are the Front Koni's adjustable?

 

Koni Yellow's are adjustable, FSD's are not.

 

thnx for the reply!

so, can Koni Yellows be used with OEM springs and/or lowered springs?

edit: just looked up the website and saw that it can be used with lowering springs.

 

David
Bought my Koni FSD's from WMW. Great price ..$625. The install is not going to be anything near inexpensive. The only shop in my area is the dealer. Good news... they will install with no worries regarding warranty issues. Bad news... $375 for the fronts & $225 for the rears. The alignment costs an additional $149. So the install is going to cost a bunch above the parts cost. Wonder if I should have stuffed a seat cushion with 20 dollar bills instead.

 

find a good independent mechanic and he will install it in about 3-4 hours.

 

Well I finally did it. "It" as bought the FSD's. Thanks James. Had them installed a couple of weeks ago. On the way home ~ 45 min trip, I kept wondering if I was delusional. NEver has a ride changed so dramatically. Very smooth and gone with the harshness. When I got home, she who must be obeyed asked the one word question "well?". I tired to downplay my enthusiasm so as not to influence her impression. Keep in mind this is the sweetie who refused to travel in the Mini because of the harsh ride. The next morning we went out for b'fast & she insisted we take the Mini. After about 5 minutes of silence she looked at me and said "this ride is as good as my Lexus". To which I just smiled and said "really?" She's right though, it does ride as good as the Lexus. Next topic: It occurred to me that Mini and Koni are both missing a bet. If Mini offered the FSD's as a suspension option, Koni would be happy, Mini would be happy and all the future Mini customers would be really happy... call it a win win win situation. I tried to contact Koni but their website has no provision for people to contact them. Anybody have some sort of contact number/address for Koni????. Also, the area rep for Mini will be in town next week so my dealer is going to hook me up with him. It's a pretty daunting task ... getting one large corporation to move on something of this scale but getting 2 such corps to move is more than twice as difficult. Bottom line we'll see what happens. Anddddddddd my advice is DO THE FSD.

 

Thanks for posting your thoughts on the FSDs. My girl's 2008 S has 140k miles and the suspension is more than ready to be changed.

Im definitely going to go for the FSDs to quell the harsh ride.

My concern is that the springs are also needing to be changed after 140 k miles.

Do you guys agree?

Lex

P.S. https://www.fcpeuro.com has them for $625 for pre 2008 cars, for the N14 Cooper S https://www.importrp.com has them (part 2100-4099) for $740 delivered, was cheapest I could find.

 

Springs don't have to be replaced if there is no sagging. However, you if you feel you need to replace them, you can probably pick up a lightly used stock set off the NAM market place for not too much money. Remember, the FSDs shouldn't be used with any lowering springs, which most of the aftermarket springs are going to be.

 

Yes exactly. I need OEM springs. 140k miles they have to be sagging slightly. I dont want to do this twice.

PELICAN Parts has a very nice webpage and tech articles but they dont sell OEM springs. Id rather not buy used suspension parts just for the hassle and uncertainty but will look into it.

I need to find a a parts lists needed for suspension swap. I also plan to do lower control arm bushings, sway bar bushings and ball joints at same time. Maybe endlinks too.

Can you guys list what parts the FSD kit came with as opposed to what I need to buy in addition? Like Bump stops and other hardware?

 

Here is a great place to look up parts:
http://www.penskeparts.com/fiche.aspx?brand=mini
But, I don't see springs there either. I wonder if you need your VIN to order those; I know that to buy the JCW springs, you need to do it with the VIN.

I would also check with Way motors for parts, including the springs.

The way I remember it when I put the FSDs into a prior MINI of mine, it was a one for one swap and the instructions told me what I needed to transfer of the stock parts. I think that included the bumper stops, but you might want to replace those. Maybe someone who has recently made the switch can say for sure.

 

Thanks bro, you are too kind. Way Motor Works doesn't seem to sell the OEM springs. That Penske site has nice parts diagrams. Touche! Pelican also has a nice shopping interface.

