Okay, the next thing I plan on doing to my car is the suspension. I have done some research on coilovers and springs & shocks. Through my research I found out that coilovers ultimately are the best way to go. With that said, a lot of people on NAM and other forums complain about cheap coilovers and being the worst decisions they have made. I am a daily driver who likes to drive aggressively on the weekends on twistes. I am looking for performance but this car will not be tracked at all. Would someone like me be okay getting a pair of megan racing coilovers or ST coilovers or if im going to spend this kind of money save up and go for a set of bilstein or KW Variants?? and are these higher end coilovers necessary for me and what im looking for?

For someone on a budget and want the best bang of their buck I was wondering if I should go with a good shock and spring combo instead ??

just looking for feedback from those who have these parts on their car as I am trying to make the right decision and this is a pricey investment, at least for my budget. This is an area of the car im not to knowledgeable about so i need some help!! Thanks for all the help in advance my fellow NAMers !!

 

can a moderator move this to the 2nd gen suspension ?? I posted under the wrong generation and apologize. If you cant move it delete it and ill repost it under the correct category. sorry.

 

For ride and performance, I would recommend Koni FSD. I have had them for a few months now and love them.

 

Im really leaning toward the KONI yellows and NM or TSW springs. just cause i cant afford 2k+ for my suspension

 

I just installed the ST's on my R50 and it rides great. Haven't had a chance to get REALLY aggressive on it yet, but took a few hard sweepers and it sticks good. Ride is firm but compliant, not jarring at all. I think they were less than $1k, although there was a sale on at the time. Got them from TheSuspensionSource. Would recommend.

 

That is a nice setup, just remember that it will be a harsher ride over stock whereas the FSD were a better ride. It is all in what you are looking for. I don't like the gap I have with the FSD but the ride on is excellent.

 

$2000 is very easy to spend on suspension unless you are installing it yourself. I think when looking at springs and struts you need to consider rear control arms and a larger rear sway bar. Someone will also chime in that camber plates are also required! (I'm still on the fence w/ need for camber plates) Don't forget the wheel alignment too!

There goes well over $2000, more likely $2500 when labor is included!
These prices are current using top quality; Swift, Koni, H-Sport products.

Another optional route is to start with just a good larger rear sway bar. Get used to its handling characteristics and go from there. Just my thoughts on the subject while having my morning coffee! Whatever you choose, enjoy the ride!
Cheers Ed

 

thanks for the input .. What I am looking for is to decrease the wheel gap but i do not want a slammed MINI, i live in the NYC area and have horrible roads and dont want my car getting torn up by potholes.

As far as labor I have a guy I work with in his shop and gives me a good price as well as educated myself.

Ed what are you working with if you did anything to your suspension. I was thinking about changing the rear control arms with the upgraded on my shock and springs. I did reading about the camber plates but what I took away from it is that I do not really need to change the camber plates unless the diamater of the coilover or shock increases... did i read/understand this incorrectly ?? or the camber plates is something that should be changed when upgrading to coilovers or upgraded shocks ??

Like I said i have been researching and educating myself on this subject but all these posts i read about i take with a grain of salt cause its all opinion based and nothing really hard facts cause everyone prefers there car setup differently. Thanks for the feedback !!

 

Mmm... yep it adds up...

H&R Coil Overs - $1,080
Webb Camber Plates - $499
Rear Sway - $75
Labor 4 Hrs @ $85 - $340

$1,994

Just the coil-overs alone would be close to $1,400.

It's a long term investment though - I have 170,000 miles on my setup, and the springs haven't sagged and the Bilstein shocks that H&R use still keep the car quiet and stable at speed.

There are many right answers of course.

If you are serious about wanting the car to be balanced at the limit though, I'd respectfully suggest that the camber plates (and there are several that are quite good) are not optional. It's the -2.5 degrees out front that matters most in my setup, and that has also greatly improved tire wear.

Kind regards,

Charlie

 

guys i appreciate the feedback can you guys just give me specific model coilovers you guys are using ??

I do not want to take the "cheap" or "easy" route and will wait a while in order to save up and purchase the right type ... but what im gather is go straight coil-overs ...

cmt i will look into and research more about camber plates. Thanks for the advise and feedback !!

 

just talked to my mechanic and he sort of suggested the same thing. He said go with a rear sway bar and recommended I get a oil catch can. Maybe ill do these two mods and hold the suspension off for another month or two ... I love modding my car but its always hard to settle on the next mod ... but i guess that cant be too much of a problem

 

This is what I run and I love it. Very predictable, looks sharper, and rides incredible.

