I thought I’d start a thread focussed on the suspension upgrades to my 2002 MCS here in NZ. As I add components I’ll try to give you feedback on the effect each one has. I won’t delve into engine performance mods which are also ongoing.



I commute to work along the same twisty 85km route each day, so barring weather the comparisons should be fair.



To start:



As purchased:



2002 Mini Cooper S with panoramic sunroof. 155,000 kms.



Completely stock

Run flat tires

Completely wrecked LCA bushings

Worn out shocks

Worn wheel bearings

Mushroomed strut towers

Torn strut plates



Handling was very disappointing, clunks from the front end, lots of body roll and tremendous push into corners. Better handling than my Land Rover but not much better.





1st Go



Replaced LCA bushings, replaced 4 shocks/struts/plates, replaced 4 hubs/bearings, straightened strut towers and installed reinforcement plates underneath. 4 new non-RF tires. Full alignment.



Handling vastly improved, steering now quite precise. Still pushing into the corners, felt as though the front end was about to break loose at any time. Very vague at the entrance to corners. Suspension handling bumps much better.





2nd Go



Replaced rear sway bar with Whiteline 20mm unit, links positioned in centre hole.



Far less push into the corners, chassis generally flatter through the corners, and more confidence to carry speed into the corners. Steering even more precise now, beginning to feel a taste of the “go kart handling”.



3rd Go



Purchased and installed cabrio braces using M6 rivnuts.



Remarkable difference, and a huge surprise. I honestly thought these little braces would do nothing, but they immediately reduced understeer and twist in the chassis. On the final high speed, twisty hill climbs of my commute I felt so confident that it changed the way I braked into each corner. Obviously, every addition is cumulative, but the combination of the rear sway bar and the cabrio braces has been $250 very well spent!



Still to come:



Front upper strut brace

4-point front lower brace

Rear upper strut brace

2-point rear lower brace

Camber plates

Coilovers (not immediate future $$)



**Instead of guessing what photos you'd like to see, please request what you want and I'll see if I have one.

 

You news sounds great! You have added better handling with each add on. Getting rid of the run flats should save your wheel bearing and smooth out the harshness the run flats cause.

 

Nice step by step report. Much appreciate it. I am surprised you felt the difference in the cabrio front braces. I wished I tested them alone. 85km of twisty to work must be paradise. My friend moves to NZ from Seattle area to escape congestion hell.

 

Replying mainly to subscribe.

I'm at the same point as your phase 1, with IE fixed camber plates instead of reinforcement plates.
Got me thinking about an upgraded sway bar...

 

Also on a very similar path. Have 19mm rear sway bar, M7 front strut brace, poly front LCA bushings, KW V2 coilovers, and rear adjustable control arms. Camber plates go in next week, along with new front hubs/bearings and alignment.

Have the cabrio braces ready, will go in later (painting them body color first). Also plan for a full set of Vibratech motor/trans mounts.

Curious about the rear upper brace to see if you notice any difference once installed. Keep us posted!

 

Of the components remaining to be installed, which do you feel I should install and test first?

 

As for most folk the biggest bang for the buck is the front upper strut brace, I would suggest that next. Also it tends to be the first brace most installs. The other are incremental down the road for most including myself.

 

As someone else mentioned, try different tires. Stickier tires provides the biggest improvements in handling and braking.

 

Good to see you figured how to stalk despite having only 8 posts on NAM. I see that is some track proven advises. Please give OP some credit that the man knows a few things about handling and is willing to spend some time finding out each incremental change. You sure are angry.

 

As it happens, I had time last night to install the easiest component remaining, which was the upper rear strut brace. This installed in about 30min, and retains the stock rear seat locking system.

Tested on this morning's drive, a series of high speed switchback turns up a mountain pass.

Results:

The upper rear strut brace can best be described with an analogy...have you ever seen the dog agility competitions where the dogs weave side to side through a series of closely-spaced poles? They go so fast that their nose is starting a left hand turn while their tail is still entering the previous right? That's what the Mini felt like before the rear strut brace. The chassis was still reponding to a right hand turn as I entered a left....getting "settled" still as I set up for the next turn.

