Why, in christ's name...
 

... did Mini ever sell a R53 without a LSD?!?!?!


Recently did some extensive servicing on my mini, which included pulling the drivetrain for easier access for gasket/seal replacements.
While in there, decided to put a wavetrac LSD in there. What a night and day difference. The car has a smaller pulley and some supporting mods that spun the inside tire out of virtually every corner and generate frowns instead of funs.
After the 500 mile clutch break-in... was able to punch it around some roundabouts and some corners. So. Much. Better.
Leaving a stop sign in a hurry actually feels brisk, rather than sad panda.

On top of it, it was the easiest diff install, once you got the gearbox out. No removing gearstacks, no complicated housing separations. Unbolt, crack open, pull diff, replace. Clean mating surfaces, add some gasket sealant, reassemble.

The car ALMOST feels like it could be a solid STX competitor if I had a stock pulley. Almost.


Things replaced:
- Thermostat
- Water pump
- Front Main Seal
- Rear Main Seal
- DMF to SMF
- Valve cover gasket
- Oil pan and gasket
- Rear engine mount
- Oil filter housing water o-rings and oil gasket
- Timing chain serviced (chain and guides)
- Timing chain cover gasket
- Oil dipstick o ring
- Cam Position Sensor that didn't want to keep working once timing chain was replaced
- Front and Rear Shocks
- RTA bushing
- Rear sway bar bushing
- all bump stops
- Wavetrac diff
- SC serviced
- New AC compressor
- New condenser

Basically, a lot of stuff.

Even better question, why did people order them without LSD.

Answer to that is easy: LSD not offered until 2005 model year ($500 MSRP option and standard on factory JCW & GP). Also, most MINIs then and now still were ordered by dealers for inventory, wherein the most "popular" options were comfort and convenience oriented vs performance. The original owner of mine only checked the factory LSD and Chrono option boxes, which was definitely non-mainstream.

Motoring File Dec 2004: MINIUSA Introduces Limited Slip Differential

Learn something new. Thanks.

That was one of the first upgrades I did with my 2004. I had a Quaife, but when I opted to upgrade the clutch to a twin disc Giken, I swapped to their LSD too.

What would be your comparison since you have had both?

I have an 04 trans I’m considering swapping into my 05 to get the longer gearing for better highway performance/cruising, but if/when I eventually do so, I would like to put an LSD in it first.

Mini's GKN LSD was not offered until January 2005 (mid-year). My car's production waited for availability of that first batch of LSD diffs in January. A decade later I upgraded to the Quaife, which is a better gear-drive LSD (less slip allowed). If I were a serious "track rat" working towards a points championship, I would install the Giken. But then I would be dealing with tunable ramps and LSD clutch surfaces that need replacement at some point, and some sensitivity to oil characteristics.
A Quaife gear-type LSD is bulletproof, as long as you keep oil in the transmission. :nod:

I remember when I mine was delivered (Nov '04) the mechanic who did my JCW kit was pretty surprised how much of a difference there was just in the general feel of the car when he did the test drive.

One wheel peel is no fun, especially taking a left or right from a stop getting up to speed!! I've had bother the Quaife in my old '03 and the stock LSD in my GP, and the Quaife is significantly better in almost all situations. It feels like the lockup on the stock LSD isn't as good, and variates the 'on/off' feel a lot more than the Quaife did. The Quaife locksup, puts down power, and just goes! It's a worthwhile upgrade if you've got the money and am already pulling the transmission for a new clutch.

I really need to stop hanging out here. Got me shopping for LSD now...


:lol:

I was already shopping for one... now I have my CC out. :eek2:

FYI: DemonTweeks in the UK currently has the R53 Quaife available for $739 USD, plus $59 shipping. :thumbsup:
https://www.demon-tweeks.com/us/bran.../59171c5ad05d5
That's where I bought mine. (Note that this is for the 6-speed, not the automatic.)

Any brokerage fess or duties for UK to USA shipments?

Travelers are allowed to bring-in $800 in merchandise duty-free, but it's not always clear whether customs duty will be assessed on shipments. When I bought my Quaife from DemonTweeks there was no duty charge. But a custom header another time had a 5.5% duty. Any fees have been modest in my experience. I am surprised at the very reasonable $59 shipping to USA, because I think I paid a bit more years ago.
Note: British VAT (Value Added Tax) is for items delivered in the UK. Items sent to a USA address are exempt from VAT. Many merchants want the purchase to be above $100 for them to process the exemption paperwork, but the Quaife certainly qualifies for exemption.

I ordered my R53 with factory LSD back in mid-2006. That was a must-have option.

However during the first gen years, the majority of R53s were still customer orders (Priority 1). Most were manuals. There were dealer-spec cars too yes, but overall demand was high and inventory was low. Some markets (looking at you, California) still had market adjustment.

The transition to dealer spec happened later. And with it, went the manual take rate. Now for the next gen, looks like ICE manuals are dead.

Well, the initial manual take rate was 100%, wasn’t it? They’re didn’t even offer a slushbox until the facelift cars, right?

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.nor...af9b73c53.jpeg

Thanks for posting that. That was my recollection about the R53's back then. I was on this forum in late 2002 about the time my wife and I became serious about buying one. I recalled threads where those of us who had placed their orders were tracking the build and then the journey on the boat across the Atlantic once they were built. I knew my R53 was in USA, so a few days later when I got the call from the dealership to come pick up the car, it was sort of an "I've been expecting your call" kind of thing.

Was LSD a stand alone option or was it part of a package? We have some options on our R53 we had to take (back up sensors, for example) because whatever option we did want only came in a package with it. It was not an option for us - we ordered our car in January/February 2003 - but I am trying to think in my 20 years ago head if I would have selected LSD as this car was purchased to be my wife's daily driver.


That is how I remember it as well.

VIN decoder will help determine if yours was factory built with LSD. I prefer bimmer.work when the site is working, which it is right now when I entered my own VIN. Under the Options tab, mine reads:

2TA
Limited Slip Differential
Sperrdiferential

Somehow a website people prefer 'when it's working' seems entirely appropriate for one about BMW products. :cool::grin:

For my '05 R52 it was a part of the "Sport" package.

^^^ Are you certain? I have the complete BMW MINI Press Package for MY 2006 which in part shows:

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.nor...e5fee7379e.png

As stated previously, LSD was first offered for MY 2005 at $500 MSRP as a standalone option and included as part of factory built JCW and GP packages.

Yup, I love my quaife differential, really transforms the experience of accelerating out of corners. I read the motoring file article and it mentions adjusting the DSC to account for the LSD, I wonder if that's worthwhile. I always run with DSC off when on track, but I wonder if it would be helpful in snowy conditions.

Now you have me thinking, it may have been a stand alone option in addition to the other options. I'll have to find my build sheet, but my R52 was delivered in Nov '04, Sport Pack, Chrono-Pack, and Dealer Installed JCW kit, and what looks to be the last of the options packages shown on your list.

Yeah... I miss my LSD.

My current R53 doesn't have one yet but my original did. I loved putting my foot through the corners with that one. Just waiting for my clutch to go on my current one so I can justify the additional expense of putting one in.

My wife is also also excited because I promised I would teach her how to drive stick once the clutch starts to go 🤣