IzzyG can i ask where your experience comes from? your car?
friends cars? I'm just wondering, no offense really,
just trying to find the best setup for me daily driving
but I'd like to lower 1.5-2" and still ride as comfortable as possible.
Also I would like not to add noise heard it will start to rattle soon enough
My understanding is that due to being the only coilover i know of for the mini
the cross system offers independent ride height adjustment from suspension travel,
doesn't that meen same comfort level at any/all heights?
If people here would say I'm riding the KW c/o and they sound like what
I'd like to have, I'd go for them, but same for the other 2 companies...!

I emailed Alta tech and was told I should get camper plates for the drop I'm looking for
but that there is none available for the r56 with the M7 c/o? How does that look with the KW?


thanks guys I'm learning so much here, keep posting

Steven

 

ditch the runflats and i guarantee it will get quiter and smoother regardless of what suspension setup you got.. haha

Going back to the subject, yes, you cannot have best of both world but you could have "better than avg" ride quality while performing GREAT with any type of coilover system.

I picked Cross and I dont regret it. KWvII is great too. You have to ride in cars that have different setup... reading forum posts will not get you the info you need to decide. It ultimately comes down to your personal preference. What is stiff for me may not be stiff for you.

Try going to a meet and ask people to give you a ride. Also type of tires, tire pressure, dampening on the shocks, spring rates, type of springs (progressive vs linear - could be an on-going debate and im not gonna get into that here), alignment setting, suspension components all play a part of "what is good for me on the street and/or on the track"

All trial and error.

What are you trying to do? Perform great on caynon run and spirited driving? Do you commute a long distance with this car?

just trying to help you think other factors rather than just pricing aspect of different systems.

 

The things I know that pertains to Mini specifically comes only from talking to those designing the systems themselves, 4 or 5 end users(both Cross and M7), reading up on basic suspension workings and few other acquaintances that own shops of their own(mod shops, body shops, etc.-basically car gear heads). Personal experience is with my own cars, and from the acquaintances. No offense taken.

Many you speak to will lead you to a simple conclusion-coilovers do not equate comfort. They are meant to increase performance(this in itself has different definitions). This does NOT mean they are not comfortable per se. It is a relative term(most comparing to the stock suspension). The Mini is not the most comfortable vehicle to start with. Is it a rattle can? No. But is it a Cadillac CTS? Also no. There are quite a few systems for the Mini; M7, Cross, H&R, KW V's, and someone mentioned Megans. The independant ride height adjustment definitely makes a difference when dropping to extreme lows but I've heard of only a few users bottoming out on the systems without that inherent design-so the comfort issue isn't a huge difference on that front(mainly because not many will go extremely low). There are other bigger factors that come into play when you're talking about comfort.

Basically a better handling car(around curves) will have little to no body roll, neutral steering and great grip(there's other factors). The coilovers address mainly the body roll issue. Lowering the vehicle equate to lowering the center of gravity, thus reducing body roll. Having a stiffer suspension means less body roll(since the inside of the vehicle won't lean in as much).

Why then do you not just pick lowering springs? Well for one reason, the stock struts will bottom out with lowering springs causing premature wear. Secondly adjustability-coilovers allow quick adjustment for those who track their vehicle. If you're trying to test out different rates for different circuits. Third, comfort(bottoming out of the lowering springs will not feel good).

Pretty much everyone I've spoken to has recommended KW's for everyday non track Mini's. Comfortable(comparable to stock sport suspension) and pretty low priced. Will the other systems give better handling prowess? Yes, definitely. But the price is definitely comfort and cabin noise. How much comfort and cabin noise? That's a relative term. Some I speak to say it's tolerable, others say it's neglible, and others say holding conversations can be irritating.

Last note: Don't get me wrong, I believe there is a sweet spot between performance and comfort. Since comfort is such a relative term though, each user will be different. And since performance needs differ, that too will be different. Some will love their Cross coilovers because it fits their needs, some won't.

 

Agreed 100% albeit I don't have runflats.

