Would think your car is not much different than mine whereas you can lower the front of the car and the stock strut bearing plates will still function whereas the endlinks will need to get longer. It is a different matter on the rear as when you lower the car the rear tires will have increased negative camber that can only be corrected with adjustable control arms.

 

I agree with Walnuts
I installed coilovers recently, and do my own alignments, While I did not do a "before" measurement, lowered an inch or so the front camber was not cambered in like the rear. Front toe on the other hand was very much excessive and needed adjustment.
I do have adjustable front camber plates and rear control arms

 

Are you wanting to run aftermarket springs? Or looking into coilovers?

More important than front camber will be adjusting your rear camber. When you lower MINIs the rear wheels will increase in negative camber, which can wear your tires out faster. Unless you're into that kind of thing.

BC racing coilovers come with adjustable camber plates. Add in adjustable rear control arms and you're good to go.

Here is my car on custom BC Racing coilovers, 8k F / 9k R springs. Camber is -2.2 F / -2.0 R

 

 

Reviving an old thread. I've read quite a bit on NAM about lowering the Countryman but have seen very little mention of adding adjustable end links. I plan to lower about 35mm (1.4"). Will I need adjustable end links?

 

You will be good with stock sway bar end links.

However having adjustable SB end links definitely can be useful, just be careful with rubbing. Because they are much wider than the stock style, it may rub. I ran adjustable on my rear sway bar, but I removed them because they rubbed down my axle boot.

 

Thanks. What rear sway bar and lower control arms are you running? I have the NM sway bar on the way. Am still deciding on which way to go for lowering. I had decided on the Bilstein B12 kit but am now seriously considering coilovers.

 

I was running the M7 25mm hollow bar and end links, I removed both completely because they were rubbing and I didn't feel like dealing with it. I was going to do it anyways (RSB delete) since I'm also softening the rear springs up to try and give it a bit of a RWD feel with the AWD. We'll see how that goes, so far the handling is great with current rear springs. If I decide to put a RSB on again, which I kind of counting on, I will run the solid 23mm RSB from vipcustomparts.com

I run BC racing coilovers. I don't do a lot of driving so that work for me. Also why I'm softening the rear a bit to see how it rides. It really just depends on your price range, KWs are known to be some of the best riding coilovers, and for street the air suspension is pretty popular... just expensive!

 

I'm glad the B12 kit is out of stock everywhere. That gave me a chance to think more about what I want. KW V2 is the coilover I'm considering. They will give me the ability to find the lowering that I want and to dial in the ride. Reviews I've read indicate that toward the softer end of the spectrum, the ride is not at all harsh (you wrote as much in your post). I like a firm ride so I'm sure I'll find a setting I like. I'm looking at SPC lower control arms. With that setup, I think I'll be less jealous of the stance and handling of my son's JCW Paceman.

 

Very nice! When you're done definitely post pics!

Are you on FB? There is a group called MINI Countryman Owners Lounge.

 

I have a FB account but almost never use it. I'll checkout the group though. Thanks for the heads up.

 

Ordered everything today. The coilovers won't get here for a few weeks. Will give me plenty of time to research installation.

 

Are the M7 end links particularly beefy? I'm going to install the sway bar tomorrow. Was just under the car and it seems like there is quite a bit of clearance around my stock end links. I guess it could be that there's more room when the car is lifted than when it's on the ground.

 

The problem I ran into was a combination of the M7 25mm sway bar (which they dont sell anymore), their end links and being lowered. I had the settings on the mid setting and everything was fine, but when I set it to the softest setting it rubbed down my axle boot. That was a pain in the butt to fix.

I can't speak on any other size sway bar. I was told by a few MINI mechs, and guys that race, that the stock end links are fine. I'm pretty sure there are better end links than what M7 provides. If I did it again and wanted the 25mm stiffness, I would go with VIPcustomparts.com 23mm solid way bar.

 

i have the wmw works rsb and kw v3 coilovers, im quite lowered, nothing rubs at normal driving. definitely a 2 inch drop or more. needed adjustable rear control arms for sure. still rides quite nice until large bumps, then its a bit stiff. also running 18x8 et 35 with 225/45/18 and only slight scrubbing in the rear at full compression for summers. 205/60/16 for snow tires at the same height, nothing touches

 

Saltysalt - did you install aftermarket sway bar end links or are you still on stock?

 

i am on stock endlinks, adjustable are only needed to corner balance the car. something that i prolly wont do with a r60

 

You ONLY need adjustable end links if you are corner weighting the car, or you stance it out. Otherwise you can use the stock end links. Any vendor telling you they are "weak" is lying trying to sell you parts. We hear this all the time from customers. The stock end links are good parts and not "weak"

If you really want adjustable end links we have some great ones that are quiet, sealed, and "strong" LOL
https://www.waymotorworks.com/wmw-ad...-endlinks.html

 

Thanks, everyone, for the information.

 

Thanks to everyone who helped by answering my questions and to Way who helped me out by supplying the KW V2s. For those who don't follow the "What did you do" thread, here are a couple of photos. I love the result, both the look and the handling.