[Mejy Poo]

Hi all,

Have had my Dooper for 5 days now - I used to own a ONE D which I part exchanged and have noticed quite a lot of difference in the drive.

When driving I i can feel little bumps etc on the road a hell of a lot more. I probably sound stupid but why might that be? I have 17" alloys compared to 15" on my last car - is this the primary reason or are there others? Will it get better as I run the car in more? I've already done 400 + miles on it.

Also looking at the car from that back it looks very high. Is that the tyres making it look like that or is it the R56? Have people on here made adjustments to their R56s to have a smoother/lower ride? I haven't got any body kit or anything on although I plan to eventually..

Sorry to the moderators in advance for posting this on General Chat. I couldn't decide which forum to post it in (Cooper D, Tyres, Suspension) etc..


Mej

[MINIAC]

Quote: Originally Posted by Mejy Poo (original)

When driving I i can feel little bumps etc on the road a hell of a lot more. I have 17" alloys compared to 15" on my last car - is this the primary reason?

Yes, you have a shorter and stiffer sidewall on your tires.

[Nerrep]

Bigger wheels will make the ride harder, as will having runflat tyres, or the sports suspension fitted to the car - I think at least the first two apply to you, and possibly the third.

[laura f]

If you put non-runflats on your 17's it will make the ride a bit softer

A rear aero bumper will make the car a bit lower looking

[supa-dupa-cooper]

After having driven a number of R56's on 16" alloys and then getting back into mine with 17", you can certainly tell a difference! Mine tends to skit about a bit, and bumps aren't taken lightly on bigger wheels Saying that passengers tell me the ride is nicer than on my old ONE with 16"s

[Tigger, Eeyore & Roo]

Two factors have already been mentioned: the shallower and stiffer sidewalls of the low profile tyres and the run flat tyres. Both of these will make the ride harder. Another issue is that the wheels and tyres will be a lot heavier than they were on your old car; increasing unsprung weight is never a good idea for ride and handling as the shock absorbers struggle to cope with the extra unsprung weight. The softer suspension on the Cooper even seems to make matters worse as the dampers have much more work to do!

Unfortunately, it won't get any better with time, but you might start to get used to it. Swapping back to 15" wheels would certainly cure the problem!

Yes, it does look higher from the back. I'm not sure if it actually is, or if it's just an iullusion created by the vacant spaces underneath the car where the original new MINI's silencers used to be.

Tigger.

[KenL]

Quote: Originally Posted by Tigger, Eeyore & Roo (original)

The softer suspension on the Cooper even seems to make matters worse as the dampers have much more work to do!

On the R56, the standard suspension is the same for the Cooper & S.

As to the original question, I am surprised!

I have a ONE on 15" wheels & now an R56 on 16" with runflats. The R56 is way more comfortable and composed than my 2002 car was

I know that when I was on the VW forum, the odd post was made about dealers releasing cars with the transit bump stops on the suspension not removed. Anyone know if MINI is shipped with bits in the suspension?

[mister.t]

The 17s make for quite a jumpy ride in the R56 for sure - But its better than our R50 on 16s! Not driven an R56 on 16s, but the difference between the One I learnt in with 15s and ours with 17s is huge - The 15s rode better, but theres more feel through the wheel on 17s. I'd choose the 17s any time - If I want something that rides well, I'll buy a Merc E Class on air suspension, or a Lexus LS

[Mejy Poo]

Well going back to 15" is certainly not an option!! I got the Flame Spoke purely for the aesthetics! I guess I will just have to get used to it. The rest of the ride is great by the way...

As for the height at the back, hopefully at some point I will get the JCW kit which will make the rear look lower and better