Mini F56 GP3 - yes the weird one with arch spats!
Discussion
I’ve ran those tyres a lot, they really are good but completely switch off at around 6-7 degrees so just watch them in the winter months.
Also plastic spigot rings, be careful they don’t melt. A mate had some on his clio 182 and kept losing wheels because of them-I got him some alloy ones fabricated. No idea on how they’ve become popular.
Also plastic spigot rings, be careful they don’t melt. A mate had some on his clio 182 and kept losing wheels because of them-I got him some alloy ones fabricated. No idea on how they’ve become popular.
Update
So the GP was due its ‘big’ service today which also included:-
- Oil and Filter Change
- Air Filter
- Cabin/Microfilter
- Spark Plugs
- Brake Fluid
This was a main dealer service and I opted for Halliwell Chester to do the job.
Luckily I negotiated this in with the deal so it was FOC.
I also asked them to do a 4 wheel alignment, which was prudent considering I had just hit a raised cat eye and took out 2 tyres. I don’t want the new rubber to wear uneven and it’s nice having piece of mind knowing it’s setup as it should be. This was around £125 but I believe they use a Hunter alignment system so worth it.
They had a nice system where I was ushered into a drive through system, I hopped out of the car, received some compliments from the service assistant, handed over the keys, went inside, grabbed a flat white, agreed the scope of works, then got handed the keys to my loan car.
It was a new Mini Cooper with JCW styling bits.
I loved its looks and quality of cabin etc (on par with the GP). But god, it was a gutless wonder. No torque, very lazy revving, no top end. I looked up the performance and it made sense.
-1.5l petrol engine
-3 Cylinder
-134hp
-0-60 8:1 seconds.
Ah….. so it’s a good little commuting car that looks like a JCW hot hatch! 50mpg too.
Nice rear diffuser
The GP was collected.
I had some warning notes in the documentation regarding unusual grease/wax applied to the suspension parts. I explained it had been Lanoguarded to protect from corrosion and the blank look I had back was priceless!
It’s now sitting sweet with new wheels, rubber, fluids and all wheels pointing where it should be. So I took it for a cheeky blast on the long way home to celebrate.
How strange I have been more passionate about this little terror than much more expensive exotica I have/owned.
So the GP was due its ‘big’ service today which also included:-
- Oil and Filter Change
- Air Filter
- Cabin/Microfilter
- Spark Plugs
- Brake Fluid
This was a main dealer service and I opted for Halliwell Chester to do the job.
Luckily I negotiated this in with the deal so it was FOC.
I also asked them to do a 4 wheel alignment, which was prudent considering I had just hit a raised cat eye and took out 2 tyres. I don’t want the new rubber to wear uneven and it’s nice having piece of mind knowing it’s setup as it should be. This was around £125 but I believe they use a Hunter alignment system so worth it.
They had a nice system where I was ushered into a drive through system, I hopped out of the car, received some compliments from the service assistant, handed over the keys, went inside, grabbed a flat white, agreed the scope of works, then got handed the keys to my loan car.
It was a new Mini Cooper with JCW styling bits.
I loved its looks and quality of cabin etc (on par with the GP). But god, it was a gutless wonder. No torque, very lazy revving, no top end. I looked up the performance and it made sense.
-1.5l petrol engine
-3 Cylinder
-134hp
-0-60 8:1 seconds.
Ah….. so it’s a good little commuting car that looks like a JCW hot hatch! 50mpg too.
Nice rear diffuser
The GP was collected.
I had some warning notes in the documentation regarding unusual grease/wax applied to the suspension parts. I explained it had been Lanoguarded to protect from corrosion and the blank look I had back was priceless!
It’s now sitting sweet with new wheels, rubber, fluids and all wheels pointing where it should be. So I took it for a cheeky blast on the long way home to celebrate.
How strange I have been more passionate about this little terror than much more expensive exotica I have/owned.
Edited by christurbo on Saturday 6th April 08:39
PRO5T said:
I’ve ran those tyres a lot, they really are good but completely switch off at around 6-7 degrees so just watch them in the winter months.
Also plastic spigot rings, be careful they don’t melt. A mate had some on his clio 182 and kept losing wheels because of them-I got him some alloy ones fabricated. No idea on how they’ve become popular.
