Suspension

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Martha

Martha

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I have the 2022 MINI SE. I will have owned my car for almost 4 years. It is my first EV and I truly love it! My only issue is that the suspension is what I feel lacks a bit. I feel every hole or uneven road it is felt in the car. Can the suspension be adjusted or is there an up grade in tires or something so that every time you go over a pot hole even when the road is uneven you feel it in the MINI.
Any suggestions?
 
Martha said:
I have the 2022 MINI SE. I will have owned my car for almost 4 years. It is my first EV and I truly love it! My only issue is that the suspension is what I feel lacks a bit. I feel every hole or uneven road it is felt in the car. Can the suspension be adjusted or is there an up grade in tires or something so that every time you go over a pot hole even when the road is uneven you feel it in the MINI.
Any suggestions?
Click to expand...
Right after I got my SE in 2020, I replaced the 17-inch wheels with used MINI 16-inch Loop Spoke wheels. The taller sidewalls of the 16-inch tires make the ride significantly softer. For the 16-inch wheels I bought the same type of Hankook tires that came on my 17-inch wheels. I love those tires.

One day a year--our local Drive Electric Week gathering--I re-mount the 17" Power Spoke wheels and the ride returns to its original pothole-vulnerable hardness. I'll admit the wider 17-inch tires do corner better, but the 16s are just as much fun.
 
Those OEM Hankooks can get hard as they age for some reason. There are replacement tires that are quite a bit softer than the max performance summer tires that are OEM. Technically the better approach is larger sidewalls. You could try a couple pounds less psi.

Otherwise worn shocks will give you a harsh ride. But the mini does not have much wheel travel and it is going to be harsh. I think run flats tires tend to be quieter but pot hole harsher.

When I replaced the OEM Hankooks with an all season type Pirelli, the ride harshness improved dramatically, but road noise increased.
 
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I've had five Mini S's (since 2003), and they all featured a stiff suspension. I always thought that was a signature factor. Yeah, you feel every pothole and tar stripe, but you don't feel like the car is tipping over when you take those roundabouts at speed. If I had wanted a ride that was sloppy, I'd have looked at a Caddie.
 
The only suspension mods I know of are JCW style (John Cooper Works) which is for more race car style handling, which I believe make for an even stiffer ride :). A core MINI characteristic is "feeling the road", so your experience is normal. As others have said, 16" tires might help. Or changing tire brands. If you happen to have runflat tires those definitely give a harder ride.

An easy thing to try is lower your tire pressure by 3-5 psi. It might cost some in range but it should feel less bumpy.
 
This just in at Mini News:

"Mini cooper S, it would make your teeth shutter,
But on the positive, it handled surprisingly good, and if you had kidney stones it will dislodge them in a jiffy!"
Jalopnik
 
The best antidote (aside for the aforementioned tips) is spending time with another car. Can you trade daily with a spouse? I've been driving a long wheelbase luxury sedan for the last 3 years almost, and could ride over most bumps without a worry. Split time with another car and you'll appreciate what they both do best.

We miss the SEs. They are special cars.
 
ColdCase said:
Those OEM Hankooks can get hard as they age for some reason. There are replacement tires that are quite a bit softer than the max performance summer tires that are OEM. Technically the better approach is larger sidewalls. You could try a couple pounds less psi.

Otherwise worn shocks will give you a harsh ride. But the mini does not have much wheel travel and it is going to be harsh. I think run flats tires tend to be quieter but pot hole harsher.

When I replaced the OEM Hankooks with an all season type Pirelli, the ride harshness improved dramatically, but road noise increased.
Click to expand...
How did the Pirelli tires do for range. If I keep the car, I'm probably looking at needing to replace the OEM Hankook's. Trying to gather information.
 
We seem to be getting the same 4.6 indicated average mile per kW. These non run flat EV Pirelli Cinturato P7 All Season Electric tires have an older tread design and tend to sing on some smooth road surfaces and at certain speeds around 40-50mph. Not much of a problem with most cars, but it seems the Mini has little road noise isolation. Need to turn up the radio a couple notches more than the OEMs. The run flat version uses newer sound deadening thread technology.

You've seen the tire thread?
 
ColdCase said:
We seem to be getting the same 4.6 indicated average mile per kW. These non run flat EV Pirelli Cinturato P7 All Season Electric tires have an older tread design and tend to sing on some smooth road surfaces and at certain speeds around 40-50mph. Not much of a problem with most cars, but it seems the Mini has little road noise isolation. Need to turn up the radio a couple notches more than the OEMs. The run flat version uses newer sound deadening thread technology.

You've seen the tire thread?
Click to expand...
Thanks,
I have ruined my hearing when I was younger so road noise isn't a real problem for me. The tire thread is also what
I am reading, it is just this was an easy right there question.
 
Busdriver said:
Thanks,
I have ruined my hearing when I was younger so road noise isn't a real problem for me. The tire thread is also what
I am reading, it is just this was an easy right there question.
Click to expand...
As I’m using Hankooks for summer with 35/32 PSI on 16’ rims with bigger sidewall than 17’ and only on Sport mode I’m not experiencing any harsh ride as you shouldn’t expect from go cart the smooth as ride on Cadillac and lowering PSI on any tires not to factory specifications is going to cut a live of your tires tremendously if you want comfortable ride is a 22’ long 1978 Cadillac or expensive EV for $100000 as BMW Cadillac Audi and more
 
195/55/16 Pirelli W210 Snowcontrol 3 RFT. Tire swap is next month and I won't be going back to summers until late April or early May.
 
I replaced my OE Goodyear Eagle F1 with Indy500s and it transformed the car massively. However the dip in range is noticeable on the commute to work. If you want some extra "feel" go for a more aggressive alignment. 0 toe all around. or some toe out up front and more toe in at rear.
 
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