Jcw suspension fitted - elfman

[ELFMAN]

I'm well pleased so far with the JCW Kit. Fitted yesterday. Took it out for a wee blast (I had to do 2 runs to get a clear stretch of road...) down the Clyde Valley on the way home last night.:thumbs up:;)

Everything feels 'tighter', and the slight vagueness (if you could call it that) I felt with the previous Sports Suspension - especially when pressing on - seems to have been eradicated. OK, it's stiff over the bumps, but the Sports setup was too, and if anything, the JCW kit seems to 'cushion' away some of the harshness while improving overall control. I had heard some negative reports about the ride quality, but that's cobblers, it's probably about as good as you can get on 17" Runflats, and arguably how it should have come out of the factory. The fact that Factory JCW doesn't get this suspension is a crying shame, it should come as standard on that car, along with the Recaros!

Also, the 'stance' of the car is much better, as it doesn't look as if it's on stilts, and it still clears the speed bumps - so far. :p

I had a run a year or so ago in my pal's Porsche Cayman S (he now has a Nissan GTR). I was totally impressed with the wee Porsche (it was the best handling car I've been in apart from his new GTR which is just on another planet) and I have to say that my MINI with the JCW/Milltek upgrades and JCW seats etc now feels just about in the Cayman's league (give or take a few BHP!) when pressing on - and slowing down - which is pretty high praise, and a saving of about £23K! Result. :bigwave:

[Gismo]

Excellent write up again :thumbs up:

[stoney]

good stuff elfman

[RyanK]

Excellent write up. Couldn't agree more with regards to the R56 Factory JCW, it definitely should of came with Recaros and the JCW suspension

[Craig]

Glad it's made a diff... Maybe get a wee run in it during the Perthshire run to compare;)

[GCA3N]

Very good, your totally right though about the jcw though it should come with the recaro's and the jcw suspension. I have to say i may have been inclined knowing how important it was to have waited a bit and ordered mine with it, however I have gone fron standard suspension to sports and it feels alot better. Just as a matter of interest if you don't mind me asking how much does the upgrade cost?

[ELFMAN]

Excellent write up. Couldn't agree more with regards to the R56 Factory JCW, it definitely should of came with Recaros and the JCW suspension

I wonder why more folks don't spec their JCW's from the factory with the upgraded seats and suspension etc. It's the 'ultimate' (so far) R56 performance version and you're presumably paying that premium price for the extra performance, so why not fit parts which arguably improve the driving experience more than any other mods/options? If you're spending £22K or more on a JCW, decent seats and better suspension aren't THAT much of a stretch (though admittedly the JCW seats ARE very expensive - mine are 2nd hand 'cos I'm tight!). A lot of JCW's are loaded with options which arguably don't actually make it faster (does it need to be...?) or moreover, better to drive, which kind of defeats the purpose of going for that version as opposed to a high-spec'd S. (I'm not including the WC50, as it's a different topic).

That's not a criticism of folks who have JCW's with lots of options - just a musing as to what the JCW means to different people. To me, it should be the successor to the GP. Personally if I bought a JCW, it'd be in 'basic' spec and I'd add the Suspension and the Seats and probably nothing else. I'd be interested to hear what folks think on the "Performance Vs Toys" front. Perhaps you'd argue a well-spec'd JCW lets you have both? But maybe that's for discussion on another Thread.

Craig, you'd be most welcome to sit in and see what you think.

Greig, the whole conversion to the JCW Suspension (including VAT and Fitting/KDS Wheel Alignment etc) was just over £1,300 at Douglas Park MINI in Hamilton. A lot more than you'd pay for some 'aftermarket' setups, but it's very comprehensive with Shocks, Springs, Front & Rear Anti-Roll Bars and different Bushes - and it's fully Warrantied and obviously keeps my current Warranty intact, which is good for peace of mind as well as the handling!

