Bilstein B4 shocks for a better ride ?
 

Hi all
Has anyone changed the stock sport shocks on 2012 R56 Cooper S in chasing a more compliant ride ?
Mine is extremely, painfully stiff, and with our roads around Boston area, I am starting to challenge my wife's sanity and the integrity of the interior.... everything suffers due to potholes, all plastics start to shake lately..
I have good experience with Bilstein shocks on my beemer... Very nice ride and sporty altogether. Anyone tried them?

Many thanks

What size tires and wheels are in there now?

Does it have stock shocks and stock springs?



.

I assume you are not on run-flats, and using 16" or 17" rims - true?

'cause run-flats will ruin your kidneys around Boston.

I'm on the B8, which are stiff. I have not tried the B4.

I autocross in the summer, and pothole-dodge in winter just to stay in practice.

Nice quality shocks - I reckon the Koni is also a good alternative from past usage.

But first - lose the run-flats if you haven't yet done so.

Cheers,

Charlie

no run flats... regular allseasons and stock 17 " wheels and suspension

We've installed every different combo of shocks with stock springs and we have found the KONI FSDs to give the best ride. The B4s are more like a cheaper replacement shock, rather than an upgrade.
https://www.waymotorworks.com/koni-f...5-r56-r57.html

I have new Bilstein B4s on my 2004 R53 but I also have the Sport Plus suspension which is approx. 20% stiffer. Shocks perform just fine but it's difficult to compare the ride quality difference because of the stiffer springs. I can't imagine that any MINI with its short wheelbase has a "LazyBoy" ride.

Thanks; but did you see an improvement in ride quality when going to the Bilsteins as opposed to stock? Mine also has the Sport suspension...

Initial thought: Your coil spring rate counts more toward your ride quality than do your shocks. That Sport Plus suspension is simply unforgiving and I don't believe different shocks (B4s are the softest) are going to affect the ride quality as much as you would like. Second thought: has your MINI been lowered? If so, that stiffens the spring rate even more. BTW, good luck driving in Boston. I've never driven anywhere more confusing! :impatient:

Thanks; I know about Boston. Thing is, my 335i or my Shelby are both easier to drive on potholes, believe it or not, than the Mini... This thing just rattles and shakes violently, and jumps all over. The Mini is completely stock, no change to it whatsoever... I will need to get under it and double check, but it looks stock, definitely not lowered.
Check my pics here; not a great side pic, but you can tell it's not lowered:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-new-mini.html

Toprque123, How many miles on your car?

If you really want a great setup... I agree with Way.

Run the FSD's, get a great set of 16" wheels and tires, NON run Flats.
You can sell your R133 17's ON CL for more, than a good set of OE MINI 16's and tires
http://minicooper.wikia.com/wiki/OEM_Wheels_and_Tires

I was on the fence with the FSD's until I rode in an R56 with them.... Night and day improved in ride and handling compared, back/back with a stock low mile car of the same vintage and model. On the same car this weekend, I helped her install the WMW hollow rear bar in addition to the FSD's she just had installed... huge improvement in flat cornering... I'll probably be running the same setup on my R53!

She has the R119 wheels with Kumho Ecsta 4x II's (Ultra high perf all season)

To me, this would be the ultimate package for excellent, non-racing, handling AND good ride quality.
Kumho ECSTA 4X II - SIZE: 195/55R16
16" factory mini wheels (lots on CL and ebay in top shape used) (im a big fan of the R90-16 OEM Mini's) for looks.
Koni FSD or the Koni Special Active 'red' shocks (same shock internally)
WMW rear sway bar.

You'll love the handling AND the ride.
With nice wheels and tires, you will have the same handling as your 17's... as good 16's will not be the limiting factor in that regard.

MINI R90 in black.
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.nor...e8660bc50a.jpg


Looks like MINI R133 wheels??
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.nor...6c12b71042.jpg




.

Many thanks; the car has 54k now. I don't really want to go 16" wheels, unless I buy some snow tires just for winter.... I will most likely grab some Koni FSD's as everyone is raving about them ; and do a suspension re-haul this spring.
I did drive another Mini before this one, but I think that one did not have the Sport suspension, as it was a tad smoother on the road and had 16" wheels (still stiff mind you).

The damper makes a big difference, but the Mini ends up being really rough because there just isn't a lot of suspension travel to work with. I've had cars similar in weight with much stiffer springs that rode better than the Mini does. With such little travel I think the damper is going to be the bigger deciding factor - it needs to be well controlled. I'm trying to decide between the B4 and the FSD for mine like OP.

The Mini is the roughest driving car I've ever owned - including a bunch of lowered BMWs on coilovers that I drove in Boston. The Mini doesn't have a lot of travel or as much caster as the BMWs from the feel of it - every impact seems to pull it off it's line, the whole thing is pretty jarring. It's a blast on smooth roads though hah!

I literally chucked the rear Bilstein B4s on my 2002 R53 and had Koni FSDs with Powerflex top bushings installed today. (The Bilsteins had just 20K miles on them.)
Sure, the B4s were stiff but they crashed when hitting potholes and made the rear end skittish.
I also had ongoing issues with thumping noises in the rear end that I couldn't figure out, especially when cold. It was driving me crazy trying to track them down.
Those noises are gone now with the FSDs.

