I am the original owner of this R53 and would like to do some mods focused on improved handling for street and possibly autocross use. The car has been unused for several years, other the the occasional start and drive around town. It needs an oil leak repaired, a leaky coolant overflow tank, new headlights/taillights, headliner, and a few other basic maintenance items. I had the supercharger oil changed a few years ago, and it's also had the death rattle repairs done. I don't really have a budget, but am looking for "high bang for the buck" upgrades. My current thinking:

New shocks, or coilovers + camber plates. Go with Koni Special Active Red, or a coilover set instead? I don't need the car lowered, but if coilovers have an inherit handling advantage (aside from the lowering) then I'd be game.

New bushings everywhere. Not sure if I should use rubber or poly? Powerflex gen 1 handling kit seems to have everything needed?

Rear sway bar.

Front strut bar.

LSD. The OS Giken Super Lock seems to be somewhat reasonably priced at $1650. Anything comparable that's cheaper?

Big brake kit. Recommendations?

Wheels (maybe?). I like the look of the 17" stock wheels; not sure if the minor reduction in unsprung weight would be worth the $1000+ expense.

Supercharger pulley reduction + cold air intake + ECU tune. Won't help handling, but a little more oomph and grunt never hurt

Anything I'm overlooking here that would noticeably improve handling (while still be comfortable for street use)? Control arms?

Thanks!

 

OS Giken LSD is super overkill for what you'll be doing. I have it in my race car but I wouldn't put it in my street car. A quaife LSD will be more than enough for the street.
The Gen 2 JCW big brake kit is a solid option, direct bolt on. People have used 986 Boxster front brakes that require brackets to fit. I am pretty sure they are on back order right know though because of the exceeded demand.
Rear sway bar, really doesn't matter what you go with but @WayMotorWorks makes a great product. Haven't bought from them but have only heard good news about them.
BC racing coilovers or even the Megan Racing ones are good. Personally I'd go with a set of coilovers but lots of people have used the koni's.
Powerflex gen 1 for the bushings is the best option.

 

Love to see another original owner.

I would for sure say to put together a budget as there are so many options on mods you can quickly go down the hole.

But for mods or upgrades we have been doing this for as long as you have owned your MINI and here is what we would recommend to keep it reliable and get the gains you want.

For coolant tank, upgrade to aluminum as the new plastic ones are not made as well as the original.
https://www.waymotorworks.com/pressu...k-r53-r52.html

For suspension if you want comfort and no lowering the FSDs are the option.
https://www.waymotorworks.com/koni-s...0-r52-r53.html

You can add the fixed camber plates which are an upgrade and give you that extra camber
https://www.waymotorworks.com/irelan...e-r50-r53.html

But if you don't mind lowering we offer a custom spring setup on Megan coilovers that will ride well and not harsh but also give you that huge improvement in handling you want from coilovers. These also include front mounts or camber plates and are a great value.
https://www.waymotorworks.com/megan-...coilovers.html
https://www.waymotorworks.com/megan-...coilovers.html

Bushings, hands down powerflex. Been using these and will make your car feel like new or even better and they have a lifetime warranty.
https://www.waymotorworks.com/powerf...0-r52-r53.html

If you do lower it you will need some rear adjustable control arms to get the rear alignment right.
https://www.waymotorworks.com/h-spor...ber-links.html

Of course our WMW rear sway bar on the middle setting is perfect for the R53. Also easy to do with the rear shocks out.
https://www.waymotorworks.com/wmw-rear-sway-bar.html

And our WMW front strut bar which is one solid bar with strut tower end plates
https://www.waymotorworks.com/wmw-st...e-r52-r53.html

For a street LSD the Quaife torsen diff is the best. A direct bolt in and 100% reliable. Been in my race MINI for over 15yrs, and will really get the power down mid corner.
https://www.waymotorworks.com/quaife...ferential.html

For big brakes there are several options. But for value a used set of R56 S calipers can directly bolt on with our conversion lines.
https://www.waymotorworks.com/stainl...rsion-kit.html

Lighter wheels will make a much bigger difference than you image, but picking them is all off of your preference in look and style. I'm currently running the Enkei RPF1s on my daily Clubman
https://www.waymotorworks.com/enkei-...ght-wheel.html

Then if the budget allows I would replace the crank pulley with the upgraded ATI damper as if yours hasn't already failed it is due to.
https://www.waymotorworks.com/super-...ulley-r53.html

A pulley package is by far best bang for the buck for some power and low end gains.
https://www.waymotorworks.com/wmw-pulley-package.html

With a DDM intake
https://www.waymotorworks.com/ddm-in...per-s-r53.html

I think that's enough to totally transform your car into something new again.

 

Based on your wish list you're talking about ~$4,000 in upgrades. First thing you need to do is determine if it's worth it to you. Your Mini already handles better than you can drive it. That's not a criticism - it's just fact (confirm with Burdek above). You also need to understand that the mods you're thinking about (especially poly bushings) will harshen the ride and create vibration and noise and whether or not you can live with that on a daily driver. You may only need a softer compound tire if you're just an occasional racer. If you're serious about winning then go for it!

