1. I presently have an '04 MCS with an H-Sport comp bar on the back (22mm effective rate). I keep it set on the gentlest hole because I am doing all my driving on roads (no track or auto-x) and my wife drives the car.

2. I am taking delivery of my own '05 MCS in a week or two. I am having the dealer put the JCW suspension on before delivery. I would like them to put in an upgraded sway bar at the same time. The dealer says the only bar they carry is a 19mm Dinan (compared to 17mm stock), which they say has three adjustment holes.

I would prefer to have the dealership put a bar on before I take delivery so I can just include it on my financing and be done it. Its the easiest thing for me to do given my current time demands. Yes, I know money could be saved by acquiring a 22mm bar and installing it myself (I installed the H-sport in our '04 with no problems) but my current balance of money vs. available free time is weighted closer to money than time (not usually the case).

SO HERE IS THE REAL QUESTION I WANT ASK:
If I were to go with the 19mm Dinan and run it on the middle (or stiffest) hole, would it be comparable to using the gentle hole on a 22mm bar? After having a 22mm, can I be happy with a 19mm bar? Again I don't do track or auto-x. However 75% of all my driving is on curvy country roads - the reason I have a MINI - and I have as much fun as I possibly can while I'm driving The suspension upgrades are actually a safety feature - that's what I told my wife (she is being very understanding).

 

Since you are not doing track and autocross with your new MCS, the 19mm bar is OK and it has three holes for adjustment so you can pick which level of stiffness suits you. Since all of the holes give you stiffness that is greater than stock you should be fine. In fact since the degree of stiffness isn't outrageous like the stiffest setting on a stout 22mm bar then you can actually use "any" of the three settings on the 19mm bar.

So with the 19mm bar just try the middle hole and see how it feels. Is this similar to the 22mm soft setting? Probably, but it really depends on all of the other suspension parts and how they work together along with your driving style.

If you feel the middle setting doesn't reduce understeer enough then choose the stiffest setting (the hole near the bend).

Unless you're going nuts on the curvy roads I think the middle setting should work using the 19mm bar and the JCW suspension. Enjoy.

 

I completely agree with Minihune. I will opt for a 19mm bar as well. I want a little more responsiveness from the back end, but I still want lots of high speed stability. Good luck

 

I went with the RDR 19mm bar - using the middle hole for daily street.

Bahamabart