Have a stock 04 MC with 24k and it really seems to be hard riding-especially small bumps etc. Can really feel the tar strips and anything else that alters the pavement. Wondered if there were any mods to smooth out the ride. Tires are kept at 34-36psi and they're about 2/3 gone. Not interested in rallying or anything else-just would like a smoother ride if possible. Love the car so don't want to purchase anything else.

 

Sounds like you need some tires! A little more meat on them may make the difference.

 

There was a split in the production in 04,
the early cars have a very stiff suspension, after mid 04 the factory installed softer suspension.

You might need shocks and springs.

I am running koni yellow adjustable shocks and koni springs on my 05, the ride for the street is adjusted softer than stock.

Hope this help

Victor

 

Lower your tire pressure more and get some 15" tires. If you have 15", run about 30PSI. Also you can look into Koni FSD dampers, they smooth out the ride quite a bit.

Check this link out for Koni FSD impressions by Mini owners.
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...light=koni+fsd

 

Are you running run hard/flat tires? If you are you may think about some regular tires. This will help make the ride a bit smoother. I guess that if you wanted a car that runs smooth you may have made the wrong choice. I love the ride of my MCS. I have a 99 chevy pickup and that rides like a dream compared to the MINI but I can't take the corners in it. I guess what I am saying is that sometimes you have to make hard choices.

 

Merged the two duplicate threads into the MINI Talk forum.

 

You sure that wasn't 03? I always thought my August 03 built MC had the slightly softer suspension. Different weight oil in the shocks or something like that.

 

Yes, I'm running 16" run flats. Do the Koni's make the ride smoother? Had a couple of Porsche 356s back in the 60's that I put Konis on and while it helped the cornering it seemed to be a harsher ride. This MC was produced in 03/04. First car I've owned, since those two, that is a blast to drive and if I could smooth out the ride I'd really be happy. Like the looks of the 16" wheels.

 

Rubber hardens over time.. runflats are already very non-forgiving... Get a set of non-run flats and you will be amazed.... it will feel like a new car..

 

The change to softer shocks was about 5/03, so you already have the
softer ones.
I have Bridgestone S-03's in 205/50/16's but they have relatively stiff
sidewalls, so for you, I'd recommend the Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3's in
that size for a great softer riding and better performing summer tire.
If you see any snow, or sustained cold temps, you need a winter set of
wheels and tires to go with that, or another good choice would be the
all season Pirelli PZero Nero M&S.

 

I'll second that suggestion, I am running 205/50/16 Eagle F! G3-D3's and they made a big difference in ride from the 17" inch runflats I had...of course, I also increased the sidewall with the change from 17 to 16.

 

sounds like the tire pressure is too high.
the sticker in my vehicle states 30 psi all around for the 16" runflats.
going up to 32 psi all around makes my vehicle feel like it's riding
on solid rubber wheels.

 

What about Koni shocks along with the tires? Would that help the ride over the chuckholes? I'm not talking about deep chuckholes, just small indentations in the pavement really get this little baby clunking.

 

I wouldn't change a thing until you first ditch the run-flats. That'll make a huge difference. That said, the MINI ride isn't squishy soft and isn't supposed to be, so you may have to get adjusted to it a bit....it is fantastic!!! Personally I wouldn't even consider changing shocks unless you have a very purposeful reason for doing so. Even if you were tuning the suspension, a rear sway bar would be the place to start. Again, begin w/ the runflats.

 

Pretty much everything has been covered to offer a better ride:
1. Run lower tire pressures
2. Switch to non-runflat tires (ideally with a little taller sidewall)
3. Install Koni FSD struts - get a better/smoother ride, and better handling

 

I really like the new tires suggestions. I switched the runflats to Yoko AVS ES100 (205/50/16). Hard bumps are still somewhat jarring, but I'm amazed at the improvement over ligher bumps like tar strips and railroad tracks. My car was built 04/04, which is close to yours, so I'd definitely look into changing the tires. And lower that air pressure.