Hi all

I have a 2008 Cabrio Cooper S sidewalk that I absolutely love. A year ago I took off the stupid run-flat tires, and with normal tires the ride really improved.

I now have to commute an hour to work, over bad Californian highways - can anyone recommend if there are any other modifications I can make to soften the ride - I am getting bounced around like a tossed salad :-)

All advice is most welcome.

Phil M
Pleasanton, CA

 

Dropping from a 17 inch wheel to a 16 inch or a 15 inch will give you a smoother ride. I'd recommend 15 inch wheels with nice soft all season tires.

 

I've already done that - I dropped down to 16" wheels with nice soft tires. Just wondering if there is anything additional I can do.

Phil

 

Koni FSD shocks will improve the ride. They make bumps feel less sharp and jarring.

 

^ +1

I believe Tire Rack has them on sale for $550.

 

I second that!

Ken

 

How do the FSD shocks affect the handling? would they be an upgrade from stock for the daily driver and occasional autox?

 

FSD's are an upgrade from stock for both ride and handling. Under steady pressure while cornering and braking, they are actually stiffer than stock, yet they give way when responding to bumps, hence the "Frequency Selective" in the name.

Search FSD in this forum for feedback. Here's one thread:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-question.html

Here is TireRack's test:
http://www.tirerack.com/suspension/tests/koni_fsd.jsp
http://www.tirerack.com/suspension/tests/koni_fsd_b.jsp

 

Better shocks and higher profile tires are really the only two ways. Do not consider softer springs. You must be very sensitive to the ride, though. I live in the Bay Area as well and I'm running Hankook Ventus V12 Evo's at 215/40-18 on a JCW cabriolet. Yes there are some harsh moments, but I watch where I'm going and for the most part, it's smooth as silk.

 

What rkw said is exactly my experience. The FSDs have better controlled handling while taking out the rough "banging" on patchy, pot-holey pavement, ridges and RR tracks. In fact, the faster you drive the smoother they become. Fantastic! You can hit an unmaintained RR crossing at 60 and it's nothing. Of course the car still follows the undulations of the pavement (low frequency bumps) even more accurately.

I had them installed professionally at a performance shop. The car now seems more directionally stable and steering wheel seems more centered than before. I'm thinking the Koni's maybe are manufactured more precisely than stock, or just the R&R caused everything to settle. Just not sure. Anyway - the best money I ever spent. Now I go for the rough roads on purpose just to feel the car's suspension doing its job.

I see you have a cabrio. Mine is an '06 Cabrio S. Cabrios need extra bracing to take out the cowl shake. I also put on 22mm rear bar, stressed coil tower bar, and trapezoid-shaped frame brace under the engine, and tower plates UNDER the tower to prevent bulging. Now, with the shocks the whole package is truly sweet - the way Minis are meant to be.

 

Like most have said Koni FSD's are a good easy option, and right now we have the Koni 44% off sale going
http://www.waymotorworks.com/koni-fsd-shocks.html

 

I was actually informed by someone at your shop that a good solution to improve handling was to replace the springs instead of the shocks. I was told that the shocks were plenty firm, and that the weak link was in fact the springs---they were too soft. When you replace the springs, the smaller bumps and rough stuff were greatly smoothed out and control was improved. Bigger bumps were still a bit jarring however.
So I'm a bit confused, which is true?

 

The trick is to find a balance between spring rate and the damping performance of the shock. Springs, of course, support the weight of the vehicle and provide resistance to body roll and the wheel's movements due to bumps, potholes, etc. Shocks control excessive movement of the wheel/suspension. Think of your wheel as a bell. You want the bell (wheel) to react to external forces but you don't want it to go on ringing (occilating up and down, for instance). Ideally, your wheel will react to a bump, your spring will compress a bit and then extend again and that's it. The shock will prevent the wheel and suspension from continuing to move up and down uncontrolably. I'm sure you've seen cars with compltely shot shocks and seen how the wheels are constantly bobbing up and down.

For me, the shocks are the most important thing. The springs on my JCW cabriolet are already pretty stiff and I like the ride as it is. I also don't want to fool with the ride height because I like the current look and I'm running 215's and I'm not rubbing, even in long, hard sweepers. So, when I make a suspension upgrade, I'll choose some good aftermarket shocks and leave the springs stock.

If you are happy enough with your current ride (not too hard but not too much body roll in long corners, then I'd stick with the stock springs and upgrade the shocks. But, if you find that the car rolls too much in the long corners or is simply too soft, I'd consider a spring upgrade. Or the other way if it's hardly rolling in long corners and is kinda harsh, then maybe a softer spring might help. However, if you go with a softer spring, expect more body roll, some of which can be helped with upgrading the sway bars.

It's all about finding the right balance. That's why working with a good shop with experience tweaking the Mini's suspension is a good idea. And if they have a modified Mini you can test drive, even better.

