This is one of those YMMV posts but still I hope someone finds this useful one day.

The setup
F55
Sport Auto
DDC
18" Vanity Wheels
20MM spacers in the rear
H&R Springs (28813) supposed to lower 1.1"

Ive had them on and they are MUCH lower than I had originally imagined.

Immediately felt some shaking vibrations at low speeds that go away.. the vibrations come back under hard acceleration in any gear..

I took it to MINI and had it aligned as we're supposed to do after lowering, this helped the vibrations but they're still noticeably present..

I've talked to others here and read, and it seems to be hit and miss with lowering our cars, even the Mini tech said i changed the geometry.. What I dont get is, how can Porsches and other sport tuned cars get lowered and not suffer from this same problem?

Additionally, the car felt really tight and steering was precise once I drove away.. a day or so later, it doesnt feel as tight as it did before.. .what gives ?

Here are some pix





I've included my alignment sheet to see if anyone can provide any support.


I realize that all cars are different, and maybe someone with the same F55 but with 17" wheels not 18's may not have this problem, or maybe with a manual gearbox.. since the AT is heavier





Before



After



any help is greatly appreciated

 

Wish I could help, but since I have an F56, NM springs, and 17" wheels it's not apples to apples. That being said, I haven't had that problem all the way into triple digit speeds.

 

thanks Vet'

when I first googled the problem, NAM came up in the search results and i didnt even type "mini or f56/ f556" in google.. lol

maybe its the springs, idk.. but the supposed 1.1" drop is NOT what I got =\

 

I read that someone else here had h&r springs and was riding close to the bump stops. He trimned the bump stops and now ride has improved

 

i read that thread too, i believe.. my rear bumpstops were the only ones trimmed I believe... not sure why the shop didnt trim all 4 but I left it up to them..

 

i will be installing the nm springs in the next week or so and will def be trimming all 4 bumpstops.

also your car is riding lower than the 2 door which would make the Bumpstop even more likely to impact

 

any update on your install?

interested to hear your results.

 

did the install yesterday. rears where super easy, did the sway bar install too.

front was a pain but having spring compressors helped. car rides perfect. the drop is where i wanted it.

I talked to jerry at NM and he told me the creaking spring issue was likely due to the cheap upper sprint mounts mini used. i packed them with bearing grease when i had them out. so far no creaking or noise etc. car rides like it came from the factor this way.

 

nice..glad your install went well!

i actually met Jerry recently *awesome dude* and he has really helped everyone in the NAM community!

He drove my car and felt the "vibrations" but we couldnt find a resolution ..

He also took me for a ride in his car (ridiculously fast) and I heard the clicking/knocking at wheel lock when you;re turning..

so strange with these cars! I refuse to believe the whole "geometry" excuse.. porsches and lambos can be modified and I'm sure their "geometry" adheres to much tighter specs than my little mini cooper..

the saga continues!

 

Why is the part number for H&R springs (In the US) the same for F56 and F55?.

But there are separate numbers for F56 and F55 in Germany.
28813-2 for the F55
28813-1 for the F56

 

Could very well just be for inventory sake. Easily track how many of each car springs they sell.

When I was searching for springs and part numbers I first checked oem part numbers and it seemed that at least for 2016 S model F56 and F55 had the same spring part numbers.

There really is no reason for having different springs between the F55 and F56. It's not like we are talking a massive weight difference say going from an F56 under 3k lbs to the fat Clubman tipping the scales at 3500lbs. The weight difference between the F55 and F56 is small.

 

Realoem, does not have spring numbers available.

H-R.com (German site) shows 2 different numbers for the F55 and F56.

H&R US website, is not the manufacturers site, but a US distributor.


The US version of the F55 weigh in at almost 100lbs more than the EU version.
Then its also nearly 200lbs more than the F56.

200 lbs is a lot.

Just saying, maybe thats why his F55 sits so low, besides cutting the elastomer springs down.

Yes, I did not say bumpstop, its not a 1973 Chevy pickup with a big rubber snubber on the frame.

 

Via mini usa

F55 S manual - 2,895
F56 S manual - 2,785

Difference - 110

110 lb does not necessitate different springs.

And because realoem doesn't list spring part numbers mean that no one does? All you need to do is look at a mini dealers part site.

