Just got back after having my R56 Cooper S lowered with H&R Springs (35mm drop)

Initial impressions are Ride is a little firmer, but certainly not uncomfortable - I would say 15-20% firmer than stock..

Looks - I am absolutely chuffed with the way it looks, its exactly what I was after. Bear in mind these have literally been on my car 5miles from the garage to my house, so they are far from bed in, so they will drop a little further once settled.

I possibly live on some of the straightest roads in the world so I havent had chance to test how the car handles at all, from the few bends I did go round coming home it feels like it is absolutely glued to the road though.

When sitting in the car, you "feel" a lot lower, its hard to describe but it was the first thing I noticed when driving off. Its not a bad thing at all, you just feel closer to the road lol.

So far I really couldnt be happier with the springs, they are exactly what I was after - and have totally got rid of the gap between the tyre and the body. The front looks lower than the back at the moment, but as I said above, they have only been on for 5 miles so they need a lot more settling in.

Pics:

 

Keep us posted as to how the seat in and how you feel about them after driving for a while. I am looking for something that will reduce the torque steer while preserving as much of the ride quality as possible.

 

Absolutely love the look of your ride! I have the JCW Aero kit too and was wondering if the H&Rs would be too low. Anyways, did you have sport or nonsport suspension? Also, did you trim the bottom trim to prevent it from scraping?

 

Looks great! I was considering getting H&Rs or similar and that certainly adds a tick to the plus side of things.

 

I had the sport suspension
Yeah I have actually just removed the plastic trims, if you get under the car (which is quite hard now! haha) you can see that they clip on and off quite easily, so it was literally a 1 minute job to remove them.
I noticed that they did catch a couple of times on my drive home, not really bad, but just a little scrape, so I thought it best to remove them (not for damage reasons, but because it makes a really loud noise when they connect with the road and its embarrasing lol!!)
Hopefully with them removed I wont scrape, because they sit about 1inch lower than the rest of the car.
I'll keep this updated over this week to see how the springs settle and my opinion of them as I drive the car more... but at the moment its all positive

 

looks hot

 

Lookin' good

 

I have the H&R on a cooperS too...is it your rear drop less then the front like on the mine?

 

I'm looking at the H/R's .. Do you have to change strut towers or control arms with them or will they be alright, just swapping out only the 4 springs .. ?
LOOKS GREAT !!

 

I just did the 4 springs, left the shocks for now. Strut towers, JCW strut bar, control arms, all fine.

 

I too have the H&R springs on my stock nonsport suspension S. I love the look, it really brings my black MINI into where it needs to be and I get a tond of compliments on it. I dont have the JCW aero kit and have had only minimal problem with rubbing but never over a speed bump or anything. It does stiffen the ride but by no means is it uncomfortable. Also, once you get a chance to test them you will love it, I hit the dragon 2 weeks after the install and there was a noticeable difference, I also did a 19mm sway. I too left the control arms stock and have had no alignment issues.

 

I just drove to LA from Alameda after installing the HR springs. The ride was really rough, especially in LA. I'd say the ride is 20% - 30% rougher and if you hit any serious bumps, especially in construction areas on 5, you can really do some damage. The handling performance is a lot better and the look is great but I may have to go back to the original springs when I'm using Boomer to commute.

Does anyone have any suggestions for other lowering springs with a better ride?

 

Same question, I pu new wheels and tires and dont like the gap, HOWEVER I hated the terrible ride before w/ the continentals w/ a 45 profile. Is it possible to use the HR springs to lower then replace the shocks with a good shock made for lowered cars? Or is coilovers the only true way?

 

futureal33 - looks hot!

 

I had a set of Drag 18" with 215/18-35 khumo's with the HR springs and Alta sway bar. I might as well had solid tires! That was the most brutal ride ever experienced.

I since replace the 18's with 17 and went to a 45 and the ride is like night and day. Still a little rough on speed bumps and pot holes, but for the most part, I can live with it.

I did however develope some rattling noise in the rear. It turned out to be the control arms loosening and needed to retightened. I might need new bushings, I dunno. Very little wheel gap now!

 

Thanks :D