[Stewart]

I like that fact you’ve spent what I’d consider a lot of Money and feel it was justified. So in essence you’ve built a Works over a period of time. :thumbs up:
I know you prefer not to have it badged and you dont have the JCW Body kit but Would you now conisder this a Works then and is it insured as a works?

I like the way my wee Cooper handles, if I tried something like this from a dealers I’d probably feel the Standard on my car was pants….
Ignorance is bliss. :smilewinkgrin:

[ELFMAN]

I like that fact you’ve spent what I’d consider a lot of Money and feel it was justified. So in essence you’ve built a Works over a period of time. :thumbs up:
I know you prefer not to have it badged and you dont have the JCW Body kit but Would you now conisder this a Works then and is it insured as a works?

I like the way my wee Cooper handles, if I tried something like this from a dealers I’d probably feel the Standard on my car was pants….
Ignorance is bliss. :smilewinkgrin:

You're right Stewart, I've spent the 'upgrade' money (probably about £4.5K, which is indeed a fair whack) over a year and a half, when I felt it was 'technically' (ie 'I wonder how I can improve that aspect of the car?') and financially appropriate, rather than all at once on a factory JCW, so I was more in control of what I was buying and when I was buying it. I was lucky to get a great deal on this R56 in March 2009, and that's the main reason I traded in my R53 (which BTW I did the same sort of things to, in that case over a period of 5 years). Among the differences (eg Engine, JCW Electronic Diff Vs 'mechanical' LSD on mine) between my car and the Factory R56 JCW are that the Factory car DOESN'T come with Recaro seats or the JCW Suspension and the Brake Discs on the JCW 'Conversion' are drilled, whereas the Factory car's aren't (that one's only a tiny difference admittedly). So even if I'd bought the JCW, I'd still have to spend that money on those upgrades. I've upgraded my engine, but it's NOT 'JCW Spec', as the internals and the Turbo etc are still different. For those and other 'Styling' reasons I don't consider my car to be a 'Works'. I explained on another thread that to me, A 'Works' is the Factory JCW (which will appear as such in the Log Book). My car is an R56 S with various 'Works' (and other) upgrades. It's insured as an S with the JCW Tuning Kit etc.

I've probably spent (including the purchase of the car) about the same as I would have on a 'basic' Factory JCW, but have (to me) those important parts I mentioned that the JCW doesn't have, which I think is slightly better value, although as a 'Trade-In' I wouldn't get all of that back whereas the JCW will command a higher price, but I accept that as I think it's outweighed by the fun of gradually modifying a car and feeling the benefit of each mod as it's carried out - like getting a 'new' car every time! I also like the fact that it looks like a 'normal' S, but has more 'under the skin'. As I mentioned elsewhere, this dates back to my early Classic Mini days when I had a fairly standard-looking '1000 HLE', which certainly wasn't! Always liked the 'sleeper' aspect of a fast car - one that goes faster than it looks, rather than vice-versa. This is the main reason you won't see a 'Works' badge on the car - not that I don't think as a tool for dissecting a good road it's now worthy of them, or that I'm making a big point of it not being a Factory Works car.

If you're happy with your COOPER, that's great - I don't think there is such a thing as a MINI which doesn't handle. I think coming from my R53 with the JCW Suspension, I missed a wee bit of the 'togetherness' I had with the way that car was set up - the way it 'hunkered down' and got stuck into a piece of road compared to the R56 with Sports Suspension, which is fine, but lacked 'something'. I can tell you I ran my R53 COOPER in bog-standard condition (apart from a Magnex exhaust) for 2 years till I traded it in for my R53 in 2003 - and I loved it, even with it's 'Viagra Plus' suspension (the Gen 1 Sports Plus was notoriously stiff) so just enjoy your car, whatever you do or don't do to it.

Just got the info from AVIVA that the Suspension's costing me £28.69 a year.. fair do's, they didn't increase it at all for the JCW Tuning Kit or the Brakes.... no, I don't understand that either.

