I've heard (2nd hand, of course) that Koni FSDs are the bee's knees, offering an improved ride on the street in addition to better control all-around.
My first car had a very minimal effective drop due to the 15" wheel/tire combo I was using; it was enough that the air dam scraping became part of the background noise. I don't personally find lowered MINIs to look all that attractive, either, once the wheels start to tuck into the fender wells, and the clearance issues would make that a no-go for me, too. The GPs look like great cars, but it's downright comical watching them try to navigate the rough pavement that we always seem end up on! (Yes, I'm looking at you, Dave
)