I recently bought an '02 R53, and the previous owner had installed HR springs on the stock sticks.

The height is GREAT, and the cornering is an upgrade from my previous MINI which had the stock setup.

But over rougher roads (and I mean anything less than perfect) the car is very bumpy/bouncy. Now I don't mean it's "too stiff." I know what "too stiff" feels like when done right, just look at my sig for my other car. so the questions for the R53 suspension wizards out there are:

1- am I right to think the springs and shocks are not a good match for each other, and causing the issue?
2- Would a set of koni yellows resolve this, or would the problem get worse? People on this forum seem to like the combo.
3- should I dump the HR springs, regardless of shocks/struts? Are they just too much for such a short wheel based car regarding a smooth ride.

and as a last, but somewhat extreme question

4- I've debated getting a set of Megan coil overs and leaving them soft for street driving. Would they be a nice ride, or still harsh, even in the softer setting? Would this be better than the Koni Yellow + HR?

-JM

 

its most likle the shocks get a good set of shocks koni's, blisten, etc.. and youll have a good set up again. i have koni yellows and swift springs the the spring rates on the swifts are much higher... shocks are responsible for controlling bumps so havieng a soft shock with a stiff spring will not make for a comfortable ride and will severely reduce the life of the shock.

lbs/inch
swift 280f/308r
h&r 260f/260r

anyway i love my combo im still playing with the dampeing settings to find where i want it, but its very comfortable, predictable, and feels great it goes where i put it.

i also have had expericne with megans on two other cars and no matter what you do with them they are still going to be either too stiff or too bumpy depending on you dampening settings.

 

The bounciness you're experiencing is from your rear shocks failing, and your front ones being tight and weighed down by the engine. The rear shocks can't keep the springs stiff so they rebound more than they should and thus upset the font springs which upset the rear balance again and it just bounces back and forth.

So get new springs, or (new) Megan's will do just fine. I ran Megan's rather stiff for street/track use and loved my Mini. Out of 32 settings I was at 10, with 1 being the stiffest.

 

I went from the H&Rs on the stock shocks to Koni yellows after one of my shocks blew out and started leaking oil. The main difference I noticed was how much more controlled it felt over bumps. Its slightly firmer, but I think I have the rebound set to match the spring rate of the springs quite well so it handles bumps with no residual bounciness or any feeling of being unsettled. It is a definite improvement over stock. Handling is even better too.

The problem with running aftermarket springs with the stock shocks is that having shorter springs makes the shocks sit too far down in their travel. This negatively affects their ability to dampen spring movement and puts a lot more stress on them. The OEM setup is simply not valved to withstand an increased spring rate, which is where the bounciness is coming from. The H&Rs are pretty conservative as far as springs go, but more aggressive springs put a ton of extra wear on the shocks.

As far as the Megans are concerned, they are definitely more aggressive than the Koni + H&R setup. Some people run them on daily drivers with no complaints, while others have mentioned they are a little hard to live with on a daily basis. It totally depends on if you plan on tracking the car or not

 

Both my deals (one Koni Yellows and on the Megans) just fell through (sold out from under me on the marketplace).

Looks like I need to start thinking about VMaxx, or stock :-(

 

You can get a brand new set of Konis for under $600 shipped. Thats pretty reasonable if you ask me.

 

only if you find them on sale! i got mine 500 with free shipping they are usually in the 7-800 range

 

One tip...
Check the production date of your car on the drivers side door jamb....
Some VERY early 2002 cars had different suspension parts, and are not compatible with late 2002+ cars....
As for your ride issue... 10+ year old struts/shocks on lowering springs kinda explains it...bet they have zero rebound left when you take them out....

 

Regarding Megan's, don't they do like 8k/ 6k springs on basically EVERYTHING!?

One thing I would do to ANY suspension is add a set of MCU bump stops. It makes the transition of a story stroke suspension more manageable and less snappy on rough stuff.

I've started making coilovers and I'm going to approach the vendors on here when I'm ready. I won't sell em myself, but will have a few select vendors set up with me providing support.