So I test drove a clubman s with the sport suspension yesterday to see the difference. From what Ive read run flats which ive never had are overly stiff to begin with. Now with the tires also being the summer tires im guessing they where pretty much like rocks in 25f. So this was not the best setup to see the difference.

That car was VERY VERY stiff but handled the corners flat as a board compared to the stock suspension which I really liked. The stock suspension on the all season run flats was not as flat and planted to me also there was noticeable more body roll.

With non run flats performance summer tiers in warmer weather is it not as stiff? I'm guessing yes?

Currently in a 08 sti and ive had an audi s4. Which one is the sport suspension closer to as far as ride quality. Both the previous cars had WAY more body roll then the mini i drove that's for sure.

Im looking for a flat cornering complaint ride that's stiff but not jarring and im not interested in going after market.

 

I am surprised at 25 degrees F you actually went around corners with the Summer runflats.

I had Dunlop Sport 01 Runlfats on my car when I picked it up and starting at around 40 degrees and below the car would loose significant grip on the road.

The stiffness of the ride very little from winter to summer on the summer runflat tires.

Put real snow tires on it (not the All Seasons craps) and the car corners buch better in low temps. And does better than many of the 4x4 SUV in my area in the snow.

Non Runflats will soften the ride and will make cornering feel different.

As for ride quality compared to the other cars you mention - can't help with that as I have never driven either of those.

 

I've driven an STi and an S4 and the Mini's probably closer to the S4 (assuming like the two i drove, the S4 is the stiffer of the two). Really though, it's different than either. Even with the normal suspension my new Clubbie is stiffer in terms of body roll than most of the other cars I've driven. Probably the closest comparison I have is an Audi TT with the beefed up suspension. The sport suspension is stiffer still, but I saw that difference more as "more likely to get pitched around when driving over bumps" than "less body roll".

That said, I haven't driven any MINI in a manner that would REALLY tax the suspension going through a turn (ie- all out on a race track), but in some spirited driving on a twisty local road, I'm not really noticing any appreciable amount of body roll, and if I DO decide it's too much, one of the first upgrades I have planned is a rear sway bar, which should deal with that.

Non-runflat tires are going to have softer side walls, so you'd have less issue with getting pitched around on bumps if you get the sport suspension, so if you just want to go that way and never touch the suspension again a good set of tires should make it more pleasant to drive in every way imaginable, and you should get a smaller amount of body roll than with the stock suspension.

 

During the winter months she'll have a 2nd set of winter tires/rims. All seasons are no seasons in my book.

Ill look into the rear sway bar upgrade. That seems simple enough to swap in. And if that gets rid of most of the body roll that the stock suspension has ill probably be happy with that.

 

I'm happy with my sport suspension on my MCS which i'm guessing is about the same as the clubman with sport suspension. I do use an all season ("UHP") on 17's for 3 seasons then (currently) blizzaks in the snow on 16's. even with the conti extreme DWS it's stiffer than the 2008 a4, for what that's worth.
i've actually been wondering recently. what IS the sport suspension. bigger rear bar (18mm?) and...?

 

I think its going to be 16" and the sport suspension with dsc and dtc. Drop the run farts for 205/50/16 star spec z1's or similar then grab some 195/55/16 for winter and find another set of 16"

 

Got back two weeks ago from he track with my 2011 JCW on Dunlop RF's non-sport suspension stock except for a Jan Tune the last day. The car tracks very well but the suspension could be a bit stiffer. There is some body roll and lean but it is a trade off for a grat highway ride. For the price of a MINI sport suspension for less money aftermarket you can have a much better suspension that is fully adjustable. Koni adjustable is they way I am leaning. Stiffen them up for the track and soften them up for the street.
The run flats did well 2 days ont he track and the ride down over several passes. They lose grip under 30 but they were just fine. It was snowing for several hours and not really sticking. It was cold temps at the track and it took a couple of laps to get heat in the tires. Those who pushed early ussually ended up spinning out no matter what tires they had on. A cold tire is a cold tire. The base suspemsion on the JCW is a good trade off between track and street comfort. I think I will leave it alone for awhile. Doing some AutoX this year so we will see how it does.