minime331 Posted July 15, 2012 Report Share Posted July 15, 2012 hey everyone so as some of you know i just recently just installed some springs shocks and control arms. well after a while and problems with them i and thinking that i should have gone to coil overs. i am looking at Megan coil overs. what do you think about them + and - about them. if there is a better kind what are they any help would be awesome thanks STella- 14' Focus ST Roush CAI, Cobb access port stage1 tune, custom Ptuning 3" exhuast, Levels FMIC, Turbosmart BOV, rally armor mud flaps, more to come. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmcveay Posted July 15, 2012 Report Share Posted July 15, 2012 Chris - take a look at the KW's. I am impressed with their construction quality and the ride. 2014 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon "Homer" 2012 MB/CR JCW R55 "Merlin" Sold 2009 LB/LB R56 "Archie" Sold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minime331 Posted July 15, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2012 i would but that means saving more $$ but you did like them during mtts STella- 14' Focus ST Roush CAI, Cobb access port stage1 tune, custom Ptuning 3" exhuast, Levels FMIC, Turbosmart BOV, rally armor mud flaps, more to come. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minime331 Posted July 15, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2012 also do you have camber plates ? STella- 14' Focus ST Roush CAI, Cobb access port stage1 tune, custom Ptuning 3" exhuast, Levels FMIC, Turbosmart BOV, rally armor mud flaps, more to come. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickyr53 Posted July 15, 2012 Report Share Posted July 15, 2012 What you need to ask yourself is what is it that you want to do with the car. Track? Auto-x? Or just trying to kill the gap? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minime331 Posted July 15, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2012 auto x, some comfort (more then the tsw springs) kill the gap but want quality STella- 14' Focus ST Roush CAI, Cobb access port stage1 tune, custom Ptuning 3" exhuast, Levels FMIC, Turbosmart BOV, rally armor mud flaps, more to come. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickyr53 Posted July 15, 2012 Report Share Posted July 15, 2012 Budget, I forgot to say budget. Being a college student myself, i know that money is always a factor. KW V1's are nice, pricey but quality.......and go low if you ever decide to spin them down The Megans aint bad either. They do offer adjustable dampening and have the the camber plates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TATTRAT Posted July 15, 2012 Report Share Posted July 15, 2012 I am not sure if Terry is doing them yet, but, fortune auto has pretty decent coil overs, and I know he has them for a lot of BMWs. . .I'll see if he has any plans for MINI. flickr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmcveay Posted July 16, 2012 Report Share Posted July 16, 2012 Chris, Give this place a try. http://www.motoringwerks.com/ 2014 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon "Homer" 2012 MB/CR JCW R55 "Merlin" Sold 2009 LB/LB R56 "Archie" Sold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichSperry Posted July 16, 2012 Report Share Posted July 16, 2012 More comfort than the TSW springs? Really? What do you think the problem with the TSW's is? I've got them paired with Koni's and the ride is much better than stock. Most of crappy harsh feeling is the stock POS shocks. No matter where you go, there you are! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmcveay Posted July 16, 2012 Report Share Posted July 16, 2012 Rich, A fundamental problem with a Spring/Strut swap is that the two pieces weren't engineered to work together. Each item was developed with it's own features that accomodate a wide variety of variables - each of them would be a compromise. NM or TSW or any other set of aftermarket springs are designed to work with every aftermarket strut on the market and the differences between them is pretty wide. Flip that around for the struts and the number of springs on the market makes it a challenge. Coilovers offer two advantages that the conventional strut/spring swap can't touch. The struts and springs in the coilover package are designed to work together so they work better together. The internals and externals of the strut are designed to work with the installed springs and they aren't a "vanilla" design. Coilovers offer adjustability once they are installed whereas a strut/spring swap is a "one size fits all" swap. One full turn on the adjusting collar of the KW's alters the ride height of the car about 1/16" of an inch and they offer a range of adjustablility that spans about 1.5". In my personal experience across two MINI's (R56 and R55), two different OEM suspension set ups, three different spring/strut combinations and a coilover system? If given the choice in my personal vehicle, it will always be CO's over spring/strut. Cost wise - a little shopping around, catching sales and using rebates, you can get the engineered suspension system for only a little more than the cost of the "hope it works well" options. Now for the devils advocate. The last suspension that I had in Archi (R56) was the NM RS Alpha springs and Bilstien HD struts. What a phenominal change in ride and handling over the previous attempts! 2014 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon "Homer" 2012 MB/CR JCW R55 "Merlin" Sold 2009 LB/LB R56 "Archie" Sold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmcveay Posted July 16, 2012 Report Share Posted July 16, 2012 Chris - I forgot to mention this. We installed a set of Koni's yesterday and I got to see the parts that you were missing from those that you were given. In addition to the bushing sleeve, there were a couple of other small parts that you didn't get and not having made your struts totally ineffective. 2014 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon "Homer" 2012 MB/CR JCW R55 "Merlin" Sold 2009 LB/LB R56 "Archie" Sold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minime331 Posted July 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2012 Chris - I forgot to mention this. We installed a set of Koni's yesterday and I got to see the parts that you were missing from those that you were given. In addition to the bushing sleeve, there were a couple of other small parts that you didn't get and not having made your struts totally ineffective. that's what i thought o well STella- 14' Focus ST Roush CAI, Cobb access port stage1 tune, custom Ptuning 3" exhuast, Levels FMIC, Turbosmart BOV, rally armor mud flaps, more to come. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minime331 Posted July 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2012 another reason why i want CO is because like craig said the adjustability. the one thing i've notice with the spring shock is that i like the lowness to them but once winter comes i think i will run into a problem with getting temp changes on the bottom and top . thus creating cracks. i haven't heard it happen but i dont even want to come close to it happening to me. STella- 14' Focus ST Roush CAI, Cobb access port stage1 tune, custom Ptuning 3" exhuast, Levels FMIC, Turbosmart BOV, rally armor mud flaps, more to come. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmcveay Posted July 16, 2012 Report Share Posted July 16, 2012 another reason why i want CO is because like craig said the adjustability. the one thing i've notice with the spring shock is that i like the lowness to them but once winter comes i think i will run into a problem with getting temp changes on the bottom and top . thus creating cracks. i haven't heard it happen but i dont even want to come close to it happening to me. Do you mean cracks in the springs? I seriously doubt it - it might have happened on the old conestoga wagons but not in modern times. I had the Mach V springs on during "Snowmageddon" and drove almost every day of that winter with them and had no problems. The next two winters weren't as bad but I did have the NM springs and had no problems. Same with the struts, they are built for the conditions so it shouldn't be a problem. 2014 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon "Homer" 2012 MB/CR JCW R55 "Merlin" Sold 2009 LB/LB R56 "Archie" Sold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minime331 Posted July 17, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2012 sorry the engine block STella- 14' Focus ST Roush CAI, Cobb access port stage1 tune, custom Ptuning 3" exhuast, Levels FMIC, Turbosmart BOV, rally armor mud flaps, more to come. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmcveay Posted July 17, 2012 Report Share Posted July 17, 2012 Never heard of it. Just don't hit things in the street.... Right Ricky? 2014 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon "Homer" 2012 MB/CR JCW R55 "Merlin" Sold 2009 LB/LB R56 "Archie" Sold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickyr53 Posted July 17, 2012 Report Share Posted July 17, 2012 I also have never heard of that either lol I've plowed snow with my car:tongue: Never heard of it. Just don't hit things in the street.... Right Ricky? ....YEAH! Like rocks, dogs, people,........and manhole covers :banghead: lol But in all seriousness I think the Megan coils suit you best. Your not going to be going anything drastic with your car like riding at sea level or track/auto-x all the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarlB Posted July 18, 2012 Report Share Posted July 18, 2012 I can’t speak to the quality of Magan coil overs because I haven’t had any. I have KW coil overs and am very happy. You mentioned ride quality. The harsh ride associated with stock MINIs is the result of limited suspension travel. The R53 is not as good in this area as the R56 because the newer car has more suspension travel. MINI uses a combination of springs and bump stops to control the suspension. When the spring is compressed to the point the bump stops come into play the effective spring rate goes way up and the ride seems harsh. When you lower the car with the same length struts you reduce the suspension travel. If you do not increase the spring rate significantly the car hits the bump stops sooner. KW coil overs for MINIs are shorter than the stock struts and shocks. At a lower ride height the KWs have as much travel as the stock struts. My impression is that Magan and BC coil overs are a universal fit system that is adapted to particular cars. I would suggest you look at the length of the units and compare that to stock. You need to get the length from the top of where it bolts in the knuckle to the bottom of the camber plate at ride height. With that information you need to know how much suspension travel you have. One of the tricks with the KWs is they go deeper into the knuckles, to get more travel. I would suggest that you ask whoever is selling the Magan coil overs for the amount of bump travel at stock and at different ride heights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
68wmcs Posted July 18, 2012 Report Share Posted July 18, 2012 I installed a set of Megan coilovers on my Subaru STi, and was not happy with how they held up for the 1 1/2 yrs. I had that setup. I understand that i've never had a set installed on my Mini, but it is the same company. Personally, I wouldn't recommend Megan coilovers to anyone. My 2 cents. 03 BRG MINI S: Sold! 05 PW Scion xB: D2 Coilovers, XXR 531 16x8, Yakima rack, Yakima basket, WINK, Plaid interior, and a whopping 108 HP! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmcveay Posted July 18, 2012 Report Share Posted July 18, 2012 Interesting differences. I do agree with CarlB, the ride quality with the KW's is pretty darn nice. Now I'll just have to see if they have the longevity. 2014 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon "Homer" 2012 MB/CR JCW R55 "Merlin" Sold 2009 LB/LB R56 "Archie" Sold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eddie Posted July 19, 2012 Report Share Posted July 19, 2012 Holy Moly~!!! KW for Countryman All4 is $2400!!!!! Will soon be DECHROMED.. 2013 Mini Countryman All 4 S (Gassy) Absolute Black [sIGPIC] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian0758 Posted July 19, 2012 Report Share Posted July 19, 2012 I have also been shopping around for CO's and I just finished having an email conversation with James at Motoringwerks. I had inquired about the H&R's and he said there is an 4-8 week hold on them but H&R will not confirm any dates. He recommended the Speedtech ST's for the MINI. They are built by KW as a more affordable set of CO's for those that do not want to spend the dollars on the KW V1's. He also offered to discount them a little and included the shipping. After reading some reviews, people said the ride quality is still very good and the lower costs are from using slightly different materials. Here is an comparison from the ST website. http://stsuspensions.com/coilovers.php I am going to do a little more research, but I am pretty sure I will order them tonight or tomorrow 2012 Jeep Rubicon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmcveay Posted July 20, 2012 Report Share Posted July 20, 2012 I see another suspension job in my future...... I think we can get it done in 3 hours. 2014 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon "Homer" 2012 MB/CR JCW R55 "Merlin" Sold 2009 LB/LB R56 "Archie" Sold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickyr53 Posted July 20, 2012 Report Share Posted July 20, 2012 The ST's dont have the special coating the KW's put in theirs struts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
