I am picking up my 2012 JCW Hardtop on Monday from the dealer. At some point I am going to have either springs or coil overs installed on the car. There is a local Import shop that works on BMW's, mini's, porsches, etc... I stopped in and asked about having them install them. They said they have done a few mini's and recommended that after I take the car over to a guy in Louisville to get the car corner balanced. They said the last car they did really needed some adjusting.

Is that normal? I asked about an alignment after and they said they would take it to a shop near by to have it aligned and that "may" be enough if I don't intend on tracking etc...

Anyways, does all this sound right?

Lastly, I need to decide on exactly what parts I need to give them.

- I am not sure if I should get the KW V1 or V2.

- Should I have them install a different rear camber arm, which one and will they know what length to set it at?

- It has been suggested that I should also get a new set of top plates so I can keep the OEM plates intact and not require them to disassemble them. The V2 coil overs come with those right? If I go with V1 where do I buy new plates?

If I am missing anything please let me know, I am not well versed in all the parts that I need.

 

One more thing... How difficult of a Job is this install? I have done brakes and wheel bearings on my old mini. Is this something I could tackle without screwing up the suspension and handling of the Car?

If I did not have to disassemble the OEM springs/struts to reuse the top plate it would be easier right?

One more thought ... If I am not looking for that much of a drop is it better to simply have springs (like the TSW springs) and camber link installed instead of coil overs? Keeping in mind that I do not even have the "sport" suspension so would be using the standard shocks with TSW springs.

 

It's not necessary, but corner balancing is nice added feature of having coilovers.
Corner balancing is adjusting the spring preload on each corner to properly distribute weight across the vehicle.
Setting just ride height will place more weight on a certain tire than another; the corner balancing makes handling predictable in both left- and right-hand cornering.

Alignment and corner balancing are different.
Alignment deals with how the tire contact the road in relation to the car's true centerline.
Corner balancing deals with weight and pressure on the tire.

V2's; you'll want the adjustable damping for your needs.

If you purchase rear adjustable lower control arms, that allows to adjust camber and toe more than with the OEM non-adjustable unit.
It's not required, especially if you're not tracking it; but it does help with camber settings if you want a more or less aggressive stance.

Have two different options, buy new OEM top plates and run those with some hardware changes...
Or pick-up adjustable camber plates that adjust for camber and caster.

If you've done brakes and especially wheel bearings; this is a cake walk.

Correct, but all depends on what you want to the car to do.

Using any 'stock' shocks with a lowering spring kit that has a significant spring rate increase is typically considered a no-no.
The OEM struts and shocks don't already provide enough damping to begin with, and adding a stiffer spring will give a worse ride causing a bumping sensation.

- Erik