hm... was thinking about dropping mine a bit, but seeing that i nearly scrape my air damn when i drive up /down my apartment's 2nd story parking structure... pretty steep. (live here during the weeks) , kinda gets me thinking, if i can get up it at all if i lower it (without scraping).

hm.. kinda got lost in all the technical talk...
but i have to say that the stock ride is really quite nice... my friend has a rsx-s and i have to say that ride isn't that nice on the freeways/local streets (compared to my mini)..

i'll be driving around on streets (LA/OC), and it's pretty smooth, even though the road seem to be falling apart.

but was wondering, do you guys mostly notice the difference of the ride mostly when going over bumps?

because i'll be willing to lower it, as long as if it's not that much of a noticeable difference...(can't stand how much gap there is)

 

I'll be lowering this weekend.

The only way you'll come close to understanding the ride tradeoffs is to ride in different setups and even then, a short ride isn't going to be like living with it.

 

Yup, good eye! They are 17x7.5, which seems to be a really good size to match the larger R56 wheelwells. The only issue with them is that they have a hub bore that is 1mm too large, and a .5mm hubcentric ring may be a little hard to come by I have 14->12mm conversion studs on the car currently for autoX, so I don't have to worry about it.

-----------------------------------------

IMHO, if you lower the car, you'll be spending money on either adjustable camber arms or tires, so you might as well install the arms while you have the car jacked up for the springs

As far as ride quality goes, the R53 was harsh in stock form, and equally harsh after the lowering springs. It just looked a lot better after being dropped. The R50 with stock, non-sport springs was significantly better. On the stock R56, the ride was a tiny bit too soft, but liveable. However, I just couldn't stand how high the car sits. Adding the coilovers added a lot of adjustability (and subtracted a lot of height), but we're still testing different setups to enable the full range of settings from 'stock soft' to 'filling-rattling hard'

 

Dunno if this has been asked yet but I'll go for it. Has anyone lowered with mach v's with stock suspension not the sport one. If so did you just replace the springs?

 

I can assure you, the roads in my area are far from smooth! It seems all I do is hit bumps, yet the ride is undoubtedly better than stock.

What I recognized is with the OEM springs, many bumps would unsettle the car, causing lots of vertical movement. This is where the argument surfaces that the R56 is "under damped". With the reduced suspension travel this tendency has been all but eradicated. Another thing to note is I had my bump stops shaved in half and the springs I went with (Eibach) has the least amount of drop (1.2"). Therefore my suspension travel wasn't reduced quite as drastically.

Exactly. Not sure if I just got lucky or what, but with the Eibach's I was able to get my suspension completely back in spec with nothing more than an alignment.

I have them in gunmetal so I know those wheels!!! Did you paint them or were they purchased that way?
Definitely agreed that they're the perfect size for the R56; especially in combination with 'oversized' tires (215/45/17). Even so I couldn't help but to lower it.

Check out this thread - it has been done. Many owners have added them while keeping the rest of the suspension stock and not had any problems.
Granted no one will know for sure just how much of a beating the R56 OEM shocks can take for quite awhile.

 

Lowered Looks great! That was one of the first things I did to my R53!

 

Does anyone have a photo of a lowered car with flame spokes?

 

Here is a lowered Flame Spoked MINI.

 

Well, there's two parts of the question. The rubber hangy-down thing in the front hangs down VERY low. It's basically a soft rubber skirt. For me it was always scraping on stuff, even when the car was at full ride height. Lowered, it scrapes more.

Then there's the actual plastic bumper part. I've never really had any trouble with scraping that, before or after lowering. The black plastic front under-spoiler doesn't have any serious gouges in it. Part of that is that although the car is now lower, it's also stiffer, so it doesn't bounce so much when you're going in or out of a driveway. Plus, the front overhang on this car is minimal, so the approach angle isn't that bad.

As for that soft skirt thing, it costs almost nothing ($12?) to replace, so I'm not worried about that. When it gets ratty looking I'll pop a new one on.

--Dan
Mach V

 

I also forgot to mention tire/wheel choice will influence alignment. My tires are lower profile and wider than stock and increased negative camber before I installed the springs...

 

Do you guys recommend the H&R springs? It's for my R55 Clubman S.

link


Thanks!

 

I like H&R. They are good quality IMHO. I have their RSS coilovers.

 

My Cooper with the JCW suspension was low enough that when there was unplowed snow on the road that other cars had already "squished" down, I'd still make contact with that snow.

My new MCS, completely stock, does not have this problem.

So, for me, lowering is not a must.

 

To be totally honest, I wouldn't lower a Clubman. It has more room for passengers, more room for cargo, and a longer wheelbase.
Why spoil it's functionality?
If you went to an oversize tire it would take up some of the gap, correct some of the speedo error, and even improve the comfort of the ride....

 

How would lowering the car spoil its functionality? You mean they'll bottom out more when the car is full of passengers/cargo?

 

Right --- longer wheelbase would make up-hill driveways more challenging. And I don't think it's going to make it very comfortable when there's a full load; the shorter springs give you more visceral feedback from the road as it is...

 

Tried to post a pic, but I'm an idot! Wanted to show off my lowered Mini.

 

Msteadman (or anyone else),
After reading this thread, it looks like the Eibach's are the right fit for me (looks great on your car, BTW). However, I've looked at a few of the approved vendor sites, and none of them indicate that the Eibach's they carry fit the R56.
Can someone tell me the Eibach pro kit p/n that fits R56?

Thanks!

 

wheres the cheapest place to buy eibach springs?

 

R56 MCS Eibach #5705.140

 

im not sure but i wouldnt put springs on the clubman that are made for the r56... at least not yet.

The clubman is obviously heavier than the r56 so the springs may not be stiff enough.

 

Check my gallery. I have low before and after shot. I suggest to spray paint that silver metal arm, my babe looks much better after painted.

 

It's purely for the looks and (a bit) to improve handling. I don't really use the backseats and the trunk is just perfect. Lowering it by 1.4 inches would make it just perfect.

 

They are designed for the R55.

http://thecarscene.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=5262

 

Looks stunning with the lowering kit! I see you have Eibach springs, by how much did they lower your car?