My only issue with the TSWs is the the front and rear are different heights. The drop on the rear is right on, I would have loved for the front to drop another 1/2 inch. The ride is ok, I need to pound out the fender wells in the front to get rid of the noise. I am still thinking about swapping out to either NM springs or going with coilovers for better ride.

 

Shoof,

I can only speak to the NM springs as I've only read about the others. I just installed them a few days ago and am very satisfied. BTW, I live in Ottawa, Canada, and so potholes here are a huge issue. First, I think that whatever the suspension setup you have, it's better to avoid as many potholes you can with the Mini I had the sport suspension on my R56, and I find the NM are actually better at absorbing small imperfections. And the drop is just right for me. I didn't want to go too low for the same reasons.

I read about the other springs for a long time and hesitated. But when the NM came out, I was convinced this was the right choice.

Good luck with your project.

 

I can't help you on the eibach springs but I can tell you that putting on the NM springs was my best move out of the 4 minis I have had.

The car rides perfect, not a harsh ride at all. (even better than my last set... a factory set of JCW springs) The JCW springs were great but didn't lower the car enough and obviously that's the reason we're putting springs on.

The NM ride great, don't lower the car too low (though I think lower looks better, too low had too many issues for a daily driver)

Like I said, I can't say anything about the eibach but I have NOTHING bad to say about the NM engineering springs.

Steve (dtsoccer) pointed me in that direction and I've never looked back.

Mark

 

TSW and NM springs are both linear so you would have to use Eibach or H&R if you want progressive.
I have TSW and they handle great. Like others have said the front is too high.

 

^NM springs are progressive, they're just slightly higher then the other progressive options. I think TSW's are the only linear option for stock shocks.

and I'll second the notion that you have to dodge potholes... last night I scraped my oil pan for the first time. :(

 

I third that...I avoid them at all costs....it's just that some are unavoidable!

 

Thanks for the info, I thought they were linear.

 

Just to add my 2 cents...

I have an 08 MCS w/sport package. After doing as much research as I could, I decided to jump into the unknown with the NM springs and swaybar. My end goal was to find a spring/swaybar that would make my daily driver suitable for the track. Sure the lowered cars look good, but that definitely took a back seat to performance.

I've had the springs in for two months and put over 1500 miles on them. I went to the track for a two day event during this time.

Initial thought was that I bought a set of marshmellows. The ride was softer then the stock and I immediately thought i'd be swapping these out for something more aggressive. But the track event was coming fast and there was no time to do anything in the iterim. It rained almost everyday before the track day so i didn't get to push to hard in many corners. (I even had the car loose on an on-ramp b/c i thought the roads were dry enough to hammer it)

The track (Thunderbolt @ NJMP) completely took away any second guessing. It had been about ten years since i've been at a BMWCCA club event. I was in a run group that had a lot of late model M3's, some spec E30s and a few other cars. I would say my MINI with the NM setup definitely outhandled the rest of the cars in all of the corners (I was running Toyo RA1s and Hawk DTC-60s as well). Straightaways are a different story

After all my second guessing, I am very happy with the setup. I hit some pretty ugly stuff on my commute and I don't tense up nearly as much as I did with the stock sport springs.

If your looking for more of a 'slammed' look, these might not be for you, sometimes I look at my car and I can barely tell it's lowered.

evan


I

 

Evan,

I couldn't have said it any differently. Your story was my EXACT story. I had a set of JCW springs on my '08 MCS. They were great at the track but I really wanted something a little more aggressive.

When I bought my '09 JCW, I installed the NM's and at first, I thought, oh man, too mushy... they're a softer ride than my stock springs.

That was until I hit the track and they did EXACTLY what I wanted. To me, these springs are the best of all worlds.

They lower the car without going too much.
They handle absolutely fantastic.
They ride for everyday driving almost like stock.

Plus they were almost half price of the JCW springs.

Mark

 

I love these NM coils also. I put them on a my Clubman last weekend. The softness of the ride did not change. They handle the curves better though. Awesome look. Nothing bad to report yet. My props for to 03_Indigo for turning to them.

 

Hey mlg, I'm from Ottawa too! I think I've seen your car around town. You should check out the Motorsport Club of Ottawa http://www.mco.org. We have an excellent autocross series each summer at Scotia Bank Place as well as lapping events at Calabogie, rally, winter racing, et al.
Anyway, back to the topic: so the NM springs are a bit softer than jcw springs and about the same as stock? How much do they lower the car? I'm thinking of getting those for next year and some Konis. Cheers.

