I recently upgraded my stock 15" wheels to 17"x7" and 215-45-17 tires. The Cooper handles significantly better but now I'm looking for more. I still have that floaty feeling with spirited driving so I'm think of upgrading springs, and rear sway bar. My question is, would swapping into a JCW stock suspension make the car feel more planted and stable in the corners? is there a huge difference in stock to JCW stock or am I better going to NM motoring Sport Springs and maybe an Hsport rear sway bar?

 

If you change springs, DO change your shocks as well. The stock shocks are crap, and are 100x crappier when paired with shorter springs with a higher spring rate.

I recently went with the H&R touring cup kit. H&R Sport springs + Koni adjustables (with H&R stickers on them, painted to match the springs, but they're the same thing as Koni Yellows). The kit was a bargain at $600 on sale. The results are FANTASTIC. Handling 10x improved, ride comfort 10x improved (which really shows how crappy the stock setup is), and ugly wheel gap gone. Price is back to $799 @ Alta, but you can shop around.

http://www.altaperformance.com/produ...-Touring-Sport

 

Putting the JCW suspension on your non-S would have the same effects as on an S. MotoringFile did an extensive review:

http://www.motoringfile.com/2007/08/...rt-suspension/
http://www.motoringfile.com/2007/08/...-at-the-track/
http://www.motoringfile.com/2007/09/...ion-long-term/

The bottom line: it's a good product but expensive.

 

So does this mean that the stock JCW suspension (Not JCW Sport Suspension) is the same as the "S" suspension? And thanks for the info so far. Good reading.

 

Not sure what you mean by "stock JCW suspension". The JCW suspension is not available installed from the factory, only through a dealer. The suspension installed on a factory JCW car is the same (standard or sport) as any regular S.

 

ok great. I think you answered my question. A member here is selling the stock suspension off his JCW because he upgraded to the JCW Sport suspension. IS it worth upgrading to the "S' suspension coming from a Non "S" or am I better off going aftermarket?

 

+1 for JCW Suspension...

 

IMO you'd be better off with Konis and TSW springs.

- Andrew