[RyanK]

To me, it should be the successor to the GP. Personally if I bought a JCW, it'd be in 'basic' spec and I'd add the Suspension and the Seats and probably nothing else.

This. Although I'd go non oem on both

[Crombers]

Glad your happy with the set up .................................................. ..........(personally I just wanna hear the thing, therfore booking a slot or two 'up yer jacksy' next weekend, sir ......................... just like old times , eh :thumbs up:)

[GCA3N]

Again what a right up. You have some good points and for someone like yourself who is very passionate about your car and more importantly have the funds to be able to do these superb modifications I think you have done the right thing. If money was no object there is loads of stuff I'd like to add not so much factory stuff (with exception too the jcw suspension which I kinda feel I might have missed out on now) but things like the recaros the carbon fibre bit ie the jcw spoiler, but as with most folks it's what you can afford isn't it. Anyway your car sounds amazing I am curious as to why ur insurance would go up now. Must just be the cost of the modification.

[ELFMAN]

Glad your happy with the set up .................................................. ..........(personally I just wanna hear the thing, therfore booking a slot or two 'up yer jacksy' next weekend, sir ......................... just like old times , eh :thumbs up:)

Crombers, you are one Big Sad Man. I just think you might be disappointed with the sound - remember, it sounds nice, but it ain't a patch on the old car. You're welcome to have a listen out on the road to see what you think. The 'Up yer Jacksy' bit does make me slightly concerned though. Just keep yer distance and keep yer mitts aff ma Werther's!

Greig - Re. insurance, I don't think the Aviva folks really understood the JCW Tuning Kit, even though I explained it in great detail about five times, so if they now want to add some dosh for the Suspension, that's OK by me. All that matters is that they have all the details and I'm legally covered.

[MINI William]

Elfman what a fantastic and enjoyable writeup you have done. Realy pleased that you are enjoying your new bit of kit. I hope there is some before and after pictures on the way to show the new stance the elfmobile has :smilewinkgrin:

[ELFMAN]

Thanks William!

The more I drive it, the more I'm surprised that despite it being very stiff (oo-er missus etc), it seems to be less 'harsh' than the Sports Suspension - almost as if the rough edges have been smoothed off, and it feels a lot more 'planted' on the road. I know a really crappy road will still show up some deficiencies, but on most surfaces it seems to be a lot more 'secure' feeling. I noticed that previously at high speeds, it was just a bit uncomfortable and not totally happy with what it was being asked to do. This is a very similar feeling I had when I swapped my R53 Sports Plus for the JCW suspension - although I reckon the R56 Sports setup is a bit more forgiving than the older car's. I wonder what it would be like with non-runflats, but then it might be set up specifically to incorporate the dynamics of the runflats.

The suspension now seems to have caught up with the engine, and you feel as if you can deploy the power with a lot more confidence that the car will react positively, rather than the wee bit of 'floatiness' it used to exhibit. Even though it's only lowered by about 10mm, it sits better and there's no 'tip-toes' feeling when pressing on. I think the previous combination of the ride height and hard runflats didn't do it any favours. This setup seems to make the tyres 'work' the road a bit better, rather than sometimes seeming to skip over it.

There seems to be no 'slack' at all now (not that there was much before!). It's one of these things that your suspension feels pretty good - as mine did - but a few subtle and well-matched components can certainly improve it. Just a wee point - my R53 with the JCW Suspension ALWAYS used to skelp one particular speedbump on my way home, and this one doesn't. So the ride height is either slightly higher, or the front plastic lip isn't as deep as the old car. I think the new car has started higher, so the 10mm drop is still high enough to clear the bumps. It's be interesting to compare the standard ride heights for the R53 and the R56...

I'll need to find out how to post photos - never got around to sorting out that part. I'll have to take some new ones ASAP when I get the chance and some of you guys can give me a hand to post them. Is there a max. size for images on the website? All my 'before' pics of the car are quite Hi-Def and large size. In the meantime, check my Sig Pic and imagine it 10mm lower!

