Suspension R56 lowering springs: options and specs
#301
Little Black Mini that could! Floor it! Nice ride you got there...
I'm looking around for suspension coilover for my Mini. I have gotten some parts that needs to be upgraded.. Now the last thing I need is upgrade the suspension part.. What you mentioned about Nuespeed.. They have been the DaBomb for VW trends.. Since I grew up on VW Bugs, Ghias, GTI 8 valve and VR6... No more VW for me...
Since Moving back to USA from overseas I decided to go with Mini Cooper S just like my Pop who had the mini vert. He's gone now. I'd ask him questions if I could so instead I am coming here to ask yall who would know their stuffs.
Would this be a good suspension to get for my mini 2009 R56?
http://www.nm-eng.com/231/0/0/3074/4...kit.html#popUp[products]/0/
Would I need to upgrade the camber? Or should I get new basic stock model and leave it alone? My Mini is a Daily Driven vehicle in the Northern VA / DC Metro and Downtown DC. I'm sure I'll drive in MD.. FYI I just moved to this area.. I may take it to the tracks if there is one in the area I live to test my car on.
Perhaps what about the Kontrol Sports Pro Coil overs?
Anyways Yall feedback will certainly help...
I'm looking around for suspension coilover for my Mini. I have gotten some parts that needs to be upgraded.. Now the last thing I need is upgrade the suspension part.. What you mentioned about Nuespeed.. They have been the DaBomb for VW trends.. Since I grew up on VW Bugs, Ghias, GTI 8 valve and VR6... No more VW for me...
Since Moving back to USA from overseas I decided to go with Mini Cooper S just like my Pop who had the mini vert. He's gone now. I'd ask him questions if I could so instead I am coming here to ask yall who would know their stuffs.
Would this be a good suspension to get for my mini 2009 R56?
http://www.nm-eng.com/231/0/0/3074/4...kit.html#popUp[products]/0/
Would I need to upgrade the camber? Or should I get new basic stock model and leave it alone? My Mini is a Daily Driven vehicle in the Northern VA / DC Metro and Downtown DC. I'm sure I'll drive in MD.. FYI I just moved to this area.. I may take it to the tracks if there is one in the area I live to test my car on.
Perhaps what about the Kontrol Sports Pro Coil overs?
Anyways Yall feedback will certainly help...
The following users liked this post:
930 Engineering (05-02-2021)
#302
It really all depends on what you want to do with the car. If you want a low rider that just looks cool, get a junk set of coilovers and lower it. If you want a really good handling road car get a set of IE fixed camber plates, a set of set of Bilstien B8 sport shocks, a 19 mm RSB and a set of light weight wheels. If you want a killer road car that can compete on the track, get ready to spend on a set of Bilstien B10 corilovers, front and rear sway bars (yes, front swaybar) and some really good camber plates. It all depends on what you want to do.
Thanks Eddie07S for the feed back.. Basically I want something that does lower some. Not into slamming thou cuz It'll be daily driven. The same time I want to enjoy tackling the corners.. And comfort in driving in long miles when necessary. So all three.
Tracking em is another day another at this point.
So would these set work as I mentioned?
http://www.nm-eng.com/231/0/0/3074/4...kit.html#popUp[products]/0/
Based on the suggestion by using these coil over that 22mm was recommended to get to work with these.
As for IE Fixed Camber Plates. Are there any good brands that is reasonable priced?
#303
I am a big fan of anything Bilstein since I installed the Bilstein sport shocks. The GP is the Gold standard for the GenII MINIs for street/track handling. While I have no direct experience that Nm setup, I would expect that it will do you well.
The MINI GP also came from the factory with -1.5 deg front camber. That is what the IE fixed camber plates will do for you:
http://www.waymotorworks.com/ireland...5-r56-r57.html
I would stay away from the 22mm rear sway bar. A 19mm is plenty big for the street. The large bar is good for a championship autocross car that rotates easily. But this "rotation" is oversteer. This can be a problem in the middle of an on ramp and the car wants to swap ends. There are a lot of threads that discuss setting up a MINI. Here is one that might be helpful and has a lot of discussion about pros and cons of various suspension mods:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...g-monster.html
The MINI GP also came from the factory with -1.5 deg front camber. That is what the IE fixed camber plates will do for you:
http://www.waymotorworks.com/ireland...5-r56-r57.html
I would stay away from the 22mm rear sway bar. A 19mm is plenty big for the street. The large bar is good for a championship autocross car that rotates easily. But this "rotation" is oversteer. This can be a problem in the middle of an on ramp and the car wants to swap ends. There are a lot of threads that discuss setting up a MINI. Here is one that might be helpful and has a lot of discussion about pros and cons of various suspension mods:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...g-monster.html
Last edited by Eddie07S; 10-10-2016 at 05:14 PM. Reason: typo
The following users liked this post:
930 Engineering (05-02-2021)
#304
I am a big fan of anything Bilstein since I installed the Bilstein sport shocks. The GP is the Gold standard for the GenII MINIs for street/track handling. While I have no direct experience that Nm setup, I would expect that it will do you well.
