Softening the ride of my Mini

[this is my username]

I have a 2012 Mini Clubvan Cooper D running on 15" Michelin Cross-Climate tyres. The van is a pretty good fit for my needs (with the primary requirement being that I can run it through my business) but the ride is a bit firm for my liking - it tends to crash through potholes / bumps rather more than I would like. My commute is a 90-mile round-trip on A-roads and dual carriageways so I spend a lot of time in it each day and comfort is more of an issue than handling.

Any ideas for how I could improve the ride? I've been looking at shock absorbers etc but the aftermarket seems to be focussed on performance rather than comfort.

I realise that a Mini Cooper is never going to give an E-Class a run for its money on comfort, but I can't put an E-Class through the books!

[BIRMA]

Nice vans I have one that I've had shed loads of stuff done to it. When I first got mine I didn't like the ride that much. So I had some Tein active EDFC coilers fitted. The transformation was night and day. Plus it adjusts to the way you drive too so if you like calm and comfortable it does it then if you want to enjoy the twists it tightens the car/van up.
I've spent a few bob on it upgrading the air filter, re-mapped which for a turbo diesel really does transform it, bigger brakes and some retro looking Rota RB's.

[this is my username]

Thanks - can you add the Tein units without lowering it?

Would you mind telling me how much they cost?

[DuckSauce]

I saw you post about the Tein suspension somewhere else, do you have a link to them? I couldn't find anywhere that sold them

[BIRMA]

this is my username said:

Thanks - can you add the Tein units without lowering it?

Would you mind telling me how much they cost?

I used a chap who tuned my RX7 Chris at Reworx in Portsmouth to supply and fit them, yes they are fully adjustable in height etc.

I'll have to look through my records for how much I paid for them.

[BIRMA]

DuckSauce said:

I saw you post about the Tein suspension somewhere else, do you have a link to them? I couldn't find anywhere that sold them

As I mentioned above I got Chris to supply and fix them as you don't want to make a mistake in ordering the wrong ones, I'm sure he wouldn't mind a call to just enquire.

I've run these a while now and have had great fun f***ing about with the settings it really does transform the ride. I can do a Portsmouth to Newbury and back journey with great comfort on the main road then have a bit of a hoon on the twisty A272 on my way back, you can feel the suspension tighten up when you start driving enthusiastically but still have that non-jarring ride that seems to be the norm with hot mini's. It comes with a small display unit that shows the different settings at work there is a more detailed insight on Youtube if you check that out.

[this is my username]

Has anyone tried the Koni Special Active dampers?

[this is my username]

... and does anyone know if there are any differences in the suspension between the Clubman and the Clubvan? I've read a review which says:

"Changes were, though, been made to the spring and damper rates as well as the suspension bushes to help cope with its slightly different commercial remit"

and I wonder what those changes were.

[BIRMA]

this is my username said:

... and does anyone know if there are any differences in the suspension between the Clubman and the Clubvan? I've read a review which says:

"Changes were, though, been made to the spring and damper rates as well as the suspension bushes to help cope with its slightly different commercial remit"

and I wonder what those changes were.

I remember reading somewhere that they put cooper s bushes in the Clubvan to cope with the extra duty, but that's about all I know.

[BIRMA]

My records are crap but I believe the complete set of coil-overs and the EDFC GPS/control unit were about £900

[this is my username]

Thanks to both. Looks like I can get a pair of Koni Special Active dampers for £500 so may go down that route.

[BIRMA]

this is my username said:

Thanks to both. Looks like I can get a pair of Koni Special Active dampers for £500 so may go down that route.

Just so you know I've just had a look at the Koni site, I would say using the word active is a far from what I call active.
Just so you know the Tein's have about 32 different settings for the shock absorber, each has it's own top mounted motor to adjust the shock absorber. The Koni is nothing like that, I know you pay your money and take your choice but you could land up with the wrong product that might make a difference to the ride but maybe not quite what you are looking for.

[this is my username]

Have checked with Tein and unfortunately all of their products lower the vehicle, which wouldn't be any good for me.