 

Yes it does.
The OEM springs, where they still show, for manual vs auto trans have different numbers.
Theres 100lbs difference !!
In fact here are 6 springs per model.
1.5 auto
1.5 manual
2.0 auto
2.0 manual
2.0 with sport auto
2.0 with sport manual.


Back to my original statement, H&R EU has a different number for F56 vs F55.

All EU Tuner websites, including Fleabay sell
28813-1 for F56
28813-2 for F55 and F57, F57 being a 20mm drop, compared to 30mm for the F55

The official H&R printed catalog appends the F55 springs with Weiß, why white? I don't know.

There has to be something other than inventory control. Not worth the time and effort to label identical springs 2 different numbers. If inventory runs out for one, you can't try to explain the other number is the same spring to your distributors.

Something for Joespeed to ponder why his F55 sits so low.

Ill call H&R Germany tomorrow, and get an answer.

 

This part makes NO sense.

So lets get this straight. An F57 having only a 20mm drop with the same springs that give an F55 a 30mm drop would mean that an F57 is lighter than an F55.

Here's the kicker. It's not! The F57 is in fact heavier than the F55 so wouldn't that mean that the F57 would drop more on the same springs?

F57: 2,985 lbs
F55: 2,895 lbs

Also according to your thinking that 100lbs requires different springs then H&R must be screwing everything up because they don't have separate springs for the F57.

Also look at other car brands with huge aftermarkets. You do not see different springs for the same car despite one being a manual and another being the heavier automatic, but I'm sure you will spend your entire day trying to find that one bizarre model where this isn't the case.

 

When you're done criticizing me at every juncture,
Look at the facts, also read the Eibach catalog for EU.
They have different springs for F55 and F56, and when you read further, they base the spring on axle load, 40kg difference between the two.

There is something to be said about Germans needing to conform to the TUV, for road safety. As in your car being safe doing 150mph down the Autobahn. Before you throw a comment there, yes I have driven the Autobahn quite a few times!!

The US sites homogenized numbers as one size fits all. They don't have to answer to anyone.
Thats what I don't trust.

 

Joespeed, PM me, I spoke with H&R in Germany.

 

Let's keep it civil. Cleaned up a few things.

 

@ JoeSpeed please add some more info:

I see you have less than 4K miles on the car, but after the drop how many miles did you drive before alignment was done.

Drop doesn't seem too severe, but would need some clarity on the vibrations you are having. Is it only under/during acceleration, highway at certain speeds, and is it present while going down highway and then putting transmission into neutral while coasting ?

Are you still running stock runflats ?

Also notice the drop measurements are all over the chart, did they offer to lower the car more evenly before the alignment ?



Porsche's come lowered from factory....not an aftermarket upgrade as their sumps are almost scraping the pavement anyways...

 

Joespeed stil has not responded.
After what Ive learned, this spring is not meant for the US F55.

You will notice there is no more F55 in the US H&R website application guide!!!

 

I am getting an alignment today on my F55 after 2 weeks of having Eibach springs installed. I will try to post up the sheet tonight.

 

Would you post a picture of your F55?
Compare it to Joespeeds.
Did you cut your Micro Cellular Jounce Bumpers? (Bumpstops)

 

I did not cut anything

12mm spacers on front
15mm spacers on rear

 

Yeah, that looks better than Joespeeds. You have 17" wheels? Right?

I better hurry up, and install my springs!!
Cant until the dealer sorts out the front end popping first.

 

17" wheels. No popping or any sounds from the Eibach springs.

My alignment sheet is nothing like Joespeeds. I wish it was that detailed!! Everything was in spec except for passenger rear camber which was just barely out of spec. Due to only one adjustment point for the rear if they got the camber in spec then toe was way out. They tried for quite a while and since toe is more important for tire wear got that in spec.

The guy who runs the shop has been doing all of my alignments for years so I really trust him. He does great work, and said there is no reason to spend money on adjustable control arms for the rear which is what I wanted to hear. So don't go out and instantly buy adjustable rear control arms until you see how your rear alignment plays out!

Yes with adjustable rear control arms the rear camber will have lots more adjustment for a daily driver it's not necessary for me to have. If I tracked the car it would be a different story, and if that was the case I also wouldn't be on springs.