I finally got to install my ST coilovers yesterday. For those of you that don't know. The ST coilovers are made/owned by KW. These are almost the same as the KW V1 with a few differences:

1. The warranty is only 5 years on the ST.
2. The shock body is stainless steel on the ST and INOX on the KW V1.
3. The adjustment collar has a set screw on the ST and the KW V1 has a separate collar to lock it in.
4. This one is minor, but the KW V1's colors are different, LOL.

I bought them from http://thesuspensionsource.mybigcommerce.com/index.php and I would highly recommend anyone buying these coilovers to buy them from The Suspension Source. I'm not affiliated with them, but just wanted to give a shout out to them because their customer service is AWESOME! Not to go into too much detail, but don't be stupid like me and order the wrong parts. The coilovers are a little different depending on whether you have an S, a justa, or a clubman.

I've only driven on them about 25 miles so far and thus far I really like them. They are just a tad stiffer than factory but I don't think the ride is bad at all. I'm in love with the setup. I'll do another review after I get it aligned and get some more seat time in it.

So this is what I installed:

ST coilovers, H&R 5 mm spacers, and H-Sport rear control arms.




My wheel/tire setup. This is important for those of you that are curious about spacers/etc... I am running 215/45 Conti. DWS tires on JCW challenge spoke wheels. I had to use a 5 mm spacer in order to clear the front shock collar. With the 5 mm spacer in there, I can insert 1 finger between the top of the tire and the collar. If I were to lower anymore than I have, I'd have to use a wider spacer or get lower offset wheels.

The challenge spoke wheels are 17x7 and 48 mm offset. I am effectively running a 43 mm offset wheel.

The install process was really easy. If you've done a suspension install before, then doing the MINI's will be a breeze for you. I used https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ll-how-to.html as a reference and the instructions there are almost dead on. I even had to use a piece of wood to compress the factory setup to get it to come out. Don't fear that though. Just loosen the bolts holding your setup at the top and you'll be golden. Just go slow The other thing that I had issues with was the BMW tool. It wouldn't fit into the shock mount to get the top nut. Easy solution. I used a 21 mm thin walled socket with an impact gun to remove. The ST uses a 22 mm nut, so I used the appropriate socket, a long allen key, and a pipe wrench to tighten it all down.

Also, I have an '11 with the JCW kit. I don't know if all of the JCW body kits have this, but mine had a skid plate installed. I had to remove it in order to get to a jack point so that I could get my car in the air.



The rears installed with the H-Sport control arms:



Front's installed:



Rear with tire mounted. I have it adjusted with 16 threads left to go down more. As it stands, I can get 2 fingers between the tire and wheel well. I measured and I am sitting at 13.25" from the fender to the center of the wheel:



This is the front gap. This is with the collar adjusted all the way to the top. The measurement from the wheel arch to center of the wheel is also 13.25". I can also put 2 fingers in there:

 

And finally, the front bumper clearance. I have 5.5" clearance from the bumper to the ground. I cut off the piece of the valence behind the front of the bumper. It was easy to remove. Just a razor blade did the trick.



I'll get more pictures of the full car after I get her cleaned up. If you have any questions, just let me know!

 

Looks great. Are you planning to lower anymore? If so pics?

Also, I got a regular MCS with 205 instead of 215 tires like yours Also with the stock 17 inch wheels. Do you think that I'll need a a spacer?

 

No, I'm not going to lower it anymore. I like it where it sits now. I was originally going to go with Koni and NM Springs but the cost was nuts. All told that setup was around $1200. I got the ST's for under $1K shipped. I only wanted a mild drop and the advertised drop for the ST's are 1.2 - 2.2".

Spacers? Well, if you plan on lowering the fronts more than I have mine, then yes, you'll need spacers. If you're not going to lower anymore than mine, then you may be able to get away with it. It's hard to tell because it will depend on the tire. The 5mm spacers and bolts were in the $100 range and I bought them just in case. And I needed them so all's well.

 

do u have the part number on that skid plate? i dont have it

 

No, I don't have a part number for the skid plate. But I don't know if you could use it though. The skid plate mounts to threaded "bolts" that are welded to the underbody of the car. They are in exact locations. I don't know how else to describe these bolts.

Just imagine a bolt welded to the bottom of the car, pointing down, and that's what I have. I looked under my friend's '11 and his doesn't have these threaded pieces there. Without that, the skidplate has nowhere to mount.

 

Interesting to see what differences you noticed.

