From other threads I have posted and recommendations from others it seems like my best bet would be TSW Springs, Koni Sport shocks, and a larger rear sway bar.

My question is if I am not worried about lowering the car am I getting any benefit from the TSW springs vs the stock springs? What effect would Koni Sport shocks have with stock springs? Or should I be looking at Koni FSD if going that route?

My biggest motivation is a more stable handling, I will be doing some autocross as well but nothing significant. The other day when flat out through 4th gear the car really felt floaty and the ride is just too soft in general. Amazing that my 2003 MCS felt more planted than my new car.

I have the standard suspension.

 

I believe you will find better handling and performance in a Coilover for the type of driving you will be doing. Coilover springs and shocks are designed to work together. Most lowering springs do not have a matched shock.

 

Problem with all the coilovers I see is that they lower the car too much. I don't want to lower it more than 1/2 inch. The TSW springs would do just a little more than that. It seems that most coilovers I have seen are 1+ inch at a minimum. Is that incorrect?

I am also concerned because I have read that coilovers should be corner balanced. That seems excessive and I don't think there is anybody locally that can do that.

 

ST/KW's min setting is 1.2". Which is a great for those Mini owners looking to close up that wheel gap Mini/BMW is known for.

For everyday driving corner balancing is not necessary. Now if you are at the track every week or building a full on performance Mini then yes you should.

I installed KW's on my E60 BMW without doing this. Aligned within specs and handles amazing.

 

@ 1.2" with the JCW aero kit I am afraid the front bumper would really scrape on driveways and risk potentially hitting other things in the road. Anyone have issues with these problems? I don't want to damage the front lip etc...


Anybody have input as to the difference between what the shocks and the springs do? Which is responsible for tightening up the suspension? Biggest issues I see with the stock is instability with quick direction changes, high speed instability, and the nose really diving down under braking.

 

That's an issue with insufficient damping (shocks) which allows the springs to compress and expand [oscillation], causing the "floating sensation".

Springs set ride height, and provide impact loading feedback (like holes or rough terrain) and give body-roll resistance during lateral cornering.
Springs, and their specific spring rate, determine the amount of nose drive or sway motion (when completing transient cornering) when maneuvering the vehicle.

The shocks / struts provide the resistance or damping of the springs so they don't harmonically oscillate.
When under a steady corner, but the road has imperfections, the higher damper rated shock with reduce tire vibration and firmly plant the wheel.

That's only related to driving skill and what kind of 'sacrifices' you're willing to make to have the car handle.
Driving a lower vehicle isn't rocket science, but your attention to imperfections in the road and your attack angle on steeper curbs / intersections will be important.

- Erik

 

Thanks for the great explanation. Other than TSW and Koni sport shocks are there any options to improve handling and not lower the car much? My options keep being narrowed down to the Factory JCW suspension but I don't feel the value in it with it being so expensive.

 

I also have a question so if I went with a h-sport rear sway bar, control arm links, NM lowering springs, and bump stops, it is better if I get coilovers even if I autocross once in a while?

 

Have you looked at just replacing shock / struts only?
The OEM dampers are not valved correctly to the spring rate of the OEM springs.
Putting in a set of good aftermarket strut really can change the dynamic of the vehicle.
If you want springs, have you looked at Swift? They have an increased spring rate, but don't lower the car all that much.

- Erik

 

Check your rules with your local SCCA autocross organization first.
Adding those parts will kick you up higher in a more competition based class.

- Erik

 

I thought about possibly only putting Koni Yellow sport shocks with the OEM springs but was not sure what that would do. Many people say not doing coilovers is a mistake because very few shocks and springs are tuned to work together. Is there any truth in this? Will handling be ruined by not carefully picking a spring to mate with a shock? I have measured the clearance of the car and I could likely be okay with about a 1" drop of the KW V2 from Way.

 

The adjustable Yellows, correct? Those would be a great choice as you would be able to dial in damping as you see fit.
The OEM springs have a good spring rate for a comfort ride, but the springs overpower than damping of the OEM struts / shocks.
Increasing that damping would reduce the feeling of "skipping" when the suspension is upset during long sweeping cornering.

I don't believe that to be a complete true statement.
Yes, most coilovers are valved matched to their own springs...
But a spring / shock combination can do the exact same thing; the kicker is that you don't know the "combination" in terms of set valving.
The adjustable shocks allow you to tune the damping as you see fit for your desired ride and handling characteristics.

No, but look in the archives to what others have done and rave'd about.
There's several that have thrown away the OEM shocks, kept the OEM springs, and installed Bilstein's, Koni's, KYB's, and others with sucess.
Read up on those experiences and choose the one that fits your needs accordingly.

- Erik

 

Are the spring rates of the R56 different than the R53? Stiffer than my old 2003 MCS?

 

The JCS Suspension costs what it does as MINI spent the R&D and time to matching spring rates to proper dampers for YOUR car....

