hi guys and girls, i have a question on suspension/handling. i've done a bit of a search and can't find anyone with a problem similar to what i have, but here's hoping someone might be able to give me some pointers. unfortunately its hard to describe the problem in writing so please bare with me.

i have an '02 cooper s, i bought it 3 months ago. when i test drove it, everything seemed perfect. handled nice, no issues other than the glovebox, but thats not what i'm here for. basically what is happening is that when i hit a rough surface on the road, or a poorly laid section of bitumen (seems to be a lot of it in brisbane) the rear end of the car nudges/kicks out sometimes only slightly, but sometimes quite violently. i discovered the issue when driving across a bridge here in brisbane that is renowned for its rough surface. i was stuck behind someone doing far less than the speed limit so i changed lanes, accelerating slightly and the rear end of the car had a mind of its own, it quite forcefully kicked out, feeling like i was going to entirely lose control of the car - this was at a fairly slow 50-60km/hr while doing nothing out of the ordinary as far as regular day to day driving goes.

as time has gone on, i've had this happen again in a few different places, the scariest of which was on the highway, although not as severe, it certainly scared me as it was at 100km/hr with no visible defects in the road surface. i was just cruising at the speed limit, not doing anything stupid (i consider myself quite a responsible driver), just driving in a straight line, then suddenly the rear end gave a quick nudge to the right before going back to normal.


i have had a mechanic look over the car and they say there is nothing wrong with it which obviously isn't much help to me. so here is where i put it out there for possible advice on things i might have to look at that might cause the problem. so far my thoughts are:

- bushes (how the mechanic would not spot that i dont know)
- worn suspension as its original from factory
- loose or bent rear swaybar

planning to start having a look this weekend but if anyone else had any ideas it would be much appreciated. at the moment its sounding like a good excuse to install some coilovers.

the front end of the car handles as i would expect. the problem is only in the rear.

also, i figured since this is most likely a suspension issue, i posted it in the suspension area.. although if it needs to be moved to maintenance or somewhere else, feel free.

cheers for your help.

I had a similar problem when you loaded one side of my rear up on rough surfacees... turned out that my shocks were gone. In fact one had punched right through the strut top and was alctually moving the whole susp up and down causing it to wander about at the rear on bumpy roads

cheers.. as i suspected really but i wanted to make sure. i'll let you know how i go.

Sounds like the dampers.

well i installed a set of h&r coilovers today with some mates. by far the easiest suspension install i have ever done! 3 bolts on the rear and and 5 on the front, could it get any easier?

bit of mucking around getting the coilovers in the first place.. i tried way motorsports after reading they were great to deal with and got no response to multiple emails, then eurosport design refunded my tein order without any explanation or return emails when i asked why.. quite annoying. all sorted in the end and ended up with great service and quick delivery elsewhere


the rear shocks were certainly buggered. the driver side you could push the piston freely without any resistance for a good 5cm or so, passenger side there was resistance but the piston would not extend once pushed in. i've had shocks fail on previous cars in the past but have never experienced anything like what i was experiencing in the mini. i guess this was mainly to do with the driver side shock.


sure its only a day, but so far my experience with the h&r's..

- great ride quality. all the people that ever said that coilovers (including the h&r's) are super harsh got me concerned for no good reason. they're brilliant. firm yet smooth its hard to explain. obviously coilovers made purely for track will be harsh, but the road is not a track!

- the ride height is certainly not by any means too low. on the highest setting my mini has been lowered maybe 1" from stock which is hardly even noticeable. there is probably 1.5" of adjustment in it if i wanted to go lower, but its quite practical as it is.

- i was told i would not need a swaybar upgrade once coilovers were installed as coilovers firm things up excessively.. i have to say there is still a noticeable amount of bodyroll and i cant corner as fast in the mini as i could in my old u12 without being concerned about excessive bodyroll.

the above points, yes i realise i got street/semi track suspension.. but all the things i was worried about, i shouldnt have worried at all, plus the car is fixed now, drives great and has adjustable height.. brilliant!

I have a set of coil-overs on an 02 Cooper which is used for Hill Climbs and Track days. I also have a 22mm rear sway bar (I think the standard bar is 16mm). The sway bar has 3 settings. The difference with the heavier bar is dramatic, even at low speeds.