 

At the very least, do the poly front LCA and rear trailing arm bushings, sway bar bushings, a rear sway bar, struts, and camber plates. Just that will transform the car, especially one on worn components. My car was a bit of a pig when brand new and stock - granted, it was on a softer suspension and skinnier tires than came on the R53. But, it had a fair amount of understeer, and it really struggled with some corners - downhill decreasing-radius ones were especially bad. It also started exhibiting a little rear-steer as the trailing arm bushings wore, and the worn struts really started to show themselves around 60-70k miles.

I personally didn't notice extra NVH from the LCA bushings or the trailing arm bushings, though I am on a set of 15x7s instead of 17s. The only time I really noticed a difference was in the motor mounts, and I'm willing to put up with the idle vibration for better clutch feel and just generally better behavior.

 

knowing what I know now after modifying my R53 for a few years (admittedly not much) here's the order in which I would do things;

-replace the coolant tank
-wet sand the headlights
-fix front camber, and since coil-overs come with camber plates go ahead and just get the coil-overs which will give you height adjustability too.
-adjustable rear sway bar. I have changed my adjustment as i've dialed my front camber in, so I wouldn't consider anything that is not adjustable
-17% supercharger pulley. easiest way to get more power.
-Hawk pads for autocrossing

You'll be good for a while there. If your bushings are loose, sure upgrade to powerflex, but that's not something I would do until they go bad. and a BBK is only needed for the track, pad compound matters more for autocross, just get something grippy.

 

this was my list of coil overs as of late 2021 when I was considering what to get. the ones i'd look at are Megan, MeisterR, Greene and Ohlins as your budget goes up.

 

Fantastic advice everyone, thanks! It looks most of these are a no brainer for me; the only hard decision looks to be Megan coilovers vs. Koni FSD. Too bad there's no way to directly compare them. I'll just have to do some more reading on both.

@WayMotorWorks Thanks for the links to specific parts. I'll definitely place some orders with you when I'm ready to get started soon.

@cooper48 You are definitely correct, I need to set a budget. I'm thinking $5k seems reasonable. It's that, or I go spend $100k+ on a new car . So this is an affordable delay tactic

 

I own koni FSD, I tell everyone to avoid them.

not enough high speed damping, fine on track but the roads around here in NC suck and it'll blow through the travel and bottom out HARD

 

I can only speak to what was on my R53 when I purchased and currently after a few changes...

From that, combo of Koni Sport "Yellows" (WMW link here 'cus we like Way ) plus Eibach lowering springs and much more as installed by the original owner when new. I wanted more ground clearance and a bit less harshness, so chose to retain those Koni but in combo with JCW Sport Springs "Reds" which were part of the dealer-installed JCW Sport Suspension plus OEM standard on GP1 examples. Part of those original mods were fully poly bushings of which I'm not a fan-boy but those will remain in place. Otherwise, suspension works great and handles well as one should expect (now with Mich PS4S +1 size 215/45R17 summer tires).

JCW "Reds" were selected by VIN options and vehicle weight. When I ordered mine prox 1.5 yrs ago, specific P/Ns were still available in BMW Germany warehouse locations. Since mine is lightly optioned slicktop, spring rates and resulting ride height worked out quite well for my purposes. Just another option to consider, with related info plus partial screenshot from my purchase below.

SUBJECT: JOHN COOPER WORKS SPORT SUSPENSION

 

An understatement. The originals were crap right out of the factory. Garbage German recycled plastic and not the only thing made of it on these cars either. It turns yellow, then brown, then it blows up all over your engine bay while your car overheats. Best case you'll be stranded. Worst case, stranded with a blown head gasket or ruined head. Mine went at 65K, others have had theirs detonate sooner. Do it now, no if's what's or buts.

Another understatement, buried far deeper in the list than it deserves. If you're prepared to do any of the other above mentioned optional recommendations, you're already well past the cost of one of these. It is't nice-to-have, it's mandatory. Do it right after the coolant tank. Jegs has a great price on them, and they come in factory and a 2% oversize, to build on your blower pulley upgrade. Here's what happens when you don't. Will leave the immediate 'sudden and unexpected' secondary damage to your imagination. Mine went at 55K miles, when I didn't know any better. Now you do:

 

Another option is the Ohlins with Vorshlag plates. I love mine and its so comfy and on the track few clicks and all business'. FSD Koni are awesome too.

https://vorshlag-store.com/products/...nt=39837014727

 

The ATI crank pulley is expensive but rebuildable. It's the one just about every high-performance enthusiast (no matter the car brand) uses. Note though that PRW also makes a fluid-filled crank pully that's less expensive but NOT rebuildable.
https://www.summitracing.com/search?...nic%20balancer
https://www.summitracing.com/search/...20gel%20damper

 

Nihil
I have owned a GP1 which I built for fast backroad driving. Without a doubt the biggest bang for the buck upgrade I made to the car was a set of SSR Comp 16” wheels. These wheels are rare as Hens teeth and weigh only 11 lbs each. This change from 18” GP wheels saved me just over 50 lbs of unsprung weight. Going by the theory of 1 lb of unsprung weight is equal to 5 lb of sprung weight you may see how this applies. I have made many changes on auto’s with promises of purple smoke and mirrors and this is definitely not one of them. It impacts your car and ride is so many ways.
I listed these a while back and never sold them. If you do a search on the market place for

SSR Comp Type C wheels and Continental Extreem Contact DW tires

you will see the old listing. If someone is interested just send me a pm.

 

Way,

Can you do one for a n14 MCS???