Yes - mixed feedback on the plastic spigot rings. I think if I was doing heavy track work I’d use the aluminium ones. Also plastic spigot rings, be careful they don’t melt. A mate had some on his clio 182 and kept losing wheels because of them-I got him some alloy ones fabricated. No idea on how they’ve become popular.
The CS7 cannot be as bad as the rock hard, slippery Hankooks. Dutch finders! He he.
Nelka said:
Superb!
The Conti’s will be going on my JCW when the time comes. The OEM Pirelli P Zeros are horrendous in the cold/damp.
Great idea … fairly cost effective for the performance too! Nice car by the way. The Conti’s will be going on my JCW when the time comes. The OEM Pirelli P Zeros are horrendous in the cold/damp.
TameRacingDriver said:
Love it. Really interesting to read your impressions, as they don't always get great reviews, but it's clearly a car with charm. I have an F56 JCW and I love it a lot more than I thought I would coming from a BBR MX5, and I can relate to that feeling of getting out for the first time when it's dry, I feel like I've waited ages for that, and when you can actually get some grip, the car is a little hooligan in the lower gears. I'm actually finding I like the Mini the longer I've owned it which is unusual for a car. They've definitely got some character, and as you say, you need to actually drive it well to get the best out of it.
My friend has raced in the Mini Challenge and loves the package - such a great chassis in my opinion. But yes, they can bite!Thanks for the other comments, I’m very happy with it!
Update
The arch gaps on the GP were starting to bother me. The GP 2 (2013) came with Bilstein coilovers with H&R springs as standard, which meant that this wasn’t a problem with that car.
Unfortunately the GP comes with fixed dampers and springs. I’m guessing the expensive and time consuming warranty replacements that Mini had to honour for the Bilsteins made them think twice about introducing them to the 2020 GP.
I didn’t fancy going all out (just yet) and spending £3k+ on full coilovers so set about research on springs. It seems that AST are the main supplier for the GP but they are pretty much made to order due to how rare the GP is. Also they are based in Europe so I would be looking at a 2 month lead time just for springs.
So in the end I bit the bullet and went back to H&R. I’ve used them in the past with good results. Firm, fairly progressive, so can’t be as bad as what I have now. The GP is notoriously firm.
Kit ordered, collected and I set to work on fitting them.
The job was fairly easy. I took my time because I enjoy doing jobs like this. Big version of Lego.
Jacked up
I then removed the sway bar bolt, pinch bolt, used a spreader tool to loosen the hub so that I could work the damper loose. Important to keep the strut bolts connnected so that I could lever it off.
Once the strut was free I set to work taking the unit apart.
I gave the shaft some hyper wiper treatment
I shortened the OEM bump stops prior to realising H&R put some smaller ones in the kit! Doh.
Really easy to built back up with the right socket so that you can torque the top hat nut to spec. PS…. Virtual Beer tokens to the person who can guess the deliberate mistake in these pics.
As you can see the GP springs are of similar length (uncompressed) to the H&Rs. Actually H&Rs look longer.
I was lucky because I had the BMW Mini F56 workshop manual TIS so had all the torque specs for each bolt which is something you don’t want to guess!
All fitted.
Next was the rear….
Look how much longer the H&R springs are on the rear.
Loads of people have issues getting the rear springs out on an F56. Simple solution is de-load the ARB then remove the sway bolt. The arm will just flip down once you take the damper bolt out. Simple.
Lanoguard doing its job, but can’t help feel it looks a bit crappy as the wax has made all the crap off the road stick to it.
Springs in
This was the finished result straight after dropping it back to the floor. Springs have not settled so it will drop marginally again over the next week.
It always amazes me how such a subtle change can make the overall look of a car so different.
After doing a tentative drive on a local road to check all was fine (it was!) I decided to get up early and hit the Welsh roads (some the best!
I was not hoping for anything transformative through just springs and I was happy to report that they didn’t make it worse! Compliant and didn’t hit any bumpstops even on hard compressions. Truly engaging drive with such a pointy front end. 3 hours had passed in a blink of an eye.
I LOVE OWNING THIS CRAZY THING!
Some before and after shots
The arch gaps on the GP were starting to bother me. The GP 2 (2013) came with Bilstein coilovers with H&R springs as standard, which meant that this wasn’t a problem with that car.
Unfortunately the GP comes with fixed dampers and springs. I’m guessing the expensive and time consuming warranty replacements that Mini had to honour for the Bilsteins made them think twice about introducing them to the 2020 GP.
