ADVICE WELCOMED: I’ve recently purchased a 2015 F56 Base model (B38 / non-s), and would love to change up the suspension to be similar to or better than JCW. The stock suspension feels a bit bouncy and has a lot of lean, whereas the JCW to me feels composed and reasonably comfortable. The car will be a daily driver and weekend canyon carver; it also needs to be competent at Colorado highway speeds (cruising speed 85mph, passing faster). I’d prefer stock or close to stock ride height.



The main issue I foresee in some of the aftermarket springs and dampers I’ve viewed is they are listed as for all F56. As my base model weighs in at 2605lbs (over 300lbs less than an optioned-out auto JCW), and the front end is much lighted than B48 models, it seems like these kits would ultimately make the ride worse by not being calibrated correctly. So I’m considering the following options for springs/dampers:

1. Moderate lowering springs (H&R or Eibach) / Bilstien B6 or B8 dampers
2. MSS springs (set to stock ride height) / KONI Special Actives dampers
3. OEM springs / KONI Special Actives
4. Custom Springs tuned for this weight / Bilstien B6 dampers

I haven’t looked into coilovers extensively yet, but am open to these as well. I’d also be interested in doing sway bars during this setup, as well as any other products you’d recommend. Thank y’ll for your help, I really appreciate experienced feedback!

 

Really, based on the options you’ve listed, and that you idolize the JCW handling, I would suggest the JCW Pro coilover kit:
https://www.ecstuning.com/b-genuine-...t/33502361197/

They will fit your assumed budget, give you the handling you want, and allow for fine tuning the ride height.

 

I thought about that, however the same concern remains about over-damping and spring rate. Given this suspension was designed primarily for the S or JCW, would it actually pair well with my much lighter setup?

 

I think you are over-thinking it... With less weight on the coilovers, the car will feel much more responsive compared to a similarly configured JCW.

Are you after comfort or handling?

Comfort: keep the OEM suspension, add a few strategic poly bushings and a JCW rear sway bar. Poly bushing replacements for the front control arm rear bushing and rear trailing arm bushing will keep the suspension arms in the right place, and give sharper handling response and feel. The JCW rear sway bar is slightly bigger than your 'Justa' rear bar, and will help the car feel more lively.

Handling: Same comments about poly bushings as above, but add the JCW pro coilovers and a bigger rear sway bar. If your budget allows it, look into some light weight 16" or 17" wheels. Light wheels will help big time for handling, braking, and acceleration feel.

 

Really appreciate it brother, and makes sense. I will deliberate and post back to this thread with results!

 

I received my F56 non-s (B38) on Monday and have put roughly 500mi on it since; almost all mountain roads with varying degrees of fast straights and lower speed, super technical windy canyons. My impressions are as follows:

1. This car is fundamentally different from a JCW; the light weight, suspension tuning, and power delivery make it way more akin to a Miata than a track weapon. it is a near perfect momentum car right out of the box, which warrants a completely different driving style and modification path. Worth noting that I’m also in love with this thing so far.
2. Given the above, I was completely wrong on wanting to attack suspension first. The current setup is perfect for learning balance and weight transfer, and I will take a year or more to learn exactly how to squeeze the most out of this in a momentum driving style before touching anything related to suspension, and will then seek to simply make it a more refined momentum car; not a clone of the JCW’s lightning reflexes.
3. What does need to be addressed sooner is breaking, particularly due to the extra thermal capacity required for mountain driving and also to help with faster/more reliable braking to aid in the momentum driving style.
4. Power and delivery are actually perfectly adequate for having a blast in super windy canyons, and this thing is also way punchier in day to day than expected. That said, I will be getting an intake and stage 1 tune immediately to give it just a little more oomph in day to day or faster mountain roads. I suspect that little bump will be the perfect compliment to this car’s intended use, and that anything more is unnecessary. Will post back with results after Modded Mini performs the tune.
5. Gearing 2-4 in the manual transmission are quite long. Way in the future when the trans needs rebuilt, I’ll look into shortening these appropriately.
6. The exhaust is almost inaudible, so I’ll be looking into a custom muffler to enjoy the unique 3cyl sound while not introducing drone.
7. Even with generic 195/55R16 Grand Touring All Season tires, this thing is on rails. I will run current tires into the ground and only then upgrade to Continental DWS06 in 205/55R16.

