Suspension Springs, struts, coilovers, sway-bars, camber plates, and all other modifications to suspension components for Cooper (R50), Cabrio (R52), and Cooper S (R53) MINIs.

Suspension STAGG Struts and Shocks installed --> Review

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  #51  
Old 04-02-2014, 12:23 AM
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Originally Posted by Surf1dz
Yup same deal with me! I was issued a full re-fund for parts. Then I asked them how they were going to re-imburse me for the $300 I spent on labor....they are sending me a free set of Monroe OESpectrum shocks which arrive today........


Really upset about the STAGG but we'll see how the Monroe's are.

I would have took that deal, but I had to get the Mini back on the road and couldn't wait 5 more days(including weekend) for shipping. NAPA had OE Spectrum in stock, so I settled for them. the ride feels good.
 
  #52  
Old 04-02-2014, 04:44 AM
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Originally Posted by grussell
I would have took that deal, but I had to get the Mini back on the road and couldn't wait 5 more days(including weekend) for shipping. NAPA had OE Spectrum in stock, so I settled for them. the ride feels good.
That is good to hear! Much smoother than stock? How does the car handle? I'm trying to decide if I want to install my OE Spectrum's or just try to sell and say F it and deal w/ the rough ride of stock struts with 100k on them.......
 
  #53  
Old 04-02-2014, 08:03 AM
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Wonder if any among those who bought these Staggs has milled the rods to size. I presume this entire batch has this defect. Milling cost might be better welcomed by the vendor than a refund + Monroes.
 
  #54  
Old 04-02-2014, 08:05 AM
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Originally Posted by minsanity
Wonder if any among those who bought these Staggs has milled off the rods to size. I presume this entire batch has this defect. Milling should cost much.
I believe the issue is the 2002 model is slightly different whereas later R53s suspension is not quite the same. Not 100% certain but i think there are quirks to the first model year.

So -- while late late 2002s might be okay -- the early builds were not.
 
  #55  
Old 04-02-2014, 08:14 AM
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Those pre 3/02 builds have totally different strut mounts. These Staggs were for 3/02-06. From the looks of it, the part below the threaded portion has been erroneously milled.
 
  #56  
Old 04-02-2014, 04:29 PM
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Originally Posted by Surf1dz
That is good to hear! Much smoother than stock? How does the car handle? I'm trying to decide if I want to install my OE Spectrum's or just try to sell and say F it and deal w/ the rough ride of stock struts with 100k on them.......

I was amazed at the ride difference. I also replaced all of the steering parts in the front end, control arm bushings, ball joints, tie rod ends.


The upper strut mounts were also worn out, so I replaced them too. The rubber in the mounts were cracked. The oem rear struts were so worn out that when I pushed the rods in neither came back out!
 
  #57  
Old 04-02-2014, 04:30 PM
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Originally Posted by minsanity
Those pre 3/02 builds have totally different strut mounts. These Staggs were for 3/02-06. From the looks of it, the part below the threaded portion has been erroneously milled.

Our Mini is a 4/02 build date.
 
  #58  
Old 04-11-2014, 10:00 AM
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I sent the seller a message asking if this issue has been resolved. Will report back if I hear back.
 
  #59  
Old 04-15-2014, 08:19 AM
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Any luck, mrchet?
 
  #60  
Old 04-15-2014, 11:09 AM
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Originally Posted by minsanity
Any luck, mrchet?
Nope, no reply. Last time I checked the auction ended with all 17 sets sold. I don't know if they pulled the auction or if 7 more sets were actually sold. The timing leads me to think they pulled them after I sent them a message.

Went ahead and ordered the Koni FSDs from Tire Rack. $591 with 5% cashback from some bargain site. Lot's more but known to be good with my stock springs.
 
  #61  
Old 04-17-2014, 10:24 AM
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Well after riding on my staggs for a month. I getting rid of them. Purchased some Koni fsd last night. Stag improved my ride. Just not to my liking.
 
  #62  
Old 04-18-2014, 05:19 AM
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shrevemini, any front strut mount fitment issues w/ your Staggs like the others?
Can you share how they rode in comparison w/ FSDs & why they weren't to your liking?
Too soft or too harsh?
Thanks!
 
  #63  
Old 04-18-2014, 05:58 AM
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No, the fitment was fine. The ride was alot better than the older shocks. They just do not handle the Louisiana bumps that well. I could feel every little bump in the road. And the bigger bump just plain sucked.
I purchased my FSD's from Bravmotors for $568 with free shipping. Not to bad I think. Will install next week. I also purchased a new strut compression tool. This one is sweet. I will be renting it out to ya`ll at a fare rate. Like I do with the lower control arm tool I have.
 

