MINI Cooper S - Better Ride in Cooper S?

Q
I am an older driver of a MINI Cooper S which I enjoy, but due to where I live the roads are not billiard table smooth so I have tired of the poor quality ride and wish to do something about it. But what?
I have changed the tyres to a non run flat type, but this has had little effect if any at all, and after having them fitted I've been informed that they should not be fitted to run flat rims. Do you have a view on this comment?
I have seen advertised Koni FSD shock absorbers which are said to improve the ride and these would use the existing springs. Would this be an answer to a better ride? Or could you advise on an alternative solution?

A
The harsher ride quality of MINIs such as the Cooper S will not be greatly reduced by changing the tyres from runflats to non-runflats. The profile of the tyre (height of the tyre wall) is small, resulting in a less forgiving ride quality. We suggest you change to a smaller diameter wheel with a higher profile tyre. For example, a secondhand set of 15in MINI wheels can usually be bought for around £100 with tyres.
Switching to Koni FSD dampers will certainly improve the ride quality - we included a guide on how to fit them in the May 2007 issue of Modern MINI and test drove the car afterwards. The results were very impressive and well worth the money. However, why not try fitting a set of secondhand wheels first.