Hi!

I am new to NA Motoring and just got a spankin' deal on the 05' MCS suspension components and wanted to get some technical data.

Does anyone know the technical difference between the 2005 MC and 2005 MCS suspension parts (front and rear sway bars, front and rear shocks and struts and front and rear springs)?

Are the sway bars larger on the MCS? diameter difference?
Are the springs stiffer and do they lower the car anymore?
The shocks and struts are firmer?

I am having trouble getting data from the dealer.

Thanks,

DJBKH
05' black MC

 

I'll take a shot at this, but I'll probably get something wrong.

Swaybars:
If the Cooper came with the Sports Suspension Plus option, the swaybars are the same exact ones as an MCS. If the Cooper did not come with SS+, the swaybars on the Cooper are smaller than on an S.

Springs:
Springs rates are tied to car weight, to an extent. I think there are maybe 3 springs available for the Cooper, and 3 for the MCS depending upon which options you have. With the same options, an MCS will be heavier than a Cooper. So, putting MCS springs on a Cooper would actually increase the ride height of the Cooper... stiffer springs, same weight, less compression. Unless the MCS springs are also "shorter" than Cooper springs, but I don't think that's the case. The spring rates might also vary depending upon SS vs SS+

Struts:
I think the dampening rates vary between SS and SS+, but I'm not positive.

Bottom line, if you have a Cooper with SS+, you'll gain nothing by putting MCS suspension parts on it. I think. At least the gains will be so minimal that it wouldn't be worth the effort even if the parts were free. If you have a Cooper with SS (not plus), you can effectively upgrade to SS+ by taking parts from an MCS and swapping them in... but it probably still wouldn't be worth the effort... except for the rear swaybar which is an easy swap.

If you want a real suspension upgrade for a Cooper, get the JCW suspension upgrade or go aftermarket.

 

Snid,

Thanks for the reply.

I have a 05' MC with the SS package and based on your reply it sounds like switching to the SS+ or MCS suspension will result in a nominal increase in feel.

Need to do some more research to determine next steps.