I'm in the process of deciding how to equip my upcoming Mini. I've seen it written in Mini reviews, and on other car forums, that the stock Mini setup is a great handler. Some people say it's great the way it is, and that the sport suspension just makes for an uncomfortably harsh daily driver. Thoughts?

My Mini will be a commuter above all, about 50/50 freeway and city. Road quality is pretty good here on average.

On one hand, I love a sharp handling car. On the other hand, I don't want to regret a harsh ride for daily duties.

Thoughts appreciated

 

I just picked up a base MINI with non sport and I find it perfect for my commute with a mix of freeway and side roads. It's plenty of fun as it is and I think I would not enjoy anything more firm for the daily driver.

 

I fully intended to order the sport suspension last month when we went to the dealer but we opted to pass and for me it came down to two things -

Every MINI I test drove did not have the sport suspension and they all felt fine. I was after a tight but not overly harsh ride and that's what I found.

When I asked to drive one with the sport suspension my MA didn't think he had any on the lot (turns out there was one). When I asked why he told me that they don't sell alot of them and most people after a stiffer suspension would take that 500$ and put it towards after market pieces anyway.


Those two factors let me reallocate that 500$ towards some other goodies instead. Just my 2 cents.

 

The harshness in the ride will be more attributed to the stock runflats (S model) and not as much the sport suspension. It will be "tighter" feeling I think than stock, but not more bone-jarring than the stock setup.

 

I think that depends on how you like to commute. Do you simply commute, or do you COMMUTE!?

I would say that if you truly have feelings of love for a sharp handling car (as I do), go with your heart. Get the sport package.

 

The sport package doesn't include the sport suspension though... xenons, 17s, DTC, and white turn signals.

 

^^^ This.

I'm thinking the Sport Pkg for sure since I want xenons. But I notice that Sport Suspension is a separate item. I think it's $500. So that is the dilemma.

 

For a daily commute sport suspension is not overkill. I went from that to Koni Yellows and NM springs(which is a little overkill on a daily). You will feel bumps but it is not like hitting a dime and throwing your back out. I just tightened my back shocks up and it is rough because we have some crappy roads on base but, out in town it really isn't to bad as long as I am not on the highway and I watch out for manhole covers.

 

Hmmm. When they say DTC, do they mean they add the DTC button to turn it off? Or that it adds DTC?

 

My 2012 MCS has Sport Suspension and it's very livable for my 25-30 mile daily commute. Ride quality improved immensely once I released the 45+ psi from the tires to the 30-something that's spec'd. I'm amazed by its handling, even on r/f all-seasons, but that's seemingly true of most MINIs.

I thought $500 was reasonable for shocks, springs, and bigger f/r swaybars, including installation for all.

We test drove a MCS with Sport Suspension before ordering, trying to rule it out if too harsh. Wasn't, at least to us.

Just another data point. I have installed NM springs since, mostly to get the wheel gap down, and I'm pleased with them as well.

 

After driving cars with and without the sport suspension, I liked the feel of the sport suspension at higher speeds and in corners over the regular suspension. I ordered with the sport suspension and commute 70 miles roundtrip. If it weren't for the wheel gap, its a great compromise. Should it be a $500 option? Probably not.

 

Best $500 I spent was on the sports suspension. I tried the rear sway bar and shock route on my '07 and didn't get the handling that my 2012 has. Ride is fine with 16" wheels; less good with 17" wheels. Also, order the traction control option to get the electronic LSD.

 

Is there a way to get 16's instead of the 17's that usually come with the Sport Pkg? Would I have to order a la carte, or just order the Sport Pkg and then down spec to 16's?

 

I didn't order the Sport Pkg specifically b/c I didn't want 17s. I just ala carte'd the rest. I'm not sure that's the only way to accomplish it, just a straightforward one. Saves $300 compared to buying the whole package (that included the 17in wheels I didn't want).

 

If the kit is $500 and you get better sway bars and bigger rims that right there is worth it. You could always do coilovers if you didn't want to finance the sports package.

 

I use to use my wife's MCS as a daily driver (45 mile commute one way up the 101). I wouldn't do the same commute without the added suspension. Of course, I drive the MCS like a bat outta .... every chance I can. I tend to push envelopes in the MCS more often than I do in my Challenger. If you're like me, get the suspension. I always planned on upgrading it, but never found the need yet.

 

i opted out of the sports suspension when ordering mine. here's the justification, my commute has some horrendous, taxing, roads. the MINI plenty grippy without it, and if i ever want to tighten things a bit down the road, suspension mods aren't too pricey. either way, you're going to have a smile on your face!

 

The sport suspension was very livable when I was commuting my MCCS. I rode on that setup for about 10,000 miles, then I changed to the JCW setup. Even with the JCW springs/shocks I feel that I could live with a rougher ride with the trade of handling.

I was going to switch to either KW or Megan coilovers this summer, but work is going to be slow so I have to keep mods to a minimum :*-(

 

IMHO: are you going to be pushing you MINI into extreme situations where you might encounter over/under steer? If not then the standard suspension will probably be perfect.
The sport suspension is a great value if you are going to push the car. Aftermarket coilovers or shock/springs with a bigger swaybar would be the ultimate.
My sport suspension is not too harsh.

 

I have the sport suspension on my Justa commuter. With 15" rims. I like it, the body motions are nicely controlled and the ride is stiff without being too harsh.

 

That sounds like a fun combo.

 

Our 2011 S model has the Sport suspension, and I agree with above people, the run-flats make for the harsh ride more than the suspension. We'll be switching to regular sport tires soon, as in next couple months. Our Mini does 25 miles to work every day, and back, mostly highway.. And we love our car!!!

 

I recently bought a JCW with the JCW sport suspension and its fine for both highway and city driving ... sharp and precise without being overly harsh. I would not recommend getting the JCW brakes as they will just wear you out with for city driving as they are very harsh. Last I would strongly recommend against getting run flat tires as they are like bricks. I am in the process of researching which tire to replace the run flats with. If you read reviews on various tire reseller websites, everyone pretty much says the same thing about run flat tires.

 

Unless I am wrong, I think the only way to get a MINI from the factory, without RF tires, is to get a base MC with 15's, correct?

In other words, if I get a MCS, or even a MC with 16's, it'll come with run flat tires.

The weight of RF's will slow acceleration, braking, and make the ride harsher. I'm planning to wear out the factory RF's and then go to regular tires and a slime kit / compressor. I'm in AAA too, so I suppose I could call them for a repair on the road, right? Or do they just change the tire you provide?

In 25 years of driving, I've never been stranded by a flat or blowout. I've always noticed a low tire visually, and gotten it plugged at Discount Tire, or replaced if need be.

 

Is your JCW brand new? The brakes bite kinda hard real quick when new which could be why you say they are wearing you out in city driving. But let them break in a bit and then you'll notice itll be better.

But yes, I swapped out the runflats this spring and its a very noticeable difference. I have the JCW suspension like you too. I don't find the ride harsh at all.