I was following that thread concerning your weird ride height after the TSW install. That's definitely a concern. I've certainly never heard anything bad about the Koni Yellows, so they're still in the running. However, going with coilovers is starting to sound somewhat simpler.

I imagine it would still be a big improvement over my stock non-sport suspension regarding damper, etc.

Are you keeping the TSW on for the time being? Any resolution from the vendor or from TSW?

 

Yeah, the springs are staying on for now, especially since I haven't heard of any resolution on the problem. Not worth my time to remove them and money for another alignment. If they do come of, they'll be replaced with Swift.

I considered coilovers myself, especally the H&R and KW, but I figured the extra cost for a street driven car wouldn't be worth it, plus I feel like I'm getting a better damper with the Koni vs. the ones on low end coilovers.

Personally, the only way I would have went with coilovers, would be to spend the extra money and get one a bit nicer, like the KW 2 or 3, Bilsein, or even Cross competition coilovers. However, I didn't have that kind of money at the time, so I went with my current setup. I used to have the KW V2 on my Volkswagen GTI and they were excellent.

 

Interesting, thanks for the input! That sucks that you didn't get a resolution, it seems like a frustrating situation. I'd love to go all-out and get a $2000+ setup, but I just can't justify it.. frankly, I'm probably not a skilled enough driver to notice a big difference between the ST and the KW :shrug:

Can anyone here speak to the difference in damper between the Koni Yellows and the ST coilovers?

 

Well I never persued a resolution. The springs are on the car, and I love the way it drives. I'm just saying I would have propably went another direction if I knew the front ride height would be lifted.

 

The V1s from KW and the STs are the same. Only difference is the stainless steel body and the warranty. So you won't notice a different from the V1s to the ST. Only the V2s/V3s to the ST.

 

Pretty similar damper internally, just that the Konis are adjustable for rebound. But I haven't touched my ***** (ew) in a couple months....once you get it where you want, you're set. The ST's should be pretty close out of the box.

I probably wouldn't get the TSW springs honestly. I like the idea of them, but it seems like there are some issues. I really like my Tein H-techs, but they aren't perfect. The Swifts seem good but the rates are pretty darn firm. If I were designing a set of springs, which I did start to do actually, it would be somewhere between those two.

Way should think about redesigning the TSW springs and find a different manufacturer. I know a guy.....


EDIT: if i didn't get the konis used for a nice deal, I probably would have ended up with ST coilovers from Way.

- Andrew

 

Thanks very much everyone for all the help! I feel like I have a clearer grasp on this whole thing.

Considering I am not really picky about ride comfort AND my current set up is the worst of stock, I'm guessing I'll be very happy with the ST coilovers, which seem like the easiest to have installed, requiring minimal other purchases, and I don't have to screw around deciding on which spring is best.

So the ST coils are the front runner for now. Naturally I'm stoked to hear any experiences anyone has with these or any other options, but they're the leader for now.

As for the TSW.. yeah, they seem to be hit or miss judging by some of the threads here, it probably wouldn't be worth the gamble even if I decided on the Konis.

 

We have a few customers on here who have purchased ST from us.

 

I would highly recommend getting some IE fixed camber plates to go with them....huge handling difference and no more mushrooming.

- Andrew

 

One question about the camber plates: If they raise the ride height by ~3/8", and I want a total lowering of 1", will that be a gross drop of 1 3/8", therefore making LCA necessary?

 

They'll only raise ride height in the front. If you have the standard adjustable 2005/2006 rear arms you might be able to get away with the stock camber adjustment, but I'd be tempted to just get some rear arms anyway.

You will need spacers I think with the ST's either way (or just a lower offset wheel).

 

5mm spacers seem to be what our customers are buying

 

I ended up getting 8mm because that's all I could get locally at the time, but I probably could have gotten away with 5mm. I got 5mm in the the rear just to balance things out later on, but it wasn't necessary. I wish I had known I had needed them before I picked up and installed my KWs, because when I went to get it aligned I saw that my two front tires had rubbed on the springs and a bit of the suspension wearing a groove into my sidewall . It must have happened through tire flex when I took a hard corner since the tires were only close to the suspension when on the lift. That was the first I'd had heard I needed spacers, so I was bummed to say the least. My wheels are 7.5 inches wide and +42 offset so that might have had something to do with it though. Thankfully my suspension wasn't damaged past wearing a bit of paint off of the springs, but the tires had to be replaced.

On a side note, it's a good thing I already switched to longer studs, otherwise I'd have been in trouble there too. Make sure you get longer wheel bolts to go with those spacers you're going to need .

