After reading all the comments about FSDs and various spring combos, I just ordered the Konis from the Tirerack.

My current H-Sport and stock shock set up (since 03) has gotten tiresome. The Mini is paid off now, and I want to keep it forever, but I was getting worried about some of the big jolts it was taken on major potholes. Also both my shock towers have balooned which I understand is fairly common.

I wanted to pair the shocks with JWC springs but couldn't find anyone who would sell just the springs. I'll try it with the H-Sports first and see. Tires are 17" ES 100.

Thanks for all the good info on this board. I'll report results later.
Ulrich

 

www.outmotoring.com has them now too. i got their eflyer a few
days ago.

good luck with your install.

 

to the club-skip the jcw springs, you will love it with the springs you have!!

 

If you're concerned about your strut towers mushrooming cuz of potholes, check out those M-7 Strut Tower Reinforcement Plates. They are terrific and won't break the bank, either.

 

i run 205/50/16's and even after hitting some large bumps and dips at
expressway speeds, no mushrooming on my MCS. (lowered on H-Sports).

 

In my case, it will be FSDs with stock MINI Sport Suspension springs (MCSa). I presently have SSR Comps in 16x7 and Michelin Pilot Exalto 205/50-16s. I can't wait to get the car back from the shop....:impatient

 

I was a bit skeptical that FSDs could do so much to improve the ride quality. But they do (improve ride quality). Even with the 205/50-16 non-runflats, ride impacts were still being transmitted by the stock shocks. Examples that have been posted by others come to mind. Probably the best is the roughness of an asphalt roadway that has been prepped for re-paving (the top layer is ground off with a carbide-tipped cutter, leaving a rough base for the new asphalt to adhere to). My quest was for relief from the ill-fitting expansion joints in the freeways around the S.F. bay area that make my car jump when I go over them at highway speeds (55 to 65 mph; not even talking about anything higher...).

The FSDs are the last word (at present) in shock technology for ride quality improvement. After picking my car up from the shop that installed the FSDs, I drove over to a street that had been prepped for asphalt re-paving and you more heard the car driving over the roughness in the roadway. There was some feel of roughness, but nowhere like with the stock shocks (even with the 16 inch non-runflat tires). The ill-fitting freeway expansion joints likewise were non-issues with the FSDs. Yes, there was the sound of the tires going over the joint and some slight bump, but nothing like it was with the stock shocks.

All-in-all, the move from 17 inch runflats to 16 inch non-runflats and the FSD shocks has been a real learning experience in what can be done to manage ride harshness. At the outset, I was thinking that I would have to sell the car because my neck just couldn't handle the harshness. Swapping the 17 inch /45 series runflats for 16 inch /50 series probably got me to around 75% of a solution; but that last 25% was elusive - until the FSDs went on the car.

 

Welcome To The Club!

 

I've got 215-45/17 tires (non runflats) & the FSDs on my car. I took it in to be tinted yesterday, and the guy who was doing it has done a bunch of other Minis... he drove my Mini for 30 seconds or so from where I parked to the area he was going to work on it, & even in that short of a drive he noticed & commented on how awesome the ride on my Mini was vs. stock.

They've supposedly improved ride quality on the 2007, I wonder if the FSD upgrade will no longer be necessary on those.

 

You can definitely tell that something was done to the car - I could feel the difference just driving out of the suspension shop's driveway. I wanted to really see what the FSDs were doing, which was why I went over to where the pavement had been ground down for re-paving.

Unless they have installed something like the FSD concept (or just took the plunge and OEM'd FSDs), the FSD upgrade will still produce similar improvements. The problem for the R56 owners is that Koni must manufacture FSDs to fit the suspension mounting points of the R56....

 

Are these shocks strictly for comfort, or do they perform well on the track as well? I realize there are better options for track only use, I'm just looking for a good balance.

I drive my car 150 miles a day, and get a bit tired of the harsh ride. However, I also track my car 4-5 times a year and don't want to compromise my track experience. If it's "as good" on the track as the stock shocks, I'd be happy enough.

Thanks,
Gary

 

I don't think they would out-perform a dedicated track shock on the track. But, they definitely will out-perform a dedicated track shock on the street (comfort-wise). Probably the best way to think of the FSDs is as the best street shock with about maybe 75-80% of the capability of a dedicated track shock.

 

IMHO, if you rally or do any other auto sport where the surface is not as smooth as a freshly-paved track, the FSD's will out-perform other alternatives, because they keep the tires in much better contact with the irregularities of the road.

I have a nasty expansion joint on a long sweeping freeway interchange nearby. On 17" runflats at 70 or so, the car would literally "hop" a few inches to the side when going over the joint. With 16" and non-runflats, it felt like the hop was reduced by about half, but with FSDs and 15x7" SSR Comps, the car just says "blip" and stays firmly hooked up.

I've had the same experience on a very twisty local foothills road that is built on sand - lots of dips and humps - the car is substantially faster with the FSD's.

Oh yeah, and the ride is much more acceptable too.

The only performance reason for large wheels and hard shocks is to fit larger brakes and lower the car. The fastest suspension setup for any car in any track situation is the softest spring/shock rate that never bottoms out, given the available suspension travel - this ensures that the tires can stay in non-slip contact with the pavement more of the time. You can't go fast when the tires aren't attached to the road, no matter how much power the engine has...

 

I'm autocrossing with my FSDs, and Per from GRM did too before they got double adjustables, but that was to get custom valving because he can't have a rear sway in h-stock. I'm very happy with the way they handle in that environment (I have a 19mm rear sway, so I can get some rotation without super stiff rear struts and elevated rear tire pressures).

 

I drank the Kool-Aid too and am very happy about it.

 

Check out the comparison on Tirerack of OE shocks, Koni yellows and Koni FSDs. The FSDs were the best street shock and 95% as good as the Koni yellows on the track!!

 

Any chance you could provide a link to the comparo?

 

Great information guys! Thanks for the responses - I'll have to look into these a bit more.

 

Im an FSD convert myself!

http://www.tirerack.com/suspension/tests/koni_fsd.jsp

 

How much are you guys typically paying to get the full boat ride of FSDs and H-Sports together, plus a good alignment which I understand is essential?

Pablo

 

Also, I like so many of M7's products, have any of you gone with their springs and the FSDs?
Any big difference between M7s and H-sport's?

 

I already had the H-sports. I paid under $900.00 installed for the FSDs at Central Coast Coopers in Oxnard, CA and $75 for alignment at EF1 Motorsports in Signal Hill.

 

The FSD's were actually faster in their track tests, but they ran the yellows on full soft on the track? That's not a very good comparison.

I have the FSD's on my Cooper, and the street ride is improved. I have been autocrossing for the better part of a decade, and in this Mini since 2004, but I have only 1 event on the FSD's. I'm not so sure I'm sold on them for performance. The caveat is that I have not had the car aligned since I put the shocks in, so I'm reserving final judgement. But after 1 event, the car really didn't seem faster than it did on the OEM shocks.

I do like the FSD's though, the car was bordering on intolerable to drive around on the OEM shocks.

 

FSDs: $630.00
Springs: $150.00 (this was a one off deal on a set of gently used H-Sports).
Noltec Control Arms (2x pair): $300.00.

Figure 2-3 hours labor to install all. (the rates vary).
Alignment prices vary, but guess $80-120.

 

Don't think anyone here who is running the M7/FSD combo. I was thinking the same before I went with the H-Sports. The M7 springs really do drop the car quite low, (and yes, cars with M7 springs DO look good) but may be to low to really enjoy the benefits of the FSDs. Again, I have not heard of anyone using this set up so there isn't any info out there that Im aware of.