I took the MINI out for a 30 mile loop on our wonderful backroads and found the car to be quieter, more planted and the rear feels more like a modern car.
It feels, dare I say it, like a BMW. Solid. There's significantly less body noise and rattles, too. It doesn't feel like I'm beating me and the car to death.
These folks who treat you with disdain if you indicate you want a softer are ride are annoying. We're not looking for a Cadillac ride.
I've driven 911s without getting bashed to death and a MINI should be able to do the same. Yes, I do have DriveGuard run flats.
You need compliance, otherwise, you're just skiing over the tops of moguls, bashing yourself and out of control.

Way's right. Go with the FSDs. It takes just as long to install a good shock as the cheap B4s. Wish I hadn't wasted my money on the first go-around.
When I got home, I ordered Koni FSDs for the front. Can't wait. My wife might even want to go for a ride with me now.

2009 Mini Cooper S Hardtop Coupe, In Need Of New shocks
 

Hello Friends:

My 2009 Mini Cooper S Hardtop Coupe is in need of new shocks.

Currently has approx. 45,500 miles:
16" OEM wheels
Continental Sport Contact, run-flat tires, OEM (195-55-16)

So this would be the first set of replacement shocks. I'm mostly looking for good quality OEM replacements. I've much experience in the past with Bilstein, H&R, and Koni products (in my Honda Integra days). I was always happy with Bilstein.

Would the Bilstein B4's provide at least equal performance compared to the OEM models? Or slightly better? Equal or better durability?

Would the Bilstein B6's provide significant performance upgrade compared to the OEM models?

Appreciate your help!
Dave
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.nor...720efd93a.jpeg


Or

Thread fyi:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ew-shocks.html

guess I'm feeling exactly the same as you. My 2009 Mini drives somewhat "harsh" when encountering bumps, etc.,...and hard in general. My wife always complains about it as well. Yes, I'm using run-flats too. I'm looking for a "progressive" suspension, however with a more smooth ride. And not a "Cadillac". I may look into the Koni's.

So what about the Bilstein B6's?

I'd like to do this once

I switched to Michelin tires that weren't run-flats about the same time as I installed the Konis. They helped immensely and felt like I was riding on big rubber donuts compared to the Bridgestone Driveguards. Loved those tires; they never squealed when cornering.
My R53 died a year ago July, so, I'm basing my comments on my memories of a car I haven't driven in a year and a half. Let the part out begin!

I replaced the Mini with a 2017 VW e-Golf with 20K miles on it. It double bounced over one particular dip in the road so I replaced the worn factory shocks with Bilstein B6s. I like them as they're firm and don't crash but I can't comment on how they'd work on a Mini.

The Bilstein B4 would be comparable to an OEM replacement shock. The B6/B8 are a performance oriented mono-tube replacement - the B8 being specifically designed for lowering springs. (B6 and B8 have the same damping design characteristics)

The Komi offerings are slightly different. The Komi ‘Special Active’ (or whatever they call them now) are designed as a stock replacement, and have been designed to provide a comfortable ride during commuting driving, and a sporty feel during more aggressive driving. However, they will not work with springs designed to lower the car more than 1/4”. The Komi Yellow shocks are an adjustable damping performance shock.

As much as I hate to recommend Koni, their special active shocks paired with non-run flat tires might be the combination you’re after. Depending on the size tires on the car now, might go to a 205/50-16 to get a little bit more cushion against the road. (Looks like you’ve got 16’s now)

yeah, back in my Acura Integra days (1990's) I used Bilstein's ("HD" & coil-over's), I loved them, provided a nice firm ride.

However, as I'm starting to realize (owning my 2009 Mini going on 15 years now), it is a different animal. And I guess the run-flat tires are a big part of the reason, they have very firm sidewalls, making for a noticeably hard ride (although I've gotten used to it). When you ride over a sudden bump the car will make a loud "bang" sometimes.

So, how did your R53 "die"? Major failure? (engine? transmission?....I'm curious?).

really appreciate your input.

Yeah, after reading-up on the Koni "Special Active" shocks I have a better understanding of their engineering concept (mechanical function), I'm mostly impressed. I'm leaning towards going with the Koni's (w/OEM springs), and the Continental Sport Contact (run-flat) tires I've been running (195-55-R16).

I'd swap-over to conventional tires, however, I'm a little paranoid operating without a spare tire these days (being in a wheelchair, I drive using hand-controls). I'm looking for a more "comfortable" ride, with some capability to have a little fun when I feel like it, like when I'm on the road on a trip. I don't drive (as aggressive) as I used to, it's not even worth it living in L.A., it's crazy out there ;)

The Bilstein (mono-tube) B6's sound intriguing, although I'm thinking they will provide more of a "hard" ride combined with the run-flat tires? I don't know? It was also mentioned to me that the Bilstein's (B6's & B8's) will change the ride height (lower)? even using the stock OEM springs?
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.nor...6b8293d75.jpeg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.nor...0847349c0.jpeg

Yeah, the B6/B8 shocks probably aren’t for you. They will make the ride firm, but controlled. They certainly won’t make the ride more compliant.