First off, hi, this is my first post. I am about to order myself a new MCS and can't wait. I am a confessed track junkie and the MCS is replacing my 2005 M3 and my hybrid Civic. I wanted something that I could daily drive and also enjoy when I can get to the track.

Anyway, I had originally thought about getting the JCW suspension, but thought there might be better and/or more cost effective options. So what are some good choices that won't break the bank and will be livable every day, but will also be a little better setup for track use?

Thank you.

 

With a new car, you are best to get out there and see what you like and don't like about the car as delivered. Common areas of improvement are reducing understeer and ride harshness. There are a bunch of threads here, do some looking at past topics or searches.

Common suspension mods are an adjustable rear sway bar, replacing the runflats with high performance tires, and adding an NM engine mount bushing. Lightweight wheels, different springs/shocks, or coil overs are additional upgrades. Usually it is not required to replace the front sway bar or add a strut bar, these are of questionable benefit on this car.

I think that you will find that the MINI is a pretty nice platform to start with.

Have fun,
Mike

 

Mike,

Thanks for the info. I test drove a JCW that was used and found the steering to feel better than the new S that I test drove. The JCW was otherwise not what I wanted for a number of reasons (condition, options, etc).

I thought about buying the JCW kit or having it put on at the factory. Or the sport suspension option. But thought I might do better just getting the car stock and spending the money on a 3rd party application.

I'll keep doing my research. Thanks again.

 

Instead of tossing out the original suspension without breaking it in, invest in an LSD and a rear bar and then replace the suspension after it loses its firmness. Even a rear sway bar alone is a huge improvement.

 

I saw the LSD and thought that might be a better way to go initially. Thanks for the input. Please keep it coming.

 

Welcome!

I would say a rear sway bar should be the first upgrade. As for suspension the H&R Cup kit (1.5" Lower) set up would be best for not breaking the bank:

http://www.eurosportdesign.com/p-367...g-cup-kit.aspx

 

I would hold off on MINI's LSD. It works, don't get me wrong, but it is not the best. The best option is the Quaiffe (sp?) mechanical LSD. OS Giken makes one for about $1700+ and is top of the line, but everyone that has a Quaiffe rants and raves about it and I believe it's under $1000. It's the LSD I'm going with. I just know the Mini LSD is electric and doesn't even compare to the Quaiffe or OS Giken.

This thread should help if you're interested:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...e-learned.html

 

Well the stock suspension is "track capable". Heck just about anything is "track capable". What matters is how capable. The best bet would be far and above the Ohlins coilovers but theyr'e fairly spendy. You're not racing at track days so really all you want is a setup that is fun and doesn't demolish your front tires. Start with some front camber plates on the stock suspension. As you get faster you can decide on either springs/shocks or full on coilovers. Don't buy cheap coilovers. Just don't do it. As you get faster you'll want to do something about the brakes also.

I would just start with what you have and change things out as you figure out what you want the car to do differently. A performance diff is awesome (I have a quaife) but they're fairly expensive to install. A DIY involves removing the transmission and splitting the case. It's not terrible but it does take awhile.

 

Agree with most of what has been said.

First suspension mod should be alignment, it is cheap and adds a lot. The factory alignment is very "safe" and not so much orientated to motorsport. Just adjusting the toe can make a big difference. Speaking of alignment, front camber plates are very worthwhile. A couple of degrees of negative front camber will do wonders for handling. Also they will pay for themselves in a couple of track days as they will stop you destroying the outside of tyres! Rear camber adjustment is nice, but not as essential.

The next suspension alignment should be tires. Most people forget that tires are actually part of the suspension. Decent track orientated tires make an enormous difference to the car. They not only make a difference to lateral grip, braking and acceleration, but they make a difference to bump response etc. Probably the best bang for buck value there is.

Speaking of bang for buck value, don't forget tire pressures! Amazing what a difference you can make to handling by fine tuning pressures.

Rear bars are really popular. I think it depends on what you want to do. A stiffer rear bar makes it easy to rotate the rear end of the car. This is good if you do autocross, not necessarily so good if you do high speed circuit racing or fast street driving, or if you are inexperienced. Personally I think a stiff rear bar needs to be part of the package and not in isolation. I wouldn't bother about front or rear strut bars or a bigger front bar.

As for shocks and springs, as has been said, do not go for cheap coilovers. They can be horrible, worse than stock for the track. Many of the cheap sets are really designed to lower the car and not much else.

You are better off saving your money for a quality set. Personally I am a big fan of bilstein PSS / PSS10 series. They are virtually indestructable. The range of bump/rebound adjustment on the PSS10 is large and useful, meaning you can have nice compliant handling when you want it and ultra stiff when needed. Also, the bilsteins have the rear shock adjusters underneath, meaning both the front and rear are easily adjusted on the fly. KW and Ohlins are also quality products.

Many people think the stock springs on all of these are too soft on the rear. I don't agree, but that is the common perception. If you follow that line it is easy to change springs. Also easy to go stiffer all round if required. The bilsteins / kw and ohlins can all cope with reasonably stiffer springs without revalving.

Getting back to "bang for buck" and things that are free, if you go with coilover route make sure you invest the time to set them up properly. This means experimenting with front and rear ride height, rake, bump/rebound settings etc. Changing front and rear ride height 10mm and adjusting the shocks can means seconds per lap, and change the car from an undriveable pig to a dream.