Now with the brace the delay is gone. The WHOLE CAR is either turning left or right...a unified feeling that the machine is tighter, smaller, and stonger.

I think it is, like the cabrio braces....a small and cheap addition that shouldn't have had the impact that it has....highly recommended.

 

Thanks for the update. I have to admit this is one that I thought more placeable than most. However one of my Miniac track frenemy installed one and he claimed he can tell the difference. He has a version that has an X brace.

Whatever happened to the sticky tires test?

 

I can see this is going to be an expensive thread to follow lol! Was on the fence about the rear upper bar, but no longer.

 

4th Go:

The Front Upper Strut Brace was installed. This required changing the studs out on the struts as with a lower plate and the brace, there wasn't enough length. That proved to be the most time consuming part of the project as the struts had to be removed to safely remove the studs in a press.

The strut fit over the CAI without any modifications, likely due to the very flat tubing used.

First impressions driving with the new brace were that the front end seemed more rigid, and the steering seemed more precise. I would say that the difference was nowhere near as significant as when I added the cabrio braces, but it was still noticeable.

As I drove I couldn't help but thin that something else had changed, it was only after about an hour that I realised what it was....

...it was so QUIET...all of the rattles, squeaks and chirps that had always come from the dash and firewall region were gone. This brace somehow eliminated flexing to the degree that it's elminated all of that. I'm impressed.

 

The top strut brace and the cabriolet diagonal braces made huge difference for my Mini even just doing down a typical street. The car is noticeably tighter, and when the road has big exposed aggregates like most US interstates the ride is quieter, no cowl shakes, and just feel like a higher end car. Braking pedal to the metal from 110 mph to 40 at the end of the straight is most noticeable as no more front end shakes.

BTW, the Ireland Engineering fixed camber plates have extra long studs to accommodate the extra thick top plates of the M7 strut brace. They themselves are quite beefy so are also strut tower reinforcements in addition to the top plates of the M7. I recommend them without reservation.

 

5th Go:

The Lower Front Chassis Brace (4-Point) was installed. This was actually a real PITA. It fits on the rearmost bolts of the front crash tubes, and the inner bolts of the chassis plates just back from the resonator. In order to make it fit, the plastic splash guard had to be removed. I will attempt to trim it and reinstall it if I can.

I always work alone on these things, but another set of hands to hold the brace up while you bolt it in would be a real bonus.

I'm not entirely sure after one hard run through the pass that the lower brace has added significantly to the rigidity of the chassis, I think you might have to really push the car to it's limits to see the benefit. Nevertheless, it does contribute to the overall package...which thus far has transformed this 17 year old chassis into an extremely rigid and stable platform.

 

Interesting how an already stiff car can be made SO much stiffer with a few add-ons..! With a few more goodies, it'll be like a brick stiff.

Me thinks it's more wishful thinking than actual. Kinda like the engine running better after an oil change..!
When you can put a jack under one front jack pad, and lift three tires off the ground...that's a stiff body/chassis..! I can "almost" lift the tire that's still on the ground, bare handed. Did I say...that's a stiff body.

I do have to give credit though, Island. Your front tower bar is (seems to be) a straight bar, without any bends. That IS a good thing.

Mike

 

Im not sure that my MCS was all that stiff. Sure it’s unibody etc, and short...but it’s almost 18 years old. The strut towers needed reshaping down about 10mm, the steel’s not that thick.

 

That is why for the lower front brace I plan to get the OMP which is easier to install, and does not hinder servicing the car from under. It is a trade off like most things.

 

If you go pay attention at the track most cars have these braces, so all these people are drinking the koolaid. I think not. Most are very in tune with their cars, especially the seasoned drivers.

And straight bar or bent bar all comes down to the constraints of the situation and alternative approach to achieving similar goal. You keep preaching straight bars so bent bars has no place in engineering? Look the bendy airplane wings, and they flex horribly too in the eyes of the ignorant. Oh, have you not notice the bendy chrome moly front forks of road racing bicycles?

 

Here is the Mini chassis. The front end looks like a fork. Yes, you bolt the bumper that ties the front together, but have you notice how sloppy are the crash tubes? You can see clearly the strut towers can use some additional help.

 

Ford racing engineers must be idiots. All bent bars on their Mustangs.