Hi,

Would love your opinion...

I have a 2006 MCSC. Normal driving is a mix of highway (Southern California Interstate) and canyon driving..What do you recommend?

I do not want the highway driving to suffer...

thanks!

 

I vote for 19mm but most on here will say bigger is better.

 

Hi Dave,

How long have you had on your 19mm? did it effect the ride?

Thanks,

 

I have had the H-Sport comp (25mm) for a couple years now and love it. I keep it on the softest setting so there's still a slight tendency to understeer. It's a great setup for a street driven MCS. I haven't played around with the stiffer settings so I can't comment on how they might adversly affect ride quality but IMO, you don't need to go that stiff on the street anyway.

 

I agree - I have the RDR 19mm and it fits with no problems (not all bigger bars can claim this). Do you need more than 19mm - nope, but for many its a ***** thing.

 

25.5 all the way.

 

Where are you getting it installed / I am looking at the same item.

 

Has any one had experience with H SPort plus M7 USS?

 

tomm9050,

getting it installed at Steve's Auto..

 

Hi Guys,

did you find the 19 OR 25.5mm affected the ride?

 

Counting snap oversteer?

IMHO, people way, way overdo it on the rear swaybar. It depends on the suspension setup, true, but it'd have to be way, way understeer prone to run the 25.5 if you're using the stock front swaybar. Either that, or you like being way tail happy...

I can't tell you how many MINIs I have instructed in for AX schools and track stuff where I immediately made students go back to the pits and change their rear bar setting. Not even I could believe how tail happy our cars could be - and that's with all sorts of different suspensions and alignments, too.

IMHO, a 19mm rear bar is more than enough to complement any setup (unless, of course, you swap out the front swaybar and then you may need something bigger in the rear, want to enter drift competitions, or are running some wacky spring rates).

 

Drift competitions.

 

 

With the 19mm, I found no noticable difference i ride quality.

 

what does the front sway bar do besides introduce under steer again.

 

2005 mcs w/ stock front sway, strut tower brace, hsport comp (25.5 middle setting) on h+r springs... required a hard jerk to get the *** around. didnt feel too tail happy w/ this setup. i'd imagine in the stiffer setting it'd be a lot easier to get the tail sideways...

 

good place / did he quote you a price?
does he have them instock? what did he recommend?

 

25mm. In the softest setting you'll still have the understeer safety net but you can dial it up and make it STIFF. I'm glad I have the 25mm in my Cooper for autocrossing.

 

25 27 in the front!

 

The answer depends on what else you have planned, but having the LSD requires a bit less rear bar for the same balance (as does camber plates). For the driving you are describing, the 19mm would seem a good match. . . Especially so if you want to do that canyon running, and as you round a corner, be able to hit the brakes hard because someone's backing out of their driveway mid-turn.
That's when you will know it if you went too big, 'cause the back end will be trying to swap ends with the front end.

On a similar car to yours, with LSD, I have gone from stock rear bar to 22mm solid (same as the 25.5 hollow), and it was just a little bit tail-happy. But after adding fixed camber plates I'm headed back to a 19mm bar.

 

A 25mm rear bar would make my Cooper oversteer like crazy for autocross or track... In fact, when I installed the camber plates, I had to dial the 19mm H&R bar back one notch with my alignment settings...

In fast and medium sweepers, it was fine - but in quick transitions like slaloms or fast rhythm sections, the rear end really, really wanted to swap places with the front. Every MCS with a 22mm rear bar set on full stiff and stock suspension has wanted to do the same in slaloms - especially decreasing slaloms when you're braking and turning at the same time...

 

That only means your not driving it fast enough

You will be more than happy with a 19mm for what you are doing, the 25.5 bar was designed to work with a 27mm front bar and sport springs (or coilovers). The 19 also works well paired with the springs and/or front bar, but by itself, go 19mm
--Dan

 

sorry, what's LSD?

what would work best with M7 USB and USS? Canyon driving / Mulholland

 

thanks all for the great input!

Any comments on riDe quality?

 

i was referring to "normal" speeds...
hyper blue 06 is a "normal driver" not an autoxer or trackhead