My girl doesnt give a hoot about lowering or ride height, she just wants a smooth ride and so I am obliged to use OEM spring height which the FSDs were developed for use with. If it was up to me it would be KW V3 and dumped into the weeds...

Thanks again.

 

I put FSDs on our car over a year ago. The have almost 20K miles on them. The car is so much smoother and quieter with them. I installed new Continentals at the same time. The shocks are a straight replacement. Nothing else is needed -- all of the required parts are in the kit.


One word of caution!!!! The aluminum rear suspension arms are very soft. Tread softly when removing the lower shock bolts andx be sure to use anti sieze compound on them when you put them back in. It is very easy to strip the threading in the arm. VERY easy. DO NOT USE AN IMPACT WRENCH!!

 

So I dont need to buy new bump stops or spring pads etc? What about the front strut mounts? They dont have bearings in them?



Ah thanks for the advice on the aluminum suspension arms!

You're referring to?:

 

Yes it does....forget my last post. I need to change the following: Lemfoerder 31-30-6-772-749-M69

 

I did not change those mounts. I found no need to do so.

 

Are the jcw springs lower? Could you pair these shocks with same model year jcw springs as my mcs?

 

There are a lot of posts about the use of lowering springs and FSDs. The official answer is the FSDs should not be used with lowering springs. Something about damaging the internals. Now, does that mean that there are not lot of post with people saying they have used all sorts of lowering springs with the FSDs? No, just the opposite; people have done this. I, personally, would not go to the FSDs with the JCW springs.

 

The convention on other vehicles Ive done suspension on is to change those. Maybe the Mini design is more robust. Im gonna swap them at 140k miles just in case. I hate revisiting

Hey does the R56 have the strut tower deforming issue like the previous iterations of the Mini? Do I need reinforcing plates? http://www.madnessmotorworks.com/mad...nt-plates.aspx

I havent had the chance to examine the towers on this particular car yet.

Thanks gents.

 

The R56 shock towers are very robust and not prone to the muchrooming of the Gen Is.

Another option if you want to go new is to put in a set of IE fixed camber plates (Way moters again). These don't cost much more than new bearings and will give you a great handling feel without destroying tires or ride. So these are perfect for the street. IMHO these are the best handling mod you can make (better than an RSB...just my opinion, again) The are made from Z3 bearings (so I have heard) which are stronger than than stock but retain ride quality and these have a built-in plate if you are looking at added protection for the shock towers. This is the time to put them in if so interested. You could also put in a 19mm RSB while you are doing this and with the camberplates you will have transformed the handling while greatly improving the ride with the FSDs. Just sayin'...

As another option, I have a stock bearing set that came off my 2012 at about 10k or less that you can have for a really good price if you want...PM me if interested.

One last thing...In addition to what was said previously, the lower bolt that holds in the rear struts is self-tapping...Yes, there are no real threads in the aluminum control arm. This is why it may be a big problem if great care is not taken with them. Be very careful taking them out and putting them back in, as was said. With anti sieze you should be able to thread them in by hand, no tools, up until the point you will need to torque them.

 

Eddie07s,

Thanks for the great info! This is my girl's car which she bought very cheap from a friend. Has a lot of miles, 140k, and the suspension, control arm bushing and ***** joints are in need of R&R immediately.

I found the part youre referring to. Thanks much. In this case I know she doesnt give a hoot about handling...she just thinks its "cute"...what's a man to do.

While I have the attention of the experts, can you tell me if there is more than one ball joint on each front corner? Pelican Parts implies so but I cannot find more than one ball joint for each side.

Thanks Eddie,

Lex

 

How are the JCW springs not stock? I do not know the specs of them and wether or not they are lower than MCS springs. It just says that they are to be paired with stock springs; obviously they come stock with a JCW model.

 

In order for the dealer to select springs they need your vin number. Their software takes into account the options that were installed on your car and provided the proper part numbers.

 

It is not that they are not "stock", it is that they are "lowering" which is why it is recommended to not pair the FSDs with them.

 

I believe that the genius of the FSD lies in the first inch or so of suspension travel and if you lower the car you sort of bypass this.