 

I see Alta carries 5mm and 15mm spacers with bolts to match. I have no idea what offset my wheels are. They're 16" Konig Rush but that's all I know. Is 5mm definitely going to be enough, or would it be wise to go with 15mm to be on the safe side?

Secondly, if I choose to NOT purchase the LCA, that essentially limits how low I can go while still having my camber set properly.. correct?

 

As far as I can tell, your Konig Rush wheels are 16x7 and weigh 19lbs. For offset, that should be printed somewhere on the wheel. Next time you have them off of your car, you might want to check.

I wouldn't go 15mm personally, but it's really up to you. I feel there's no reason to go wider then you really have to, and it's also a lot more expensive then the 5mm. Remember you need bolts too, so why spend the extra money if you don't need to. If I could have gotten 5mm in the front before, I would have done so. Don't let my mistake influence your decision you should be fine

When you put it that way, I suppose so. Having a little extra camber isn't going to kill your tires though. If it were extra toe, then maybe you'd have a problem. I'd advise you to try your best to stay within your budget. You can always get control arms later if you feel you need them.

 

Sounds like you may be getting ahead of yourself as you have no plans to compete in your mini. I would use the K.I.S.S. method and try just the yellows first. You'll be surprised what a good set of dampeners will do for you.

 

I agree with ATXZJ.

Also, if you do end up buying spacers and wheel bolts, don't forget that Mini changed the bolt size I believe mid year. So the late 06 Minis use 14MM X 1.25 which is what the R56 Minis also use.

 

I've been kind of trying to avoid saying what you should and shouldn't do because I feel that ultimately, it's your money and you need to be happy with your purchase.

If it were me, I'd be thinking about what I'd be doing with the car, and then comparing the price differences between some shocks and springs, and coilovers. Bear in mind you may not need new spacers, bolts, and control arms if you were to get the Konis and springs so in the end it might end up being cheaper then the STs in the long run. Then again, you might want the STs anyway. You also need to factor in how much it'll cost you to install everything assuming you aren't doing it yourself.

At any rate, good luck with your decision and your purchase .

 

Thanks very much for all the continued input!

Initially I was leaning towards shocks and springs for simplicity, and I would probably be pleased with that given I do not compete and have a pretty uninspired basis for comparison. However, considering a set of Koni Yellows and some lowering springs from Way, just as an example, will run $959+shipping, it's tempting to just spend the extra ~$25 and another $50 for spacers and bolts, giving me more options in the future.

I recall from having my new wheels installed we had to track down 14x1.25 bolts, and mine is a November '06 build, so that is indeed what I'd need

With some luck I may have a qualified shade tree mechanic to help me with the install. A guy at work who builds and races mini stock cars and has offered to help me for a case of beer. He has a lot of experience with suspension installs and coilovers. I would just need to get an alignment after, so if that works out it'll save a ton over paying shop rates.

Again I really appreciate all the feedback, this helpful community (and all the money i've sunk into the car..) will keep me in the MINI for years!

 

I have Koni Yellow, stock springs and IE adjustable plates and while the ride is decent, I'd like a mild drop of3/4 to 1" to get the look the OP is looking for too

 

Yeah, the price of Koni yellows and springs does definitely add up. The main reason I jumped on getting mine was Koni had a 20% off sale a little while back, which helped alot.

Another kit that I was considering at the time was the H&R Touring Cup Kit. It says it only lowers 1.0"F, 0.75"R. Plus if I remember correctly, I think the shocks are actually Koni Yellows.

http://store.allsprings.com/mini-coo...-06-p3072.aspx

 

I've heard some good things about that H&R kit as well. Looks like the source in that link is backordered, the price is right though! I thought Alta carried it as well, but I can't seem to find it there.

 

The H&R kit seems to be a good price. Don't know much else about it.

I'd stick to linear rate springs. Progressive coils that lower a mini 1" wont have enough effective uptravel in the front, that is what made the TSWs so appealing to me. I do like my current apex coils but the rates are a little lower than I'd prefer. Sounds like swift may be the way to go until Way gets the ride height issue sorted out.

 

These guys are a vendor here on NAM I believe:

http://www.eurosportdesign.com/p-367...gs-shocks.aspx

 

I've found another set at a comparable price that I may throw into the running, if I can get any info on them. Anyone know anything about this Eibach kit? I've dealt with VAC before and they were great:

http://store.vacmotorsports.com/eiba...kit-p1124.aspx