The MINI GP also came from the factory with -1.5 deg front camber. That is what the IE fixed camber plates will do for you:
http://www.waymotorworks.com/ireland...5-r56-r57.html
I would stay away from the 22mm rear sway bar. A 19mm is plenty big for the street. The large bar is good for a championship autocross car that rotates easily. But this "rotation" is oversteer. This can be a problem in the middle of an on ramp and the car wants to swap ends. There are a lot of threat that discuss setting up a MINI. Here is one that might be helpful and has a lot of discussion about pros and cons of various suspension mods:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...g-monster.html
The MINI GP also came from the factory with -1.5 deg front camber. That is what the IE fixed camber plates will do for you:
http://www.waymotorworks.com/ireland...5-r56-r57.html
I would stay away from the 22mm rear sway bar. A 19mm is plenty big for the street. The large bar is good for a championship autocross car that rotates easily. But this "rotation" is oversteer. This can be a problem in the middle of an on ramp and the car wants to swap ends. There are a lot of threat that discuss setting up a MINI. Here is one that might be helpful and has a lot of discussion about pros and cons of various suspension mods:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...g-monster.html
will keep yall posted of once I get my suspension hooked up.
#307
Finally placed an order on the Blistein Shocks.. It's on the way! Also got the removal tool for my old OEM Stock Coil overs. My left front strut is blown so it's perfect timing to get it replace soon enough..
I will need to order the rear mount to replace the old ones.. It'll be good idea to have that with me incase the old ones are worn out. Or Might as well put in new ones with the new coil overs. Then I'll get the 19mm sway..
I will need to order the rear mount to replace the old ones.. It'll be good idea to have that with me incase the old ones are worn out. Or Might as well put in new ones with the new coil overs. Then I'll get the 19mm sway..
#308
Finally placed an order on the Blistein Shocks.. It's on the way! Also got the removal tool for my old OEM Stock Coil overs. My left front strut is blown so it's perfect timing to get it replace soon enough..
I will need to order the rear mount to replace the old ones.. It'll be good idea to have that with me incase the old ones are worn out. Or Might as well put in new ones with the new coil overs. Then I'll get the 19mm sway..
I will need to order the rear mount to replace the old ones.. It'll be good idea to have that with me incase the old ones are worn out. Or Might as well put in new ones with the new coil overs. Then I'll get the 19mm sway..
I found that I need two sets of spring compressor to disassemble the shocks/springs. But I only 3 of the 4 individual compressors. It was the only way I could get the springs to compress evenly (bought them at Harbor Freight).
Hope this helps...Have fun with the B8s
The following users liked this post:
930 Engineering (05-02-2021)
#309
Ireland Adjustable Cambers or Silver Project Cambers
I know I am very slow in getting my Mini Set up. Haven't been able to get all the stuffs quickly as I"d like due to "financial" issues. Even so it's all Good though. Just gotta take it one day at a time!
Will these Silver Project Camber Plates work with the B14/B16 Bilstein? I looked at Ireland Adjustable Cambers from "WAYMOTORWORKS" that sells em for 290.00 as opposed to Silver Project Cambers from Europe selling them around 135.00 dollars.
I am all about buying the best of the best and I don't want to buy cheap stuffs that will break down the road. Bottomline I don't want to put a dent in my wallet since I'm on a tight budget so every dollar counts. So will Silver Project work.
Will these Silver Project Camber Plates work with the B14/B16 Bilstein? I looked at Ireland Adjustable Cambers from "WAYMOTORWORKS" that sells em for 290.00 as opposed to Silver Project Cambers from Europe selling them around 135.00 dollars.
I am all about buying the best of the best and I don't want to buy cheap stuffs that will break down the road. Bottomline I don't want to put a dent in my wallet since I'm on a tight budget so every dollar counts. So will Silver Project work.
#311
To anyone running H&R 1.4 inch drop springs...what did you do for the bumpstops? The set of H&R's that I bought used here (15k miles use claimed) came with a set of black bumpstops that look VERY much like to ones WAY offers, and have never been used. So, do I get rid of my stock bumpstops, and use these instead, or are these used in addition to the stock bumpstops, or do I need to cut the stock bumpstops in half, then use the WAY ones? Planning on doing this spring swap this Friday, along with a set of 4 stock struts with 15k on them as well. I am at 75k, looking to lower my MINI a bit, as well as get some "newer" struts on my ride. I do have new adjustable rear lower arms in order to keep mostly stock camber settings in the rear. New top mounts in hand for all 4 corners. How much adjustment is available in the front of my 2011 MCS once the locating pins are removed? I do have an alignment shop that can set things once I have installed. I know I am mostly nuts, but also on a limited budget, so coilovers are not in the cards for me anytime soon. Any info/help/advice will be greatly appreciated!
