I apologize if this has been covered. I've done quite a bit of digging but didn't find anything that really addresses my questions.

I purchased a 2002 MC from my mom's employer (who lent it to me when my WRX got wrecked and then I like it and ended up purchasing it from him) who has a 2004 MCS with the JCW kit and a variety of extra stuff done. He has a few odds and ends sitting in his garage that he has no real use for. Namely MCS shocks and springs, brakes, and exhaust. I have a few questions:

- Compatibility, will these parts even work on my MC with only relatively minor headache (I understand that an S bumper would be required for the exhaust)?? I see no reason they wouldn't.

- Is it worth the trouble?? I'm not planning on doing a bunch of mods but I suspect I could get a great deal on these parts. For the amount of time and energy that would be invested in swapping these parts in would I be better off going with something aftermarket??

- What's a fair price for the whole shebang (brakes, shocks and springs, exhaust)??

 

brakes are exactly the same. if the mc has ss+(sport package) shocks are actually 'better' as they are stiffer than the '04 shocks. exhaust will fit, but why not just go AM?

 

The exhaust wouldnt do anything besides change the outlet position and require taking off your spare tire if you still have it on.

As said above, brakes are exactly the same. The springs arent really going to help either...they were made for his car and because of that they are set up for the weight distribution of the car. The springs are set up for an MCS with those options...putting on a lighter MC isnt really going to help...it might even hurt a little. And your car wouldnt be lowered either

if he has a rear swaybar, that could help you though

 

Awesome, thanks for the replies. This is exactly what I was looking for. I'll see if he has the rear sway bar. Thanks!!

 

If your Cooper has the sport suspension, you already have the same rear sway bar, too. Even if you don't, there's only a 2mm difference between them. The time it takes to install it would probably outweigh the very slight benefits.

You can do springs and both sway bars for just a little more than the Sport Suspension price ($500) by ordering from www.gscmotorsports.com in South Carolina. They have the H-Sport springs and sway-bars for a combined price of about $530. The H-Sport setup is phenomenal, but make sure you get the "Competition" setup. The "Sport" sway bars aren't as well balanced as they could be.

Of course, there are plenty of others out there that will meet or beat any advertised price. So look around. I think you're probably going to be happier getting new parts than getting used parts. You have no idea how much abuse the old parts have gotten.

 

caseym,
First go look at the original invoice for your 02 MC and check for sport suspension plus for $500. If you do not have the invoice (window sticker from MINI) then it would be hard to tell you have SS+ unless you looked at the diameter of the rear swaybar which should be about 16mm or the same size as the stock MCS- otherwise a stock MC has a smaller rear swaybar.

If your boss has MCS stock shocks, springs, and rear swaybar then you can use them all if you have the stock MC suspension. If you have sport suspension plus then you do not need these. Labor is quite a bit to install them all and the MCS springs don't lower your car, just make the ride stiffer so cornering is a bit better. If you don't need to lower the car then the MCS suspension parts would be a good upgrade but you'll get a stiffer daily ride as well.

If you want to lower your MC then the MCS suspension parts are not going to help. The rear sway bar is OK if you can get it cheap about $20. It is not adjustable. You can get a 19mm three hole adjustable rear swaybar that gives you various stiffness settings but it will cost about $200 for the part.

Which wheels do you have? 16" runflats or 15" continental non runflats? The stiffer suspension with runflats will ride rougher than the non runflats. Are your roads smooth or full of ruts and potholes. If not smooth then you're better off keeping your suspension and upgrading your wheels and tires for better performance.

The MCS exhaust is heavy and not something that would be worthwhile because it is designed for the backpressure of the MCS and not for the MC.
You are better off with an aftermarket MC exhaust like the Rspeed, milltek, helix13, Remus, or Borla. Rough cost about $500-550 for the part. While you can install the MCS exhaust the pipes will require loosing your rear spare tire and changing the rear bumper valence (lower black plastic strip).

 

Hey MiniHune,

Thanks for the response. As far as I know I do not have SS+ on my MC (nor do I think that it's an option they would have put on this one). The roads around here are pretty good for the most part. I have the 16" runflats though I've considered putting new wheels on it (probably 17" or 18").

The exhaust sounds like more trouble than it's worth, thanks for the input on that one. If I decide to do an exhaust I'll go aftermarket.

It's sounding like I'd be better off going with aftermarket parts for suspension if I'm interested in the additional adjustability that they provide (swaybar stiffness, adjustable suspension). That said I'm not planning on putting a ton of money or energy into upgrades and wouldn't mind losing that flexibility. Assuming that I don't have SS+ would using the MCS suspension with my runflats and eventually maybe a decent set of 18" wheels provide a decent upgrade or would I be better off just spending the additional money on something else? I suppose this is probably a case where a "good solution" varies from person to person and it'll just come down to me making a decision.

 

Caseym, the Cooper stock suspension is remarkably good to begin with. I had no real problems keeping up with the S'es in our local club on the twisties. That said, after doing the H-Sport kit, my car is a beast.

If you don't want to put a lot into it, just run it stock. Doing just one part will upset the balance, and you'll wind up having to do a lot to neutralize it. With the stock wheels, doing the rear sway bar made the car feel a little bit unstable. Doing the front sway bar made the car REALLY unstable until I got my new wheels/tires, and even then it wasn't perfect until I got the control arms. By that point, I was in for $2K.