I'm looking to buy a Clubman S or JCW in the next few months and wondered if anyone has driven either and S or JCW back to back with Dynamic Dampers and without and your impressions.

I haven't seen much in reviews anywhere that I can find where others have talked about the difference. I've only driven a Clubman S without DDC and my local dealer doesn't tend to have many well equipped Clubman's that include DDC so I've been unable to try it.

The stock setup rides fine for my tastes and wondering the differences if anyone has felt a difference at all.

Wondering the following:

-Is it worth having? Yes

-Does the stock setup ride firmer than DDC in "normal" mode or vice versa?

Yes

I have it on my F56 JCW and for me it was worth it. If you don't track your mini and you drive on rough roads it provides a much smoother ride, however, it does limit your hard cornering somewhat and you can't put coil overs on your mini if you have it. BTW, I do occasionally track the mini and take it twisting on a regular basis. For public roads you can still break all the rules if you want.

 

I think it really depends on your roads and what you want to do with the car. I recently had the opportunity a JCW with Sports Suspension and a Cooper S with DDC (same as for JCW) back to back. Both cars had 17" wheels so it was a good comparison. Neither were harsh, even on bricks and rough pavement. However, since I live in FL and twisty roads are rare, I think the DDC wins out for my use and environment. It was noticeably smoother over rough patches in Normal mode, and plenty tight in sport mode (in fact, pretty close to sport suspension in feel).

Reality is the Sports Suspension is about 20% stiffer than DDC in sports mode. However, in my environment, DDC makes much more sense ... much smoother under normal conditions but still able to tighten up for fun. My order will have DDC.

 

Living in Belgium (notorious for the atrocious state of our roads and common sighting of cobblestones in town) the DDC is a definite yes.

Had a back to back test drive in two cars (one with, one without) and difference was quite remarkable.

As for the sports suspension I feel it's a little too much to have on a daily driver, get's tiring during longer hauls.

 

I thought the sport suspension could only be had in the JCW! Unless MINI changed this. It depends on what you want really. In a Clubman there's no way I'd get sport suspension...but in a JCW 3 dr hatch...YOU BETCHA! I love it & I'm no spring chicken. I've driven much stiffer riding cars & you won't have to fiddle with disconnecting the DDC if you ever decide to modify your suspension setup. Regardless of where you live there are "some" smooth roads so that's no excuse imo...sport suspension is not that stiff! I guess what I'm saying is if you want a sports car get one, otherwise get a regular car.

 

I thought the sport suspension could only be had in the JCW!

That's a US thing. Sports Suspension is still an option on the non JCW cars in other countries.

 

I have a JCW Clubman with SS. I only have my experiences with a R52 convertible and a R56 S both with standard suspension to compare. Well, brief test ride in a Clubman S with standard suspension also. I really like the SS on the JCW Clubman. It is firm but never "crashy" like it can be with my other MINIs. No drama on brick streets or over speed bumps You do feel the road which I prefer. Even with the stiffer side wall of the runflats it rides quite well. When I eventually go to non-runflats, It will be perfect for me. Test driving the Clubman S, the standard suspension was a little too soft for my preference. The combination of sports suspension, all wheel drive on the fly, and a manual trans makes for great motoring.

 

I can only agree about the worthiness of the extra DDC, in my case with a JCW. Without the option of the DDC, the default suspension is set at the the 'stiff' setting. If roads are perfect, this is still OK, but otherwise you definitely need a more 'mellow' setting for the city rides.
With DDC, you can also select if the suspension gets stiffer or not with the 'sport' driving mode. And again, this is for the JCW.

 

You guys rock, thanks so much for all the replies! Lots of input. It seems like I may go with DDC honestly because I like the flexibility of tuning the suspension to be firmer when I like, but a little smoother when I'm cruising. Buffalo NY isn't know for exceptionally smooth roads in a lot of areas so I prefer a little compliance in some cases in some blown out areas.


KYDan a great point on what I want to do with the car. I'm not looking to tune the suspension further or track the car, so that shouldn't be an issue.

 

Either way, I'm sure you will enjoy the Clubman. I'm very happy with mine. Now you get to decide between a S or a JCW!

 

To give you an idea what I meant when I said our roads are awful...

This is the border crossing between Belgium and the Netherlands on the highway (speed limit 120kph).

 

I drove a couple of demo cars. One with 18" wheels and run flats, fitted with adaptive dampers. Another with 17" and no run flats, with normal dampers. The car with adaptive rode better. i was really surprised.

 

Not a DDC user, I have an S with the Sports Suspension, and a JCW on order. The car is definitely stiffer than stock, and if I am not mindful of roughness my fillings will get loosened. But I like that in a sports car. I know I'm driving a car that willingly tears up the corners without me having to remember to flip a switch first.