#312
#314
I just installed Nm Rs lowering springs on my 09 MCS and I love them. They honestly make a huge difference. I got them on Black Friday for $180 and just now got around to installing them today. I'm also on 16lbs 17x8 Konig Hypergrams wrapped in 215/35/17 Michelin Pilot sport A/S 3+'s. I'll post some pics tomorrow. I wasnt able to get any since I finished about an hour ago.
#315
Looking for lowering springs for my 2012 mcs, already had Koni special active shocks w/ FSD active technology, can these shocks handle lowering springs better than stock springs?, I'm trying to keep cost under control and I was wondering if anyone has heard of Tein lowering springs, and is H&R a good choice.
#316
The older Koni FSD shocks could not be used with lowering springs, not even the JCW red springs that dropped the car 10mm. That was per the Koni web site. Don’t know if that has changed with the newer version, the special active shocks. Check the Koni web page for that.
Or maybe Way Motors will jump in on this question as he used to respond to that question when asked about lowering springs with the FSDs.
That said, there are people who have posted on NAM about putting lowering springs on with the FSDs and claim to have had no problems. Maybe the problems just hadn’t shown up yet at the time they made those posts.
As for springs - it depends on what you want (How much drop? Spring rate?) and you usually get what you pay for. I would suggest looking at Way Motors carries and go from there.
Just my 2 cents...
Or maybe Way Motors will jump in on this question as he used to respond to that question when asked about lowering springs with the FSDs.
That said, there are people who have posted on NAM about putting lowering springs on with the FSDs and claim to have had no problems. Maybe the problems just hadn’t shown up yet at the time they made those posts.
As for springs - it depends on what you want (How much drop? Spring rate?) and you usually get what you pay for. I would suggest looking at Way Motors carries and go from there.
Just my 2 cents...
#317
Looking for lowering springs for my 2012 mcs, already had Koni special active shocks w/ FSD active technology, can these shocks handle lowering springs better than stock springs?, I'm trying to keep cost under control and I was wondering if anyone has heard of Tein lowering springs, and is H&R a good choice.
#318
I was dropped on H&R for a while, but I found the OEM R56 suspension did not pair well with them - on the terrible roads we have, I bottomed out sometimes, and ride quality was not very good. I went through a BC coil overs stint, and although the stance was excellent, it was like riding on a solid suspension... then I got lucky and someone had a full JCW set for sale, so I went with that. It’s lower than MCS, higher than BC and although it’s a _little_ higher than I’d like, it’s very good for what it is. So I’d recommend you to find a stock JCW suspension somewhere - they aren’t expensive and they should sort you right out.
But the part that confuses me onis this "not to drop lower than 1.25 and a maximum around 1.5in", so what is the maximum I can drop, is it 1.25 or 1.5?
#319
Thanks for the input but I just bought my Koni shocks less than 5k miles ago and that would be a lot of money out of pocket I would lose if I pulled them. But I did find this over on a website called "eEuroparts.com", "Koni suggests not to drop lower than 1.25 and a maximum around 1.5in otherwise you lose the benefits of FDS".
But the part that confuses me onis this "not to drop lower than 1.25 and a maximum around 1.5in", so what is the maximum I can drop, is it 1.25 or 1.5?
But the part that confuses me onis this "not to drop lower than 1.25 and a maximum around 1.5in", so what is the maximum I can drop, is it 1.25 or 1.5?
#320
Oh ok now I understand what they mean, thanks for clearing that up for me, also from I've gleamed from reading through articles is that the Koni FSD don't have any internal bump stops so bottoming out is something I would want to avoid.
#322
#324
Koni no longer lists the “FSD” shocks, at least not that I could find. Their web site used to have that info on it. Way Motors still has the FSDs in stock and this is what his web page says:
https://www.waymotorworks.com/koni-f...5-r56-r57.html
It appears that per the Koni web site now, that you can lower the car with the “Special active” shocks, as they sell their own lowering kit with them (scroll down a bit to see it). This is different from what they said for the FSD shocks:
https://www.koni-na.com/en-US/NorthA...Products/Cars/
But it also appears that Koni doesn’t sell a kit using the Special Active shocks for MINIs.
https://www.waymotorworks.com/koni-f...5-r56-r57.html
It appears that per the Koni web site now, that you can lower the car with the “Special active” shocks, as they sell their own lowering kit with them (scroll down a bit to see it). This is different from what they said for the FSD shocks:
https://www.koni-na.com/en-US/NorthA...Products/Cars/
But it also appears that Koni doesn’t sell a kit using the Special Active shocks for MINIs.
The following users liked this post:
930 Engineering (05-20-2024)