I didn’t fancy going all out (just yet) and spending £3k+ on full coilovers so set about research on springs. It seems that AST are the main supplier for the GP but they are pretty much made to order due to how rare the GP is. Also they are based in Europe so I would be looking at a 2 month lead time just for springs.
So in the end I bit the bullet and went back to H&R. I’ve used them in the past with good results. Firm, fairly progressive, so can’t be as bad as what I have now. The GP is notoriously firm.
Kit ordered, collected and I set to work on fitting them.
The job was fairly easy. I took my time because I enjoy doing jobs like this. Big version of Lego.
Jacked up
I then removed the sway bar bolt, pinch bolt, used a spreader tool to loosen the hub so that I could work the damper loose. Important to keep the strut bolts connnected so that I could lever it off.
Once the strut was free I set to work taking the unit apart.
I gave the shaft some hyper wiper treatment
I shortened the OEM bump stops prior to realising H&R put some smaller ones in the kit! Doh.
Really easy to built back up with the right socket so that you can torque the top hat nut to spec. PS…. Virtual Beer tokens to the person who can guess the deliberate mistake in these pics.
As you can see the GP springs are of similar length (uncompressed) to the H&Rs. Actually H&Rs look longer.
I was lucky because I had the BMW Mini F56 workshop manual TIS so had all the torque specs for each bolt which is something you don’t want to guess!
All fitted.
Next was the rear….
Look how much longer the H&R springs are on the rear.
Loads of people have issues getting the rear springs out on an F56. Simple solution is de-load the ARB then remove the sway bolt. The arm will just flip down once you take the damper bolt out. Simple.
Lanoguard doing its job, but can’t help feel it looks a bit crappy as the wax has made all the crap off the road stick to it.
Springs in
This was the finished result straight after dropping it back to the floor. Springs have not settled so it will drop marginally again over the next week.
It always amazes me how such a subtle change can make the overall look of a car so different.
After doing a tentative drive on a local road to check all was fine (it was!) I decided to get up early and hit the Welsh roads (some the best!
I was not hoping for anything transformative through just springs and I was happy to report that they didn’t make it worse! Compliant and didn’t hit any bumpstops even on hard compressions. Truly engaging drive with such a pointy front end. 3 hours had passed in a blink of an eye.
I LOVE OWNING THIS CRAZY THING!
Some before and after shots
Edited by christurbo on Sunday 21st April 22:56
christurbo said:
Update
Unfortunately the GP comes with fixed dampers and springs. I’m guessing the expensive and time consuming warranty replacements that Mini had to honour for the Bilsteins made them think twice about introducing them to the 2020 GP.
Absolutely cost was the major factor in this decision, but it was more off of the F56 JCW challenge specials the decision was made rather than GP2's.Unfortunately the GP comes with fixed dampers and springs. I’m guessing the expensive and time consuming warranty replacements that Mini had to honour for the Bilsteins made them think twice about introducing them to the 2020 GP.
Great to see a GP3 being well looked after like this though, a lot of the characteristics you're mentioning were bought up during development validation and sign off.
Worth hanging on to as I suspect it will be the last ice GP built.
Nelka said:
Nice update. Quite fancy a touch of lowering on my JCW...
Most folk seem to go for Eibach, but I've also used H&R before with decent results too. The fact that H&R supply new bump stops tends to make me think they've put a bit more thought into it.
I do as well but am reluctant as lowering springs alone usually make a car ride and handle worse (even if the owner thinks it's better initially, it's usually emporers new clothes). I'd like to go for KW Street Comfort coilovers, which are supposed to be absolutely fantastic, but I just can't justify spending the £2k they cost to supply, fit and set up properly.Most folk seem to go for Eibach, but I've also used H&R before with decent results too. The fact that H&R supply new bump stops tends to make me think they've put a bit more thought into it.
The test driver said:
Absolutely cost was the major factor in this decision, but it was more off of the F56 JCW challenge specials the decision was made rather than GP2's.
Great to see a GP3 being well looked after like this though, a lot of the characteristics you're mentioning were bought up during development validation and sign off.
Worth hanging on to as I suspect it will be the last ice GP built.
I have had an itchy trigger finger on the Megane Mk4 Trophy R, however after researching the owners club and forums it seems they are not reliable and customer service is not great. The GP ticks boxes with German quality and support whilst being special enough to keep me interested. Great to see a GP3 being well looked after like this though, a lot of the characteristics you're mentioning were bought up during development validation and sign off.