[twokcc]

this is my username said:

Thanks to both. Looks like I can get a pair of Koni Special Active dampers for £500 so may go down that route.

Got koni FSD'son my 2011 cooper S. Intention was to do a review of these after fitting but after seeing so many other threads disintegrate into opposing opinions decided not to do it as opinions are so subjective.
Firstly believe they have now been discontinued so I would be looking to get a substantial reduction if you decide to buy. Bought mine from e-bay for less than £300 brand new inc postage. Had them fitted by Lohen as they are Koni athourised suppliers and mini specialist and very competitive at £120 for fitting.

Only way to give a true comparison would be to do a back to back test with a standard cooper S on the same road.

However they do make the ride more compliant and its more controlled when hit a bump mid corner which could in exceptional circumstances result in both front wheels loosing grip with the whole front end skipping to one side or the other. BUT still a hardish ride but without the abrupt jarring with Konis ( and I would say worst than my E46 330ci on non runflats) with the mini on 17" non runflat tyres. Ride improved by changing to 16" wheels with non runflat michelins( but dont look as good as the 17" so about on par with the 330ci.

Car is more comfortable bur doesn't always seem to be consistent in ride- apparently koni's addopt them selves to how you drive bur suspect potholed roads could be influencing settings. Yes I would do again at a cost of jus tover £400 fitted but would firstly change to 16" wheels with non runflats as a start.

If you are near(south yorkshire) you're welcome to come and try car

[DuckSauce]

At the moment my car jumps about at the slightest bump, pot hole or uneven bit of road, I don't remember the R56 being as bad as my R55

[BIRMA]

DuckSauce said:

At the moment my car jumps about at the slightest bump, pot hole or uneven bit of road, I don't remember the R56 being as bad as my R55

Interesting point, I'm taking my van to a local tracking/alignment expert next week just to check everything is OK although the ride quality is excellent I've noticed it feels a little nervous at high speeds or at least more than my other vehicles. It is immeasurably better than when I first got it but I'm just checking.

Edited by BIRMA on Wednesday 17th April 21:22

[this is my username]

Have pressed the button on some Koni Special Active dampers which are being fitted next week. Will report back.

[DuckSauce]

this is my username said:

Have pressed the button on some Koni Special Active dampers which are being fitted next week. Will report back.

Where and what price? I can't spend anything yet, as just bought a new Motorbike, but still interested in your views on how they are

[sad61t]

DuckSauce said:

At the moment my car jumps about at the slightest bump, pot hole or uneven bit of road, I don't remember the R56 being as bad as my R55

The R55's longer wheelbase should, if anything, give a smoother ride. That's what I found on a test drive with a Clubman of that era.

The MINI can be sensitive to setup; my R56 58-plate was as nervous as yours (and also on 15s); way beyond tramlining felt on another R56 with 17" wheels, I never resolved it satisfactorily [unless you include PXing it]. In contrast, the current R56 12-plate has been far smoother and predictable on both 15s and 16s. Yet the two cars should be near identical as they are the same model with the same suspension options.

Try checking tyre pressures against a calibrated meter, if you are using a gauge that's under-reading, could easily cause a pogo-stick effect from over-inflated tyres. This would be exacerbated if the recommended pressures or spring rates are for full load and the van's empty. Just as an experiment, try taking a couple of PSI out of the rears (or put a couple of 50kg sacks of gravel over the back wheels).

[this is my username]

I bought the Koni Special Active shocks from ebay - £499.20 for the set, which was much cheaper than anywhere else I found. Had them fitted last Tuesday at a cost of £230.

I'm reasonably pleased with them - the car is certainly less harsh over bumps and still handles pretty well. Possibly a little more wallowing on fast, slightly undulating A-roads, but not a significant issue. I'd have to say that the change is evolutionary rather than revolutionary - it hasn't transformed the car but it is certainly better than it was. I think I'll be able to live with it for much longer than I would have done without the upgrade, so from that point of view it will probably prove to be money well spent.