I'm new to the forum. I have a new 2008 MCS wioth 4,000 mile. I opted to put on H&S lowering springs and had the front and rear tires negative campered -2. I like the handeling, but the ride is not suitable. Does not have as comfortable ride as the original springs. I've tried and tried to explain to everyone I can contact, that the ride is the most important thing to me, not the turning and racing effects. All of this seems to fall on deaf ears, and they all have a different ideas.
Please if anyone really knows, please advise me on the following desires:
I want the car to sit low.
I want the car to have positive handling and turning.
I want a cushening/ comfortable ride. I hate the H& R springs. I have ordered TSW to replace them. I DO NOT RACE NOR DO I INTEND TO!

Is that possible with a Mini Cooper? I cannot seem to get a straight answer. Notice, I did not mention cost. It is important, but secondary to handling and especially COMFORT.

HELP PLEASE.

Vonbunn

Koni FSD Dampers are supposed to be good - because the dampers are designed to be used with one certain spring if you change that the comfort is gone.

these dampers adjust etc and are (apparently, according to Lohen) brilliant and offer excellent ride quality. either those or coilovers

Fsd like he said, i think the reason is some kind of a valve of some sort that detects roll when you corner fast and changes the dampning but when slow its like normal somthing like that i think any way, Drove a volvo on them they apparanly work well with eibach springs and they do what they say on the tin. well worth the money it managed to keep the volvo comfort and make feel like nice and stiff in the bends instead of floating around.

Yes Koni FSD's are great but to get the full benifit you can't lower as they are designed for OEM springs. They are well worth the money for handling and COMFORT.

vonbunn,

Welcome to the forum. Help is at hand - it is possible to get the handling and quality balanced, and FSD's are the way to go. We have a set on our Cooper D Clubman and the ride quality is superb. She's a touch lower on Eibach springs (the FSD's will work with the lowering spring) and yet because of the Koni, the comfort is not compromised. I would urge you to have a look at the extended product detail available on our website here:

lohen.co.uk - Track & Fast Road Performance for your New Mini - Online Shop (http://www.lohen.co.uk/shop/proddetail.php?prod=KoniFSDdampersG2)

Yes, not cheap, but you will get what you pay for in this product - we wholely recommend them!

If you have further questions, please do drop me a PM or email. Thank you,
Emma

What is your opinion of TSW springs being used with Konis?

vonbunn,

Not a product I'm familiar with so hard to comment. We tend to fit either KW or Eibach springs and have success with those. Chances are, if the springs work well on their own, they will only benefit from the Konis.

Best regards,
Emma

What about KW coilovers? V1 or V2 maybe?

Not had any experience of them but posts I've read on NAM suggest they have a similar suspension travel to the stock suspension.

Hi Kev,

We run both coilovers and the Koni/spring option and, in my opinion, the Konis are more comfortable. I do think the coilovers are fab, and very fit for purpose in terms of fast road and track, however I would say the stiff ride doesn't compare in the comfort stakes :)

If we're going out for a day, maybe some shopping or distance it's a no-brainer and we pick the Clubman every time as she is far and away more comfortable than Trouble (The R53 Cooper S to those not familiar with her nickname!). If we were going for a blast on our country roads, however, it would be the R53.

Cheers,
Emma

Hi Emma, do you have any experience of the sport suspension for the R56 and how that compares to the options you describe???

vonbunn,

Not a product I'm familiar with so hard to comment. We tend to fit either KW or Eibach springs and have success with those. Chances are, if the springs work well on their own, they will only benefit from the Konis.

Best regards,
Emma
Emma, TSW stands for Texas Speed Works. These are supposed to be some of the best made. I have a set and don't want to install them if they will not work withe Konis. I sure would appreceiate some feedback from someone who may have already used the TSW with the Konis. I'm sure I can get a refund or even sell the TSW springs if I need to,
Thanks

Repeat, to get the best out of Koni FSD's use the original springs, lower and they will NOT work so well.

i know plenty of people who have FSD's lowered, even koni now say you can, the best all round lowering and fit and forget are KW V1's though

Yes Koni say you can lower BUT DO THEY SAY what effect it has on ride comfort compared with OEM springs which THEY say the FSD's were designed for originally !
From all I've read there is little point in spending about £500 and then fitting them with lowering springs.

