I saw these on the Tire rack and was curious if anyone was running them. I know they are re-bodied KW V1's with less warranty and cheaper price. But was curious if anyone had them and what you thought.

http://www.tirerack.com/suspension/s...odClar=Hardtop

 

they are very popular on the bmw crowd, i had them on my e46, nice ride, good quality, they had lifetime warranty too! never rusted, they include shorter enlinks

 

I don't have them "yet", but I ordered them and they should be here tomorrow. My car arrives in about 2 weeks and then straight to the suspension shop it goes.

I'll give a full review once they are on and I have had a chance to feel them out. I'm not going for the slammed look since this is going to be my daily driver, but I'm thinking about a 1.6-.7 inch drop.

 

I almost pulled the trigger today and would have had them installed Saturday but I'm liking how the car feels stock for now.
It's just the gap that's bugging me a little bit.

The shop that was gonna order and install for me is a very reputable shop and I was pretty surprised at the decent prices they have even though they specialize in high end cars.
The guy told me it's a great setup for DD and the ride is not harsh at all.

 

I'm like you guys. I'm waiting on my Mini. I like the way the stock Mini rides. I just wish the wheel gap was a little smaller. I only want a small drop ~ 1".

 

st coilovers aren't re-bodied kw v1...they are kw v1's just in galvanized instead of stainless steel thats all

 

All wrapped up and ready to go!!

 

AWESOME!! I'm curious to see how high the car rides at full ride height.

 

Dam you for showing those pics!!!
I had settled for waiting a bit but now you got me wanting to go and get them installed asap.

 

Where did you pick them up? I'd love to hear your impressions and get a ride if you wouldn't mind after you install them. I work in Bellevue.

I'm starting to research coilovers now as it's the next change I plan to make to my car.

Todd

 

Ordered them from the Suspension Source on Friday and they arrived today. $975 shipped.

http://tinyurl.com/3wq7jqg

Probably be available for a ride towards the end of July or so....

 

I've looked around already and that definitely is a Great price.

 

Crap, looks like they don't make them for the Clubman.

 

Well, I thought I'd just dive in and buy them. I have them on order. I'll have them before I even have my Mini, LOL

 

If you guys have any questions please ask away. We are an authorized ST Suspensions dealer.

 

Also they are a KW V1 just a different housing and warranty.

ST- Galvanized Body and 5 year warranty
KW- Stainless Steel and Limited Lifetime warranty

 

I'm hoping someone here who already has these on their R56 S can shed some light on the need for spacers.

Also, will 5mm be enough of a spacer if one is indeed needed?

 

Just got off the phone with Jorge from ST. He said the 10mm is more commonly used.

 

what ALL would I need to do my suspension "right"? sway bars, control arms...? there are so many answers on here it seems like suspension is the only area of modification that I take one step forward and ten steps back

 

This is going to be long.

This is a hard question to answer because it will all depend on what you're looking to do. For me, I'm lowering for looks. I'll tell you what I bought and I'll tell you why. Also, I'm not an expert by any means. I've just researched this issue to death. For me, the money wasn't as much of an issue as doing it all right the first time.

1. Since I bought ST coilovers from the Suspension Source, I knew I'd need spacers because I'm going to be running factory wheels. I bought 5 mm and 12 mm spacers. My 5 mm spacers are H&R and my 12mm spacers are Racemax from http://www.namotorsports.net/listing...t/30/subcat/97 You can't get 10 mm spacers to work right because of the hub size. To get a proper hub centric spacer, you you need to get bigger than 10 mm. I have both because it will vary depending on the size/offset of your wheels and the tire sizes that you are running. The spacers might need to be installed on the fronts. I didn't know which size I needed so I bought both so that I wouldn't have to wait on shipping. I figured if I didn't need one set, I could sell the others. For me, I'm running factory JCW challenge spoke wheels 17x7, 48mm offset, with 215/45/17 Continental DWS all season tires.

Also, the size of the spacer is going to be dependent upon how much you lower the car. If you really lower it, the shock collar can come into contact with either the tire or the wheel. This is the entire reason for having the spacers -- i.e. to move your wheel/tire away from the spring perch. I plan on running them at full ride height so my spacer needs "should" be minimal.

If you don't do ST coilovers, then you can throw out the need for spacers. Spring/strut combos won't require spacers. I was going to go NM springs and Koni yellows, but when you added up the cost, that combo was WAY more expensive even if you add in the cost of my spacers. Besides, I wanted to be able to adjust the ride height if I wanted to.

2. Rear lower control arm. If you are doing any drastic lowering, you'll need these. The lower control arm is used to adjust the rear camber. Most will tell you some negative camber in the rear is ok as long as your toe settings are correct. Way Motor Sports and many other sources will tell you that optimum settings for the street are between -1.1 - 1.5 degrees on the rears. You'll need the lower control arms to get get it there. If you lower your car 1.2" like the ST's say, your rear camber will be around -2.5 - -3.0. YMWV though. I ordered H-Sport control arms from Way Motor Works. http://www.waymotorworks.com/h-sport...ber-links.html

3. Your fronts won't need anything. After lowering, the camber will be ok, and your toe settings will be able to be corrected.

4. Rear sway -- you don't really need a new one unless you want one. If you get a bigger rear sway, you will be able to cause the car to do lift throttle oversteer. BUT there are caveats. If you install a bigger rear sway, you can make the ride more rough. Many will tell you that changing the rear sway will be your biggest performance upgrade per dollar. I am keeping the factory rear sway. I'm lowering mainly for looks.

ST coilovers will be essentially the same as KW V1 coilovers. The only difference is the warranty. ST has a 5 year warranty, and the KW has a lifetime warranty. The KW's are INOX steel which, in theory, should resist rust. I understand the valving and spring rates on the ST's are the same as the KW V1 so I decided to save some dough.

And finally, a HUGE shout out to the Suspension Source. They are REALLY awesome to work with. Their customer service is stellar! I accidentally ordered the wrong kit and they arranged for me to return the kit and get the right one. I had to pay shipping costs because the mistake was mine, but even though it was my mistake, they really helped me out with the shipping charges. There was no way I could have gotten the shipping rates I got unless they stepped in.

 

Sounds like we have similar goals with just wanting to do it right and primarily for looks. Let us know when you get everything installed! I would like to get your opinion on your set up but I think I will be going the same, or very similar, route if everything works out for you. And thanks so much for the answer, just what I needed.

I am running Rota MC 18" wheels, is there a rule of thumb of which spacers to buy or is it like you prepared, buy a couple sets and see what fits best?

 

I think with Rota MC's you may run into problems. The offset is 45 and it's an 8" wide wheel. An 8" wheel is already aggressive in and of itself. With these coilovers, you'll probably need a rather large spacer to make the wheels work. Check this thread on spacers: https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...you-using.html

They are talking about for KW V1 but the ST's are the same. Ask your question there. I'm not sure what size spacer you would need and you may end up rubbing.

 

Part #90250 Mini Cooper R56 excl. S/Clubman/RCW

Bao returned this kit...the box got alittle beat up in transit. Selling the kit at a discounted price. PM me for pricing.

 

DOH. I feel bad that the box got damaged in transit

 

Bao...that's just part of FedEx's transit process...throw into truck,throw into sorting area,throw into trailer,throw into sorting area,throw into delivery truck and throw it on your porch..LOL...