Hey all!
I've got a 2006 R53 with close to 190,000 miles.
As is the fate of many cars, previous owners did not treat my MINI with the love and care it needed through the duration of their ownership, and in the last year that I've had the car these issues have definitely become apparent.
I just landed a job at a juice bar and am finally earning the money I need to at least bring my car to a point in which I am comfortable driving it hard. Luckily I have few bills to pay as I am still in high school, and I'm in a position in which I believe I can afford decent quality parts and not resort to eBay.
Anyway, the reason I'm initiating this thread is because first and foremost I'd like to address my car's aging suspension.
I'd like your guys' help figuring out what parts I should start buying and where. A definitive list of all suspension components I should replace. I'm in the process of installing reinforcement plates below and above the shock towers to (hopefully) correct my mushrooming issue. I've also replaced the front and rear struts and the strut bushings that accompany them, but I am not opposed to advice on coils or quality shocks for the near future.
CV axles?
Poly bushings?
Tie rods?
Shocks?
I don't plan on tracking the car, I just want a good set-up for the street that'll put the power down effectively and reliably.
Thanks to all in advance.

 

Hey - I'm going to be doing the front on mine over the next month or so. Original owner here, and mine has only 110k on the clock. I'll be replacing the ball joints on each side, struts (with good quality Koni's), and any bushings that I can get to. I will not be lowering the car, so the stock springs will go back on. Going with the OE manufacturer (Lemfoerder) for the strut bearings, and ball joints - about half the cost of the Mini branded stuff made by the same company. Once I have it torn down, I'll replace any bushings that i can get to without dropping the subframe. Will do the same on the rear later this year. Might want to check your drive shafts as well, I know one of mine looks iffy and will likely be getting replaced when I have the suspension out.

 

Koni's are the dream for me, hopefully an attainable one at that.
Would the stock springs prevent them from working at their best potential or are they only important for lowering? I'm not the happiest with how the car sits now and the reinforcement plates I have will raise the ride height a slight slight amount.

 

I have 175K on my 03' JCW MCS. Back around 125K this is what I did.

Koni FSD's......awesome shocks, they ride great.
IE Camber Plates/upper shock mounts (ads a little negative camber, and they are thicker than the stock ones to prevent mushrooming)
Powerflex LCA bushings
Inner and out ball joints (do both inner and outer at the same time..makes life easier)

Those things right there will net you a HUGE improvement in ride quality and performance. I'm still on the the oem tie rod ends, CV axles (did have to replace a boot once), and other items. At this point, I just fix stuff as it wears out or breaks.

If you want to go a little deeper....I would replace your engine and transmission mount bushings with OEM or Powerflex poly bushings. I went with the powerflex...you get a little more vibration through the steering wheel at low rpms, but when you are driving, it feels stock.

 

I have 100,000 miles on my R53. I put KONI FSD's on 40,000 miles ago. I love the ride and handling. I do want to put in the IE fixed camber plates though, so if your budget allows, I'd go with those. I have a 19mm rear sway bar and I think it's plenty for street and occasional track use. I think poly bushings are great in the suspension, but I have a poly engine mount and I hate the amount of vibration that comes into the cabin. OEM axles are the best, so whenever possible I try to re-boot them instead of replace them.

I have the M7 strut brace which also helps prevent mushrooming. Way motor works makes one with a similar design but a few improvements in my opinion. It doesn't affect the ride height and I don't have any mushrooming.

I have replaced both my tie rods, one bent when I slid into a curb, the other failed soon after.

I think the biggest thing you can do to improve putting the power down is buying good tires. I like michelin pilot sport 4's (or whatever their summer high performance tires are called now) but BF goodrich g sport comp 2's are also good and usually can be had for around $100 each.

Koni usually has a decent sale in the spring (march or so) so keep your eyes peeled and you might be able to score a good deal.

 

My '05 S was purchased with 126k miles and currently has 186k on it. Changes done in this order:
Continental All season 215/45 17 tires (140k miles)
Powerflex front control arm bushings (150k miles)
cabrio braces (155k)
Koni FSD struts and shocks (177k)

I have an Eibach 19mm rear sway bar to put on the car when I get some time. Plans include IE fixed camber plates and I'm sure the ball joints and tie-rods will need attention too. I also plan to add an upper strut tower brace and most likely a TSW lower X-brace. For me, the most important changes were the tire size, the Powerflex bushings and the struts/shocks.

 

Well no matter what shock, spring, or suspension combo you do decide on you will want the powerflex front control arm bushings as those are a must have for any R53 suspension, and will not wear out again.
https://www.waymotorworks.com/powerf...shing-kit.html

After that shocks and that are up to you. But for value, reliability and ride quality I would just go with the Koni FSDs. They have a lifetime warranty and ride the best while being a direct replacement for the stock shocks. They will also still provide the performance you want when you throw it around aggressively.
https://www.waymotorworks.com/koni-s...0-r52-r53.html

Then use the IE fixed camber plates for the front upper strut mounts. This will give you a little extra camber for performance, but they are also thicker and stronger than the stock mounts so you won't have to spend extra on strut plates.
https://www.waymotorworks.com/irelan...e-r50-r53.html

That is a great riding and reliable car. So at that point if the budget allows go ahead and add a rear sway bar for the improved handling as this will big the biggest improvement for performance.
https://www.waymotorworks.com/wmw-rear-sway-bar.html

 

Way, I’m curious if there is any maintenance involved with the front control arm bushings. Since there’s no grease fittings is it recommended to pull the arm out after a certain amount of miles and re-lube the bushings?

