I bought a 2007 MC a couple of weeks ago but I don't have definitive information about the optional equipment on the car. Is there any give-away clue (other than seat-of-the-pants feel) to determine whether the car has the sport suspension option?

steve s

 

You didn't get a window sticker with the car? You could call your local dealer and give them your VIN. They could probably tell you what options the car has.

 

It was a lease return acquired in a dealer auction by a friend of the family who is a used car salesperson. I hope to be able to find a MINI dealer who is willing to look up the records on my car, but I have not seen any assurances that the MINI service system is in any way consistent about providing information about cars after they have passed out of their original owner's hands, even if they're still under warranty.

steve s
(edgar_fletcher)

 

Give this a try:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...r-car-has.html

 

What it has is a worn out suspension at this point, if the shocks haven't been changed at least once. Consider upgrading to Bilstein HD's with your stock springs if you want greatly improved ride and handling, and are OK with maintaining stock ride height.

 

Or Koni FSD's......... Did mine at 2 months and 1,700 miles of purchase.

 

Checking if you have the Sport Suspension:

-> find part numbers on shocks and check on RealOEM to see if they are the SS shocks

- or -

-> check Sway Bar diameter (the SS bars are thicker, also see RealOEM for sizes)

 

I disagree, three year old shocks shouldn't be worn out. It's easy enough to check, bounce up and down on each corner of the car, if the car stops bouncing when you do, your shocks are OK.

Dave

 

Sure OEM are OK....... Aftermarket Bilsteins or FSD's are better.......

 

RealOEM does not list the spring & shock part numbers. You need the ETK for that. My Cooper with the sport suspension has the original barcode labels on the strut towers, in big letters it says "SPORT"

That's probably the easiest way to tell.

 

Thank you for information that actually addresses the original question that I asked. According to RealOEM.com, the front stock/sport bar diameters are 21.5/23.5, and the rears are 16/18mm. The next time I have it in the air I'll grab my calipers.

On the other hand, this isn't helpful:

My car has less than 14K miles on it. There is no evidence that it's suspension is worn out. I don't understand why you should be advising readers to replace their suspension components for no reason other than they're not absolutely new from the factory. I'll apply Bilsteins in due time, but not until there is a need.

Finally, I haven't pursued this link:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...r-car-has.html

Can someone tell me if this is person is a factory source or, otherwise, where they get their information?

Thanks and regards,

steve s

 

Dude - The opinion that the stock suspension is shot from the factory - is just that - an opinion - like most everything posted on the web. I actually felt very little dif with the FSD's in ride quality. When we sent the run flats packing 900 miles later there was a HUGE improvement in ride quality - IMHO.

As for who the info dude is - ask him - but he obviously works for a dealership - could be the lot boy on up.

 

It's 3+ years old, so I ASSumed more miles.. you didn't say it only had 14k miles, which is obviously extremely low for its age. Your stock shocks might still be working to some degree. But they are ultra-cheapo shocks in the first place, and beg to be replaced, and are likely truly worn out before they see 30k miles. Bilstein HDs or Koni FSDs, along with non-runflat tires, would be a massive upgrade in both ride and handling.

To your original question - your dealer should be able to access your car's exact build info from your VIN, and tell you whether or not it has the factory sport suspension. While they're at it, you may as well ask for the complete build sheet so you know exactly what's there throughout the car.

Sorry I came off as unhelpful, that wasn't my intention. Motor on!

 

Kevin,

Thanks for your forthrightness. I will be happy to motor on.

steve s

 

While the stock suspension isn't shot, it's not very good to start with.


I just installed koni yellows and TSW springs, and the ride compliance is worlds better. (even with the run flats)

 

Well, I shouldn't even bring it up, but then, oh well, I can't stop myself ...

So the Mini is a cheap BMW, a company that is all about performance and handling. But some here claim that Minis come with badly designed suspensions or suspensions that don't hold up for more than a couple of 10K miles. Is there more than SOP (seat-of-the-pants) evidence of this? After the initial period, do the OEM shocks leak, do the springs break, or does the "corner bounce" test dramatically fail?

The reason for my original post (wondering whether my used '07 has a sport suspension) is that my '07 justa seems (SOP) to have relatively stiff anti-roll bars and it is a bit harsh over road imperfections. (Tires are not run-flats.) In particular, I have never had a factory-spec car (several VWs and an Audi A4) that is as firm as this one is (except for my pre-1975 British roadsters).

So, what real evidence is there that the 2nd generation Mini's suspensions are weak? Did you get faster autocross times with new springs and shocks? Did the car not bottom out on roads that it used to? Did the OEM springs break? Just curious and hoping to hear some real facts about the weaknesses of the OEM suspension and how aftermarket parts are better.

steve s

 

Exactly! I'd like to see some hard evidence too!

My MINI is the best handling factory stock car I've ever had. Maybe shocks, springs and sway bars would be in order, if I were to run it on a track, but I'm not.

I may upgrade some suspension components as they wear out, but I'm certainly not gong to throw away money replacing perfectly good parts.

Dave

 

BMW does, (or at least did) engineer some nice cars, but the suspensions are all built to a price point. The E30 was the last of the over engineered cars. The thing really is bulletproof.

The E36 was the first Cad-Cam, FEA, CFD car they attempted, and is not nearly as reliable (no new BMW is)

I'm the original owner of a 95 M3, the thing handled great out of the box, but the shocks were starting to go by 30K miles. It's not a bad shock, they just aren't long lived. I put Koni's and OE Sport springs on at 36K and it is better than new. But the Koni's and springs cost a lot more than the OE stuff cost BMW, and it shows in the materials and build quality.

The Mini is the same way. They had to compromise so that the car can work everywhere, and they had to be able to sell it with a fairly competitive price. They had to use fairly soft springs and damping because the engineers were forced to design for the runflat tires.

But short of instrumenting the car and logging data, I can't prove it's worlds better dealing with expansion joints, frost heaves, potholes, and other sharp edged bumps, but it is... I attribute that to better shock damping and spring rates. I used to have a SCCA National dual comp license, and have about 20 years as a racer/ racing engineer... I could be wrong...

 

Also, if you have access to NCS Expert you can check your Vehicle Order FA (stored in the CAS and FRM modules) for the Sport Suspension option from the factory.

$226 //Sportliche Fahrwerksabstimmung (sport suspension)

I have this option on my car.