Yes, real shock absorbers that actually absorb shock. For over 9200 miles, I have bounced from bump to bump. It was the worst feature of my MCS. I added a 19mm H-Sport rsb and it really helped the handling, but the Koni Sport shocks I had installed today REALLY made my MINI so much better.
I have read so many posts here and elsewhere that the shocks are crap--believe it.
I also had the bump stops cut about an inch all round. Even with my base MCS suspension, most of the jarring from a big bump was the bumpstops. I now have suspension travel.
I have only driven about 20 miles on my newly modded suspension and it is SOOOOOOO much better. I still have my run flats, but it feels and rides like a BMW 328i with 17" wheels and sport suspension.
I also had the camber mod on the front suspension and a full alignment. It was not cheap, but worth every cent.

 

It never ceases to amaze me how some well thought out suspension mods can totally transform the MINI. Enjoy your new 'ride'.

 

My new setup will be here Friday. ST coilovers and a 22mm sway bar. Might be a little bit rough but I can't wait!

 

That's great to hear. Even my JCW struts after 44K miles must have leaked out "worn in" as cornering is no wheres near as good as they were new just two years ago and ride height is not to spec any longer.

Heard the Koni FSD's were nice, as well as the Bilstein HD's so they are at the top of my list for next purchases.

 

What is this camber mod you speak of, Claud?

 

The front suspension has no camber adjustment and no negative camber. The front shock towers have slots where the shocks can be pushed inboard and you will get some negative camber on the front. Some negative camber is good for handling (up to about - 2 degrees for street).

 

The stock shocks are made by Delphi, and I'd be willing to bet they don't cost Mini more than $10 apiece for the rears, MAYBE slightly more for the fronts. This is hardly unusual with OEM shocks - most cars have extremely low-quality stockers that are typically shot by the time your car reaches 20-30k miles or less.

The 2 best bang-for-the-buck mods you can do for your Mini is any sort of suspension upgrade that INCLUDES shock replacement (too many people cheap out and replace springs but leave the stockers in place - bad idea), and ditching the runflats. Anybody who has done it will attest. Many who have not will argue that runflats are great, that stock shocks are "fine" with lowering springs, etc. But those who have experienced both worlds know better.

 

I would love to get rid of the run flats, but at 9000 + miles the fronts have about 3000 miles left on them and the rears which are now on the front look almost new. I need to do an HPDE weekend and wear them down.

 

Claud
What settings did you start with on the adjustment?
Thanks, Steve

 

Love my Koni Yellows too. They improve the ride a lot and is a good idea for the MINI.

 

I have them on the softest setting. I want these shocks to break in and the suspension to settle before I do springs and rear camber links which is when I may adjust them harder.

 

hi claud!

wow, that sounds amazing - the only thing i don't like about my MCS is the bumpiness (my car has the sport package too, which i imagine makes it bumpier!)! do you have to buy both front and rear shock absorbers to do this? how much did it cost you? thanks!

 

I have Koni Sport Shocks on my BMW and absolutely love them, I probably wont replace the stockers till they are worn out though.

 

I did front and back. I shopped the internet for the best price inc. shipping. --around $800 and a few. Installation, 4 wheel alignment, cut bumpstops and front shock towers negative camber mod, $525.

 

The stock shocks are downright dangerous. The whole car loses grip and shimmies sideways if you hit a mid-corner bump with stock shocks

 

I have the standard suspension with the stock shocks and original Continential A/S tires and I think the ride is "pretty good". I've thought about changing the shocks to Koni FSD's but can't believe the ride would be that much better. I've only got 18k miles on the car, maybe when I hit 50k, I'll change them out.

 

I just set the front shocks to as hard as they will go and it is still not as hard as the stock shocks. That might have to do with the springs though. I want to tighten the back up but I got to figure out how to get there.

 

I am running stock shocks with H&R sport springs. I had the head tech guy at my MINI dealership do the install as a side job. He told me that MINIs were made to go low and it would be all good to run the stock shocks. I believed him at first... but now my ride quality is so miserable, you wouldn't believe it. My roads aren't even that bad. When I'm on the highway I have to constantly watch for every single tiiiny raise in the pavement, because I know that if I don't, I'll be in for quite the surprise when I am thrown all about the car. I went on a 500 or so mile road trip and oh boy... bad. At first I appreciated it because I thought it gave my car a little bit of a "rough, sporty" feel, but now it's just miserable to deal with. I will end up replacing the shocks eventually, hopefully that would help.

 

Ok, so I know nothing about doing this work myself so I will be going retail for this. Where do I go to get new shock absorbers installed? Do I ask for the Koni's? Does this void the warranty in any way? I just got my 2007 and the RF's are almost brand new, so I will not be replacing them. I like the safety factor too much and had not even thought of better shock absorbers. My daily drive has some pretty bad road surfaces to I need help.

 

Would appreciate the info here too! Are there cheaper shock absorbers that are still good? $800 is a lot!

 

Thanks for the info! Much more expensive than I thought!

 

Bilsteins and Konis cost similar and both are good. If not lowering, Bilstein HD and Koni FSD are a bit cheaper.

 

This is true.

This is not.

With a few exceptions, OEM dampers are not universally low quality. Unless you are spending big bucks on high-end coilovers, OEM dampers are normally better quality than aftermarket dampers. They are also designed to last 100,000 miles, and the vast majority of the time, they actually do.

Most ride issues that creep up in the 1st 30-40K miles are related to worn bushings or tires.

 

Does anyone know if there are front camber plates that will fit the Koni yellows?

And posted above yes there are few exceptions but in the MINI the stock OEM shocks are crap. They ride like your on a brick and though the MINI handles good with them. A nice spring and shock combination transforms the whole car into something a lot nicer. Coilovers are great too but unless you know what you are doing you can get a set with the adjustments in the world and absolutely screw you ride quality up by not adjust them right. Also with coilovers it is a great idea to get them corner balance for the best possible performance.