Yes Koni say you can lower BUT DO THEY SAY what effect it has on ride comfort compared with OEM springs which THEY say the FSD's were designed for originally !
From all I've read there is little point in spending about £500 and then fitting them with lowering springs.

very true, i never said it would be as nice only that it was possible, i do agree on it being a folly in that way though too, should have expanded on the earlier post but had to run out the office

for the same price you can have the bilsten shock and spring kit that has been made for quick and low

Thanks to All for your comments on my post! I had the TSW springs installed Friday replacing the H&R ,but still retaining the OEM shocks. These made little if any difference in the ride. Still harsh and crash. I am now convienced after spending over $1,000.00, that the original comfort and ride cannot be attained if you use lowering springs. PITY. I do not therefore, based on my experiencedo not recommend H&R or TSW for their ride. In fact, to be fair, H&R never claimed to be for ride but for turning and tracking, which as I only do street driving, the do very well. A con is, I'm told that over time the H&R will sag a great deal. However, I'm extremely dissappointed in TSW stating their springs would give just as better ride with OEM or Konis. I don't know about with Konis, but I can assure you, they are of no bennifit for ride or comfort. That claim is completely false Again,thanks to all for your input. For ride and comfort,which one reader already informed me, don't change anything,

VONBUNN

You would have been far better off spending your money on Koni FSD's, yes they would improve the ride on lowering springs but by how much as they can't operate as designed.

^^ what he sai, stock dampers and lowering springs will 99.9 times out of 100 result in a harsher ride, my S is the freak as a call it while a lot more firm to drive on my coilovers do ride better than stock, its far more controlled and dose not crash about, true speed bumps now have to be taken with care and they do cost a small fortune but there the best

Lower and the ride gets harder, it's a low car in standard form so why do you want a "Jack Hammer" up your a--e. ?

Lower and the ride gets harder, it's a low car in standard form so why do you want a "Jack Hammer" up your a--e. ?

common miss-conception , making something lower does not in turn make it harder, if you use properly designed dampers and better springs say a combination of bilsten dampers and swift springs it will probably ride far better than stock, its all about matching damper and spring rates to the application, my s on its coilovers rides better than my old cooper did on stock shocks

if it gets harder it is because of the increased damper rates and stiffer springs, having a more controlled ride may seem harder but more often than not it is far better than stock,

on a personal note wheel gap is evil and must be banished :D

Wheel gap so what, on FSD's the car handles a treat and is comfortable to drive, I'm happy and money well spent.

Eibach springs and have success with those. m
also for me :)

Hi Emma, do you have any experience of the sport suspension for the R56 and how that compares to the options you describe???

Hi Kev, sorry about missing your post before. I've not personally driven the sport suspension, however we have had people with that still looking to the Koni setup for improved all-round performance. I would suggest the Koni and Eibach is still an upgrade, as is quite frequently the case with the after-market parts.

But again I must stress fit for purpose.. comfort and ride quality combined with handling improvements: general driving. If you want out and out performance, and ride-quality or a firm ride doesn't worry you, with a decent drop, coilovers could be better. Horses for courses, as they say :)

Cheers,
Emma

Been reading a lot about the FSDs and people raving about comfort but not handling. Do these shocks improve the handling (body roll etc) very significantly or are they mainly designed for comfort?

New owner here! I have the factory aero kit on my CMS, it needs a drop pretty badly, but I'm worried about the ground clearance, but oh well. Probably going to a set of Eibach's, as I have them on my MKV GTI and am happy with them, but I also plan on installing a RSB, though not sure if I'm going to go with a 19 or 22mm.

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