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SuspensionSprings, struts, coilovers, sway-bars, camber plates, and all other modifications to suspension components for Cooper (R50), Cabrio (R52), and Cooper S (R53) MINIs.
Well I have one day of driving on them and I generally like them; they're smooth on the road and good when I push them. Unfortunately the fronts are coming off today and going back to Koni. It turns out that the spring mounts/perches aren't supposed to be loose, and they've found several sets that are so they're going to warranty them when they have the problem fixed in a few weeks but the bad news is I have to pull of the FSD's and put the old delphi's back on til they come in.
Time to resurrect this thread.
I want to to reiterate what a lot of people have said - the stock MINI shocks are crap. I first learned that when I replaced the Sports Suspension shocks on my 2012 S With Bilstein B8s. With the B8 being a stiff shock, I expected a harsh ride. But, guess what - they road better than the MINI shocks did even when the car was new.
Now I have finally gotten around to putting the Koni FSDs into our 2004 Cooper that has only 63k on the odometer. Why, oh why, did I wait so long to switch out the crappy MINI shocks? I should have known better. The FSDs are SOOOOO MUCH BETTER! Even in comparison to the relatively soft base Cooper shocks. If there was ever a question about having a harsh ride in a MINI, replace the shocks.
That said, I bought the FSDs several years ago and they sat in the basement until now. The shop that put them on said the lower spring perch was loose, same as noted above. Sorry to say, but I didn’t even think to check them before giving them to the shop. My shop did a small tack weld which seems to have fixed the problem. But, that should not have been that way. Hopefully Koni has fixed their Quality Control issue by now, because the FSDs are otherwise worth the money.
Can anyone direct me to a SET of NEW, stock height springs to use with the RED or FSD's... that are reasonably priced?
Thanks in advance.
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Originally Posted by ECSTuning
Everything is lower then stock on springs, You would have to get me your vin and i can get you the part numbers for the factory stock springs.
ECSTuning - If mountainhorse wants to change the stiffness of their springs, I believe stock height spring options available to mountainhorse are the base Cooper (softest), the S (a bit firmer) and the optional Sports Suspension (firmest). Just a thought.
For me... for stock springs and hardware... would be cheaper to buy loaded struts/shocks from Napa than the individual stock springs it seems.
No one offers a set of new STOCK height springs at reasonable prices??
I've looked at the OE Mini stuff... and their price on the springs is crazy expensive for what you get.
MSRP $202 ea. for fronts
MSRP $190 ea. for rear.
Even with 'street pricing' that puts OE springs over $600 (OUCH)
And that doesn't include any of the mounts, rubber etc....
Puts these into the realm of full blown coilover shocks in terms of overall cost ('all in')
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Last edited by mountainhorse; Dec 17, 2018 at 11:44 AM.
Yep, they do more lower kits with spings (cup kits). But I will let them know, with all the spring options MINI has from the factory based off weight and ride height there would be tons of kits by my guess. I think those loaded NAPA shocks are a meet in the middle, not dialed in by weight.
I think the factory MINI springs are about 90-120 , some are up to 160. each based on last time i looked at them.
With different springs...a "tuned" shock kind of goes out the window in terms of performance... seems there would be only one set of applicable springs, with these shocks, for a MC/MCS... and maybe another set for the heavier MC/MCS convertible cars...
On the factory cars... the spring is tuned for the shock package... with or without sport-suspension/traction-control would seem to be an irrelevant consideration when replacing all four of the shocks... The springs would be paired to the shock.
It is interesting that these Koni Special-Active set has only ONE part number for ALL Coopers (R50, R52, R53), which includes the heavier converts.
Would be great to have a KONI Non-Convertible and Convert specific shock spring package made just for these "Reds" that includes all that is needed to bolt into the car since they are marketing them as a 'tuned' suspension.
Which begs the question.... WHAT stock spring set were Koni Special Active Shocks & Struts Kit - 8745 1012 designed to be optimal with?
Were they optimized for the MC/MCS or the Convert??
Also, are these Koni Special Active Shocks & Struts Kits designed to be serviceable (Clean/oil/charge) and if so... who does this service and what is the cost.
$600 ++ is still a chunk of change !
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Last edited by mountainhorse; Dec 17, 2018 at 01:11 PM.
