R56 Help me - R56 CooperS suspension is too hard
#1
Help me - R56 CooperS suspension is too hard
Hi,
I'm newbie from Vietnam, just need your idea/advice for my cooper S R56. The stock suspension is too hard for me, therfore I have changed a brand new FSD shocks, a lot improvement but it is still hard for me, I don't want to lower my mini (If not I would get a coilover set).
Should I change all new springs? If yes, are there any springs with the same height with stock? Or as high as possible?
Thank you very much for reading.
I'm newbie from Vietnam, just need your idea/advice for my cooper S R56. The stock suspension is too hard for me, therfore I have changed a brand new FSD shocks, a lot improvement but it is still hard for me, I don't want to lower my mini (If not I would get a coilover set).
Should I change all new springs? If yes, are there any springs with the same height with stock? Or as high as possible?
Thank you very much for reading.
#3
#6
#7
Did you test drive your mini before you bought it? They ALL have tight, responsive rides like a go-kart. They corner and respond before you even KNOW you want to corner!
I traded in a large, heavy, gas hog that had no feel for the road, and an automatic transmission. It was like a bus. The MINI was like driving again for the first time!
The downside (for some, not me) is that you can feel EVERY ripple in the pavement. The upside is that you can FEEL every ripple in the pavement
I traded in a large, heavy, gas hog that had no feel for the road, and an automatic transmission. It was like a bus. The MINI was like driving again for the first time!
The downside (for some, not me) is that you can feel EVERY ripple in the pavement. The upside is that you can FEEL every ripple in the pavement
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#8
Some good points being made here. My first two cars were British roadsters back in the '60's. Family grocery getters intervened over the next few years then the MINI came along so the return to real 'Road Feel' seemed natural to me whereas if you're not familiar with it, I can see where you may be put off by it. Yes, you will feel all the little pebbles, sticks and leaves on the road in a MINI. It is one of the features that endears itself to me as my mother-in-law hates it and won't ride with me.
#10
I noticed you said you didn't want to lower the car so you don't want coilovers. I think coilovers would be about the only thing that you can "tune" to fit your liking. The min. drop for coilovers is 1.2", which from our customer feedback makes the car a bit more fun to drive. You may consider the new ST XTA coilovers, they are height and rebound adjustable. If you want more information about this avenue let me know.
#11
More info might help:
What year is your mini? What wheels/tires do you have? How many miles? Which suspension?
Some thoughts:
Older/higher mileage minis may have worn out bushings that can degrade the ride quality.
If your car has the sport or JCW suspension, you may be able to swap the springs (and bars if you want) to the base suspension. You'll need to take your VIN number to the dealer and have them look up the part numbers, since MINI uses different spring rates depending on the options your car has (to better match heavier or lighter option packages).
Tires can vary widely in ride quality. The Pilot Supersports are a very nice tire, but the ride quality on choppy pavement will suffer a bit, especially if you have 17" or 18" tires. Something like a conti DWS or other all season tire might help.
What year is your mini? What wheels/tires do you have? How many miles? Which suspension?
Some thoughts:
Older/higher mileage minis may have worn out bushings that can degrade the ride quality.
If your car has the sport or JCW suspension, you may be able to swap the springs (and bars if you want) to the base suspension. You'll need to take your VIN number to the dealer and have them look up the part numbers, since MINI uses different spring rates depending on the options your car has (to better match heavier or lighter option packages).
Tires can vary widely in ride quality. The Pilot Supersports are a very nice tire, but the ride quality on choppy pavement will suffer a bit, especially if you have 17" or 18" tires. Something like a conti DWS or other all season tire might help.
#13
Did you test drive your mini before you bought it? They ALL have tight, responsive rides like a go-kart. They corner and respond before you even KNOW you want to corner!
I traded in a large, heavy, gas hog that had no feel for the road, and an automatic transmission. It was like a bus. The MINI was like driving again for the first time!
The downside (for some, not me) is that you can feel EVERY ripple in the pavement. The upside is that you can FEEL every ripple in the pavement
I traded in a large, heavy, gas hog that had no feel for the road, and an automatic transmission. It was like a bus. The MINI was like driving again for the first time!
The downside (for some, not me) is that you can feel EVERY ripple in the pavement. The upside is that you can FEEL every ripple in the pavement
Some good points being made here. My first two cars were British roadsters back in the '60's. Family grocery getters intervened over the next few years then the MINI came along so the return to real 'Road Feel' seemed natural to me whereas if you're not familiar with it, I can see where you may be put off by it. Yes, you will feel all the little pebbles, sticks and leaves on the road in a MINI. It is one of the features that endears itself to me as my mother-in-law hates it and won't ride with me.
I noticed you said you didn't want to lower the car so you don't want coilovers. I think coilovers would be about the only thing that you can "tune" to fit your liking. The min. drop for coilovers is 1.2", which from our customer feedback makes the car a bit more fun to drive. You may consider the new ST XTA coilovers, they are height and rebound adjustable. If you want more information about this avenue let me know.
More info might help:
What year is your mini? What wheels/tires do you have? How many miles? Which suspension?
Some thoughts:
Older/higher mileage minis may have worn out bushings that can degrade the ride quality.
If your car has the sport or JCW suspension, you may be able to swap the springs (and bars if you want) to the base suspension. You'll need to take your VIN number to the dealer and have them look up the part numbers, since MINI uses different spring rates depending on the options your car has (to better match heavier or lighter option packages).
Tires can vary widely in ride quality. The Pilot Supersports are a very nice tire, but the ride quality on choppy pavement will suffer a bit, especially if you have 17" or 18" tires. Something like a conti DWS or other all season tire might help.
What year is your mini? What wheels/tires do you have? How many miles? Which suspension?
Some thoughts:
Older/higher mileage minis may have worn out bushings that can degrade the ride quality.
If your car has the sport or JCW suspension, you may be able to swap the springs (and bars if you want) to the base suspension. You'll need to take your VIN number to the dealer and have them look up the part numbers, since MINI uses different spring rates depending on the options your car has (to better match heavier or lighter option packages).
Tires can vary widely in ride quality. The Pilot Supersports are a very nice tire, but the ride quality on choppy pavement will suffer a bit, especially if you have 17" or 18" tires. Something like a conti DWS or other all season tire might help.
My mini cooper S, 2008, wheel size 17", tire Pilot sport 3 Michelin, 30.000 miles, I can't stand stock springs + shocks and have changed FSD shock + stock springs.
Have checked all bushings, they arr still good condition, no bend or crack.
I think I will try different springs of non-sport.
#14
Moderator
iTrader: (3)
Just a thought.....my wifes Justa with 15 inch wheels rides really well compared to my Clubman S with non-sport suspension and 16 inch non-runflats...Have you thought about putting Justa springs in your S? I don't know all of the pro's and cons, and it's pretty heretical, but it might work....?
#15
Hi,
I'm newbie from Vietnam, just need your idea/advice for my cooper S R56. The stock suspension is too hard for me, therfore I have changed a brand new FSD shocks, a lot improvement but it is still hard for me, I don't want to lower my mini (If not I would get a coilover set).
Should I change all new springs? If yes, are there any springs with the same height with stock? Or as high as possible?
Thank you very much for reading.
I'm newbie from Vietnam, just need your idea/advice for my cooper S R56. The stock suspension is too hard for me, therfore I have changed a brand new FSD shocks, a lot improvement but it is still hard for me, I don't want to lower my mini (If not I would get a coilover set).
Should I change all new springs? If yes, are there any springs with the same height with stock? Or as high as possible?
Thank you very much for reading.
#16
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