Comments on: Ask MF: Suspension Options

By: Coruscation

Coruscation — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 21:18:10 +0000

Any love for the PSS-9 by Bilstein ?

By: scott

scott — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 06:29:40 +0000

By the way, my all new R56 JCW suspension will be on my car next wednesday!!!

By: scott

scott — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 05:49:26 +0000

The $500 sport suspension isn’t(i would think and hope) gonna have shocks nearly as good as the JCW ones, plus the sway bars are bigger and since sway bar stiffness increases exponentially when the bar gets bigger they’ll be much stiffer…plus combine that with the new H&R springs, should handle AWESOME!! Gabe, how’s my assessment?

By: Ben

Ben — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 01:35:21 +0000

Newbie question here....if I were to throw a set of H&R or Eibach springs on my R56, is there anything else that needs to be done? Will aftermarket springs reduce the life of any of the OEM suspension components?

And where are you guys seeing Eibach springs for the R56? I don't see them on eibach.com....

By: Gabe

Gabe — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 22:07:55 +0000

$1350 JCW kit + $500 for springs + install $$$

FYI - the MSRP is $875 - not $1350

By: msh441

msh441 — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 22:00:05 +0000

When pushed, the MINI Sport Suspension on H&R’s is about as tight and “go-karty” as I’ve driven in any generation MINI. $500 for SS + $220 for springs… it’s a highly economical choise, too when compared to the $1350 JCW kit + $500 for springs + install $$$. If you’re pushing the $2000 mark for suspension I would expect a coilover set that had fully adjustable ride height and dampning.

By: greg

greg — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 21:07:46 +0000

Preston. I recall reading awhile back that the JCW rear sway is 18.5". From the specs I saw I'm not certain how big of an improvement the JCW suspension will be over the sport. I'll waiting for reviews to come in for comparision. I hope it's a BIG difference because the price will be much higher and because the SS while a big improvement over the standard suspension, is not as tight and "go carty" as the R53. Not that I want to open THAT can of worms as I am a fan of both cars. But the "feel" of the MCS even with SS is a bit dissapointing.

I hope the JCWS restores the razor sharp handling. If so it will be worth every penny.

By: Preston

Preston — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 17:01:05 +0000

The stock sway bar is 17mm, sport suspension sway bar is 18mm, and I don't know the size of the JCW sway bar.

The JCW kit lowers the car 1cm or .4", H&R springs lower the car 3.8cm or 1.5" and Eibach springs lower the car 2.5cm or 1.0". If money wasn't an issue, I would go JCW.

By: Ben

Ben — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 16:01:50 +0000

I'm in the same boat here...can't decide to go "cheap" (H&R) or OEM (JCW suspension). I'm totally happy with the abilities of the standard suspension on my R56, so I'm mainly looking to improve the look of the car by getting rid of some wheel gap.

My wife is dead-set against me lowering the car a bunch (1.5" w/ the H&R springs is really pushing it), but the JCW only drops the car 0.4", right? Would that even be visually noticeable?

By: ken

ken — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 15:21:48 +0000

What is the impact on suspension travel with the aftermarket lowering springs? Will they be running on the bump stops?

By: scott

scott — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 14:07:20 +0000

Well what about the JCW shocks, how different are they from stock, and how much will they increase handling?

By: lavardera

lavardera — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 13:15:06 +0000

How do those Eibach sways compare to the stock/sport/JCW sway sizes?

I like the rake!

By: Preston

Preston — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 07:45:24 +0000

I think that Eibach has a superior setup for lowering springs and sway bars. The drop is 1.0″ in the front and 1.2″ in the rear. This makes the R56 look more level and less raked. The sway bars are 19mm adjustable in the rear and 26mm in the front. The springs are lifetime-warranty as well.

By: Gabe

Gabe — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 23:37:23 +0000

I would personally test drive an MCS with the soon to be released JCW suspension. If you want something that slightly lowers the car yet retains the everyday drivability of the stock set-up, it would likely be the best choice. However if you want something a bit more aggressive, there are a number of aftermarket solutions available from MF advertisers I’d recommend.