Now at 252,000 miles on my '05 R53. Among the MANY possible refresh items on the list are struts (still on the originals). The MINI has been maintained exclusively by the same shop for many years and I'm very happy with their work. They tell me the struts show no signs of needing replacement despite all these miles. I have no complaints with the ride but wonder if I've just become accustomed to whatever ride it's giving me.

Looking for opinions on replacing them. I'm no longer interested in high performance, preferring a softer ride at this point. Thanks for any advice,

 

If they aren't broke ...

There are times I wish I had the manufactures' RAM Data (Reliability, Availability, and Maintainability) dealing with life cycle, FMECA data (Failure Mode, Effects and Criticality Analysis), and the MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures). Bottom line from this information you extrapolate the point when the part is just worn out and needs to be replaced no matter what the visual condition indicates. With that being said, there are a few suspension kits available that provide a wide range of comfort. Combined with a taller softer sidewall tire you can drastically change the ride feeling of your GEN1. And even though the suspension struts do not appear to be bad, they can just simply be worn out and need to be replaced, and yet ... they could in fact be fully functional even though they are 14 years old.

Check out the kits available at the various suppliers, maybe the first step you may want to try is changing tires to that taller softer sidewall option.

Sorry for not making any recommendation, not because I don't have opinions about it, but in most cases it is a matter of how much do you want to spend.

Best of Luck.

Motor On!

 

If you can bounce the car without it bouncing up and down then youre probably good to go for at least a little while longer

 

A quarter million miles is a big ask for suspension components. We originally also thought the 227K+ miles were fine, but upon further inspection we found some crusted up oil under the perch of the strut. It's clear the struts had been blown for a very long time.

Once removed, the piston of the strut held no pressure, it literally went into the body of the shock and did not come back up! It was dead, long ago.


blown struts


So, my bet is that your struts are also in a similar condition. You don't need to spend a ton on struts if this is your commuter/daily driver, but I would recommend refresh it all (strut bearing, bumpstops (if failing), and rear mounts, end links, control arm bushings, ball joints).

The ride quality improves and more importantly everything is tight and more responsive.

 

I think it is safe to say you've gotten your money out of the current ones...

 

Funny you mention the taller sidewalls. Overnight I replaced the after-market 17s with brand new 16" wheels and tires (OEM size for this MINI). Looks a little chunkier but man the ride and handling are so much better. I guess it can't hurt to change out the struts and springs as long as it doesn't stiffen the ride.

 

You likely dont even know what you are missing. Could drive substantially better.

 

For sure go with the Koni FSDs as they will restore the suspension life, and ride better than the stock. We use them in our shop for all our stock replacements.
https://www.waymotorworks.com/koni-fsd-shocks.html

Or if you want them to be red we have the "new" version too they call special actives.
https://www.waymotorworks.com/koni-s...0-r52-r53.html

Also replace the rear upper shock mounts as you'll find the foam is likely falling apart
https://www.waymotorworks.com/powerf...-bushings.html

Have you done the front control arm bushings as they are always worn out by 40k miles
https://www.waymotorworks.com/powerf...shing-kit.html

 

Way: Why are the 'special actives' so much less $ than the FSDs?

 

I bought Koni FSD's from Way last year based on his recommendation and couldn't be more pleased. The fronts perform similarly to the OEM's but the rears eliminated the harshness of the OEM's; much better ride. My car was at the 150K mileage mark and the OEM struts were still performing satisfactorily but I wanted to eliminate the rear strut harshness.

 

Only a $60 difference but I'd like to know more specifics about the cheaper struts too.

 

Thank you for all the advice and opinions! Think I'll be replacing them (springs as well - most likely) and go for a soft ride.

 

And thank you, Way, for the info. Performance work you did on my MINI at MOTD back in 2007 is still holding strong with ZERO issues.