Worth hanging on to as I suspect it will be the last ice GP built.
I came back to it after parking at a petrol station and a girl (who came out of a Fiesta ST) was asking loads of questions about it, made me smile because only the R8 got that kind of attention out of all my other nice cars!
Nelka said:
Nice update. Quite fancy a touch of lowering on my JCW...
Most folk seem to go for Eibach, but I've also used H&R before with decent results too. The fact that H&R supply new bump stops tends to make me think they've put a bit more thought into it.
Car looks fantastic.
I’ve used both Eibach and HR in the past with great results. HR sit a little lower than Eibach on the F56 platform (or so I’ve been told). Most folk seem to go for Eibach, but I've also used H&R before with decent results too. The fact that H&R supply new bump stops tends to make me think they've put a bit more thought into it.
Car looks fantastic.
TameRacingDriver said:
I do as well but am reluctant as lowering springs alone usually make a car ride and handle worse (even if the owner thinks it's better initially, it's usually emporers new clothes). I'd like to go for KW Street Comfort coilovers, which are supposed to be absolutely fantastic, but I just can't justify spending the £2k they cost to supply, fit and set up properly.
I’ve rarely installed reputable springs such as Eibach/HR that have compromised the ride to be noticeably poorer than OEM. I have also ran coilovers on a few cars both OEM and aftermarket, and their appeal is the infinite adjustability to get that perfect performance for the individual requirements you may have, e.g a bumpy Welsh B Road vs ultra smooth and fast track day. Also high end dampers mean a much more plush / and composed feel with the right setup.
It’s comical as I run Öhlins on both my MTB bikes and the suspension on one of my bikes cost c. £3k alone. Yet the car spec is not far off that. I am looking into coil overs for the GP (preferably Öhlins), but at the moment I don’t feel there is something bugging me that bad to warrant the expense. It’s a great setup for B Road blasting in my opinion.
roadie said:
The car looks even more mega now and good to hear the positive feedback on performance also.
The GP is something you could get lost in for days on the right road / trip. christurbo said:
I’ve rarely installed reputable springs such as Eibach/HR that have compromised the ride to be noticeably poorer than OEM.
I have also ran coilovers on a few cars both OEM and aftermarket, and their appeal is the infinite adjustability to get that perfect performance for the individual requirements you may have, e.g a bumpy Welsh B Road vs ultra smooth and fast track day. Also high end dampers mean a much more plush / and composed feel with the right setup.
It’s comical as I run Öhlins on both my MTB bikes and the suspension on one of my bikes cost c. £3k alone. Yet the car spec is not far off that. I am looking into coil overs for the GP (preferably Öhlins), but at the moment I don’t feel there is something bugging me that bad to warrant the expense. It’s a great setup for B Road blasting in my opinion.
Thanks for the feedback I have also ran coilovers on a few cars both OEM and aftermarket, and their appeal is the infinite adjustability to get that perfect performance for the individual requirements you may have, e.g a bumpy Welsh B Road vs ultra smooth and fast track day. Also high end dampers mean a much more plush / and composed feel with the right setup.
It’s comical as I run Öhlins on both my MTB bikes and the suspension on one of my bikes cost c. £3k alone. Yet the car spec is not far off that. I am looking into coil overs for the GP (preferably Öhlins), but at the moment I don’t feel there is something bugging me that bad to warrant the expense. It’s a great setup for B Road blasting in my opinion.
I've done a bit more research again and I think you were right to go for the H&R over the Eibach, the latter seem to have big problems with fitment on the JCW, apparently they move around in the top mounts, working themselves loose and causing a creaking noise, which has caused a lot of owners to get rid of those. Even after replacement, some owners report the replacements simply don't fit properly. Bad form for a company like eibach who normally make decent products.
Ohlins would be lovely but they're even more expensive than the KWs and I'm poor
. I'll probably stay stock for now until I can comfortably save up for them, but by the time I've done that I may end up reviewing whether to stick or twist with the mini, as I don't tend to be the sort who keeps cars for a long time, although the mini is such a great all rounder that you never know.TameRacingDriver said:
Thanks for the feedback
I've done a bit more research again and I think you were right to go for the H&R over the Eibach, the latter seem to have big problems with fitment on the JCW, apparently they move around in the top mounts, working themselves loose and causing a creaking noise, which has caused a lot of owners to get rid of those. Even after replacement, some owners report the replacements simply don't fit properly. Bad form for a company like eibach who normally make decent products.
