I have an 09 Clubman S with sport suspension. It has 39500 miles on it an is still running on it's original Dunlop run flats. I just got this car and it is my first Mini. I've read many post of people upgrading their suspension for better handling. My question is, what is the average life of the stock sport suspension. I can't wait to upgrade mines. I plan on getting non-run flats first and then the suspension. My current ride quality would be characterized as harsh, expecially when driving over semi rought road. I don't know if this is how the sport suspension is on this car when new or if it's old and worn out. I want to ask the rest of you, what is the average life of the shocks on your second gen with factory sport suspension? Please include whether you have a R56 or R55, etc, at what mileage you upgraded, what you upgrade to and was it a big improvement in ride quality?

 

Your stock springs and shocks should last 100,000+ miles under normal driving conditions. The harshness you're feeling is probably mostly caused by your worn tires.

 

I doubt they are the original tires that came on the car as they really only last about 20-25K miles under normal conditions less if driven hard. So who ever owned the car probably had the original tires replaced with the same thing.

 

My first set of tires barely lasted 15,000 miles.

The ride in a MINI isn't known to be smooth. I've had several people in my car whine about how stiff the ride is (although I do have sport suspension + H&R springs).