really know you want it.

 

I lived in LA for 10 years and drove a bunch of cars there with and without LSD. If you like to drive hard, LSD is a fantastic addition anywhere you live, RWD or FWD, no doubt at all. But it's just not a safety feature. Ok, I'm done. Just trying to save a brutha some scrip, yall.

 

They are like any other option. You won't die because you don't have them. You won't be a lot faster/safer because you have them. If you have the money and curious, buy them. If you want to save money, don't buy them. But you already are spending $31000. You might as well order all of them. This is a high performance machine and it is already a very safe car. It will be fun no matter what but it might be more fun with the LSD. And the DSC might save you from dangerous situations while you own the vehicle. The sport suspension's ride is not that much harsher from what I have read but it will handle better.
Me? I didn't order any of them. But right now, I am trying to get some money together for the JCW suspension.

 

r56mini,

since you drive a stripped mini, what options, if any, do you find yourself wanting the most?

 

It was a decision based on my budget. I am not broke and I could afford to make $50/mo more I guess. ($50/mo. x 60mo=$3000 =including interest...so that would mean I could have ordered about $2000 worth of options if I REALLY wanted.).

If I am ordering now I would include JCW suspension. I am still in my 30's and I rarely carry my kids/wife in my car. I go to track events several times a year and that would be the most desirable option for the corners.
Most of my wheels spins happen in the straights when I turn off TC...and it doesn't snow here..but LSD had a higher priority than DSC if I was going to spend $500 more. Sport suspension was the last because the ride height was the same and I would have ordered it for cosmetic reasons if it lowered the car. JCW suspension, however, is a lot stiffer than stock and lowers the car a little so that package is very attractive to me right now. If it snowed alot here and safety was my biggest concern, I would have purchased an AWD car with DSC...

 

I'd pay more for a coilover suspension over the sport suspension or JCW suspension.
With coilover's you can choose the ride height and rebound.

 

aus: was your mcs totalled? Is it getting repaired? Just curious.

 

I never got it. Totalled on the ship.

Now I'm deciding between ordering again or waiting on the 135i. It's the typical, pay a little more for more speed, and I'd get rear wheel drive, but it doesn't have the cachet of a MCS.

and to the OP, just an example, KW (V2)coilovers can be had for around $1350 ($1250 in a group buy) for a 335i. Height and rebound adjustable and lifetime warranty.

 

you could look at the Sports Suspension as 500$ for stiffer sway bars if you change the shocks and springs after. Considering that the front can be a trick to install from what i head 500 bucks for both bars installed is not bad....and you get stiffer springs and shocks until you get something else. the JCW sways are only .5mm larger on diameter to the best of my knowlege.

 

My two cents;
DSC is worth it, it has saved my behind.
LSD would be worth if you plan on driving with vigor.
Sport suspension sound worth it for you (not for me though).