Hi-

I just traded my '06 Cooper S (7000mi) into the local dealer for an '06 Cooper S (9000mi) with the factory installed JCW engine and brake setup. I was also told by the sales manager that the car he sold me also had a factory installed JCW suspension upgrade (verbally verified twice, but oh-well). It is my understanding that would include JWC struts and springs as well as stiffer sway bars.

I drove the hell out of the car last night after I picked it up from the dealer, and sure enough, it seemed to handle turns with much more authority than my standard R53, but after inspecting the car this morning I do not see any evidence of an upgraded suspension.

No red springs, no logos on the struts, and the sway bars appear to be the same I saw on my previous Cooper S.

The question is, what would the upgraded suspension installed at the factory have included in April 2006, and what would it cost me now, installed.

Also, I guess I'd order through my dealer? And what improvements would I experience.

What I would like is a little better performance, without a sharp increase in the crash-boom factor here on our roads in San Juan.

Thanks.

 

As far I as know there is no factory installed JCW suspension on the R53.
If you don't have logos on the struts and the red springs, then it would be fair to say you have the standard MCS suspension.
Also, the rear swaybar is not part of the JCW suspension package (if the car was fitted with the factory sports suspension).

 

I doubt you have factory installed JCW suspension if it is unmarked.
Ask to see the original invoice document from the factory, it's likely there is no mention of any suspension upgrades.

Given your situation why not get Koni FSD shocks? Better handling and better ride with stock MCS springs. Doesn't cost as much as JCW suspension. Get an independent garage to do the install for less.

 

deleted.

 

I also have an 06 JCW. I ended up going with JCW springs + Koni FSDs for the struts, and swapped in a 19mm H&R swaybar (no squeaks!). I figured I needed to do something as I'm on 35 series 18" tires... the suspension upgrades + non-runflats make a huge difference in ride here on our crappy SoCal roads...

 

I would go talk with that Sales Manager.

Car Dealers don't like going to court as people on the jury have usually been screwed at least once by a car dealer in their lifetime.

 

yes, if you were told it had JCW suspension, they owe you whatever the cost is for parts and install, IMHO.

 

Same thing as if you got it home and found that it had no AC Compressor...If they sold you a car and represented it as having the JCW UPGRADE suspension then you should get it.

 

how much lower is your car now? do you have any pics of wheel gap? thanks...

 

I fogot to add that I also added Ireland fixed camber plates, which helps the ride + handling.

I really need to take some new pics... here's some older ones...



(The stripes are no longer there, for those who care...). I think it sits slightly lower now -- especially in th rear, as I added a new (heavier) subwoofer box. Also, I'm running 215/35-R18 tires, so they're slightly smaller than stock diameter -- I may try 215/40 or 225/35 next time to see if I can fill out the wheel gap slightly more...

 

Oops!

 

sweet car, looks almost identical to mine. Same wheels and all. Nice!

 

The car was misrepresented to you, and you should be entitled to either a free installed kit, or a refund of its value. Unfortunately, you have little to go on if it was only mentioned verbally. I would start by talking with the sales manager. My guess is that you will be offered some free accessories, but nothing close to the value of the suspension kit.

 

I have a 2006 Mini Cooper S with the standard factory JCW upgrades plus, JCW suspension (yes the springs are red and the structs have the JCW logo on them) they were ordered through the factory but it is my understanding that they are installed in San Diego at the reception center. There is no upgrade to the sway bars included in the JCW suspension upgrade. I just added a Webb Motorsports adjustable sway bar (really a beautiful piece with infinite slide adjust) that has made a huge difference in the handling. I can actually throttle steer which I never thought would be possible on a front engine car.

I addition to the above JCW mods. I also got a JCW tower strut through the factory (although it was also installed in SD.

Any questions feel free.
David

 

Looks great. Thanks for the photos. Any reason you went with Koni instead of JCW?

 

The Koni FSDs have some special adaptive valving in them (search here or TireRack for details), so that they are more compliant over high-frequency compression (e.g. freeway/road imperfections), but stiffen up during low-frequency compression (e.g. leaning into a turn). I figured that a) they would help with the ride, based on others' experiences, and b) if I'm going to buy new struts, I might as well spend a little extra and get ones that are more "advanced"...

But I'll note that many people are happy with the full JCW kit (springs + struts). In my case, I wasn't going to have it installed by the dealer, so I didn't care about swapping the struts for the Konis.