OK. I have read several threads in this forum for many hours now, and have looked extensively at manufacturers descriptions of their products. The agony is in actually choosing which coilovers I am going to buy. Here's what I have come up with and my reasons for each. Let me know if I have any information wrong.

JIC/Cross - Seems like the best overall set (at a reasonable price). Universal praise from people who have them. Most expensive of those I am considering. Requires drilling in the rear for extension cable for easy adjustment of dampers.

M7 - Easily adjustable from the bottom. No drilling required to install damper adjusters in rear. Although not as many people seem to have them, those who do, seem to love them. The fronts do not have adjustable camber plates included, so have to add. Total cost would be a little less than Cross when done.

BC Racing - Lowest overall cost (by a big margin). Requires drilling in rear for installation of damper adjustment extenders similar to Cross. People who have them seem satisfied. Do they perform at the same level as M7 or Cross???

Of course, the real agony will be the install. I've never done a project this big on my MINI, but it seems doable from reading other's experiences.

Hopefully the ecstasy will be the ride when I'm done.

Any and all opinions, and any corrections to my assumptions above, will be much appreciated.

 

i would not put on a set of coil overs with adjustable ride height via threaded spring perch without planning on corner weighting and careful alignment

just my .02

cheers,

charlie

 

Why do you need or want coilovers, whats the ultimate goal here?

Knowing what you are trying to accomplish will help guide you towards that goal.

 

A little bit of autoX. Definitely no serious track use. And want to be able to agressively run the curves in the mountains around here on without jarring my kidney's out of place. I already have an Alta 19mm rear sway bar on the stiffest setting. I have H&R sport springs. They are a little better than stock suspension, but not overly so. Dropping the car is not important other than what it contributes to handling.

 

I cannot speak from experience with the JIC/Cross system but I can speak on behalf of the BC br series coilovers.

Same basic design as the Cross yet much more inexpensive. Even with the stock BC barrel front springs and linear rear springs the ride is very smooth and predictable. Feels much more refined than say koni yellows matched with h-sport or h&r springs.

For the price the bc's offer so much bang for the buck when compared with other coilover systems as well as spring/strut combos. Add in the fact that they include front camber plates and the bc's seem that much more appealing.

The quality of powdercoating and overall finish of the BC's is also top notch and I don't hesitate when saying I feel for the money they are the best coilover system for the budget minded performance enthusiast.

The ability to adjust ride height does not mean you need corner balancing. This is a process for the avid track junkie and those needing a "perfect" setup.

As several satisfied customers have stated the BC's offer a fine street/occasional track setup. If needed alternate spring rates are available as well as the ability to sub in higher quality aftermarket 2.5" coil springs.

BC BR series coilovers available from Coast to Coast.




If you have any questions give me a shout.

Thanks,

-Cliff

 

Think about H&R Coilover?

 

I think H&R RSS club sport is the one to go for

 

Or the Koni Threaded Body kit? Does anyone have feedback on these? I don't think I've seen one decent review on these on here.

 

The pictures I can find of the BC's show two different springs on the fronts. Did they change at some point, or are there two different versions commonly available?

 

with respect sir, i would not trust my life to an asymmetrical setup, and as I'm sure you'd agree the street is a vastly more hostile environment than any controlled competition setting

 

I've been running very aggressively on my coils for a while now with a couple of autox's and never had them corner balanced, I just made sure the ride height was the same all the way around. They've never felt lop-sided or asymmetrical at all. I'm sure it's just as balanced as OEM or a lowering spring setup.

But, will I corner balance when I get a chance? Yep.

 

Oh, I'm running the M7 dampers and love them, the adjustability on the bottom is awesome.

 

How do they ride on the street and if possible, do have any comparison to any other brands currently available?

 

A few months back they switched from the standard 2.5" linear 8k front spring to a new barrel shaped 8k front spring. This change was to help eliminate any binding issues.

 

My statement may have been a bit bold. A street oriented car will vary in weight on an almost daily basic depending on cargo, passengers etc. Though the car may not be completely asymmetrical, with a good alignment and installation I see no real world issues for a daily driven street car.

Clearly this is just my opinion.

 

the car is assymetrical from the factory!

Matt

 

Word! People need to stop thinking of suspension setups in terms of black and white. Repeat after me: "...it all depends..."

 

Coilovers are pretty easy to install, its not a complicated job

Another option is the TSW AST+Swift setup.

 

Asymmetry in this case does not refer to an unequal distribution of weight between the left and right sides of the car, but instead to an unequal distribution of weight between the sum of the LR/RF and RR/LF.

I agree that adding and removing passengers and baggage in normal use introduces variations that shouldn't make any significant difference to handling, and I reckon I might have overstated my case a bit.

Having said that, with variable rate springs in the 200-400 lb/in range a variation of an eighth inch in preload settings can produce a static wedge (wedge being a difference between the two sums previously mentioned) in the order of 50-100 lbs in some cases.

Winston cup fans will know that wedge is is one primary tuning tool used to induce a predisposition in a chassis to turning either right or left, and this is what I intended by the word asymmetry.

But do take me with a grain of salt, as the more I think about it the more I tend to agree with the observation that this might be more of a competition concern.

I do believe that someone that has the experience and patience to set static ride height with precision, and does so with sway bar end links disconnected and allowing for stiction in the suspension joints and shocks, will very likely get a good result. I would however place some weight on the driver's side to mimic the normal configuration of the car just as an added measure.

So I'll chill!

 

I don't have the off-the-shelf setup, just the dampers, so I can't really comment on the M7 system as a whole but the setup I have is extremely smooth, which I think has a lot to do with the dampers.

 

What's your setup? Custom spring rates?

 

I'm near ready to purchase new suspension as well & I'm up on all the products out there. My/our car is mostly for show & the occasional romp through the mountains. I guess I'm looking for something with a wicked stance, comfort level for my wife, well-balanced for the kind of driving I do, but able to be pushed to the limit should I choose to do that.

I really appreciated ChrisMCS04's ultimate coilover thread because I could get an idea of what the installed product looked like. I've decided to go with either TSW AST/Swift SA or KW v.2's (for a couple reasons), but I haven't seen any feedback from the people who have these setups. When I saw the title of the thread "The Agony and the Ecstasy", I laughed cuz' I keep having that thought. On that note...does anyone have feedback to these setups?

 

"should i lower it more?"
"should i get a different alignment?"
"are right and left exactly the same height? i think left rear might be 1/32 inch lower."
/
turning without using the brakes, getting out of turns faster
adjustable damping for street, autox & track
admiring glances from other mini owners
sweet drop

i have bc's so i'm partial. i have had them about 2 months and love them. still tinkering with ride heights, damping, and alignments.....but having a great time suffering through it all! i truly feel that my ride is on rails

 

The more and more I look at coilovers, the more and more it seems like a more budget concious choice. The lousy part being any of the cheaper coilovers don't have their own camber plates and I'm not crazy about reusing old parts on a new $1000+ suspension. Edit: Do either of the H&R kits come with camber plates or is it limited to top of the line Cross and lower end Megans?

 

No comments on Bilstein PSS9's? Or KW?