Good luck.

 

Good shock/bell analogy. I think my ride height is just right, so I wouldn't want to tinker with that, but body roll is a TAD excessive. Overall, I think my quest centers around better control and handling, but like the original poster, more comfort from holes and ruts too. Does that sound possible? I also wish there was shop near me that specialized in MINIs with the kind of test mule you mention. That would make my decision much easier.

 

What model Mini do you have and how is it set up or optioned? Mine is an '06 cabriolet with all the JCW options. However, I don't think it has JCW suspension, just the sport suspension option just below the JCW option. ('Could be wrong, though.) Anyway, my car is heavier than the hardtop Minis (and I'm no lightweight myself) and according to some friends who have followed me in very spirited driving, they say my body roll is nearly nonexistent. Even though, to me inside the car, it seems like I have some. So, perhaps you should have an outside observer check your body roll. Maybe have them film it and then you can see for yourself.

Quality shocks can make a huge difference because often they are technologically superior to the stock shocks. For instance, some shocks will actually damp differently depending upon the speed of the impact to the shock and how hard the impact is and how far the shock compresses. Lots of highly refined valving and other technology goes into this and it makes a huge difference in road feel and performance. You can have a performance shock that actually gives you a softer, smoother ride just goin' down the road, while at the same time, performs way better than the stock shock when the pace picks up.

 

We have similar cars. Mine is an 05 MCS convertible, with probably the same suspension. I have an upper strut tower bar from M7, a lower X brace, and a rear 19mm solid sway bar from Alta. The X brace made the most noticeable improvement in handling, and overall it handles much better than stock. I just want (NEED) that little extra control.

I just got back from driving it, and I tried to push it a little more around some sweeps going onto the highway just to test it, and you're probably right--it handles adequately with not too much roll. I would think that better shocks would tighten it up that much more, enough to satisfy me.

 

Interesting. How would you characterize the difference that the X brace made? I do not have one. I'm also running the JCW front strut brace.

 

The X brace makes the car track much better on rough, washboard type surfaces, and there isn't as much shake over potholes. Its just a little firmer over potholes, but very little. I can direct you to the guy that made it for me, but it would have to be through a PM. I was given a slap on the wrist by the monitors for promoting him--an unregistered vendor. He did a fabulous job though.

 

Referring to my #10 post above. I would say you don't need stiffer springs. The Koni FSDs are stiffer than the OEM and will control body movements more, while at the same time the selective damping feature will soften the sharp bumps.

Also, you may need a little more anti-sway bar. I installed the 22mm bar, and it seems to control lean pretty well. In fact, I have cornered fast enough to slide, (throttle neutral or slightly pulling) and the car felt balanced, in that the back end did not kick out. I have the bar on the softest setting to achieve a smoother body roll for street use. That setting is still 234% of stock (stock bar is 100% of stock, so my setting is twice as stiff as stock plus 34% more).

This weekend I drove on a gravel logging road that was washboard and full of potholes. The car felt solid - stiffer springs would have been too jarring. The Koni FSDs did their job.

You said something about sharper control. Maybe there is a bushing issue, such as the lower control arm bushing. They go bad after a while, I'm told.

 

Thats interesting. I don't THINK my bushings are worn, but its possible. I have 32k on the car, and everything feels good....but its 6 years old. I thought of going to a 22mm bar, but it frankly scares the hell out of me if the back end were to kick out in a fast corner. I ain't no Mario Andretti, but I drive like him sometimes.

I have heard about the lower control arms going, or that they are just too soft to begin with for some. People on here have gotten the poly ones, but I think it makes it a little too rough for daily driving--for some people anyway. Mine is a daily driver, and I don't want to put them on only to regret it with poor ride quality later. Its a fine line sometimes.

 

Keep in mind, the best suspension solutions are those where the springs and shocks are 'matched' or 'tuned' for optimal performance. When you change the spring or shocks and not the other, the performance may not be ideal.

The FSD's were designed to work with stock spring rates, so you can be assured of their compatibility.

As a user of FSD's on our 05 MCc, I can assure you the ride will be improved.

 

So the shocks are a better upgrade than changing the springs to say, TSW's?

 

Generally speaking, the shocks are almost always the better upgrade. Unless your use of the car is going to be radically different from what the manufacturer originally intended. For instance, if it's still a street car, likely the stock springs will be fine for 95+% of all the drivers out there. However, if it was going to be just a track car, or you really just like a stiffer setup, then it would make sense to upgrade the springs.

Go with the shock upgrade. Then maybe fool with things like sway bars, suspension adjustments, and better tires.

What kind of tires are you running and how much pressure do you put in them?

 

I run BF Goodrich Potenza RE760--a summer tire--and swap to a set of steels with snow tires in the winter. I use the recommended 38 psi. Nothing fancy.
One more thing--what about KONI coilovers? Even better, or not worth it?