Ok so I bought a Fidanza Flywheel a few months ago. I bought on sale from a vendor I will no mention. I thought I bought a flywheel for an R53. I have a 2003 R50 but am doing the transmission switch from a 5-speed Midlands to a 6-speed Getrag. I thought the Fidanza flywheel would be a good choice. I also bought the stock R53 clutch kit from MINI. During installation there was an issue. Rather than the clutch disc being somewhat loose as some NAM members have specified, when the pressure plate was fully installed on the flywheel there was not enough room for the clutch disc. When we bolted the pressure plate onto the flywheel with the clutch disc the fingers were already pushed in. I then called MINI of Sandia as well as Texas Speed Werks to see if this was normal and was informed that the fingers should not be pressured at all.
So what is the problem? Did the vendor send me the wrong flywheel or is the Fidanza flywheel simply not compatible with the stock R53 clutch kit and is actually made for aftermarket flywheels. Or did my mechanic order the wrong clutch, again.

Here is a picture of the flywheel I bought. Is it the R53 or R50 flywheel? http://new.minimania.com/images/nmg2000.jpg

Does anybody have a picture of the OEM R53 clutch kit or disc?

 

The R53 clutch disc is a solid hub, the R50 clutch disc is a sprung hub. As far as flywheels go, I am fairly certain that any aftermarket flywheel would work in either R53 or R50. But the OEM flywheels are very different. Anyway, someone is bound to know.

 

I hope someone does

 

So the R53 clutch disc does not have springs correct? Because if so I do have the correct clutch kit

 

Correct, the R53 clutch has no springs.

 

Thank god! Then I wonder why the clutch kit wouldn't fit correctly. Is the OEM clutch kit the same from 2002-2006? I got a kit that would fit an 03

 

I just bought a flywheel from JB Racing (http://jbracing.com/flywheel-mini1.php). Its made specifically for the OEM clutch kit. Now it does not have springs and neither does the OEM clutch disc. Will it work? Sorry if its a stupid question but I'm still learning the mechanics of it all, I've had to since I wanted to do the transmission switch.

 

Did the oem clutch kit you purchased have a plastic or metal cap in the center diaphragm springs? If this is removed before installing the pressure plate onto the flywheel then you've wasted a pressure plate. Almost all BMW/Audi/VW/Porsche clutches use what is called a self-adjusting clutch, different from a conventional hydraulic self-adjusting clutch in that the pressure plate itself will readjust accordingly as it thins out. Self-adjusting clutches require a special alignment tool, basically just half an alignment tool and a bolt which you use to remove the alignment tool after the whole clutch assembly has been installed.

Dealerships have a special tool for reconfiguring self adjusting pressure-plates, so your next best bet would be to take the kit and have it installed at the dealer...but that's going to cost $$$.

I don't know 100% if the MINI uses a self-adjusting clutch as I haven't replaced my clutch yet.

 

I AM NOT going to the dealer. I trust my mechanic. He's from Germany and has raced BMWs for years. I'm sorry I don't have anything against the dealer but I'm sticking with a mechanic I trust.
As far as the cap is concerned, what do you mean? The OEM clutch disc does not have springs

 

I am not talking about the clutch disc, I'm speaking of the pressure plate. The center of most European OEM pressure plates have a plastic or metal cap in the center that you unscrew. Unscrewing this cap from the pressure plate results in activating the self-adjusting portion of the pressure plate, and the contact area will depress trying to find resistance against the disc and the flywheel. The problem you are having sounds like the mechanic doesn't know how to install a self-adjusting clutch, regardless of his past experience. You can still reuse your pressure plate, but you need a special tool to wind the adjuster back into position. I'm not too sure where you can buy it but all dealerships are required to have one.

 

Bolt sizes for the R50-R53 flywheel are different. So is the hardware for the disc. So whatever hardware you were able to reuse.......THATS THE PART THAT IS WRONG.

 

I'm always bad with reading comprehension, so I may be off base on what your questions are.
I'm not so sure about the accuracy of being told that once bolted up that the disk should move slightly? Not right at all. During torque down of the pressure plate the "fingers will start to press inward. The plate will be pressed between the flywheel and pressure plate VERY VERY tight.
Do know that '02 -'04 plates are different then '05-'07. The tranny spines are not the same. What year is your tranny?

 

The tranny is an 04 and my car is an 03. We bought the clutch kit for an 03. They just installed the jb racing flywheel today and it all fit perfectly. I just don't understand why it didn't work with the fidanza. It was just too tight and my mechanic did not want to put everything together and it not work. He was worried because the finger were already pressed in anyways. But I really am not worried anymore because he said the new flywheel and the clutch fit together like a charm. Its probably better anyways because the JB Racing flywheel is designed specifically for the OEM clutch while the Fidanza is really made for an upgraded clutch kit that has a sprung clutch disc. All in all I think I'm just going to sell the Fidanza anyways. I used the JB Racing flywheel because that is what Texas Speedwerks used when they did the transmission switch (http://www.txwerks.com/images/Instal..._Weak_Link.pdf). Initially they used the Exidy set up but apparently it didn't work so they used the OEM R53 clutch kit with the JB Racing flywheel. They said the combination runs great together