AND you will save $ by not having to purchase; front adjustable camber plates, adjustable end links for the sway bars, and adjustable upper and lower rear control arms....and a 100 bucks for every alignment you will need as you raise and lower your ride height....The additional parts you will need will easily add another $1K dollars to either your Adjustable coilover kit or a set of lowering spings.

...NOT purchasing those aforementioned items for either one of those set up's ?....then put Tire Rack on your speed dial....

 

There are a lot of threads on NAM on this subject. A lot of the responses here touch on some of what is said in those. But this is a subject that you may want to do some searchs on.

About autocross, it depends on what class you want to be in, or if you care. If you want to stay stock, then only factory installed springs are allowed (not JCW, they are dealer installed). Shocks can be changed. The most talked about option here is the Koni Yellows. If you don't want to stay stock, then there is a ton of options out there. Your spring choice is as good as many out there. The Koni Yellows are good as they are adjustable so you can tune them to the srings.

The only for-sure thing that I can say is no Koni FSDs for autocross or track. They are too soft and the "automatic" valving gets "confused". They are great for a street car and the ride much better than the stock shocks. But for autocross, even the stock shocks are better than they are.

 

I disagree with this. The JCW package is the (expensive) "easy" button, but it doesn't necessarily mean it's better than everything else.

First, I'm wary of MINI's R&D when it comes to suspension. Every shock that I've ridden/driven on has been awful from them, though I haven't felt R56 JCW shocks. Every other OEM and JCW shock that I have felt has been really really bad. Far from "proper" or matched from MINI. For me the cost is outrageous but in practice they just aren't that great IMO.

To say that you need front adjustable camber plates, endlinks, upper and lower rear control arms, and alignment after installing coilovers or springs and not the JCW stuff is misleading.

For springs, just get rear lower control arms and an alignment. You may want front camber plates (or fixed camber plates, or the free camber mod) but you do not need to. I'd also highly recommend this for the JCW package too.

For coilovers, you should get the same as above. You may need to get endlinks.

No reason for upper rear control arms other than to replace the bushing if you're hardcore.

If you're just replacing shocks, no need to purchase anything else.

For the OP, I'd recommend trying the Koni Yellows on stock springs. Do the free camber mod and get a good alignment. Possibly add a rear swaybar. I think that would work out well for you.

It's a shame no one makes a mild drop spring (10mm) with good spring rates for this car as bump travel challenged as it is.

- Andrew

 

The idea of "matched" springs and dampers is thrown around a lot but is rarely explained or verified.

900 dollar coilover companies say their valving is matched....and offer 32 damper settings. Right. All 32 settings suck, but your valving is "matched."

The valving from the factory is supposedly "matched" to the standard spring rates, but very harsh and not very controlled.

So...just be wary when you see that term thrown around. Focus on good shock companies like Koni and Bilstein (among others). Dampers are complicated but when it feels good, it's good.

- Andrew

 

FWIW, the B-Spec race MINIs use [custom-valved] KW V1 coilovers, which have a minimum of 1.2" lowering. Well, that makes the car TOO LOW for the race class they're in, so when Vorshlag makes the Camber plates for the B-Spec racecars, they add a couple spacers to their camber plate stack-up to get the cars back to legal height. Off the top of my head, I believe they add a half-inch back in to the front.

Point being, a KW Coilover kit in combination with Vorshlag camber plates (specifically ask for the "B-Spec" version) would net you a great setup without being incredibly low.

 

^ I'm not sure recommending a custom tuned race coilover is the solution for this case.

- Andrew

 

True... but the OP could simply buy the "standard" KW V1 Coilovers and the B-Spec version of the Vorshlag Camber plates. The standard V1's aren't too "racy", I don't believe.

 

Just a correction - The JCW suspension IS legal for SCCA Solo2 autoX in stock classes for 07-present Coopers and Cooper S, as it was available as a port installed option and MINI has provided documentation to that effect.

So the current hot setup for stock class autoX is JCW suspension + a big rear sway bar. But you need the complete JCW suspension to be legal, not just the springs. So you need the JCW front bar and bushings, the JCW springs (which are specific to your VIN #), the JCW front bump stops, and the JCW specific rubber spring pads. Then you put any rear swaybar you want on because now you can change either the front or the REAR bar in stock. You can use any shocks you want (Konis are popular). And you can use any swaybar endlinks you want. Welcome to "stock" classes in the SCCA!


I actually just heard from one of my competitors this past weekend that there are some very competitive Mini autoXers that are trying the off the shelf FSDs now with some success. The FSDs supposedly have more compresison valving that even the Koni Sports do. So if that is true, a good budget shock setup for autoX might be the Koni Sports on the front and the Koni FSDs on the rear.

 

I stand corrected about the JCW setup...

As for the FSDs...That was my experience with a set of them with stock springs and a 20 mm RSB set on the softest setting. It was not good. The car was like it was on a pogo stick. It would dive in the front and lift the inside rear which resulted in erratic handling. Maybe it is just me but then again I like MINI's Sports Suspension which is generally panned here.