Ohlins would be lovely but they're even more expensive than the KWs and I'm poor. I'll probably stay stock for now until I can comfortably save up for them, but by the time I've done that I may end up reviewing whether to stick or twist with the mini, as I don't tend to be the sort who keeps cars for a long time, although the mini is such a great all rounder that you never know.
Yes, I also read reports of noise from the Eibachs. Strange as they would have had to go through usual QA. I've done a bit more research again and I think you were right to go for the H&R over the Eibach, the latter seem to have big problems with fitment on the JCW, apparently they move around in the top mounts, working themselves loose and causing a creaking noise, which has caused a lot of owners to get rid of those. Even after replacement, some owners report the replacements simply don't fit properly. Bad form for a company like eibach who normally make decent products.
Ohlins would be lovely but they're even more expensive than the KWs and I'm poor
. I'll probably stay stock for now until I can comfortably save up for them, but by the time I've done that I may end up reviewing whether to stick or twist with the mini, as I don't tend to be the sort who keeps cars for a long time, although the mini is such a great all rounder that you never know.It depends on what you are trying to get from the coilovers. If it’s to drastically improve handling and also infinite adjustment then yes hold out, if it’s just to change aesthetics then why it just try some springs. Low cost and easy to fit.
I actually quite enjoy how this looks. Interesting to see such an in depth look and review on it. It's something that i completely missed, or just didn't take much notice of. Was very aware of the GP1 and GP2.
I hope these are less challenging to work on then the R56. I hate having to look after my partners one.
I hope these are less challenging to work on then the R56. I hate having to look after my partners one.
Scoobydrew95 said:
I actually quite enjoy how this looks. Interesting to see such an in depth look and review on it. It's something that i completely missed, or just didn't take much notice of. Was very aware of the GP1 and GP2.
I hope these are less challenging to work on then the R56. I hate having to look after my partners one.
Well it took my mechanic 5 hours to change the water pump on my F56 JCW so I wouldn't hold your breath on it being easier to work on I hope these are less challenging to work on then the R56. I hate having to look after my partners one.
a 2.0 Turbo is a fairly beefy engine in such a small car.TameRacingDriver said:
I think for me it would be improved handling, ride and appearance. Not bothered about adjustability but I doubt I'll get all three from springs. By the time I have them fitted and an alignment I should probably just save the extra?
I know someone who is selling a set of AST coilovers that have just been serviced. Less than half price from new. I can point you towards him if you are interested. Scoobydrew95 said:
I actually quite enjoy how this looks. Interesting to see such an in depth look and review on it. It's something that i completely missed, or just didn't take much notice of. Was very aware of the GP1 and GP2.
I hope these are less challenging to work on then the R56. I hate having to look after my partners one.
Ha! I worked on the R56 GP2 and know your pain. In my experience it’s quite simple. Brakes, suspension etc are very easy to work on, all standard BMW setup. As said, space is limited engine wise as it’s a large block in a little space. Hopefully the new M135i engine is rock solid (seems to be) vs the old 1.6 which was made of chocolate. I hope these are less challenging to work on then the R56. I hate having to look after my partners one.
I have applied Lanoguard so that I don’t get the seized/rusted parts that I had an issue with on the GP2.
christurbo said:
TameRacingDriver said:
I think for me it would be improved handling, ride and appearance. Not bothered about adjustability but I doubt I'll get all three from springs. By the time I have them fitted and an alignment I should probably just save the extra?
I know someone who is selling a set of AST coilovers that have just been serviced. Less than half price from new. I can point you towards him if you are interested. I probably won't be in any position to modify the car until next year realistically.christurbo said:
Update
Really easy to built back up with the right socket so that you can torque the top hat nut to spec. PS…. Virtual Beer tokens to the person who can guess the deliberate mistake in these pics.
Upside down top hat! Really easy to built back up with the right socket so that you can torque the top hat nut to spec. PS…. Virtual Beer tokens to the person who can guess the deliberate mistake in these pics.
Edited by christurbo on Sunday 21st April 22:56
Lovely car - Lanoguard does attract dirt but I've found it can be pressure washed off without affecting the coating. I'm very impressed with it.
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