I have recently found that Minspeed offers the 18.5mm JCW rear sway bar for $135.00 plus shipping. If I have the JCW suspension installed can I still install the JCW rear sway bar? I would like to be able to do both.

 

JCW rear sway bar for R53?

I would definitely get it if I know that JCW made one.

 

i was alittle confused as well. check out minspeed.net under suspension. they also have the jcw struts for sale.

 

upon further reading it says that it is for the r56. it is listed under the r53 catagory though. sorry maxi

 

BTW what is the diameter of the stock JCW R53 rear sway? Is it the same size as the regular MCS one?

 

The OEM rear sway bar for all R53s (including the GP, which is the only 1st Gen MINI that came from the factory to the USA with the JCW suspension) is 17mm.

The R56 standard suspension rear sway bar is also 17mm and the R56 sport suspension rear sway bar is 18mm.

References: Here, here and here.

I think that's all there is, from an OEM perspective... unless you want to bring John Cooper Motorsport into the equation... but that's a totally different ballgame (i.e. racing-specific). I'm not sure about the R56 JCW suspension though...

 

Edge - Thanks that's helpful to know (i.e., stock rear bar diameter = 17mm on all R53's)! Small footnote to add, which I think #20Works4me can vouchsafe: Canada got 64 limited edition R53's called the "JCW Competition Package" in 2006 and all of these had the JCW suspension installed at Oxford assembly (along with a slew of other JCW bits), just like the GP.

I wonder if the R56 JCW rear sway (i.e., R56 JCW suspension kit includes springs/shocks/front sway/rear sway v. R53 JCW suspension which was springs/shocks), which incidentally is 18.5mm, will fit an R53? You would think it should, since R53 rear sways are "forward-compatible" (and direct fit) to the R56, one would logically expect "backward-compatibility" too (i.e., interchangeable). Any one else have a thought on this?

 

Ahh... I didn't consider that... I've edited my post to be more specific. Interesting idea... and yes, I'd think it's quite possible. I'd be game to trying it, but first we'd need to locate the part number(s) for all parts relating to that sway bar (including the stabilizer supports).

I've just hunted for the parts on the RealOEM site - unfortunately it seems they don't have the Stage 1 JCW kit for the R56 listed yet... hopefully they'll update the site before too long and add that in!

 

swapped out rear 17mm sway bar to a JCW's 19mm bar this week.........
easy job for those looking to do it....
really nice bar for the price.............
and just enuf of a stiffer bar to be noticeable, but not radical stiff

Steve

 

do you mean Cooper S?

 

19 mm JCW.....
Then I suppose that you talk about a R56
And i believe that the JCW one is a 18.5 mm

 

yes you're right...it was 18.5mm

and the stock bar was not 17mm.....it was 16.05mm

05 MC

 

So you took a JCW bar for a R56 and installed it on a R53....?

 

Where did you get the bar?

 

minspeed.net $135.00

shows it fitting '02-'06 / R50-R53 and R-56

 

this is very curious. i was not aware that jcw made a sway bar. was this part of the suspension package? maybe part of the earlier clubsport?

 

Indeed it comes with the R56 JCW suspension. 18.5mm is correct for the rear. A great upgrade for an R53 with JCW suspension that wants to stay all OEM or just do a milder rear stiffness increase.

Nicely done cycleway4!

 

What all was involved with the install? Any pictures? For street driving are there any benefits for a bigger rear sway bar? Does it make turn in more noticeable without having to play with the throttle to get the car to turn in?

 

picture of bar:
http://minspeed.net/JCWRSB.htm

Hi... My car is not tracked, but I do live here in the western Virginia mountains,....our driving/roads are similar to the area of the MOTD........so yes, the bar does make a subtle, nice upgrade/improvement over stock.....as mentioned above its not radical,....but nice.....just a little stiffer in the back, decreasing understeer.....making the car more neutral.
Installation as covered here in previous threads [do search] is very easy and straight forward on the Cooper..I can imagine the S might be just a bit more involved working around the wiring harness.........

So treat yourself to an economical upgrade and go w/ this product....

Steve

 

where in VA?

 

Covington/Clifton Forge/Alleghany County area....14 miles from West Virginia border on I64
also, about 55 NW of Roanoke...220 North

 

I've been waiting for RealOEM.com to be updated with the newer R56 stuff (JCW things released after 10/2006, which is the latest dataset they have), precisely so can look up and compare official part numbers for stuff like this.

Interesting facts on the OEM rear sway bars:

R53 Sport Suspension Plus - 17mm
R56 Standard Suspension - 17mm
R56 Sport Suspension - 18mm

So if the above information about the R56 JCW rear sway bar is true (and that a new one is indeed supplied with the 2nd Gen JCW suspension), then it's an extra 0.5mm jump from the R56 Sport Suspension.

Interesting!

 

Update!

Since I'm all about actual part numbers, and RealOEM.com still hasn't updated their site beyond the 10/2006 data...

This evening, when I stopped by the service bays at my dealership to chat with the techs, I asked them to look up the R56 JCW suspension upgrade in their parts database. So without further ado:

STABILIZER, REAR D=18.5MM 33-55-6-782-723
STABILIZER RUBBER MOUNTING D=18MM 33-55-6-772-788

So basically, get the bar and two of the rubber mountings, and you should be all set! The prices I was quoted: $86.63 for the sway bar and $7.34 each for the mountings... that works out to $101.31 (plus tax, I'm sure). Obviously - dealer prices aren't always consistent, so YMMV.

Should be a nice improvement, and of course I love the fact it's OEM.

 

a 1mm increase for $100 is a nice deal, if the labor is DIY. If you are paying someone to do it, it's not much change for a LOT of money. a 19mm Hsport has three adjustments to play with.

 

1.5mm actually...

...and I never said it was about being a "good deal". I'm well aware that there's plenty of aftermarket choices with more colors and options!