 

So where's the best place to pick up a set of these bad-boys? Looks like i'm going to cancel my Tire Rack order for the Eibach's (who knows when i'll get them) and order a set of the NM springs. I also have on order the Alta 19mm rear sway bar, which i'll have by Monday.

 

Got mine here: http://www.outmotoring.com/mini-coop...n_springs.html

 

We'll hook you up

http://www.waymotorworks.com/product...cat=372&page=1

 

that link answers my questions too, thanks

 

The front drop of the TSW springs is 1" and the rear is 3/4". So the front is dropped more than the rear.

 

There is no way it dropped an inch in the front looks like more like, 1/2 an inch. Plus I a still getting rubbing in the front passenger side. The ride is good, I just do not like the look of the front being too high in my opinion. It is just a question of NM, Eibach springs or going with H&R coilovers.

 

I am also torn between the TSW springs and the NM springs. I like the TSW springs because they drop the car just right without ruining the life of the struts, but i don't want my car to squeak and the front to be higher then the back. I also like the NM springs becasue i have not heard anything negative about them and they don't drop the car too much. My only concern with the NM springs is that the life of the struts will be ruined. If the NM springs don't mess up the strut life then i will surelly buy them. Does anyone have any knowledge about the strut life with the NM springs?

 

Really? Sounds bizarre, their website advertises 1" front drop and 3/4" rear drop.

And rubbing with a 1/2" drop, doesn't sound right...(no offense).

The NM drop is 1.2", that's not really a slight drop?

 

If you haven't heard anything negative about them, where did you get the fact that the life of the springs will be ruined.

Look, it's this simple.... anything other than stock will diminish the life of the springs. That's why when mini sells their "performance JCW" springs, they're not overly aggressive. They only lower the car 1/4", and still maintain the factory ride (pretty damn close)

Obviously, the more aggressive you go with springs, the more detrimental the ride quality, alignment ability, and strut life.


At which rate (no pun intended) no one really knows.(depends on how you drive the car (track, autoxcross, daily, smooth roads, rough roads)

I'll bet it's very minimal, so maybe instead of 50K miles, you get 40K miles... a great trade-off IF that is even the case.

I had a set of JCW springs on my '08. I've had the NM springs on my '09 JCW and wouldn't ever go back. The car rides perfectly, handles 100 times better, doesn't lower the car too much (it is afterall my daily driver) and looks perfect. (IMO)

Best investment (I like using that than the word expense ) I've made to the car.


Mark

 

FWIW, I've had 5 cars in the past that has had at least a 1" to 1.2" drop and I was riding on stock shocks, not once did I ever have to change the shocks on any of the cars that i've had with springs due to premature wear. If you're putting springs on for the same reason I am, as well as probably 50% of us here are (because it looks/rides/handles better, not because autox'ing is your life), than changing the springs alone is more than sufficient and you need not worry about the shocks. If you're considering getting springs and changing shocks at the same time, I would just get a set of coilover's at that point, and you won't even have to complain about the front or back of your car being too low or high.

 

I believe it's increasing the spring rate that wears out oem shocks faster, not lowering (the shocks would have to deal with stronger forces than they were designed for). If the NM springs are not significantly firmer than stock, they wont harm the shocks.

 

I understand where you are coming from I just naturally thought that the the more you lower your car the faster the struts will wear out. Thanks for the info though i will probably end up getting the NM springs as this car is going to be my daily driver and I don't ever go to the track that much.

 

are these the springs you guys are talking about?
http://www.outmotoring.com/mini-coop...n_springs.html

i've 2 questions:
1) i'm curious if the weight distribution on a convertible is significantly different. do you guys see any issue using these on an R57S?
2) how does the ride actually change? my car is bone stock and is skittish over bumps in the turns, esp with a bit of torque steer when powering through. not looking to track/autox, but aggressive daily driving does not inspire confidence.

thanks!

 

Yes, those are the same springs we've been talking about.

I can't reiterate this enough. The springs ride AS WELL if not better than stock as far as a softness ride.

They are FAR SUPERIOR to the stock springs when comparing handling. The difference is definitely noticeable and I absolutely promise you won't regret the move.

Mark