So, I was thinking of doing this simple mod to my F56 car by installing the Powerflex lower engine support bushing. I watched a YouTube installation video and didn’t see them support the motor during install. I asked the video creator if it needed to be supported and they said the motor doesn’t need supported. I’m okay with that now.

Now in their response back to me they also alluded that installing this Powerflex bushing will increase wear to the upper factory mount. Is this true? My car only has a little more than 7,000 miles and I don’t want to cause any potential issues. I already know that the upper mount is a problem part that eventually needs replacing but I don’t want to accelerate that wear if possible. The reason I want to replace my lower engine support bushing with the Powerflex poly bushing is because I want to eliminate wheel hop. I may also install the bushing set that installs in the upper mount as well.

 

How much wear (years and miles) is on your F56? I would first inspect the upper mount (not easy if it's an S, and even less easy if you don't know what you're looking for, but you get the idea).

If the upper mount is not compromised, it will be eventually anyway. My suggest would be to install the Powerflex bushing set for the upper mount, with the only variable being whether you find out it's already compromised (in which case you replace it *and* install the bushings in the new one).

I definitely get the concern about increasing wear. May be true, may not (I can see it maybe being true at least a little -- less give at the bottom probably results in less successful transfer of bangaround up top to the bottom). But given all the field observations of upper mount failure independent of any lower mount mod, that upper mount is effectively as much of a wear item as a serpentine belt (and will probably bonk out sooner than your belt does). So treat it like one: protect it with bushings while it's still functional, and don't stress about it further because what you're really looking at is extending the life of a part that's going to die anyway. Not to be melodramatic, but, well, yino.

I had to replace my upper mount, and I installed the Powerflex yellow bushings in the new mount. Details of what I did are off in another thread if you're bored.

Hope this helps

 

Thanks for the reply. My car is a 22’ S with only 7,000 miles. This is the second F56 I’ve owned, and didn’t keep the last one long enough to see any issues with the upper mount. I do a lot of launches and want to cut down on wheel hop and was thinking the lower mount bushing would help cut down on that. I also figure that the wheel hop couldn’t be that great for the bushings either.

 

OMG your F56S is a baby! Too cool.

I think you're on track, but I would definitely install bushings in the upper mount as well, and I would do it as of, like, yesterday.

In my case, I got my F56S at 72K miles, and I am a more boring driver (meaning I have yet to do even a single launch, or anything even remotely as fun). The first owner babied the car and probably never even heard the word "launch" in the context of a MINI. So imagine my surprise when I finally got the car in for a routine "Vehicle Check" -- which was after another 25K miles -- and they found the thick rubber of the upper mount fully split in at least 2 places, and the bottom chamber fully emptied.

Based on a certain characteristic "thumping" of the engine bopping back and forth upon routine takeoff and braking -- which went away after I replaced the mount -- my guess is that the mount was toast when I bought the car (I thought the thumping was normal; it was not). And given that the first owner babied the car, well, enter all the discussions you see in forums about the upper mount failure being a "when, not if."

I don't know the part number in your '22. But I replaced my mount in Jan '23, and the specific part I put in (BMW part # 22118835574) is the one used in the GP3. I couldn't identify much difference between the materials or construction of the old and new part. Clearly there is something, but... still. So I still regard the upper mount as something that needs reinforcing (via something like the Powerflex bushing set) in every application -- F56, F55, X1, you name it -- and every driving style, but especially in mod-affected ones.

Anyway, cheers to you and your '22. It sounds fun

 

Thanks I appreciate the info! Yes, my MINI is just a baby, lol. I really don’t get to drive it as much as I should, but when I do I have some fun with it. I am going to place an order for the upper inserts as well, and hopefully they will help the longevity of the upper mount.

 

I’ve had the lower mount for 30(?) thousand miles. At ~45,000 miles my upper mount is still holding on. But, I feel like it’s just a matter of time before it needs replacing. I would do the lower mount again if I could choose. It’s not a gigantic improvement, but with a manual it makes the shifting experience a bit more direct. The trade off is a small amount of additional vibration at idle. I went without the black inserts in the mount. I feel like they’d be too much for a daily driver.

 

Thanks for sharing you experience. My car is also a manual. Even if that lower mount isn’t a gigantic improvement as you say, anything would be better than what the stock mounts provide. I’m not too worried about “some” vibration as long as it’s not too obnoxious, lol.

 

Hey all! Possibly someone can contribute here. I went to install the lower mount Powerflex, first step was to remove the OEM Mount. Well, I had the wrong socket, and now I need new bolts. I cannot get the OEM Bolts off going to take time muscle and time but I will need new ones afterwards. Does anyone know the part numbers of those bolts?

 

This parts diagram from realoem.com may help. However, you should pull this up for the specific model & production month/year of your MINI (just go to the top of the site and drill down).