While researching the NM springs, I came across a number of posts praising the combination of NM springs and Koni Yellow struts.

Any word on whether these are available for the Countryman?

 

Yes.. I would like to know as well!!

 

Just curious how much this setup runs?

 

I think we are just trying to see if the setup is even possible?

 

You tell us!

 

We find the coilovers work the best on these cars so we haven't bothered with springs and shocks. KW is offering a coilover.

 

yes.. but still no one has actual real world experience with these KW's. STill waiting to hear.. and I don't want to be the ginny pig!

 

I run KWs on my 5 Series BMW. I really like em.

 

I have Kw's on a bmw 5 series from before too.. I'm talking about specifically on this countryman though.

 

PM me if your really interested in the KWs.

 

I find the ride quality with stock dampeners and the NM springs to be REALLY harsh, esp with 17" runflats (from the factory)

a local mini shop recommended koni yellows. They also mentioned KW's will actually improve ride quality. All i know is my back is hurting from the rough right and hitting bumps.. HELP!!!

 

+1

I actually sent an e-mail to NM earlier this morning if there is a Koni application for the R60. I complained to him about how badly the rear end hits the bump stops over a medium bump (yes I cut the bump stops as per NM's instructions when installing the springs). People sitting in the back seat get launched on the rebound, it's amusing and disturbing at the same time. Koni doesn't list a R60 application on their site. Haven't heard back from him as of yet about this. He did say in a response before that email I sent him about the shocks that the NM RSB should be available by the end of August, and STB by the end of September.

 

that's EXACTLY the same issue I have with the suspension, my rear passengers are bouncing out of their seats. Was the stock suspension that bad? I'm half tempted to go back to stock, screw these springs!!,

 

Go Billsteins if they have it for the newer models.

 

It's most likely the combination of a stiffer spring with a softer shock that's causing this. The shocks on the R60 are no doubt softer than my experience with lowering springs on stock shocks with the R55/56.

 

Man, all these negative reviews about the NM springs are bumming me out. Maybe it's time to consider the KWs after all . . .

 

a few issues here.
The factory sport suspension wasnt designed for the shorter spring. The piston has less travel. The factory sport suspension shock is stiff than the non-sport versions.

Does NM list a spring rate for the rear springs?
A higher spring rate & unmatched(ie softer shock) will typically be a bouncy ride as the damper can not control the spring rate.

I dont have my springs on yet so I cant diagnose this.

Are the NM/stk dampers crashing over bump? (bottoming out?) this would be because the piston is too long.

Is it bouncy? this would be a damper that isnt valved aggressively enough to match the spring rate

Is it hopping over bumps? (worse than the stk susp. does?) this would be the combination of a too still spring(rate to height for actual vehicle wt.(overly sprung). or a combination of stiff spring/stiff shock (not enough compression) or the possibility its reaching max travel/compression & no longer absorbing impact & therefore the tire is acting as the absorber & 'bouncing/hopping' over bumps, (like a highly inflated basketball)

*For a niche market vehicle with essentially 6 combinations of shock varieties its a lot for the aftermarket to invest in at this time. Especially since in the first 3yrs most ppl wont replace these components due to warranty(free under warranty, fear of voiding, or simply not in need of replacement).

In time there will be more, better options available.

 

I only opted for the $500 factory SPort Susp. so I could simply add springs & be done. Now I am also having thoughts of coilovers. I was really hoping ST or KONI had an option by now. The V3 are really nice, but simply overkill & too costly to justify for the street(at least for me, even well below retail)

 

I can find out if they were made to work with the stock sport suspension, as well as what the spring rates are.

As far as your questions, If you want, come for a ride with me and sit in the back seat, you'll have the answers to your questions fairly quickly!

 

Yes. It hits bumps harder than stock, they are more jarring, and there is more bottoming out, especially in back.

Yes, in the rear. It feels bouncy and takes awhile to settle down after big hits and dips. I imagine it's worse when the rear is loaded.

