Would the Koni FSDs still be a nice upgrade for Cooper owners with the standard sports suspension (non-plus)? I would think for hard cornering it'd be a big plus, with less dive and squat, but how about over bumps and cracks on the street? Has anyone gotten the FSDs and kept the SS (non-plus) springs?

 

I think the only difference in the SS and SS+ suspension are the sway bars. The FSDs will help your ride and handling no matter what springs you have.

 

SS+ changes the springs, shocks, and sway bars to those that would fit
an MCS of the same weight range.

 

I have Koni FSDs on a Cooper convertible with standard sports suspension (SS+ not available on the convertible). I drive over very bumpy streets in San Francisco, and the FSDs have been a good improvement for both ride and handling. The FSDs absorb sharp bumps and the car does not shake you up as much.

 

This is really the crux of the benefits of the FSDs. The stock shocks are really harsh (even the stock Cooper shocks).

 

i love my FSD's... Up until I changed them out, I started looking for another 330. Now, I am much happier with my 2hr RT commute. I can actually enjoy my mcs.

 

Ditto to all the above. FSDs made it a different (much better) car.

 

I just put on a set of FSD's on a cooper standard suspension last week. I drove it up to Lake Tahoe over I-80, which over the mountains is about the worst interstate you will ever find. Years of trucks, cars with chains, etc have actually worn ruts in the roadway.

I go up there quite often, and the FSD ride is a dramatic improrement over the OEM struts. Handling is still great. This is one of the best mods you can do for overall drivability IMHO.

 

+1 (at least).

 

Any thoughts on the best local establishment for installation? I am in San Francisco every day. The fellow at Wheelworks in Daly City said he'd do it, but I'd have to order the shocks from someone else. I'm not too sure I have that much confidence in them. I'd like someone who's familiar with MINIs do the work. Thanks in advance.

 

Well, you could go to Bay Bridge Motors in Oakland (not S.F. though) or Edge Motorworks in Pleasanton (again not S.F.). Although I think you are obsessing a bit about the familiar with MINI thing. The suspension on the MINI is not rocket science; the suspension is common across a number of manufacturers, German, Swedish and Japanese (and probably Korean and others as well) - even U.S. manufacturers.... Order a set of FSDs from Tirerack and drop them off at Wheelworks (or some other shop that may get recommended). Just be sure to get an alignment (Toe only if you have a box stock MINI) after the shocks are swapped out.

 

Is it possible to get the better ride/driveability and BETTER handling with this set up? or are these 2 things you have to choose between My suspension now is stock except for my H-sport rear sway bar and M7 STB... I want bettter handling but my wife HATES the harsh ride as it is...

 

Well, that is kind of the reason for the FSDs - have the best of both worlds (absence of ride harshness plus improved handling).

 

I've heard a lot about their ability to improve the ride and maintain or not have a negatiive effect of the handling, haven't really heard a lot about FSDs improving handling (of course I just started to look into them today )

 

Bay Bridge Motors installed my FSDs and I highly recommend them. They are near the east end of the Bay Bridge in Oakland, close to a BART station and will shuttle you to/from BART when you drop off/pick up the car. They are MINI/BMW specialists (they host pulley parties) and very knowledgeable. They installed several aftermarket components for me. I believe they have a working relationship with MiniMania and should be able to supply the FSDs directly if you don't get them separately.

I'm sure that any competent garage can do a good job. Still, it inspires confidence if you see several MINIs in the work bays rather than an odd assortment of minivans and Civics. Also you can check out how you feel about them if you are thinking about other aftermarket work later.

 

Compared with stock, the FSDs improve handling in a couple of ways. On bumps, they keep tires in better contact with the ground (a special advantage during turns). Yet under steady pressure (turning and braking) they are stiffer than stock, thus reduce roll and pitch.

 

They are good enough for a winning autocross car. And used even though they also have custom double-adjustable Konis available in the garage. Of course could be it's the red polka dots that makes it faster...

 

Interesting articles, thanks for the info BFG. Have been thinking about getting the FSD's for my MCS.

 

The FSDs are a great addition to the MINI! I haven't regretted my decision to put them on. My only regret was that they weren't available sooner.

 

The FSDs are awesome. But in addition to getting those, you may want to also look at going for non run-flats and/or a smaller wheel size, that can also make a huge difference as far as ride quality.

 

a little explanation of how the FSD's differ from conventional shocks:

http://www.tirerack.com/suspension/s...FSD+Damper+Set

And they improve performance over stock dampers in a BMW at least. . .

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

 

With the FSDs can you only use the OE springs or are there any aftermarket ones that are compatible?

 

Koni sells a FSD + aftermarket spring combination. If you want to use other springs, you are kind of on your own. Some will work, others won't.

 

FSD= Frequency Selective Dampers

The frequency response of a suspension is dependent on:

The mass of the item suspended
The spring rate
The damping rate

Koni engineered the frequency response of these shocks for each specific application using stock springs. Change the spring rate, and you change the frequency response outside of how it was designed to perform. Doesn't mean it won't work (people run lowering springs on stock shocks all the time, which is pretty much the same sort of thing). More than likely, it will give you a car that feels slightly underdamped, i.e. one that "bounces" a bit instead of having that firmly damped feeling.

 

Already done And you're correct, moving away from the run flats made a huge difference in ride quality as well as significantly reduced the noise level inside!