Good Evening r53 owners,

I have a 2006 MCS with about 125,000 on it. I have been putting off some of the suspension, rims, and tire stuff until I fixed some of the engine leaks and changed fluids etc. But my questions is I feel like I have been hitting bumps harder, and a bit of a rougher ride. When is enough, enough on the stock suspension or is it already to far gone? I was thinking of Koni FSD with new shocks or new stock suspension but I am not really sure if its time yet..HELP!

My plans are new suspension when needed. (whatever is needed) a RSB, brakes, rims and tires. Not in that order haha

 

At 125K, you definitely need new shocks, and your control arm bushings are likely shot, or at least need replacement. FSDs are reported to be a good replacement for stock shocks. Read up on stock CABs vs. powerflex - the latter are firmer and will last longer.

 

So in your opinion it's already time to replace them? Would you do suspension first? And what exactly are the control arm bushings? Is this something I will have someone do or is it a diy thing?

 

CABs are a pretty big deal
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...g-install.html

Shocks are usually ready for renewal at 75-100K. Haven't seen particular opinions on MINI shocks.
Note: Suspension consists of springs/shocks (strut assembly), bushings and sway bars and various connecting bits.
You could start with shocks, but if you do the bushings later, some work is redundant. You can test the CAB as described here: https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...m-bushing.html

 

Yeah after reading over all of that stuff I think I better leave that to the professionals haha. But who I dont think I want to go to the dealer as itll cost me an arm and a leg to have all that installed. A local shop maybe? What do you think I am looking at for a whole suspension setup? Pricewise? Thanks for the help btw.

 

Day 1 isn't soon enough.

I really didn't like the stock suspension and with 125k miles on yours, there is a lot of room for improvement.

I went with Koni Yellow adjustable first and they rode better than stock and handled better too. I eventually switched to custom Bilstein sports which are great but cost some more money.

Koni FSD is popular if you stay with stock springs. Another option is Bilstein B4 as a good cheap OEM replacement.

Get the powerflex front control arm bushings. You can get them prepressed into the brackets from WayMotorWorks. This makes install much easier and I would do this even if I was taking it to a shop to do the install to reduce cost/time.

I would also replace your front strut top mounts. I recommend the Ireland Engineering fixed camber plates. Those with a 19mm rear swaybar will make the car handle so much better.

Don't go to the dealer for installation...it will cost a ton of money. Post up your location and someone probably will know a quality shop.

 

Concur with all the above but suggest that, while the control arms are out to replace the CAB's, you have the inner and outer control arm ball joints replaced at the same time. They are undoubtedly shot. Doing all the work at one time just saves on labor costs in the long run.

 

With 125,000 miles you are most likely riding on springs at this point. At least one of your shocks or struts was blown 50,000 miles ago. I removed mine at 63,000 miles and all four were bad and I knew they were bad at 50,000 miles.

 

I'd agree the stock struts are gone....
And the control arm bushings are likely worn...
But the reality is, you bought the car used...
And till you look, you will not be sure...
Bad ride could be from lowering springs and blown struts...other stuff might have been done...
So LOOK before you order parts...
We can armchair quarterback till the cows come home...
But till you get dirty...we are just guessing...
If the car was garaged, things could look good...but could look bad....might find control arms are worst, or maybe already done....
I have koni fsd's on stock springs...decent ride, decent performance..... Some Polly bushings...simply put, you need them when you need them...till then...just extra...
How is your tire wear? Worn parts often give clues in tire wear, and alignment issues...
A few minutes on a lift, and a good set of eyes can tell you if you just need a bit of $$ or a boat load of $$$$.

 

Thanks everyone for the quick responses as you have all pretty much pointed out and I have concluded on my own as well it it time for a new suspension setup. The question is what one. Is it a bad idea to just go with a whole new stock set up or am I better off upgrading some things while I am in there?


Zippy I agree with exactly what you are saying its just the fact of not having the tools or anything to actually do any of this stuff on my own, it kills me. The closest Mod shop, or MINI dealer is 2.5 hours away and this is my daily so its hard. I bought the car from a 1 owner elderly couple so I can rule out the modded or lowered suspension I have all records from the MINI dealer and nothing was done to suspension or brakes in the mean time. (brakes are next) Is there anything I can do in my garage with a jack and stands to check this kinda stuff out? Thanks in advance.

 

So the mini dealer let the elderly couple ride around on an ill maintained suspension- how very respectful of them. Kind of surprised by that...I would have another look through the paper work and see what work was done.

 

If you can turn a wrench you can rebuild the suspension yourself. Dropping the subframe is a great diy job. Just take a day and do all of the suspension yourself. You will save a ton. And the car will handle like new when you are done. I just replaced my ball joints, control arm bushings, sway bar bushings, strut mounts bearings and a car with 225k miles now handles better than new. Buying the tools you need is cheaper than paying and you will have the tools and skills next time. As there will be a next time. I have dropped my subframe 4 times. One for bushings, then oil pan gasket, then bushings and ball joints, and last weekend a clutch. The sub frame is a great thing to know how to remove.

