the stock (sports) suspension on my mcs proves to be too bouncy :-(

would changing to TSW springs help?

 

I find this odd... atleast on stock suspension.. if someone told me they had a bouncy ride after tsw springs or any lowering for that matter I would bet it was lack of travel.. Exactly how bouncy are we talking?

 

Do you mean too bouncy or too harsh/stiff? Bounce means that after going over a bump, it doesn't settle and bounces up and down a bit.

A stock suspension may seem harsh, but having a bouncy one would be odd because it often means that the spring rate is a bad match for the strut.

 

and that ^
what are the rates on stock springs?

 

I think they vary depending on the options you order to make up for the heavier mods like the sunroof

 

haha weird I didn't know that. I thought it was just sport suspension and normal. could have a blown shock, or maybe one was valved wrong from the factory?

do you hear any popping noises?

lol.. what kind of roads are you driving on?

 

What year and how many miles on the car? Also, like others said, what do you mean by "bouncy"? When I hear this I think bad shocks and struts, not springs.

 

The JCW kit I installed is indeed bouncy - my very first observation. The car does not take a set after encountering rolly pollys for example. This make the car a little more challenging to drive on roads that have sharpe undulations - rolly polly - thru turns.

My thinking is that given the lower ride height - 10mm - the multi-cellular bumpstops contribute a little more of their character into the suspension equation. It has the feel of say a very dense sponge...not exactly what I was looking for.

In th OPs case, aside from other input, I wonder if the shocks are worn to a point that the bumpstops are essentially performing more work...?

The bumpstops in this car are integral to the mechanics of the suspension.

Greg, I'll call you at some point today/tomorrow...picking up the car today...

 

Agreed on many of the other comments - ride quality is definitely improved versus the OEM springs with our springs. Amazing what a 40 lb/in increase in rate does to help keep from riding around mostly on the shocks/struts alone (FWIW, our measurements of all OEM springs is right around the 160ish lb/in range, regardless of spring type). The OEM sport shocks/struts have more dampening than the non-sports, which makes the ride even worse. 200 lb/in was a compromise to work with both the sport and non-sport shocks/struts - but it works well with both.

This is assuming that your OEM shocks/struts are still working properly, but we've seen very few early failures - the OEM units are well made and seem to last.

If you feel any wheel hop, they're likely shot, though, and in that case our springs will actually make it worse.

The bumpstops are integral in the MINI suspension, thanks to two things - one, very little stroke (although the R56 is better than the R50/R52/R53 platform), and two, EU drivers seem to like using the bumpstops as part of the suspension equation. When we install our springs, we trim the bottom bit of the OEM bumpstops off to provide a bit more stroke. Our biggest complaint about the off-the-shelf AST's was that they liked running around on the bumpstops - while this might be fine for EU drivers, we didn't like the fact that the spring rates increased quite a bit with the bumpstop engaged - to the point that sometimes we experienced coil bind with the off-the-shelf spring setup. Hence, we swapped out the off-the-shelf springs with slightly longer and stiffer Swift units - this prevented coil binding and riding on the bumpstops while also providing more stroke, AND the bump in spring rates actually match better with the rates of the shocks/struts.

It's funny, but Dr. Mike and I were conversing about this the other day - the Germans seem to like riding around on the shocks, and make fun of American cars that rely more on the springs.. And, Americans seem to like riding around on the springs and make fun of the Germans for riding around on the shocks. In our opinion, the best solution for optimum ride and control is matching the springs to the shocks so you use both...

 

I would look at shocks vs springs. However the springs could be lacking travel, its just unlikely me thinks on a stock setup.

meb-I wonder if the shocks are worn to a point that the bumpstops are essentially performing more work...?
(what I was thinking)

edit- tsw said it well

 

OEM springs are underrated; they perform very well when used over Bilstein SP struts. With only a 5mm drop up front and 7mm in the rear on Bilstein SPs, OEM engineered suspension geometries remain intact.

suwipin, skip aftermarket springs and go for SPs.

meb, it’s time for a return to a performance strut; no pogo bounce with a Bilstein SP & OEM spring combo, and more ground clearance for those real world roads you spend your day on.

 

thank you all for the inputs, i really appreciate it...

the car (2006 mcs w/ moonroof & stock sports suspension) currently has ~32k miles..
some of the roads here (sf bay area) are pretty bad.. actually my stock wheels were badly bent from potholes (it was a good excuse to get TD wheels)

this past weekend, our friend felt pretty dizzy after taking a ride in the back seat.. she told us that she felt like riding on a horse carriage

i don't think i felt any wheel hop so i think the stock shocks are still okay.

i love the car and am looking for ways to improve the ride quality.

a friend of mine installed pss-9 on his mini and he told me that the ride quality is much better than the stock (in terms of handling the bumps on the roads)... but i don't think i want to spend that much money on suspension (especially since i am no longer into tracking.. i had pss-9 on my previous car when i used to track)

i am still not sure on what to do but thank you again all for the inputs

btw which shocks would work the best (for street use) with TSW springs? Koni?

 

keith has had good experiences with the bilstein shocks. the pss9 would not be a better option for bad road surfaces than stock. atleast from my experience I have not tested the koni shocks but have heard great things. They are apparently valved nicely for the stock springs

 

Hey Kieth...I actually thought about your setup the other day...I'm also thinking of Swift and Koni...but either is a spring time purchase.


Sincerely,

Not Really Liking The JCW kit...

 

If that's the case, I think you'll like our springs with the OEM shocks/struts. The ride is lightyears better. You should be able to find a MINI in the SF-area riding around on them, so I'd poll your local club.

The Bilsteins do work well with the OEM springs... Actually, we have a few people riding around on Bilstein + TSW springs that like them, too. Bilstein definitely makes good schtuff. The SP's do have a pretty steep dampening curve, IIRC.

With our springs, the Koni Yellows work great and you get some adjustability. Don't recommend the FSD's.

 

thank you txwerks... i am seriously considering your springs.

thanks again

 

I have a set of the TSW springs that I'm selling and I am also in the Bay Area. PM me if interested.

 

pm sent