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stephensmith · Jun 5th, 2003, 09:43 PM

My Cooper S is one of 3 cars I own & autocross: others are a very modified 02' BMW 330ci E46 coupe (a Dinan 3 car) & a somewhat less tweeked 99' Boxster.
-IMO: The Cooper S is great "out of the box" but the stock 17" tire/wheels combo limits the suspension (weight.) First order of business for autocrossing is replacing the 49lb. per-corner set-up w/ something 1/2 the weight. I am using a 17" SSR comp. wheel & SO3' package that works well & is VERY liberating (acceleration/braking/cornering.)
-Next, the stock brakes are good but they are heavy & not up to the demands of aggressive driving & autocrossing. I went w/ a Brembo 355 mm. kit and love it but there are several good kits that cost less.
-The stock spring/strut set-up is pretty damn good once the unsprung weight has been reduced BUT the car needs to be lowered a bit & the spring rate is not ideal for autocrossing. My solution was the H&R spring kit w/ an adjustable rear sway bar and F. strut tower brace from Pro-Mini. This helps a great deal, looks great & works very well w/ the stock struts (very much a daily-drivers car but still good on the track.)
-From 38 years of experience of driving various German cars w/ gobs of performance tuning components I have found that it is not a good idea to mix & match suspension parts unless you have personally driven such a car & know first hand the synergistic relationship between the elements. I have made more than one mistake !.
-Finally, my Cooper S project car is the most rewarding automotive adventure I have had in the past decade. It's a blast to drive & can potentially beat the pants off car's costing much more.
FYI: Other mods are Supersprint cat-back exhaust (sans resonator), a Pro-Mini intake & a soon-to-be Cooper Works Kit. Anyone need a brand new Cooper Works sport exhaust system for a good price? I am keepintg the Supersprint set-up when I install the CW goodies in 2 weeks.

Jun 5th, 2003, 09:43 PM	#3
stephensmith MINI2 Newbie Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: N Texas USA Local Time: 03:44 PM Posts: 5 Offline	Suspension... My Cooper S is one of 3 cars I own & autocross: others are a very modified 02' BMW 330ci E46 coupe (a Dinan 3 car) & a somewhat less tweeked 99' Boxster. -IMO: The Cooper S is great "out of the box" but the stock 17" tire/wheels combo limits the suspension (weight.) First order of business for autocrossing is replacing the 49lb. per-corner set-up w/ something 1/2 the weight. I am using a 17" SSR comp. wheel & SO3' package that works well & is VERY liberating (acceleration/braking/cornering.) -Next, the stock brakes are good but they are heavy & not up to the demands of aggressive driving & autocrossing. I went w/ a Brembo 355 mm. kit and love it but there are several good kits that cost less. -The stock spring/strut set-up is pretty damn good once the unsprung weight has been reduced BUT the car needs to be lowered a bit & the spring rate is not ideal for autocrossing. My solution was the H&R spring kit w/ an adjustable rear sway bar and F. strut tower brace from Pro-Mini. This helps a great deal, looks great & works very well w/ the stock struts (very much a daily-drivers car but still good on the track.) -From 38 years of experience of driving various German cars w/ gobs of performance tuning components I have found that it is not a good idea to mix & match suspension parts unless you have personally driven such a car & know first hand the synergistic relationship between the elements. I have made more than one mistake !. -Finally, my Cooper S project car is the most rewarding automotive adventure I have had in the past decade. It's a blast to drive & can potentially beat the pants off car's costing much more. FYI: Other mods are Supersprint cat-back exhaust (sans resonator), a Pro-Mini intake & a soon-to-be Cooper Works Kit. Anyone need a brand new Cooper Works sport exhaust system for a good price? I am keepintg the Supersprint set-up when I install the CW goodies in 2 weeks.