[MINI William]

Thanks William!

The more I drive it, the more I'm surprised that despite it being very stiff (oo-er missus etc), it seems to be less 'harsh' than the Sports Suspension - almost as if the rough edges have been smoothed off, and it feels a lot more 'planted' on the road. I know a really crappy road will still show up some deficiencies, but on most surfaces it seems to be a lot more 'secure' feeling. I noticed that previously at high speeds, it was just a bit uncomfortable and not totally happy with what it was being asked to do. This is a very similar feeling I had when I swapped my R53 Sports Plus for the JCW suspension - although I reckon the R56 Sports setup is a bit more forgiving than the older car's. I wonder what it would be like with non-runflats, but then it might be set up specifically to incorporate the dynamics of the runflats.

The suspension now seems to have caught up with the engine, and you feel as if you can deploy the power with a lot more confidence that the car will react positively, rather than the wee bit of 'floatiness' it used to exhibit. Even though it's only lowered by about 10mm, it sits better and there's no 'tip-toes' feeling when pressing on. I think the previous combination of the ride height and hard runflats didn't do it any favours. This setup seems to make the tyres 'work' the road a bit better, rather than sometimes seeming to skip over it.

There seems to be no 'slack' at all now (not that there was much before!). It's one of these things that your suspension feels pretty good - as mine did - but a few subtle and well-matched components can certainly improve it. Just a wee point - my R53 with the JCW Suspension ALWAYS used to skelp one particular speedbump on my way home, and this one doesn't. So the ride height is either slightly higher, or the front plastic lip isn't as deep as the old car. I think the new car has started higher, so the 10mm drop is still high enough to clear the bumps. It's be interesting to compare the standard ride heights for the R53 and the R56...

I'll need to find out how to post photos - never got around to sorting out that part. I'll have to take some new ones ASAP when I get the chance and some of you guys can give me a hand to post them. Is there a max. size for images on the website? All my 'before' pics of the car are quite Hi-Def and large size. In the meantime, check my Sig Pic and imagine it 10mm lower!

If you need a hand posting pictures then give me a shout or if you want email me them and ill post them on your behalf. Just set up a photobucket account and and load the picys up then its jst a simple case of copy and paste :yes nod:

[ELFMAN]

Cheers William, that would be good of you.

Been wanting to do a wee 'Gallery' for a while, and have never got around to it with any of my MINIs. I'll try to get some pics done this weekend (is there a size limit for each image?) and to keep it simple, if you can PM your Email I'll send them for you to put on the site. I'll maybe get around to the Photobucket thing, but if you can do it this time it'll mean I can get the pics on-site while I actually still have the car!

[Gismo]

Max size is 1024 pixels on any side :thumbs up:

[stoney]

elfman i can pop round and show you how to do it if you want and all i ask in return is a wee seat in the passanger side down the clyde side :yes nod:

[MINI William]

Cheers William, that would be good of you.

Been wanting to do a wee 'Gallery' for a while, and have never got around to it with any of my MINIs. I'll try to get some pics done this weekend (is there a size limit for each image?) and to keep it simple, if you can PM your Email I'll send them for you to put on the site. I'll maybe get around to the Photobucket thing, but if you can do it this time it'll mean I can get the pics on-site while I actually still have the car!

Not a prob Euan PM in the post.

[Crombers]

Crombers, you are one Big Sad Man.

I am indeed :yes nod:

[ELFMAN]

elfman i can pop round and show you how to do it if you want and all i ask in return is a wee seat in the passanger side down the clyde side :yes nod:

Sorry Rob - didn't see your post! William's going to help me out this time when I get the foties taken.

You're most welcome to co-pilot anytime - be interesting to compare with the GP (which has almost the same suspension as my JCW stuff on the R53). When's your Charity Slide at Chatelherault by the way? Is it this weekend?

[ELFMAN]

I am indeed :yes nod:

Aye, but yer allright though!