Hello all,
I'm new here and have been reading up on all the options. I gave a 11 mcs with standard suspension and want to improve the crashiness while removing the dreaded wheel gap. This is a daily driver and I do not track. Here are options and the info I need.

1. Jcw springs with koni shocks (1100$): I like the idea of these as they offer a mild drop and are hypothetically oem. But nobody seems to have them. For anyone w jcw lowering springs, can you post some pics so I can get an idea of how the final drop will look? Did you get any vibration problems? Does anyone have an idea of how much stiffer these are than standard or sport suspensions?

2. Bilstein b12 prokit (958$): this sounds freaking sweet as bilstein and eibach are the industry giants and everything I find about either say awesome. The system seems ?Idiot proof? as they are a matched set. The drop is more (25-30) though. Does anyone have this set up? If so can you post pics and impressions?

 

Have you considered ST coilovers? They are under $900

 

If this car will remain as a driver (primarily), and your goals are to improve the ride quality, then make that clear. Many choices are available, and many choices are very performance oriented (read : Stiff).

On my daily driver, I'm happy with the TSW springs and Koni-yellows. It doesn't look lowered, just looks like it should have from the factory. The ride is less harsh than the original, but it is still 'sporty (for lack of a better word). These cars don't have the suspension travel to absorb potholes or significant bumps. I don't have personal experience with coil overs or other spring setups.

Have fun,
Mike

 

I considered st coilovers but would prefer to not have to worry about rubbing abs spacers.

Stiff I can handle, my last car was an e90 m3. The mini suspension is lacking in a certain I'm not sure what. It hits bump stops too soon and seems to Jack down and feel over dampened sometimes but under dampened other times.

I was looking at tsw Springs but way motor works doesn't have any in Stock :/

 

 

Roxspin what are you running?

 

JCW complete suspension package. The one that comes w/the red springs...

 

If you want to improve on the crappy ride, ditch Run-Flop tires and get a set of proper performance rubber.

I'm not sure what you find "dreaded" about the wheel gap, or how much of a drop will make you happy. Therefore, I suspect you are in the market for height adjustable coil-overs.

To that end, Bilstein PSS10's can work, or something simpler and cheaper like KW v1's.

a

 

Here in lies the problem. I only want between .5 to 1 inch, where most coilovers at their highest setting drop 1.25 or more. I'm looking for Goldie locks: just right.

 

Then you want the JCW kit. Pricey but just right for height and performance over stock and sport suspension...

 

It's all subjective to what you think is more comfortable. I have the stock shocks paired with the swift Springs which drop an inch all around. They are considered one of the more harsh springs, but I personally find them to be more comfortable than stock. On some bumps they are more stiff you can tell, but the overall ride feels much more predictable and smooth. Even my gf asked why it felt different when I first installed them without telling her I had changed anything.

 

Can you post your pics?

 

http://www.tcklineracing.com/index.c...ry&Category=77

 

I went from the sport suspension to the JCW suspension on my 09 JCW more than 5 years ago. Swapped to regular tires about 2 months later because the ride was too harsh. 5 years on and I am ready to get rid of the JCW suspension and go with something softer. I live in the NYC area so the roads play into this somewhat.

The JCW suspension with the run flat tires is horrible. With regular tires its still harsh.

Can anyone give me advice on what to look at for a softer daily driver suspension??

 

Here is the only picture I have on my phone at the moment. But I can take some other ones in a day or two if u want

 

 

I wonder... If the sway bars have anything to do about this. I used to have an STI and only after I put on the stiffer sways did the ride get super stiff.

I'm thinking of using just the springs and rsb.

 

I'm with you w.r.t. suckiness of NYC roads. Or what passes for pavement around here.

Besides ditching RFTs, which you've already done, I would look at upgrading the OEM shocks above all else. The stock shocks are overly harsh, and "sport" suspension shocks just are just way over-damped on compression.

If you get a set on Koni's (FSDs or single-adjustable Sports), you will immediately see the difference.

Or you could go with an entire after-market suspension kit (adjust-ability and lowering the car with coil-overs is entirely optional) that expands on the ~2" of suspension travel with stock setup, and does a more competent job all around.


Sway bars don't come into play unless you start transferring load between sides of an axle. If you hit a pot hole with one wheel only, the stiffer sway bar will induce the suspension on other side of the car to react with greater vigor. If you hit a speed bump or a bridge joint with both wheels simultaneously, there will be no difference in suspension response regardless of the sway bar size.


Springs will have an obvious impact. So will stiffer/softer and/or higher quality shocks.

a

 

I have st coil overs on mine. I have them set all the way up on the front and almost all the way up in back. Before I had a 4 finger gap and now I have 2 fingers. So I got a little over 1" in lowering. I was like you and didn't want a large drop. I've had them for 3 years and I still love them. With the perch up high in the front, I don't need a spacer with the factory wheels.

I don't have to be really careful about driving over everything because it clears most things. There are pics in my gallery.

 

I am a Swift spring fanatic.

Already have 2 cars with Swifts on Konis, they are rated stiffer than most, but the ride is more comfortable than any other spring.
The drop with Swifts is always reasonable, ~1".