So I am looking to lower my DD and potentially use it in autocross sometime in the future. There will be some mountain twisties at MINI meets sometime in there. I was wondering if the EZ Street line was a good stage one suspension mod? I am thinking of pairing those with the JCW control arms, rear sway bar, and Poly bushings. The problem is the extra $200 for the Racing series really eat into my budget. Would the EZ Street series be good and them purchase some adjustable camber plates later? Thanks.

 

I just installed the EZ Street coilovers on my R52. The stock struts were all worn so I went with the base EZ coilovers thinking they would be better than riding on springs. So far I have no complaints and the cornering capability is greater than my driving skills. I debated going with the next higher in the line with adjustable camber plates but I don't really see the need. The racing series included the rear strut mount so you might save a few minutes swapping the strut mount over. That and a few more clicks on the damper adjustment weren't enough to justify the extra $200 for me.

 

They're a $700 coilover. That's to say, they're not especially good, but it's all relative. Relative to blown stock struts, sure, they're fine. Relative to something better built, no, they're not very good. Just know that if you purchase quality camber plates at a later date, they'll cost more than $200. My Hotchkis were $480.

 

I looked into the Meagans as well. For the same price range I also looked into the Kspotrs. I called a local Motorsports shop in the area and talked to a tech guy. They sell both. With that being said, he exp[lained that the Ksports were a much better quality coilover, made in the U.S., customer support was great and was overall a better choice. So I called Ksport in Arizona and actually talked to someone. That was impressive for me. Meagans are made overseas.
I've heard of some people saying that they have rubbing issues up front. I'm not sure how to determine if that's going to happen. I've got 18X7 wheels with a 42mm offset. Anyone out here able to help me on this? Any experience with Meagons vs. Ksports? Rubbing issues with this size wheel? I realize that they are entry level products, but for under $1K, what the hell!!

 

With an et 42mm offset and 7" wheel, I can't see you rubbing on anything unless you go too low.

 

I have a pair of megans, they are not in right now, they are the euro street. the higher version, 32 levels of dampning and the camber plates. I wont be able to tell you till spring, cause im not swapping out suspension in the snow =D


there is a guy with an r50 who loves his streets

 

I think you'll find that 32 levels of damping (not dampening) equates to nothing more than marketing. With such fine supposed resolution between adjustment, you'll never feel the difference between say, setting 10 and setting 15. Most high-end dampers come with 8 or 10 points of adjustability, each of which is actually discernible.

For all the criticizing I've done of the Megans, a lot of people had good luck with them.

 

K Sports are completely awful crap. They may be assembled in the USA but that's it.

I dislike Megans and the other Taiwanese coilovers, but K Sports (and D2) are a another step worse.

 

yeah they may have that, and honestly unless I was at a track im sure ill have a hard time between the settings 0 -10 -20 and -30

 

andyroo, Why do you say that the K Sports are crap? Have you run these before? Just wondering. I want to make the right choice, bit I'm not spending big $$ on coilovers for a daily driver. I'm only looking to lower it a little and have a little better handling. Thanks for the input

 

KSports are known for being fairly crappy. Here's the thing: Regardless of whether you want coilovers for track performance or for just "stancing" nonsense, you don't want the coilover to break or wear-out prematurely. Crappy coilovers will likely do that. Just spend the extra $200-300, and get something decent. Just another case of "Do it nice or do it twice.."

BC makes Megan, and BC has a very decent rep these days. Megan seems to have a decent following, too. ST offers an entry level coilover (lacks damping adjustability) for $850 on eBay. My advice is skip D2, KSport, and FK.

 

A slight drop and better handling were my criteria for coilovers and the Megans have provided that for me. For the same money I could have gone with Koni FSD but if I wanted a cushier ride I wouldn't be driving a Mini. I tried to find negative reviews on the Megans but the majority of what I found were positive so I went ahead and bought them. There may be better coilovers out there but I'm willing to bet the returns are greatly diminished for a daily driver as you go up the price scale. I did the coilovers and a 15% pulley at the same time. All I know is the Mini I took off the jack stands is now a completely different animal.

 

Get the adjustable ones camber and height adjusting is good stuff. dampers are basic adjustable I like them good qualty for the money worked fine at the track super low, fine on most road surfaces. I have Teins steet flex in the other car like them a bit better but more money. Next up Ohlins with more advanced damping but not as height adjustable and you need seperate camber plates Ive only treid someone elses. Others I would like to try KW three way or Ceika customs. More adjustability please 4way do we live in the stone age. Wheel and tire size and offset and weight do matter in any set up I run Enki Rpf1 17 on 205/55 could do 215 rubber is so huge on the Mini every new set is so different.

 

Yes I have ridden/driven them on multiple types of cars. In all cases they had terrible damping that was inconsistent on each corner and did not last long. Worse than stock.

BC would be a fine choice for you. I don't necessarily like them but OEM isn't very good and for the price the BCs are a decent option. A better choice would be KW V1 + some camber plates. I would recommend something with camber plates (or adding them on your own) since the stock mounts are pretty bad and prone to fail on 1st gen MINIs.

- Andy

 

Camber plates, however you obtain them, should be added to any car that's being tracked or even dropped low. There are inherent issues to lowering a car, and being able to dial camber in both the front and rear (adjustable rear control arms..) is critical to suspension tuning. There's no sense in half-assing this stuff. Just lowering the center of gravity isn't enough for great handling; you want situation appropriate damping, and balance (corner weighting after coilover install). The more I look at the Megans and their reviews, the more highly I think of it them as a good budget option.

It's a slippery slope though, in terms of price. For $100 more, you can have BC BR coilovers, which are widely regarded as a bit better than Megan (beefier, even though they manufacture for Megan). For another $100, you can get H&R coilovers; for another $200 you can get KW V1; for another $200 you can get Bilstein PSS9's, and it goes on and on.

 

Thanks for all the input. I've checked into the KW line, app. $1500 for the setup plus another $4 to500 for camber plates. (app). I found a good website that compares the Megans to the BC and the BC definitely have a little more quality built into them. Minor but better none the less. Oh what to do!! You can also get the BC with swift springs for a little more. No body seems to have much good to say about the K Sports, so I've ruled them out.
Always willing to listen to experienced owners such as all of you. Thanks again

 

+1 on the above...
"Street" is for the tuner and stance crowd....
If you want performance, spend a few more $$ and get better stuff...
IMO unless you plan in spending a few THOUSAND $$ , get koni yellows, and camber plates......springs if you want to go lower too....
Till you get to a mid level coilover, they are PURE BLING, and have more drawbacks than plusses....and On the street, the koni yellows are FAR more duable and long lived....heck even on the track...unless you are going to spend the $$$$ to do a full setup with coilovers...including custom alignment, end links and cornor weighting.....

 

Great advice as always Zippy. What springs to go with the Koni yellows?

All up, what are all the pieces needed for this setup?

Koni Yellows
Springs, which brand/model for lowering and soft street ride?
4 corner bump stops and which brand?
What else?