This may or may not be relevant enough to the previous discussion here, but maybe this is a good place to ask as we were talking about sports suspension. (Sorry if this turns into an inadvertent thread hijack, Picard!)
I've got a 2004 Mini One and was recently considering Koni FSD shocks to help with handling (I'm told this will hold the car more level in a corner) and also to cope with the potholes around Glasgow. As it is quite expensive to have shocks fitted - since the entire suspension needs to be dismantled - I figured that if ever I was going to change the springs on the car, that now would be the time to do it.
I don't really want to alter the ride height on the Mini - people have told me that a 30mm drop would significantly improve the handling but I don't particularly like the look of a car squatting down onto its tyres, and as this would reduce possible suspension travel I would be compromising myself if I hit a particularly big pothole. Also, I've got some pretty big speed humps to get over on my way to work and I don't want to risk hitting any of them with the body of the car. So, I'd like ride height to remain as is - or pretty close.
Can anyone explain the differences between:
- Standard Suspension (as fitted to a Mini One)
- Sports Suspension
- Sports Suspension Plus
I'm not sure if there's a difference in the actual spring between the various setups, or if the difference will solely lie in the shock absorbers used in each setup. If the springs themselves are actually different, then are they:
- Firmer (i.e. harder ride but less body roll)
- Shorter (i.e. car would squat lower to the ground)
- Any other possible differences I can't think of?
Essentially, my driving style is exuberant at times (like cornering safely, but with enthusiasm), although I've recently been keenly aware that the potholes and poor quality roads in the Glasgow area are jarring, shaking, and rattling my car to bits. I have heard that the Koni FSD shocks will reduce body roll in corners but are also supple for bumps. I have also heard that they give a more "floaty" (used in a slightly negative sense in the post I saw) ride than on the standard Mini Cooper S suspension after someone installed them. So I guess Mini Cooper S Springs + Koni FSD is more "floaty" than Mini Cooper S Springs + Mini Cooper S Shocks. So, does anyone know if Koni FSD + Standard Mini One springs would be more or less "floaty" than Standard Shocks + Standard Springs from a Mini One?
So... in a very round-about and garbled way of asking, I suppose the real question I've been trying to ask for the past 400 words is:
Do you think I will need to go for a Sports Suspension spring to compensate for "floaty" characteristics after upgrading to Koni FSD shocks? I'd like less body roll in corners, but more supple give over potholes and rough road, without feeling like I'm bouncing around on top of a marshmallow over little hills/summits/undulations and such (of which there are a few) in the road.
Ideally, I'd like to try to find out in advance of getting the Koni FSD shocks installed, that way I could do two installations at once, if necessary, to keep down costs. But at the same time, if new springs end up being too firm, I don't want to have to switch the springs around again and then try to figure out what to do with the sports springs I didn't like.
If you've hung in there and read all the way up to here, thank you very much - it is much appreciated! I eagerly await the wisdom of the MINI2 community!
Sincerely,
Andrew.
PS
Sorry for that being such a monster of a post! 