Summary:

1. Don’t try to make an F56 non-s a JCW, they’re both awesome but built for very different driving styles. Try both on a windy road (not long straights) before making a purchasing decision, and buy the style you prefer.
2. The F56 non-s B38 is an amazing momentum car right out of the box if you have the right roads for it. Don’t do anything to it until you’ve put a lot of miles on it in spirited driving scenarios, then determine the specific upgrades that apply to you.
3. Purchase price, upgrade path, consumables, and insurance are WAY cheaper for this car vs JCW.

I’ll continue to update this thread as I make changes to the car and have the chance to thoroughly test them.

 

Gollum III was a B38, and I too fell in love with the car.

I replaced the muffler with a straight pipe, evidence as follows. I recommend this approach.

Cheers,

Charlie




Sounds like this: .

 

That is super helpful. Questions for you:

1. Did you put a crackle tune on it
2. What was it like higher in the rpm range? Did it drone if you were running it between 2-4k on highway?

 

OEM Tune.

No drone.

Cheers,

Charlie

 

Update
I’ve replaced my muffler with a straight pipe. There is a small amount of drone, and it’s inconsistent between gears (4th being the most onerous). That said, it’s not terrible overall, adds much-welcomed 3cyl noise, and definitely adds feedback to your driving experience. I will live with it for a bit and look into a universal muffler if I believe the drone needs to be reeled in more.

I am also going to get a Stage 1 tune from Modded Mini that accounts for a better air filter, intake resonator delete, and muffler delete. Will update this thread once I’ve had a chance to feel that out.


Request for Info
Does anyone have a good recommendation for a non-JCW brake kit (need to clear 16” wheels)? In addition to doing SS brake lines and better fluid, my thinking is that I can do Hawk HPS or Stoptech rotors and pads for more aggressive braking and heat dissipation. I’m also considering OEM S front calipers as my understanding is that the rears on S and non-S are the same, thereby this could increase braking force without upsetting balance. Any guidance would be helpful!

 

based on absolutely 0-% research and only on gut feeling are the new F66 Jcw calipers worth a look as they look undersized compared with the outgoing Jcw F56…could be worth some deeper digging or trip to a dealer with a tape measure …

 

F66 JCW and F56 JCW have the same size front rotors, but the new F66 caliper goes to an oversized single piston caliper in place of the outgoing 4-piston. And, neither brake kit will fit under a 16” wheel.

 

WTF is this? AI?

 

I know it’s not popular but I specifically chose the Cooper over the Cooper S and JCW when I ordered my 2019 F57 (March 2018 production). The Cooper feels a bit lighter in its feet, particularly in the front end, and has a more forgiving ride than the JCW. It’s not all
about HP, after all. In the near 8 years I’ve had the car I’ve installed a Remus exhaust, AWE intake, and an ECU remap from RPM. Do yourself a favor. If you’re going to get an ECU remap, contact Mario Palza (aka @MarioKart ) and don’t waste your time with others. The car makes great power now and the long 3rd gear is amazing for riding the torque wave of the 3-cylinder, and the lift-off pops and burbles are acceptably quiet while still being entertaining. And with the Remus exhaust, boy does it sing at higher RPM, a song much nicer than a 4-cylinder in my opinion (another reason I chose the Cooper)! If I ever need to replace the gearbox I’ll look into swapping it with the S 6-speed because my one dislike of the manual Cooper is the very tall gearing. It’s not a dealbreaker by any means, especially not with an ECU remap, but shorter gearing would benefit acceleration and overall spirited driving. As for the suspension, I thought about going with KW v3 coilovers (my go-to with several previous cars, for their adjustability and overall compliance without sacrificing performance). However, after spending time on the track and doing TONS of very spirited backroad corner carving with my MINI club and others, the OEM setup is perfect for the street and that’s where the car spends most of its time anyway. I do still want to upgrade the front brakes at some point. I came across a used set of carriers and calipers from an S owner who upgraded his brakes, and I almost pulled the trigger. But again, it’s only occasionally that I felt I’ve needed more braking from the OEM brakes (and mostly because I could tell the brakes were getting hot).

 

So you're sitting on a forum and still don't know what comments with links are?

 

Because it reads like something AI would come up with, going from a note about modifying a suspension to what seems like a sales pitch for a windshield replacement company. It's a very strange comment given the context of this thread. So yeah, it feels like something AI would come up with.

 

Well, your opinion

 

Check out my build thread if you would like. I fell into the trap of making a non-s a "JCW" haha. I am running Koni special active and stock springs which I think made a notable improvement to factory dampers across the board. Caveat being the previous dampers had 60k miles on them. If you're willing to source a JCW or S rear bumper you can run the factory 2.75" JCW exhaust which gives a notable improvement to sound quality and volume if you're willing to cut the resonator out of it. Mine is fitted as such.