For the pinch bolts on front...put as much on as you possibly can, especially if there is a chance that it will see any salt. Put it in the pinch slot too.

As for the back...personally I would put it on all of the bolts. I put it on the lower bolt and there was no loosening at all (I checked).

Actually, I put it on every threaded piece I take apart.

What aklucsarits said is very very important about starting the bolt in correctly. Remember, these bolts are self tapping. If they get at all hard to hand thread, start over. If you cross them up or there is a little misaligned you will chew up the threads in the aluminum which could lead to problems. But I found it relatively easy to get them out and put them back in. I put the "silver" (nickel based I think) colored antiseize on the threads and it worked well in the salt of upstate NY.

 

hmm interesting. thanks for the input all

 

Wrapped this up last night - I did go ahead and use antiseize on jsut about every bolt we removed and reinstalled, including the one in the rear trailing arm. No issues removing or retightening this bolt. everything lines up perfectly, and we just threaded it through by hand. Will post pics soon.

 

The Swift Spec-R and Bilstien B8's work great! Handles like a comfortable go-cart.

Have put about a 1,000 miles on the setup and only found one section of road that made me scratch my head. There must be rhythmic undulations in that section of road because I do not get it anywhere else.

The car is stiff and I am not so sure I would take it on a long trip, like across the USA but boy is it fine for a few hundred miles a day. UPDATE: I drove it to The Dragon and the trip was comfortable! Surprising me and my wife.

It goes where you point it and does so with the OEM alignment settings. If you think about aiming the car in a different path it goes there so you must pay attention, not like wallowing around on mushy suspension. I run 215/45 X 17 tires.

 

sounds like it runs very well! the swifts are very stiff, so it's not entirely surprising the ride is how it is. it's set up very sporty, and IMO it's a great set up. i noticed that too with my suspension - with how stiff everything is, it's a little more darty - need to pay just a little more attention to where im steering

 

can someone confirm this for me: sway bar endlinks should be tightened while the car is lowered on the ground, not while it is up in the air?

 

I found these instructions by one supplier and I'd be pretty sure that the procedures would hold true for any adjustable link. Lots of good stuff in this thread to catch up on.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...1875239442.jpg

 

thanks i think we're good. we used ramps to load the suspension to tighten the endlinks lol:

http://r56hs.com/2014/03/29/fat-cat-...pension-is-in/





And shot of suspension:



Not the prettiest thing in the world, but very very effective. had my first autox today. it was the bomb

 

I just finished a cross country trip to drive The Dragon. Went from Seattle to Virginia and to North Carolina and back through The Dragon. We took 3 weeks for the drive and went sightseeing along the way all the while dodging tornadoes, supersoaker rains, prairie grass fires and wrecks and made it through unscathed. No flats, or damage from the stiff suspension although I had my doubts with the many potholes and bridge seams(potholes on approach). We did encounter a large traffic cone that the wind blew over and right in front of the MINI at 45mph! My light bar stopped the damn thing from smashing in the front bodywork; just got the license plate and tweaked the alignment of my Hella Fogs.

So, all was well and my wife commented that the ride of 7,000 miles would have hurt her back if we had done the trip in the 2005 Honda Accord we had. The MINI seats fit us better!

The Bilstien B8's and the Swift Spec-R springs have my vote for performance. If we want a mushy/comfy ride we take the Cooper. The Cooper could benefit from smoother shocks and I am considering B4's, but not sure.

 

Kyoo:
Nice tip on loading the suspension for tightening things :-)

Stephen

 

sweet, thanks for the update. car sounds like it's performing well, which i'd expect it to. very legit setup there

 

any reason not to pair the bilstein b8 with eibach pro kit aka b12? and anywhere I can find a good deal on these items?

 

Isn't the B12 a complete coilover set? Why would you want to remove the B12 struts from the springs that they are designed to work with?

I used the B8's because I did not want an adjustable lowering system and I did not want to go to low. I wanted something that did minimal lowering yet maintained a solid sporty ride. The B8's w/Swift Spec-R springs did just that and it rides better than the OEM "Sport Suspension". The B12's lower the car 40mm according to TireRack.

I don't know is the Swift Spec-R's are a progressive spring or not.