The way I feel is that you buy this car for the performance. If you want comfort, buy a Buick. A stiff ride is simply the car communicating to you, which after all is its job.

I am looking at coilovers and swaybars for the JCW when it gets here, to make it even more go-karty. Yes, stiffer ride, and I'll have to drive to the trailhead much slower than I already do (while getting passed at 40 mph by jeeps and minivans). But my smile will be even wider as I zoom about on the pavement.

I understand people don't necessarily want the party-all-the-time driving experience when they're going to the market. I do. But YMMV. Get what makes you happy.

 

You & I may be in the minority, but I agree 100%!! And for me, the fewer electronic gizmos the better. The more I feel in control of the car and "feel the car" the better! Feeling a firm suspension in a sports car is the way I prefer it.

 

Thanks again everyone. I think I'll likely be going with DDC for some extra control in the ride when I want it. Interesting to see everyone's feedback and I respect the purists that really aren't interested in DDC as well.

 

Good on you. DDC or not, it's going to be an awesome car and you're going to love it. And your fillings will remain secured in place.

 

Of course, you can always go DDC, but add stiffer sway bars. Just saying... there are other options.

 

I have them fitted to my JCW and wouldn't have it any other way, ideally the sport suspension would probably handle far better but where I live and the journeys I do are a lot of poorly maintained country lanes that are pretty rough surfaced so the slightly softer setting is quite nice and to have the option to stiffen it up if you want it..or even have it in sport mode and still a softer ride I think suits me quite well, but it's all very specific to where you live and what you're after from the car

 

There is not that much difference between the JCW standard suspension and the DDC handling as far as I can tell having driven both. I like the DDC. Coil overs, however, are a different matter and if you are a heavy tracker they are a better option. The JCW is quite a capable track car even in the standard configuration.

 

I find the sport suspension in my JCW to be quite compliant; particularly when compared to the buckboard ride of my old R53 JCW. I've had a little seat time in a JCW with the pro suspension and it is better, firmer but still far from rough. Oh yeah, I live in Michigan which is infamous for our crappy roads.
Remember that DDC in the stiffest setting is still less than the sport suspension. Either way, you'll be happy. I just need to hammer through all the corners.

 

DDC = So great.

I use soft for motorways to smoothen lumps, or if I've my mother in the car...

My car goes over a lot of speed humps too, and stiffening the dampers to hard actually stops the car bottoming out or scratching the bumper if you are taking them at speed... but obviously then the car and your body take a slightly firmer impact from the hump itself. I should slow down for them more.

 

I tried one model that had DDC and adaptive headlights. Two extras I loved and couldn't have on my car.

 

I drove a JCW with adaptive on 18's with run flats and it was a better ride than the Cooper S on 17's non run flats and normal damper. I did them back to back.

 

I skipped on the DDC suspension due to replacement cost. My wife kept her old MINI for 11 years and I don't want to shell out crazy high cost for replacements. The Clubman S suspension with 18" wheels rides pretty decent while handling well, too.


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Having had two tires fail (bubbled sidewall) in the matter of a year, I think the DDC may have saved me buying a new set of tires and one replacement already. Or maybe not. These heavy 18" rollers may not be the best for tire longevity regardless of what suspension they are attached to.


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Grey Thunder - That's awful. It makes our British roads look excellent! I'm going to guess that neither Government wishes to foot the bill for repairing that mess as it's on the border - how long has it been like that? You would think they would just split the cost if indeed that was the issue.

 

"Feelings" aside, how do you know if you car is equipped with DDC, or if it's even functioning properly?

 

Look at the strut tops if there are wires coming from it then it's ddc

 

Where exactly? Inside the wheel arch?

 

Engine bay on the strut towers under the caps

 

Thanks!

Well I select green mode and the suspension softens and is great on bad roads.

I select sport mode and it stiffens up hugely like a rocking horse but is great at high speed.

And you can check your build with chassis number e.g. I can see adaptive dampening on my build.

If you have short bumpy journeys with heavy traffic then this option is great combined with an auto.

Then blast it on the long way home

Sport is great at high speed? Like motorways? i thought that green/soft was great for that!

I've been driving one with DDC lately and I honestly can't feel any difference. Even on brick roads, mid and green feel the same. I was really hoping for better!

 

Well I select green mode and the suspension softens and is great on bad roads.

I select sport mode and it stiffens up hugely like a rocking horse but is great at high speed.

And you can check your build with chassis number e.g. I can see adaptive dampening on my build.

If you have short bumpy journeys with heavy traffic then this option is great combined with an auto.

Then blast it on the long way home