 

To answer your question, Steffen, yes. You can check the control arm bushings by kicking your front tires really hard and seeing what kind of deflection you get. If you'll do a search for control arm bushings, you may find the link to the YouTube address...or just do a search on YouTube. By jacking up the front of the car, you can check for wheel bearing and ball joint play. Do a similar search and you'll see how this is done. Same for how to check for bad struts. There's a wealth of information available here in the "How To" section, on YouTube and sites like Pelican. When all is said and done, though, it will just be an exercise to prove to yourself that everything is, in fact, shot and needs replacing.

 

HAHA yeah pretty much what you are saying is I am going to take all the time out of my day to find out that it indeed does need a new suspension system.

Heres a good question for you all. Can someone point me in the right direction price wise as well as a list of parts to start researching on my own. Right now it looks like I need struts, springs, CAB, RSB, and some bearings?

 

I have an 09 Clubman S with 40k miles. I just picked up a set of Koni FSD's from MotoringWerks for $594. I have a 'clunking' sound coming from the front right when going over bumps. Went to Mini Service Clinic today and they said front sway bar bushing was worn - there was side to side movement on the sway bar when car was on lift. Gave a price of $900 parts / labor.
If the subframe doesn't need to come down for the front struts, i'll do the bushings first to make sure that this was the issue with clunking sound. They said the original struts were fine.

 

Oh wow, sorry to hear that. Hope you are going to get a second opinion..900 is a lot! Besides the clunk, how do you like the Konis?

I am considering just going with the stock JCW suspension from ECS, what do you all think??

 

Depends what you want. If ride quality is what your after, I'd probably just get some FSDs and save yourself buying new springs. If you want a drop and tighter handling I'd recommend some yellows with a spring that drops an inch or less. The JCW suspension is decent but its not really the best at anything. It doesn't ride as nice as the FSDs and it doesn't let you drop as much as the yellows.

 

Haven't installed the Koni's yet. Waiting to do them when I switch the snow tires (if it ever stops snowing). Bought the FSD's to improve the ride.
Yes, $900 is a big number for the bushings. Will look at an independent shop.

 

Nobody here can tell you by your mileage that your suspension is gone...not without looking at your car. I just did shocks, strut bushing, control arm bushing in my '05 at 176k. Yes, great to do...but do you NEED it? Nobody here can say that definitively.

Just something to think about if you'd rather wait. Otherwise - have fun and post updates on your progress!

Pat

 

When I got my 03' Mini, it had around 80,000 miles on it and drove VERY rough. Every time I would hit a bump it felt like my teeth were going to break. At around 90,000 miles I did two things.......I put non-runflats on it, and upgraded the still stock shocks to Koni FSD's. I can't even start to explain how much of a difference those two things made. It was night and day. The ride was so much better, and smoother with the new tires and FSD's.

I think the stock suspension was so weak ,every bump was making the suspension bottom out on the bump stomps. The FSD's fixed that problem.

Put some FSD's on your car...it will make a huge difference. And if you are not running non-runflats, get some!

Also.....I would check you LCA (lower control arm) bushings.....I guarantee they are toast.

 

Thanks everyone for the words of wisdom. I know that mileage is not in anyway an indicator but I am starting to feel a lot more bumps than when I first got him..now to just find out what exactly I need to replace. I recently found a shop in town that can throw it on the lift and check it all out with me as I don't have the proper tools to inspect it all myself. With that being said..

I want to go for ride quailty as it is my DD and I think the best way for that to happen will be with the FSDs, if I go that route can I use my stock springs or is it best to buy all new springs too? Also LCA bushings are the only thing I am seeing everyone else reccomend should I do anything else while "i am in there" or wait and replace as needed. THANKS!

 

No need to replace the springs...just the shocks.

As far as other things to do "while you're in there" replacing the LCA's...YES.

1. Replace the Sway bar bushings.
2. Replace the Inner Ball Joints
3. Check the power steering hoses for leaks.

I learned the hard way...I dropped the sub frame to replace the LCA's, then a few months later I ended up doing it all over again to replace the inner ball joints and a leaky power steering hose.

Also...go with the poly LCA bushings from PowerFlex.....much better than the OEM bushings.

 

Awesome this is exactly what I needed to know, I am gonna start ordering stuff soon. Is that kit from way motor works with the ball joints and the power flex bushings the way to go? Also will it effect the ride quality if I added a tear sway bar? Are the fsds also better handling around corners and such than the stock? Ir just better ride quality over bumps? Lastly are you saying to replace the lca and the lca bushings or just the bushings? How hard is it to do all this stuff myself?

 

No need to replace the control arms unless they happen to be bent when you take them off. I did my front control arm bushings and front sway bar bushings in the fall with a buddy. I did it without completely dropping the subframe (just the the rearward portion) and its certainly not something I would recommend to a novice. The powerflex bushings made it 100x easier to get the control arm into the bushing during reassembly and getting the bushings pre pressed is the way to go, especially if you are doing the front sway bar bushings as the brackets will need to come off anyways.

A stiffer rear sway bar indirectly affects ride quality. Over bumps that affect both wheels it won't make a difference but over a bump that only affects one side of the vehicle the impact will be harsher. If you want a sway bar and ride quality is your utmost concern I would probably recommend a 19mm vs the 22mm for that reason.

 

I ordered my PowerFlex bushings from Way Motor Works...but I got my ball joints from rockauto.com......they are around half the cost.