 

I’m seeing a pattern of upgrades here

I’ve went ahead and ordered Powerflex LCA bushings from Way. You all have made it a point that those are standard on any refresh.
Powerflex ARB bushings are to be ordered soon as well. I replaced upper and lower motor mounts a couple months ago so I’m not touching those for a while. I’ve got tie rods, inner and outer ball joints, and sway bar end links on the list as well. FSDs will have to wait a couple months (I get paid bi-weekly), but I’ll make sure I get those on as soon as possible. I loved the tire suggestions, I’m in need of a set due to the misalignment of the front suspension.
I’ve ordered and received a pair of Madness MINI reinforcement plates for now; IE camber plates are a little expensive for me right now and coupled with the ECS Tuning top plates mushrooming should hopefully cease to be an issue.
New axles are going on as well.
Thank you all for the kind and helpful suggestions.

 

Nice Mo

 

Nope, if you put the Powerflex bushings in them......they will last longer than you car will ever

 

Will these Konis handle the TSW springs? Or is a different shock needed if springs are part of the plan?

 

You can NOT use the FSDs with ANY lowering springs.

You CAN use the Koni Yellows or Orange with our TSW springs as both are really good combos. The difference being the Yellows are adjustable and can be made stiffer than the Orange.
https://www.waymotorworks.com/koni-y...rt-shocks.html
https://www.waymotorworks.com/koni-s...0-r52-r53.html

 

I got OEM front and lower mounts, but powerflex for the transmission mount. I’m scared to take the mount out and off without knowing how this powerflex is supposed to replace the OEM


Polyurethane gearbox bushing set

 

Are front strut bars even beneficial for these r53s ?? I could see a sunroof car benefitting possibly but I've pushed mine hard and never really felt body roll or flexing . BUT it will be seeing track time soon so these are the posts I like to read .
are Polly bushing stiff to the point of causing a rough ride in these cars ? My 04 already seems like it couldn't get any tighter . Its stuff AF already but it might have Polly bushings as I bought it mods unknown . I guess when time comes to replace or upgrade I will find out .

 

i learned it’s waaaaay easy. I expected it to be like the control arms, instead to install the only unique step is to leave the bushing on the car and place the powerflex inserts over/in the old bushing.

 

Hi Ya'll

My 2005 mini cooper (R50, cvt, 170k miles) has a transmission fluid leak via the driver side cv axle seal. It also has a broken strut mount (rubber completely broken) on the driver side and a badly bulging one on the passenger side. I decided to rebuild most the front suspension at this point (new shocks, ball joints, tie rods and sway bar links). As I never did anything like this before, I'm both a little nervous and excited.

I'm not planning to remove the subframe at this point. However, I'm contemplating replacing the control arm bushings as well. I saw two videos, based on which it seems you can do this without lowering the subframe:


and:


The tool seems simple as does the extraction and insertion of the bushing from and to the bracket. Putting back the arm seems to be more challenging.

Just curious if anyone did this without removing the subframe and bushing brackets. Any feedback on this would be very useful.

Best,
--Mike

 

You might consider dropping the sub frame part way (not all the way out) to get to the sway bar bushings at which point (or beforehand), contact Way @WayMotorWorks , They sometimes have pre-pressed Powerflex lower control arm brackets ready for direct install. Just unbolt your old LCA brackets and bolt in the new pre-pressed and you're done. No time consuming hassle with cutting and pressing the old ones out.

 

When dropping the subframe, shouldn't the engine be supported? I don't see that being done in a lot of videos.

 

Gosh - It's been awhile. I recall undoing the the lower engine mount but I don't recall having to support the engine. I am going to say no.
One other thing I might suggest is that if you have a salvage yard nearby; you could pull a pair of LCA brackets from a junker and do all the extraction of the old bushings on a bench. Pressing in the new Powerflex bushings into those brackets are pretty easy working on a bench vs dealing with all that underneath a car.
I think I paid $10 for a pair of brackets at a U Pull -It.

 

No, it will hang just fine in the transmission and engine mounts on the chassis legs.

 

Removing the subframe isn't that hard or time-consuming. It makes changing out the inner ball joints easier. It also gives you a chance to clean up the subframe and steering pump. Mine was a mess of caked on oil and dirt when I removed it to refresh the suspension.

 

If you are dropping the subframe and have 170k you NEED front control arm bushings. The average life of the stock rubber ones is like 40k. Get our Powerflex kit prepressed and you can just unbolt and go.
https://waymotorworks.com/powerflex-...e-bushing-kit/

 

Thank you for all the replies. I guess I'm dropping the subframe. Any comments on replacing the sway bar itself?

 

Any reason why you'd want to replace your front swaybar?
The stock ones are pretty beefy enough as they are.
The rear ones are most commonly upgraded (19mm - 22mm).