I will have to talk to them, my guess is they ran them in test on the early FSDs R50/R53 then found they worked with the R52 since that car did not come around till 2005. The r52 is heavier in the back.
I think those loaded NAPA shocks are a meet in the middle, not dialed in by weight.
I think the factory MINI springs are about 90-120 , some are up to 160. each based on last time i looked at them.
I think the 160's are convertible R52 shocks springs.
If you dont have excellent low mile donor parts from your car.... these Koni's get pretty costly fast!
For me... using the "loaded" strut and shock option from NAPA etc as a 'donor" for the spring parts will put me far ahead of the game.
Other than buying some ridiculously priced mini parts to round-out the kit...or use some sacked out used parts from a 60k-140k mile salvaged car (old parts on new shocks.... not really for me)... buying the inexpensive loaded combo and stripping them of their spring-componentry makes sense.
Evidently, since there is only one part number for these Koni Red's across the spread of R50/52/53.... Koni is saying that the shocks work well with all R5X springs in general.
I really don't see any options that would put me into these shocks for less than $1200 + on my car...other than donor "loaded" shocks.
I really like the speed-sensitive damping of these Red-Koni's and the prospect of a compliant, but not overly so, ride. But I have to see what the bottom line would be for me.
For that price, I can run a set of the yellows with minimal lowering springs like the SwiftR's-4X901R. (.7" and .5" drop) might do the trick for an acceptable price.... but then the ride is not as compliant again... Or do I run the Oranges and affordable lowering springs???
OR.... Ashcan the whole Koni idea and get only .75" drop ride height, according to BC, with the BC-Coilovers and more appropriate spring rates than their really lowered units?
This option is less than $1000, comes with everything including front upper camber adjusters... and I can choose my spring rate (included) for decent compliance and travel... (say 6k/4k)
Last edited by mountainhorse; Dec 17, 2018 at 04:05 PM.
I'm also curious what the total travel is on the stock shocks/struts... and what they are on the aftermarket coilover/shock/struts??
I really think that Koni is missing the boat by not these FSD type shocks for the MINI as a package with these FSD type shocks.
There really are only two combos possible on the R5X with these... R50/53 and R52 in terms of springs... since there is an IDEAL spring for these particular shocks at a given weight of car to get the most out of the shock.
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Last edited by mountainhorse; Dec 17, 2018 at 05:28 PM.
I think you will find that what is being marketed by Koni, Bilstein, etc is based around what people, in general, want. That is, most people only just replace the shocks and reuse the stock springs, unless they are interested changing the handling performance of the car or the looks of the car. In general, there is little if anything being posted about problems with MINI springs. So, unless a spring is broken or sagging noticeably there is no reason to replace them.
Usually, you can find the mfg’s part numbers for almost all MINI parts on RealOEM.com. However, there is no spring listed for your car...
Hmmmm - does your car have springs?
Ok, bad joke.
The person posting for ECSTuning said he can help if you contact them (You can PM them from their screen name in the post above). Way Motors is also a good source. Sorry that is the best I’ve got. Maybe someone else knows...
Is there a kit of "soft items" at a 'fair price' that, IMO, should be replaced on any 60k-mile+ shock replacement/upgrade (non coilover)?? Items in RED
Also, is there any better place to get the METAL, 2-bolt upper rear-shock flange, in the aftermarket... $82 for the stock mini part is CRAZY for that part.
REAR
Last edited by mountainhorse; Dec 22, 2018 at 10:46 AM.
Save your money you don't need to buy all those other small parts you can just reuse the ones on your car currently. And if you did want to buy all that stuff most of it I would just sell you used as new parts for some is crazy.
I would do new upper front strut mounts if yours are cracked or broken, and new bump stops. But the rest are items that don't really wear out. https://www.waymotorworks.com/oem-fr...rut-mount.html
I just did shocks on or R50 (installed FSDs). With that I had the front strut mounts replaced (14 in your picture). That was worth doing. On your item 13, that is 2 pieces; one part being the metal bracket, the other being a rubber bushing. I think you can get the rubber bushing separately for less than half what you show there. Check Way or ECS (I think I saw them in ECS). Not sure if it is worth replacing them, though as the backend parts don’t take much of a beating.
Interesting.... Fiats top Abarth 595 Esseesse is running the Koni FSD's.
Speaks to the character of the shocks .... Fiat group was pretty picky with this choice.