Proper bushings etc are needed to really finish of the package, but not mandatory

 

Depends on your price range. Tops are the JRZ's, but they're expensive. If you want a very high spring rate, these can handle it and still are street able. If you want a spring rate below 400, the others-- Bilstein's , KW's, etc will work off the shelf, but you'll be out of the damper's specs with rates higher than that. So it depends on your price point, your goals with spring rates, how much adjustment you want, wether or not you can easily access the top of the rear shock mount, and how much rebuilds bother you with regard to what's best for you.

 

Lots of awesome info, thanks all for helping out the new guy. I'm thrilled that this community seems as alive and well as the BMW/M guys I'm coming from.

With regards to the diff, I didn't even know Mini made one. If I get one it would likely be the Quafi because I've heard good things from friends on other cars. So that's that.

With suspension, I had planned to start with camber plates and wheels/tires. I ran NT01's on my M3 so I'll probably look at those or maybe scale back to the RS-3's for the Mini's track tires.

I won't lie, I'm also after a little drop because I think it improves appearance, but that's not my sole purpose, it's just a nice side benefit. The KW v2's caught my attention and also, I noticed that Way Motor Works sells B-Spec coils but those might be a little much for the street. I also saw the TCK D/A's, but those are pretty pricey. I'd probably take the KW's over those.

I also read a few people saying the Koni Yellows and TSW springs are a decent way to go. But I always get the feeling that the money is better used towards a properly paired coilover setup.

I'll keep reading and please keep the suggestions coming.

Thanks,
Doug

 

I don't mean to change the topic here, but for those of you with adjustable suspension that track your car regularly, do you change your settings from track and street or just set it one way and run it in both environments?

I set up my suspension for track, and drove it on the street that way. I'm not very adaptable so I didn't want to have to relearn my car every other month that I went to the track. I also did not want to waste 4-6 hours setting everything up each time.

 

Way's KW V2's may be a good option for you--the spring rates are higher, in the 330's I believe, and the coils are matched to them--they are a pretty good street/track setup. The only downside is the damper adjustment is on the top of the rear shock, so you can't get at it once they're in, unless you drill a hole. The Bilstein's have the rear damper settings on the bottom of the shock so it's easy to get at.

If you ran Nitto 01's on your M3 on the track, you'll be disappointed if you don't on the MINI, at least on the track. Great tire and well priced.

As for changing setups--I will change damper settings, but not ride height during track season, but that's easy. Changing height is too much of a headache. I will raise the car at the end of the year, and then lower and realign it again in the spring before track season.

 

I like our TCK D/A coils but I'm getting kind of tired of rebuilding them. They're about to get sent off to get rebuilt again. Had to get them rebuilt the first time after about 6 months. Second rebuild lasted probably another 6 months. I'm going to talk to them and try to figure out why we're wearing them out so fast. We're only running 350lb springs. First time the rebound adjuster in the front seized and now the dampers just aren't damping...

We have our car set up for auto-x and don't change shock settings or anything for driving around. We just run it with the auto-x settings all the time. Then we just have to swap tires to go racing.

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using NAMotoring

 

Wow that's crazy fast...How many miles/events between rebuilds?

 

First - Welcome to wonderful and wacky world of MINI Modding...

I too could be considered a track junkie and have tracked 2 different MCSs. The first was a '07 S with the base suspension. On that car I went the route of a 20mm RSB, IE fixed camber plates and Koni FSDs to cut out the front end plowing. It didn't work. Yes the car would rotate with any amount of lift of the throttle but in a steady corner, it would still plow.

My second MINI is a 2012 that I specifically optioned out for the track. 2 options - the Sports Suspension (far more cost effective than the JCW suspension) and the DTC (MINI doesn't have an option for a mechanical LSD). This MINI is far more neutral than the '07 was even after the mods. The Sports Suspension has stiffer springs and shocks, and larger front and rear sway bars. The total increase in roll stiffness is greater than what the 20mm bar provided and the car is better balanced. This car does have the IE fixed camber plates which is the only mod I would recommend right at the start. With this setup the front end plowing is greatly decreased as compared to the '07. For any other mods, I would wait until you have have had some seat time in the car and you develop your own ideas of how you want the car to handle. With the 16" stock wheels, this car makes for a great DD.

The mechanical LSD was not an option in 2012 and I am not aware of it being an option now. The DTC is BMW's substitute for it and it is a poor substitute at best. However, it is better than an open differential. It may be good for the street but it is hell on the front brakes on the track. I am looking into a Quaife LSD for the car because the DTC toasted a set of brakes in 4 track days.

 

Probably something like 170 auto-x runs and 5K street miles. not exactly a lot of use. Not particularly impressed.

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using NAMotoring

 

Yeah, coilovers are great for the track but not needed on a street car. If your going to track your car get coilovers, if it's a street car, Koni yellows (or fsd) and tsw springs are a great setup. Can't go wrong with KW

 

The JRZ'S RS are supposed to be checked every 12k, most are getting 20k before rebuilding. You are going through those fast--maybe autox is tougher on coil overs than the track, even though it's lower speeds, it's one transition after another with rare breathers in between, kind of the opposite of the track. Props though, that's a lot of driving!