Last edited by shrevemini; 04-19-2014 at 07:48 AM.
  #64  
Old 04-19-2014, 05:06 AM
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Thanks, shrevemini. Were these from the ebay vendor, techdeals1?
Please do share us your objective comparison w/ the FSDs. I know they are far from equals. Striuts are among those maintenance items, this would help guide those in the hunt for worthy stock replacements. FSD is an upgrade surely, but are the Staggs really better than stock as others have claimed? We also don't have any long term feedback on reliability & ride quality.....yet.
 
  #65  
Old 10-08-2014, 06:19 AM
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My good buddy finally found some downtime to mill the Stagg front strut tips to factory standard diameter & specs. The set was from that batch which had oversized rods that won't fit our strut mounts.
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The rears were fine:
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  #66  
Old 10-08-2014, 07:10 AM
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Stagg on the left, OE on the right. For some reason, Stagg used a different thread to take a smaller nut. These Chinamen must've thought it a wise upgrade.#$%^&@
 
  #67  
Old 10-08-2014, 10:56 AM
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Originally Posted by uromini
Drove the car a couple hundred miles since the install.
Wife gave it thumbs-up yesterday. hahaha
The car feels a lot more comfortable and composed.
Might feel like there slightly more body roll but that could be my imagination. I guess it could be there as these struts actually work! lol

Unrelated i have an occasional rattle in the suspension that I think may be related to not installing the second big washer that came with the new mounts. Also noticed that the boot on the inner balljoint on the left control arm is torn.

All in all I am very pleased with them and would highly recommend them to anyone on a budget.

The H&R Springs drop the front 1.0 inch and the rears .75 inch so your setup would be mint with these.

My front mounts were so worn that when I installed the new ones it raised the height of the car almost .5 inch which sucks cause I loved the height before..lol

Just a note: higher center of gravity, by having less drop, will give you more body roll compared to a lowered car.
 
  #68  
Old 02-15-2015, 11:37 AM
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Hello All,

I need to do the replacement of my shocks/struts on my '06 R53 and have already decided on the Stagg's.......

However, I've read on multiple posts how the Stagg's don't fit thru the upper mount or the end plate?

For anyone was has done the STAGG install, already, what did you have to do to make them fit?
 
  #69  
Old 02-15-2015, 04:48 PM
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Originally Posted by homestudiomusician
Hello All,

I need to do the replacement of my shocks/struts on my '06 R53 and have already decided on the Stagg's.......

However, I've read on multiple posts how the Stagg's don't fit thru the upper mount or the end plate?

For anyone was has done the STAGG install, already, what did you have to do to make them fit?

Send them a message and see if the issue has been resolved. My experience with them was good. Once UPS picked up the shocks for return they issued me a paypal refund, even before they received them!
 
  #70  
Old 02-17-2015, 03:55 PM
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Just an update for everyone.

Stagg has released a new version of these to replace the Original batch. The previous issue regarding the thicker piston rod has been addressed.
 
  #71  
Old 06-08-2015, 12:12 PM
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Any more mini owner that can chime in on the stagg's. I just got a mini and am looking to refresh the ride on a budget. Thanks!
 
  #72  
Old 07-15-2015, 04:36 PM
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I just got done putting these on my R53. I optes to go the budget rout as the fun money funds was drying up fast. I paired these with IE fixed camber plates and new shock mounts on the rear. Only have one ride in so far, but its a huge improvement from the original shocks and struts that had 91k on them. I have no clue how long it should take for shocks and struts to return to full extension, but the shocks took a good 50 seconds. Anyway I am very pleased for what I spent, just hope that lasts.
 
  #73  
Old 09-17-2015, 02:41 PM
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do you get them on ebay? http://www.ebay.com/itm/STAGG-SHS-4-STRUTS-SHOCKS-R55-R56-R57-R58-R59-MINI-COOPER-07-08-09-10-to-2014-/400924892858?hash=item5d58fc5eba&vxp=mtr
 
  #74  
Old 09-20-2015, 02:03 PM
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Looking at getting these stagg struts from techdeals on ebay too. Going to pair them up with vogtland springs for my 03 MCS. Looking to see if there's any negative reviews?
 
  #75  
Old 09-20-2015, 07:29 PM
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@massmini03- I cant find my old email from seller jdmwerks but I remember them saying it was the newer model so no need to get it professionally milled like the prior post.
 


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