You are not low enough. Two fingers gap is two fingers too much.

 

nice write-up, and a great looking car

may I respectfully suggest that you get them corner-weighted now? you surely do not want asymmetrical handling....

cheers,

Charlie

 

LOL. Two fingers gap is plenty for me. I still have to drive her on our crappy roads. And as it stands, I have no vibrations that others report after lowering. I was only looking for mild lowering when I started out looking for suspension mods.


I have no idea where I could get corner weighted. My car is a DD and I don't/won't push it hard enough on the street to justify the cost of corner weighting. My goal with suspension mods was a mild lowering mainly for looks and I believe I've achieved that. I'll try to get some more pictures up later

 

here's a side shot:

 

Beautiful!! If any of you have questions about the ST coilovers just let me know. Glad to see your pleased with the coilovers Bao

 

Thanks for all of your help on these! I'll try to get better pictures later. It's too hot outside to stand still for too long taking pictures, LOL.

 

I have about 150 miles of seat time with this setup and I have to say that I REALLY like this suspension. I love that the lowering can go from very mild to wild. I LOVE the way the car rides and handles. After riding in my buddy's stock MINI and then driving mine I can hardly tell the difference in comfort.

As you can see from my various pictures, I'm lowered only about 1". When I originally chose this setup because the specs said that the lowering range was 1.2 - 2.2" and I only wanted a very mild drop. I'd say the 1.2" is about dead on in the front, but not so much in the rear. With the perch all the way at the top in the rears, there is no perceptible drop at all. I was ecstatic when I learned this.

Anyway, here is a better picture so you can see how she looks now.



For comparison, this was what she looked like before the install:

 

Very nice!

I'd love to see a set of these on the Clubman.

 

Quick question, did you need the H-Sport control arms with the drop?

 

It all depends on what you want to do I think. I understand that with the stock rear control arm, you can get about .5 degree of adjustability. When I took it into the shop to get it aligned, I was at -2.7" on the rears. I had mine adjusted to -1 with the control arms. In hindsight, I should have probably dialed it in another -.5 degrees, but so far, I'm happy with my setup.

Way says that a good setup for the street should be between -1 - -1.5 in the rears. So that's what I went with.

Besides, I like the look of the control arms and knowing that I can make adjustments is a + for me.

I'm going to drive her like it sits for a while and then may be lower it some more later. That's why having coilovers is such a great thing. If I change my mind, I can go higher or lower whenever I want without having to change out the entire suspension. The control arms allow me the ability so fix the alignment if necessary.

 

Thanks for the response. I, like you, am just looking for a mild drop and was looking for clarification on the arms. I appreciate it.

 

You're welcome! Be aware though that you may need 5mm spacers for the fronts. It's going to depend on what wheels you're running. As you can see, I'm running factory wheels, but I have 215/45 conti DWS tires. If you go lower than what I have mine set at, then you'll need larger than a 5mm spacer if you're going to run the factory wheels.

Also, ride is very subjective. To me, the comfort in just DDing seems to be about the same as it was before. I *think* that I can feel a little bit more of the road, but it may be all in my head, LOL.

 

that looks so good, you have got me thinking about getting these now.

 

Nice pickup Bao.
I've been eyeing these for quite some time now and just found an amazing deal especially if your not in California. Even if you are there still a great deal. $825 shipped. PM if you want more details.

 

That's an awesome deal indeed. Talk to the Suspension Source, they may be able to match that price or come close. To me, it's all about customer service.

After some more miles on the setup, I have to say that I LOVE the coilovers. The ride is so nice and comfortable. My ride height is perfect. They have settled a little now but not much. Perfection, I love them.

 

Thanks again. If its a posted/advertised deal I will price match.

 

Just got some coils from the http://thesuspensionsource.mybigcommerce.com/index.php as well, and the are for my clubman ! Stoked to see how it sits after I put them on ! They gave me a dope decal to pretty amped ! Your car looks great ! I have motegi sp10s that are 17x7 with 205's do I need that 5mm spacer ? Getting new tires soon and I am going with a slight bigger tire size I think I should be good !

 

Awesome! It depends on what offset the wheel is and how low you go. If you go lower me then you may need the spacers. My front perch is all the way at the top and with the 5 mm spacer, I have about a finger's worth of clearance. My wheels are 17x7 with a 47 mm offset or was that 48...I can't remember

 

Bao, you didn't happen to measure the free length of the front coil springs, did you?

- Erik