Suggestions to improve the ride comfort of the F56 JCW Hardtop


The problem as presented from one of our customers:

I'd like to soften up my JCW suspension without losing ride height. I know this must sound silly, so allow me to explain. I live in a place with very bad roads. I ordered The JCW mini f56 with dynamic dampers to take advantage of the softer ride when needed. The dealer delivered my JCW but forgot to include the ddc package. Meaning I'm now the owner of a JCW with a (stiffer) sport suspension. Because my JCW is also my daily driver, I need to get a softer suspension without losing any height. This is also vital. Which of the packages you offer will allow me to do that?
Suggestions:
Thank you for your interest with Mini Mania and our products.

I can think of a few suggestions to soften the ride in your F56 JCW Hardtop.  

A.  You might ask your dealer to get you a set of springs from the F56 Cooper non-S models.  These springs should have softer spring rates to improve the ride quality.

B.  I am not sure what size wheels and tires you have - maybe the 19 inch?  You can go to smaller diameter wheels with taller tires.  The taller sidewalls should provide some 'cushion' against pot holes.  Take a look at these 17 inch wheels that fit over the JCW brakes. At the same time switching from the very stiff run-flat tires to conventional tires will make a tremendous improvement.

C.  Install a set of the KONI Special Active shocks - these are performance shocks but they have a special 'adaptive' feature:  "it controls large body motions and cornering forces but smooths expansion joints and rough roads for improved comfort."

Each of these suggestions will make incremental improvements in the ride quality and lessen the harshness, but none of these suggestions will magically 'transform' your JCW to give a 'smooth silky ride'.  They will improve the ride comfort compared to what you currently are experiencing.