 

thanks Doc Cooper and IzzyG

I really appreciate your post here and I am well aware any opinion and feeling
of other drivers can only tell me so much about a certain product, of course.
That is the reason why I haven't made a definite decision yet on one or the other.

What is is I'm trying to learn here is getting hints and tips that might
make me lean to what I want, or open my eyes about what I really don't want.

I would love to try out all of the options of course, but as of yet I haven't
seen many Mini drivers in my area and most of which I did drive by didn't even wave back or thumbs up
like I'm sure you guys all would and not 1 customized or
lowered hardly any with aftermarket wheels on them.

didn't understand what you meant with that sentence Doc Cooper :
"just trying to help you think other factors rather than just pricing aspect of different systems."

 

Sorry for the confusion. I think I was tired at work when typing this...

What i was trying to say many just look at "how much will this coilover cost me?"
I think a better question is "what am i going to do with this car that will have a coilover system installed. Am i going to track it twice a year, street use only but want to have fun on the street? Am i going to get full camber kits to play with alignment issues? how about rear sways? rear lower control arms to adjust rear cambers?

For me I wanted to have fun on the cornering and wanted to have a very well-balanced street machine where commuting and spirited driving was the goal. I would attend one or two autocross or track event per year if so.

Having said that, i naturally choice the Cross system (OctaneGuy gave me ride in his car with Cross and i was sold on it). Having the front camber plate was good enough for me. I just wanted a more complete adjustability... i did lower my car quiet a bit but CROSS has some massive shocks and feels pretty good. Now when i corner, this thing plants my car like a go kart.

Im still fine tuning this system.. i still didnt get an alignment but i wanted to play with the height and swat settings first.

My second choice would have been KWV2. I had a great experience with them on my E46 m3 (had Pss9, KWv2, and TCK coilover systems)

 

SD5: I think you need to also consider the details of each system rather than comparing them to each other. You are paying for more for these "advantages", so why not see if you even need them? For example,
1. Height adjustment independent of travel. You're going to lower at about 1.5-2" right? I don't believe that travel distance will be an issue at that lowering height with any of the other systems, so you technically don't need this.
2. Camber plates, this is not a must. However, it does give more adjustability. Question is, are you going to stick to one set up(street driving) only? For example, I would need to adjust camber about twice or thrice a year. That's cause I have 15 inch dedicated winter wheels(and will be raising the vehicle because of snow ground clearance) but 17 inch summer wheels(and lowered as much as I can). In addition, the few times I do go to the track, it'll be nice to maximize the time there by having adjustability on my settings.

There's obviously more factors that each coilover has over the other, so list them out and see if you need them. Frankly, during winter months, on top of putting them at their highest height setting(which is still lower than stock IIRC), I would also place them at the softest setting. Snowy roads equate bumpier roads. :P Oh and if you do end up wanting to play with adjustment and different wheel sizes for different seasons, rear control arms are another cost factor.

 

me too

after long consideration (longer then this tread is open believe me) I have ordered a set of M7 coilovers and Alta rear control arms.

I talked to the people at Alta and Peter at M7 as well and I guess its a very
personal decision since on my car I will have to like it and like many
threads here show this can be an endless back and forth about this and that,
so after what I have read and heard I made a choice if it is the right one well
I will certainly tell you all how i like it once they are installed.

thanks for all your tips and comments

 

Same set up as the one I'm getting.

 

Alta had a sale and i just couldn't resist 1570$ for both incl. shipping.
did you get yours yet IzzyG?

 

I had hotly debated getting the Cross(John at Alta gave me a sweet *** kicking deal) and going with Alta but after speaking with Peter at M7, I went with Peter directly. Got his coilovers, strut brace and H-sport rear control arms and he also hooked me up with prices.

Sorry John(Alta), I found no need for the adjustable camber plates from the Cross system and since Peter was over the top with instantaneous customer support, I had to go with him. I'll post pictures once installed although I'm still debating whether to just wait out for winter to pass before installing them since I won't be lowering during winter anyways.

 

I'm looking forward to seeing your setup.

 

I have to take back the strut brace though. M7's strut brace(actually all except the JCW strut brace) does not clear under the non-S hood. :(