Just recently bought a 2005 Mini Cooper S R53 I already have wheels for it and am wondering about if I should go with coilovers or lowering springs? Not looking to race my car just have it s little faster and look clean! Also what size should I get with 17" rims on? How far can I drop the car? Don't know what's better or if it even matters.

 

You'll be able to get more drop with coilovers, but they will cost quite a bit more money. So kinda depends on what "look" your going after, and how much money your willing to spend..

 

Don't put lowering springs on OEM struts / dampers. "Do it right, or do it twice", as they say. For dampers, look at Koni Yellow (adjustable damping) or Koni Orange Srt Series, and add springs of your choice. Otherwise, decent Megan coilovers can be had for $700, or ST coilovers for $850. Just save some cash and do it right.

 

will do! Thanks for the info! I think I'll save up for s month or 2 since Im only 16 and it seems like a pricey mod!

 

Whos the cheapest vendor for Megans ? Im worried about the ST's after seeing that guy in the Suspension forum posting about a possible manufacturing error.

 

Well, for what it's worth, ST coilovers come with a 5 year warranty, whereas Megan only offers a 1 year.

http://www.waymotorworks.com/megan-r...coilovers.html

 

I like those a lot but Im 16 so Im not looking to spend $700 on coilovers do you know any good used ones I could look for?

 

I was in the same boat but will do coilovers. I want the low look and did some looking around, for abouit $100 more than the STs you can get Yellow Speed http://www.redlineperformance.ca/02-...eed-Coilovers- They are $950 but they come with camber plates and 33 way adjustable damper. This may be overkill though for you. I am doing track days and auto cross so the camber is nice, but stance life these would do good.

 

Take it from me, don't cheap out. I initially put my springs on stock struts and they were leaking after only 1k, and they only had about 50k miles on them to begin with!

 

Alright thanks for the info!!! Much needed help!

 

Nice man! love younger people on here (no offense older people) Being younger (19) I've noticed we see things a little different. Now I'm not one to hellaflush my car, but a nice stance and maybe some negative camber look nice. I hate the gap between my fenders and wheels right now. Like this cooper looks awesome lowered on bags, but to me that is $2G+ wasted on something that could be coilovers, sticky tyres, and light rims. One thing I took note of is write out a list of mods, and get like a box or something write mods on it and throw in money in there. I used this for tips I got at my job and in about a month I had ~ $800 for mods, good thing to do so you don't go broke xD I spent around $500 on all audio and put the rest back in the bank. Keeps you happy and out of debt! Best of luck man!

 

Young or old, you're putting unnecessary wear on various parts when you stance; flush; poke; slam, whatever, your car. If you just want some hellaflush, slammed, cambered-out MINI, buy some garbage coilovers and be on your way. Let us know how your wheel bearings, axles, and tires are wearing in 6 months. Vmaxx or FK Streetline has some crap for ~$500.

If you want a respectable car that functions like one, don't be impatient, and just save enough $$ to do the job right the first time.

Also, those Yellow Speed coilovers are not a high quality piece. There's a reason they come with camber plates and 32-way adjustable damping for $950. More adjustment doesn't equal a better damper, and there's a reason why even the most high-end coilovers (Bilstein, Ohlins, KW) only have 10-15 adjustability points on their units. I'm not trying to flame anyone, but the old saying "haste makes waste" applies here.

 

Ok will do guys! I just recently got a job that's paying 9 an hour but with tips it's more like 22 so I should bring in some really good cash with that!! And I will just wait a month or 2 and buy the coilovers worth it to me thanks for the heads up

 

no offense to you but that was kind of my point in a way(the "when you stance; flush; poke; slam, whatever, your car"). What would you consider good coilovers that are not $2000 for kids who don't have loads of cash but still love modding?

 

BRING HOME THE BACON my friend I know how that goes(tips) made ~~$1600 in 2 weeks during Christmas time.

 

I think it honestly depends on what you're trying to do with the car. In all seriousness, if you're just going for a lowered look, buy some cheapo coilovers, dump the car 2" and be done with it.

If you want to dramatically improve the handling as well, buy something with adjustable damping and add front camber plates. Yes- the Megans have both and will do the job, but don't confuse them for a high-end coilover.

I think the thing to remember here is to have enough patience to not waste your money on a short-term fix. You said $700 is too much, and that's fine. Just know that you're not going to get new, quality suspension for under that. Shop the classifieds section for stuff, and maybe you'll luck out on some low-mileage stuff. GL!

 

Thanks for the info!! If I have any more questions will be sure to check back before buying some coilovers!

 

In many cases lowering springs are adequate rather than coil springs. Springs are much simpler if you just want a certain height change. If you do not plan to adjust the height more than initially or corner balance the weight distribution than probably no reason for coil-overs.

I used H&R springs with stock shocks for 45,000 miles with no shock issues. The shocks were new when springs were installed. I crashed the car so I do not know how long the shocks would have lasted.

If you car has many miles, it is probably time for new shocks anyway. Lowering springs and new shocks are a good way to go verse cheap coil-overs. Many people have had issues with cheap coil-overs.

 

just another piece of info to keep in mind. I just lowered my car on Megan coilovers, and I ran into issues using OEM end-links. It all went away after I installed Alta shortened ones. So, just keep in mind that you mind need extra $200 to fix some issues related to drop

 

What kind of issues did you run into ? Anyone know what size spacers ill need for OEM 17 inch rims with a significant drop on megan coils?

 

I am not 100% sure that my problems were from the drop, as I also installed 27mm H&R sway bar in the front and 19mm Alta in the back. But on any significant bumps, it sounded like either end-links or maybe sway bar was hitting some metal in the rear. I can't say exactly where, but it all went away last night, after I installed Alta end-links.

As far as tires, not sure the size, but mine 215/45 r17 would rub against Megans in the front without spacers.

 

Sweet good to know ! How low are you planning on going with the megans? I guess a good question also is , how low CAN you go?

 

This is what it looks like now. Not much drop up front, as I am still experience some rubbing, need to install spacers. I have Hotchkis camber plates, so front can be lowered significantly. As far as back, I have about 2" of adjustment left on coilovers, which I will play with once i solve my issues up front.

 

Any reason you went Hotchkins over the Megan camber plates ?

 

No particular reason, I got them as a package deal.