 

50417-2 H&R Coil Overs - sourced from Turner's.

Cheers,

Charlie

 

For a daily driver the TSW's and Koni Yellows is a great setup. Plus the Yellows are on sale for a killer price right now. From your post it doesn't sound like you'll be needing or adjusting the coilovers.

 

way, even if my plans for this car in a year to a year an a half becomes a track car instead of a DD ?? i dont just want my car lowered, im looking for performance upgrade as well, which is my main concern.

dont want to have to upgrade this part of the suspension again once i start bringing this baby to the track. this upgrade is a money sucker !! but i want to do it right. thanks for the advice and feedback from everryone.

 

I made my decision and placed my order (through WayMotorWorks) ... I went with the KONI Yellows and NM springs. After reading a MINI performance book I have decided to leave the coil overs alone until i become more educated on how to use all the advanced features of adjusting all the different settings ... plus there expensiveeeee... thanks for all your help and feed back and of course ill post pictures of them and pictures of my car once they are on !!!!! THANKKSSS !!!

Vic

 

Cool! Y'all come back and share once you've got the new legs in place now, hear?

 

absolutely, how do you like your coil overs?? also theres someone in Mass. that does tunes on MINIs ??

 

I think your slightly mis-informed on coilovers. STs or KW V1s would have suited your needs just fine. These two do not offer dampening control. It is a preset dampening that is matched with the spring rate. Other brands like BC,Megan and KSPort give you these ***** that say have 32 dampening settings but I couldn't every figure out if that was true. This can be very hard to find the right setting for daily driving and your spring rate. The other models of KW are for more tracking or someone who knows how to fine tune coilovers.

 

I have an 09 MCS with Sport Suspension. I understand it has a .4" drop from base S model. I want to change out suspension for both ride and handling. I run 16" non-runflats.

I have considered the NM Springs / Koni Yellow combo like sLy201. I'm not really interested in dropping that much (NM's 1.2" is plenty). What would be the benefits of the ST coilovers be over the NM/Koni combo. Ride, handling, if anything? I know price difference isn't much.

 

I would go with the NM Koni combo over the cheap coils.
its likely to be a higher quality product and last you a longer time.

 

gben
Sport suspension and standard suspension are the same height. It is the JCW springs (red) that has a 10mm (.400) drop.
The Koni FSD will give you better ride and handling on the sport springs. Koni yellows on JCW springs will give you even better handling and you will not sacrifice much in ride quality. MINI's suffer from lack of suspension travel so for best ride quality stock height is best. A small drop and good struts/shocks will give you a good compromise for a street ride.
Steve

 

Thanks Steve.

I also heard the TSW springs were a moderate drop between 3/4-1". Ready through the form, allot of people like them as well. Any thoughts with pairing them with the FSD or Sports or any other shock for that matter? I really haven't done any mods on my Mini and would like to start with the handling package. I plan on installing a larger rear sway bar as well, probably 19-20 mm.

Colin-thanks for the advice to go with spring strut combo over the cheaper coil overs.

Guy

 

gben
If you are going to stay with the stock height and are looking for a little better handling and good comfort I would go for the FSD's. If you are going to do a slight drop then I would opt for the Koni Sports. If you install the rears at full soft the ride would be pretty good and a little better handling. The fronts on the sports can be adjusted without removing them the rears have to be removed to adjust. It all boils down to what you want to end up doing with the car as it is all a matter of compromise. I see lots of people that track their car one or two times a year and live with a suspension that is too stiff for their every day driving.
As far as the TSW springs go I believe they are still in the redesign process thru Way. At some point the mfg changed the diameter of the wire and the drop from front to rear changed. Lots of people did not like this and Way has been trying to correct the problem for some time. If you can find the correct JCW springs for your car coupled with some sports and rear bar (I would suggest the whiteline 20mm or Tarrett if you plan on further changes) I think you would have a pretty good package for the street in both comfort and handling. I would also add that Ireland Eng fixed front camber plates would also be a good addition which will give you -1.25 (added to what you currently have) front camber and protect you against mushrooming.
Steve

 

Way has TSW springs for Gen 2 MINI's. He put a set on mine a couple months ago. I'm going back up on the 15th to have a Quaife LSD installed and I'll pick up a set of Koni Sports and a set of spacers. Then... I will be compete... Maybe.