Taking delivery of a '16 fJCW in a few weeks and I have it narrowed down to 3 different options;

1. BC Racing BR Coilovers (dampening adjustability/price point)
2. KW Variant 1 (lowering range/reputation)
3. JCW Pro Coilovers (concerned with the minimal drop....looking to possibly go lower than *30mm)

If you were to choose, which would you go with? Strictly a daily driver, and mostly for aesthetics. I want coilovers because I want to be able to get the car *exactly* where I want it, in both front and back, from a stance standpoint.

Thanks!

ps. any other suggestions?

*30mm is the max lowering range according the product details on MINI's website......"Vehicle lowering adjustment range from 10mm-30mm (from standard MINI suspension)"

 

having had experience with all 3

bc are not known for ride quality or performance more of a high range fart can tuner equipment sold in the 899 to 1200 range, because of design the strut can go low with out losing travel,the problem is that by design the bc's have little to no travel to begin with. Bc may have adjustable damping but what you get is 30 adjustments of horrible damping.

the jcw pro and kwv1 are the same unit with different branding and maybe specs with one being tuned by kw and one tuned by or approved by bmw/mini and both built by kw. great ride and a huge step above any bc equipped car i have driven.

If you plan to run a 8 inch with wheel you will need extra rim to shock clearance go with the kw/jcw suspension and a 45-42et wheel.

 

Appreciate the feedback. Any pictures of your car on the JCW Pro Suspension?

 

I am on NM springs which sit lower than the JCW Coils. 17x7.5 et45 rims with 225/45/17 tires

 

Lower? Not sure I see that. Your ground clearance looks to be the same. Sure, your wheel well gap looks to be a lot less, but your tire and wheel package is also 2% greater in circumference than the stock 18's. Merely an illusion. I'm not interested in springs, I'm interested in coilovers.

 

Given you options and the concern that the JCW may not lower enough, go with the KW, after all if I'm not mistaken the JCW are made by KW so they will be almost identical except one may allow you to lower the car more.

 

Check out the KW V2 as we've installed them and they are great, and give you the adjustable rebound so you can dial them in.
http://www.waymotorworks.com/kw-vari...overs-f56.html

We offer the V1's but the 2's are so nice it's hard to not recommend them.

 

I was merely showing the drop which is 34mm which is lower, I also realize there is less gap with the slightly larger tire which is one of the reasons I went with the size. Not trying to talk you into springs lol, I would have done coils to if they had been in the budget

 

How low are you looking to go? I think the JCW Pro will go as low as you can safely (according to MINI at least) go with the stock wheel/tire combos and no other modifications.

The KWs may go lower, but I haven't seen any pics anywhere to back that up. Plus you'd be giving up the JCW Pro warranty.

 

I would avoid the BC coilovers. The dampeners don't last. We sell both the JCW and the Variant 1/2s by KW. Although the KWs have performed well for us, I have to admit that once in a while those shocks fail as well. KW is pretty good about fixing them under warranty, but it involves removing the suspension and sending it to California and waiting for weeks.

 

*Learn from all of us that have learned the hard way and skip the BC's
*JCW Pro and KW V1 appear to be identical, choose your favorite.
*KW V2 would be the next step up from there, but the ride height would be the same, you just get a slightly better damper that also has rebound adjustment to tailor ride quality preference.

 

I've just received my KW V2. Going to install them this weekend.

Comparing them to the JCW set from Ryphile's thread, the KW seems to be missing the spring rubber bumpers/collars. It seems like Mini has added those extra bumpers to improve on the stock KW kit. Most probably to minimize any additional noise and vibration.

Instructions also shows that I'll have to cut the front shock dust boots in order to re-use the top portion. I believe you don't need to cut anything on the JCW kit.

Shocks came preset at 9 clicks from full hard on both fronts and rears. I have them at 10 clicks now.

Going to start with the rear at max low and front at mid level height adjustment . I suspect it's going to sit a little lower than the JCW kit at the same height setting because of the missing rubber bumpers.

Some pics of the kit:

 

I've pretty much decided on the JCW Pro kit for a couple different reasons. I dig the fact that you don't lose any factory warranty. It's a somewhat "genuine" MINI part, and I can get it installed, at the dealer, before I pick the car up, for $2k.

I'm gonna have them drop it as low as it can go in the rear, and then have then drop the front so there's little to no rake. That's the one thing I didn't like on my '11 MCS with the H&R Springs.....there was too much front rake. Hence the reason I wanted to go with coilovers this time around.....to get the perfect stance as well as the performance upgrade.

Appreciate everyone's input.

 

Any pics? How do you like them?

 

dusting off this thread...has anyone had any experience between the Bilstein B16/PSS10's and the KW V2's in regards to how it feels both in the city and the track. i would prefer more opinion of the city as truth be told, the car is 90% city and 10% on the track.

the majority of the reviews out there seem to lean towards bilsteins being of better quality, specifically for those in the NYC/Northeast region (salt/snow). what i can't get is a good review for how it handles with the streets/bumps. how harsh it is, even at the softest setting.

also wondering what peoples personal preferences are between KW V2's and the Bilsteins....from a cost perspective i'm looking at $1800-$2000 for either or.

 

Marco, I've been running the V2 for almost a year now. I've also had a PSS10 on my last E46 M3 hence I could give some inputs in term of its build quality and ease of adjustment.

The KW V2:
Ride: has 18 clicks of adjustments. The factory recommended @ 9 clicks is too stiff for city use for me. I have it at 15 clicks from full stiff all around now. At the current setting it's more comfortable than the stock suspension.
Quality: very good build, no complains. Only been running for a year.
Negative: damping/rebound adjustment for the rear shocks is time consuming. Have to take the shocks of the car to do adjustment since there is no access to the top of the strut tower in the mini.

PSS10:
Ride: I cannot compare ride quality since I never had one on the F56 but on the previous BMW the ride quality was also satisfactory for city use on the softer settings.
Quality: I ran the Bilstein for about 2 years before switching to Ground Control, one of the adjuster dial on the PSS10 did malfunction and needed a warranty claim. No leaks or blown shocks though. I was still working in VA/MD when I had the M3, no problem with corrosion on the shock body after 2 years of daily driving including in the winter.

Since you frequent the track quite a bit, I think the PSS10 would be the better buy. Adjustment dials are on the bottom of the shocks. No need to take the rear shocks off before every event to adjust. I believe monotube shocks has better performance than twin tube for track use as well.

 

i was hoping you'd respond. and perfect as you handled both setups. yeah, the KW adjustment on the rear would be a serious PITA for me, especially on the track..

valid on all other points and the key one i was looking for was the tolerance on the *lovely* roads of NY. i still want to have a *somewhat* soft ride.

i'm leaning more and more on the PSS10's...with a track event coming up in 2 weeks and tail of the dragon 2 weeks after that, i almost want to pull the trigger NOW and have it setup for both.

appreciate the info man.

 

I think the PSS10 @ soft setting would be sufficiently comfortable for NYC roads. The B16 would be even softer but with the amount of track events you're doing I would not recommend it.

Do the PSS10.

 

PSS10 are the B16 - damper and height adjustment
PSS are the B14 - height adjustment only.

 

When I was thinking about KW v3, KW advised me that they do rebound adjustment extenders so they can be adjusted from the boot area. I did look to see where they could go and it seems a little tight there and perhaps some drilling and modifications needed to get them installed.

I didn't bother in the end and went for the v1s. They are firmer than my VDC on sport but damping seem to be much better controlled. Impressed so far even though a little firmer compared to having KW coils on previous BMWs