 

B12 pro kit = B8 struts+Eibach Pro Kit springs, not a coilover kit. My question was any reason to go with B8+swift springs instead of eibachs.

 

It was the recommendation from RMW and since they have lots of experience in racing I went with them. Colin Greene sells them and he was correct about how well they handle.

I have never tried Eibach springs.

 

Eibach springs are awful. They give a reverse rake, are not stiff enough for the drop and are progressive.

Comfortable till you hit a big enough bump and possible worse handling than stock springs.

Swifts are exactly what I wanted and that's what I got. But with Koni yellows. 4.5K/5.5K isn't all that stiff. This is a daily driver that generally sees 500 miles a week. Haven't autocrossed it for a while since I use my Miata. But with a better alignment they'd compete with coilover setups.

 

My Swift Spec-R w/B8 Bilstiens rides smoother than the "Sport Suspension" that came as an option with my MINI. The Swift is a big comfort in comparison.

I tried the Koni FSD's and although they rode great with the Sport Suspension springs they would not keep from generating klunking noises after a thousand miles. I replaced them under warranty once where Koni said "They are defective" and gave me new ones (front were the problem) and after another thousand miles on the new ones they too start klunking. The ride was great BUT.

No problems with the Bilstien and the Swifts.

 

are you on stock bumpstops?

 

[QUOTE=Dr. Spade;4028566]Eibach springs are awful. They give a reverse rake, are not stiff enough for the drop and are progressive.

Comfortable till you hit a big enough bump and possible worse handling than stock springs.

Curious has to why the distaste for the Eibach springs. I've orderd the B12 Pro Kit which should give me a 25-30mm drop (seems minimal). Why would Bilstein choose these springs and valve their shock specifically for this sport package with their name on it?

I'm a newbie, what do I know... but Bilstein is a very well respected name in the industry. I'm not auto crossing my MCS but I live in NE Ga mtns and might take a spin at Road Atl if I get a chance.

 

As an update, my Swift Spec-R springs and Bilstien B8's have about 9K miles on them and they have settled to the .8 to .9 inch lowering as advertised.

When you lower the MINI you need to pay closer attention to driveway aprons and speed bumps but boy does it handle!

As an experiment I might put the stock, OEM "Sport Suspension", springs back in with Bilstien B6 shocks, if those are the ones that Bilstien recommends for the OEM Sport Suspension. I know it would raise the car back up close to an inch but at least I would have the option of going back to OEM height AND have a decent ride.

As is I love the handling

 

Does anyone know the significance of the colored paint markings on the red JCW springs? Kyoo has white and green while I have white and purple. I'm guessing spring rate? Kyoo - what options do you have on your mini? Sun Roof? Auto?

Thanks!

 

never noticed that lol. i'm nonsunroof manual. color code i assume indicates the spring version it is, if there's no part # on the spring itself.

 

Hmm. Interesting. I picked up my set from a cooper S with no sun roof and was a manual as well. I believe the dealership installed it. Where did you get your springs from?

 

Little Black Mini that could! Floor it! Nice ride you got there...

I'm looking around for suspension coilover for my Mini. I have gotten some parts that needs to be upgraded.. Now the last thing I need is upgrade the suspension part.. What you mentioned about Nuespeed.. They have been the DaBomb for VW trends.. Since I grew up on VW Bugs, Ghias, GTI 8 valve and VR6... No more VW for me...

Since Moving back to USA from overseas I decided to go with Mini Cooper S just like my Pop who had the mini vert. He's gone now. I'd ask him questions if I could so instead I am coming here to ask yall who would know their stuffs.

Would this be a good suspension to get for my mini 2009 R56?

http://www.nm-eng.com/231/0/0/3074/4...kit.html#popUp[products]/0/

Would I need to upgrade the camber? Or should I get new basic stock model and leave it alone? My Mini is a Daily Driven vehicle in the Northern VA / DC Metro and Downtown DC. I'm sure I'll drive in MD.. FYI I just moved to this area.. I may take it to the tracks if there is one in the area I live to test my car on.

Perhaps what about the Kontrol Sports Pro Coil overs?

Anyways Yall feedback will certainly help...

 

Don't get the K Sport coilovers, they're junk. Bilstein is much better.