Good balance for daily driving and performance.

 

I might be getting a "Justa" 2009 next week and starting poking around. I see that H&R lists a part 50450 for the non-S and 50452 for the S. Does anyone know why an aftermarket company wouldn't condense these into a common part number? Is there a reason I can't use 50452 on a non-S?

 

I think you will find that the Justa is a lighter car, in particular in the front where the S has the turbo and intercooler and other support items for that system... Therefore, a different spring is needed to achieve the same ride height between the 2 models. An S spring on a Justa will likely sit higher than it would with the proper spring.

 

Hang on. No. I was with you until you said “ride height”. What you meant was “spring rate”. I would expect both springs to offer the same ride height, but as the front of the S is heavier, the springs should be a bit stiffer, not lower.

That said, I would expect them to be interchangeable - I really don’t think the suspension setup is any different. Just likely stiffer ride if using S springs on a Justa.

 

Old post, but exactly this. I’ve now had my R56 for 12 years. I’ve tried a variety of suspension setups so I think I have a bit i of a view on it. Stock was worst; high as a tractor and a needlessly stiff ride. Springs was meh; low, but still stiff. BC coil overs was low and way too stiff on bad roads. I’m currently on a JCW suspension; good balance between ride height and stiffness. However, I have a set of KWv1s I’m going to put on and I think this will be the ultimate. My other cars have KWv3s and Bilstein PSS10s, and without a doubt, the KWs are by far and away the best ride quality ever.

So the summary is this - springs are cheap but you’ll pay for it in shock wear and ride quality (I had springs on a heavier BMW and within a year or so my shocks went, they’d bottom out at every pothole).

I’d maybe agree on springs in Japan or in Germany, in other words countries that have some investment in infrastructure and decent roads - but North America? Nope. Pass.

 

Not sure why you suggest that I should have written “spring rate”?

And I am only responding to your question about why different stock numbers...

If the spring rates are the same, and the free length is the same, hence they are interchangeable, then the ride height for the Justa will be different (that is: higher) than the S. Not the same.

ECS lists 1.4” drop for both the Justa and the S. If that is truly the case, then the springs will need to be different. The spring for the S as compared to the Justa will need to have a longer free length or higher spring rate, or some combination of the 2 in order to produce the same drop in a heavier car. In either case, the springs being different would necessitate different stock numbers.

 

Have you swapped over to the KW V1's yet?
I'm looking into coilovers this early spring for my R55 JCW and putting together a list of items.

- Erik

 

Erik - I see you list your location as Broomfield, CO... Sorry to hear/see about the fires in that area. Hope all is OK.

 

I have a 2012 R56 base 6spd manual and want to upgrade the sway bars. what sizes can i go with for the Front and Rears.

 

What are you planning to do with the car? Are you looking to do any of their suspension mods? Is this just for spirited driving on the street? Or for use as an occasional track day, but mostly street. A dedicated track/race car? And what are you willing to live with respect to ride. Larger sway bars will definitely make the ride stiffer.

Also note that the front sway bar is a PIA to change.

With any change to spring rates (a sway bar is a spring), you should upgrade the shocks. Also note the MINI shocks are really poor. Actually they are pretty crappy and on a 10 year old car, they are shot. The S shocks are marginal as sports shock. If you are doing shocks then you should include front camber plates (IE fixed camberplates are a great option).

I am running a 27mm bar up front and a 25mm hollow bar in the rear in my R56 (see my signature). These are really good on the track, but pretty stiff for the street.

For the street I would recommend the JCW 23.5mm front bar and a 19mm for the rear and a set of Bilstein B6 shocks and the IE Camberplates. This also works well for an occasional track day, which I did many of on a similar setup.

Hope this helps...