YES!!! This, along with crashing, is my chief concern. It is slightly worse than the stock suspension with run flats. When I changed tires, the skipping was greatly reduced, only to return with vengeance with the NM springs.

My perception is that the front suspension is actually not bad, except for its role in the skippiness and crashing. But the front is oretty good. The rear is another story and bottoms out and is bouncy, which I find odd because all the weight is up front. NM may have missed the target on the rear springs, either because of spring rate or because they made it progressive instead of linear like the OEM suspension.

The initial part of the progressive spring is so light that you blow through it quickly, and find yourself with even less spring than you had before. I do believe that A LOT of these issues could be solved by going with a proper strut like the Koni Yellow. Koni obviously will not design their strut with the NM spring specifically in mind, but NM (which sells Koni struts exclusively on their website) probably designed their springs with Koni in mind.

Now it is just a waiting game, I suppose.

I am not so sure about all that. Take KW for example. They have a set for the ALL4 but not the FWD. Why? I mean, they are half way to developing a set for the FWD, since the front shocks should be interchangeable. As for the rears, it's the same car except the weight might be a little different. They should be able to make the adjustment on a grease board and have the new specs for the FWD shock immediately. Point is, if they wanted to do it, they could.

I don't buy the argument that the market is slow because people are not yet replacing parts. The type of people who buy aftermarket performance parts don't do so because their OEM equipment finally wore out. I mean, no one is going, "Hmm. My factory shocks and struts finally died after 60,000 miles. What about these KW coilover things? They sure are purdy looking!"

People who wait to replace worn OEM parts replace them with . . . OEM parts. Modders start modding as soon as they buy the car. This car has been on the road for 2 years and the pickings are stil slim.

So I guess what it comes down to is companies' perception that Countrymen owners are not the modding type. This is, of course, a self-reinforcing perception, since their belief leads them to not offer any parts, so there are no sales, and then there is more perception that Countryman owners are not the modding type.

Funny thing: Outside of these boards, the public perception is that the two-door versions of the Coopers are "chick" cars built more to be small and cute than fast and aggressive. I must admit that 8/10 drivers I see in Coopers are women. All my friends and co-workers looked at me skeptically and groaned when I announced I was getting a Mini. When they saw it was the bigger 4-door, they were supportive.

I think Mini is sensitive to this effect and it is perhaps no accident that the bigger options--the ClubMAN and CountryMAN--have been expressly masculine.

I am fairly confident saying that men are far more likely to performance mod than women. And I think the Countryman may be the most man-friendly Mini yet. For many men, the Countryman is our "gateway drug" into the Mini world. I think the strong sales are due, in part, to that fact.

The point is that I believe the paltry aftermarket options reflect a conscious decision to avoid the Countryman based on perception that Countrymen owners are not the modding type. However, logic might suggest that, as a result of its masculine appeal, it has the potential to be the most heavily modded of all Cooper models if the options were there.

 

I have the NM's and they are not bad.. Remember the reason why its "Bouncy" is not due to the spring. You need a proper shock to handle the rebound and the compression to compensate for a progressive lower coiled spring. That being said, for $200 vs $2300 of course they wont perform like an expensive setup.

1. Get ride of those stock wheels and tires, the new tires and wheel setup will take away
from the blow.
2. Decide how far you want to take this. The KW's will be amazing! But you are looking at spending $2300 for shocks, $400 or so for install, and $300-500 for rear LCA, then Install $120, then alignment $100ish = $3400 est. If you have that coin to drop, do it!!

 

And btw, since this is the Koni Yellow's thread, Either we talk about the Koni's or move this info

Btw, Still waiting to hear if Koni is coming out with some shocks? For $800 est street price, this would make all of our problems go away.

 

any word from NM on Koni's?

 

Huh? The majority of my post was about Koni Yellows and how they would improve the performance of the NM springs. I used KW as an example of what I perceive to be a lazy or ill-informed stance regarding the R60 by makers of aftermarket parts. But the same could be said about Koni and the lack of struts for the R60.

 

Not yet, but I'll ask again...

I did ask NM about the springs and sport shocks earlier today: