£5k R56 Cooper - question about ride quality & general specs

[AC43]

Hi all,

My OH has again asked me to start looking into a replacement for her city runabout (an ancient but still very serviceable 1.6 petrol Clio). The Clio only does about 1.5k miles a year - mostly short hops - and hasn't been out of London for years as I have an E Class Merc for that sort of thing.

A couple of years ago she asked me the same thing. As she was very keen at the time on getting a MINI I ended looking at early R53 MCS's for around £3.5k. After doing a ton of research I ended up test driving one but didn't get on with it due to the uncompromising ride quality and its inability to tackle speed bumps at more than walking pace. She didn't actually need to replace the Clio so that was that, really.

Anyway now she wants me to look again. Any suggestions of something other than a MINI or a Fiat 500 get totally ignored. So a MINI it is then.

I've suggested a budget of £5k-£5.5k and a Cooper rather than an S (don't need the additional grunt and hopefully the ride is better). The budget should get an R56 from 2008/9/10. As well as avoiding MCS suspension I've also suggested getting one 16's rather than 17's to further help the ride.

In terms of other items she'd like the fluted leather seats (English Leather?) and a sun roof/pano roof. A/C is a must. Decent sounds would be great. Phone pre-wire would be good as would some form of bluetooth streaming/aux in for music

So my questions are;

1 - does the R56 ride noticeably better than the R53?
2 - does standard Cooper suspension ride better that MCS (or Sport?) suspension?
2 - do 16's make a major difference over 17's?
3 - is the answer really just to ditch the run flats?
4 - if so would it still be better to stick to 16's?

Thanks in advance for any advice on these questions and any other observations about the other spec requirements.

Edited by AC43 on Monday 16th April 23:04

[AC43]

ash73 said:

I think the R56 Cooper and MCS have the same suspension, the JCW is stiffer.

Thanks

ash73 said:

Non runflats make a big difference, the smaller the wheels the better.

Yeah I went from 17's to 18's on my Merc (mainly for looks) and it made a big difference to the ride, Love the look of 17's on a MINI but will resist them. Can easily ditch the runflats as I don't need them.

ash73 said:

I fitted lightweight 17" wheels on my MCS which improved the ride a bit, but not much.

OK.

Is yours an R36?

If so how is it over speedbumps? The R53 I tried would grind the splitter on the way up and something underneath on the way down.

Edited by AC43 on Tuesday 17th April 07:08

[mon the fish]

AC43 said:

Hi all,

So my questions are;

1 - does the R56 ride noticeably better than the R53?
2 - does standard Cooper suspension ride better that MCS (or Sport?) suspension?
2 - do 16's make a major difference over 17's?
3 - is the answer really just to ditch the run flats?
4 - if so would it still be better to stick to 16's?

Thanks in advance for any advice on these questions and any other observations about the other spec requirements.

Edited by AC43 on Monday 16th April 23:04

Got an R53 JCW & R56 S, here's my take:

1) No, exactly the same.
2) Yes
3) Maybe not major but the extra sidewall does help
4) Ditching the runflats makes a bigger difference than going from 17 to 16 IMO
5) You'll struggle to get the high spec you want with 16s IMO - most high spec R56 Coopers will be on 17s

[AC43]

Thanks. Will get a cost for non-runflats. The 17's do look so much better.....

[AC43]

ash73 said:

AC43 said:

Is yours an R56?

If so how is it over speedbumps? The R53 I tried would grind the splitter on the way up and something underneath on the way down.

Yes, here she is

Like that. Actually, how can anyone not love the look of a good MINI?

ash73 said:

Clearance is ok, there's a splitter under the front bumper on the S but it's easily removed with an allen key,

That's good to know

ash73 said:

I'm the type to drive over speed bumps at 5mph anyhow.

I am too although the OH is less patient. Having said that for where I live (in Zone 2 London) a much more sensible idea would be a normal shopping hatch with soft-ish suspension, narrower high profile tyres and plenty of suspension travel. But SWMBO is more into brand and looks for her car and if it's a toss up between a Fiat 500 and a Cooper it most definitely be a Cooper.

ash73 said:

My mum has a Cooper, I think the suspension is the same but it has smaller 16" wheels, not much difference in ride quality tbh. Her car originally had run-flats and ditching them made a big difference. It's definitely the Achilles heel of the MINI; just one of those things with a short wheelbase.

Cool

ash73 said:

If you want to throw some money at it, KW Street Comfort coilovers are worth a look. I was tempted but couldn't find many reviews as most people fitting coilovers focus on handling.

http://www.kwsuspensions.co.uk/kw/info/coil_overs/...

Thanks. Worth thinking about. Back in the day I used to fit adjustable Konis and so on to Alfa's - made a big difference. As long as the springs aren't shorter - that was a problem I had with my 200SX; I wanted better damping and slightly firmer springs but all the springs came with a drop. It was pretty awful on pot-holed speed-bump-ridden London roads.......

[GiveItSomeWellie]

AC43 said:

1 - does the R56 ride noticeably better than the R53?

IME, yes.

AC43 said:

2 - does standard Cooper suspension ride better that MCS (or Sport?) suspension?

Standard Cooper and standard Cooper S share the same suspension. Sports Suspension was an upgrade on both models, seldom was this option ticked.

AC43 said:

3 - do 16's make a major difference over 17's?

A noticeable difference, yes. 15s are even better IME for ride quality but at a detriment to cornering.

AC43 said:

4 - is the answer really just to ditch the run flats?

They do make a big difference, yes. Going from 17 runflats to 16 non-runflats will transform the car.

AC43 said:

In terms of other items she'd like the fluted leather seats (English Leather?) and a sun roof/pano roof. A/C is a must. Decent sounds would be great. Phone pre-wire would be good as would some form of bluetooth streaming/aux in for music

Coopers spec'd to this level are not that common, you'd more likely find these on an S.

If you want good sound, then look for a mid-2009 onward car with the Harman Kardon upgrade. The standard stereo is horrific, and the earlier HiFi not much better, but both can be upgraded if you wanted. All 2nd Gens have Aux input regardless of spec/model, but Bluetooth streaming came later on as an option. Air Con came with nearly every car, it was part of the Pepper and Chili Packs, Coopers almost always have one or the other.

Check that the sunroof works, they have a habit of failing on 2nd Gens and they're not very cheap to sort.

Edited by GiveItSomeWellie on Tuesday 17th April 11:51

[AC43]

GiveItSomeWellie said:

AC43 said:

1 - does the R56 ride noticeably better than the R53?

IME, yes.

AC43 said:

2 - does standard Cooper suspension ride better that MCS (or Sport?) suspension?

Standard Cooper and standard Cooper S share the same suspension. Sports Suspension was an upgrade on both models, seldom was this option ticked.

AC43 said:

3 - do 16's make a major difference over 17's?

A noticeable difference, yes. 15s are even better IME for ride quality but at a detriment to cornering.

AC43 said:

4 - is the answer really just to ditch the run flats?

They do make a big difference, yes. Going from 17 runflats to 16 non-runflats will transform the car.

AC43 said:

In terms of other items she'd like the fluted leather seats (English Leather?) and a sun roof/pano roof. A/C is a must. Decent sounds would be great. Phone pre-wire would be good as would some form of bluetooth streaming/aux in for music

Coopers spec'd to this level are not that common, you'd more likely find these on an S.

If you want good sound, then look for a mid-2009 onward car with the Harman Kardon upgrade. The standard stereo is horrific, and the earlier HiFi not much better, but both can be upgraded if you wanted. All 2nd Gens have Aux input regardless of spec/model, but Bluetooth streaming came later on as an option. Air Con came with nearly every car, it was part of the Pepper and Chili Packs, Coopers almost always have one or the other.

Check that the sunroof works, they have a habit of failing on 2nd Gens and they're not very cheap to sort.

Thanks for all the input. I see what you mean about S's being more up-specced than Coopers. I found it relatively easy to find an MCS with all the boxes ticked (the right interior, pano, Bose, nav, A/C etc). I have yet to find a Cooper with the leather I want AND the sunroof AND all the other toys. In fact very few have the sunroof at all.

I understand they go wrong but I really want one. I had to give it up on my latest Merc after having one on every single car I've had since 1989 and it still does my head in a year on when I wonder why it's so dark inside and them remember it's not there....

The idea about non-runflat 16's is a good one......

And maybe I should just get an MCS to get the right spec......scope creep.......

[AC43]

ash73 said:

The options on mine I wouldn't want to be without are xenons, climate, leather seats, heated seats, heated windscreen, USB audio in.

Climate and leather absolutely essential to me.

USB audio in also a biggy.

Heated seats a massive bonus and heated screen even more so (had no idea you could get that).

Zenons would be great if the poor car ever got out into the wilds.

On top of that I'd like privacy and Bose/HK

ash73 said:

My mum's Cooper is an auto and drives surprisingly well, but they are rare.

I tried an auto R53 MCS but think I'd prefer a manual. I have an auto barge and actually like the contrast of having a zippy manual round town.

ash73 said:

One drawback with the S is the central exhaust prevents fitting a towbar, most people won't care but I prefer to ferry garden rubbish to the tip with a box trailer rather than putting it in the car.

No worries. I have an E Class estate with a boot liner for the dump run.

[steve-5snwi]

The fluted leather is lounge leather, the other option is punch leather.

I run 16" winters and 17" Pro Race 1.2's for the summer, mine is the clubman and the ride is less bouncy as they are 80mm longer in the wheel base.

I have pan roof and heated screen, both great options to have. The cooper s would be my preference although you will then get lumbered the n14 engine but you will find lots more choice and usually find the chilli pack with the xenons. HK isn't a biggy, we have that in the F57 and its ok but not the best.

[AC43]

steve-5snwi said:

The fluted leather is lounge leather

What a great term - LOL

steve-5snwi said:

I run 16" winters and 17" Pro Race 1.2's for the summer, mine is the clubman and the ride is less bouncy as they are 80mm longer in the wheel base.

Thanks but it wasn't the bounciness that got me - I used to run original Mini's in the past and THEY are bouncy. It was more just the hard ride. But then again it's an increasingly common trait from cars over the last 10 or so years

steve-5snwi said:

I have pan roof and heated screen, both great options to have.

Would love both

steve-5snwi said:

The cooper s would be my preference although you will then get lumbered the n14 engine

Yes....been reading about that. More to go wrong. And then there's the turbo. There's alway the risk of their going pop. And in a life of 20/30/40/50 limits a 120bhp Cooper is enough, really....

steve-5snwi said:

but you will find lots more choice and usually find the chilli pack with the xenons.

Good point

steve-5snwi said:

HK isn't a biggy, we have that in the F57 and its ok but not the best.

OK ta

[Leggy]

I reckon the Cooper is slightly softer than the S. Worth trying. We had a JCW and it was like a go kart which was pretty uncomfortable for around town. The Cooper is just right.

[AC43]

Leggy said:

I reckon the Cooper is slightly softer than the S. Worth trying. We had a JCW and it was like a go kart which was pretty uncomfortable for around town. The Cooper is just right.

Thanks