Since at a minimum, I need to repalce the strut support on the front passenger side and the rear drivers side strut has developed a groan of it own, I have decided to replace the struts on my Cooper. I have new mounts and struts on the way. Should I order strut boots and bumpers as well?

 

At that mileage, I would tend to not replace either of those two items, but clean them before re-assembly. Any cars I have ever done suspension on, the boots and the bumpers were fine to use, as-is.

 

I just replaced the struts on my r53 with 95k miles on the clock. The boots and bumpstops were in fine condition. The Bilstein B4 struts I bought came with new bump stops for the rears, so I used the new ones back there.

 

Thanks for your comments guys. Hope to work on this next weekend. Likely start on the rears (ease) but my real problem is the front passenger mount.

If everything is like in the videos, even the fronts should be straight forward. A little concerned about how difficult it will be to get strut out of wheel hub. It would be great if I didn't need to take the hub off.

 

Fastlane, how do you like the B4s?

 

What struts are you replacing em w/? Not Stagg, I hope. Check post83:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-review-4.html
Grab rear strutmounts, too. Mine disintegrated.

 

Rent some spring compressors from auto zone

 

They feel much like the stock sport shocks. Quite firm but composed. I picked this particular car up as a “fun car” to wrench on, etc.....so cost was a major factor (seeing as there were so many things to replace). The B4s were just over $200 for the whole set....main reason I went with them. Also, this car came with a new set of runflats installed, so it’s hard to judge ride firmness.....I haven’t had runflats on a car since my first MINI 10+ yrs ago and wouldn’t have chosen them this time had it been my decision.

I will say that on my previous MINI (r52s), I put on Koni FSDs and they gave an excellent ride....much more comfortable than these Bilsteins......but they were also 4x the price.

 

+1 what Fastlane said about the B4s being firm.

To begin with, the R53/52/50 really don't have a lot of suspension travel to begin with. It can be pretty harsh no matter what on rough roadways.

I did notice the B4s did soften just a bit after 3K miles. When they were brand new, the B4s were downright teeth rattling, eyeballs bouncing stiff. Was actually worried they were going to stay that way. Today, they're totally fine for daily driving.

 

Good to know. I'm in the process of installing B4s, and I plan to take a long road trip to NC this fall. I'll make sure I get them broken in before then to make the trip more comfortable.

 

Make sure you spray the pinch bolt several times the night before you plan on removing the struts.

 

Sadly, I live in Wisconsin. No amount of penetrating oil will help.

I've booked myself another 2 hour date with my cordless drill. 1 strut down, 1 to go.

 

Oh no.....are your pinch bolts breaking off? I haven’t encountered that on my cars yet.....That would suck. The only “issue” I encountered was that the B4s seem to be just ever so slightly fatter than the stock struts. Took quite a bit of encouragement to get them to slip down into the knuckles.

Regarding the ride of the Bilsteins......after taking an extended drive yesterday, I think I have to agree with Zsm above.....the B4s do soften up a bit as they break in. I think you’ll be pleased.

 

Even with heat and penetrating oil the head snapped right off. Granted, I made the mistake of using my brushless Makita BFI (big effing impact), but it sheared off like it was nothing even on the low setting.

I'll attempt the other side tonight, but I'm expecting the exact same outcome. I'll remove the assembly from the car before drilling this time, to make more room to work. I was hoping I could replace the strut without pulling the knuckle, but it didn't seem like it was a possibility.

 

I tried the drilling, but after 2hrs and many wasted bits, I just ordered a used knuckle from a NAM dealer, think I paid $45 shipped. I only had the problem with the passenger side.

 

My car has 150K+ but no significant rust. My driver's side front pinch bolt broke despite soaking with PB Blaster. I had to remove the entire assembly, strut and knuckle. Drilling was unsuccessful; I eventually separated the two by cutting the bolt with a Sawmill.

 

I've made enough mistakes in the past to know what NOT to do when drilling out broken bolts. I managed to drill out both sides of my strut while it was still on the car (~2" of total drill depth) without issue. Patience and lots of oil are key.

-Start with a center punch as close to the center of the bolt to give your first bit something to bite on.
-Your first bit should be quite small (and sharp). 3/16" or smaller. Be very careful, let the drill do the work and don't push. These will break easily and then you're royally screwed.
-Either drill all the way through, or drill until you are no longer comfortable. Step up in size 50% or so, and drill to the bottom of the first hole.
-If necessary, when you've reached your max hole size, go back to the 3/16" and begin drilling again if additional depth is needed.
-If at any point you see smoke, stop and add oil. It definitely helps to have a second person with this. PB blaster, motor oil, whatever works.

Follow this strategy and you should be able to drill out just about anything. Just make sure you have a set of reasonable quality bits. HF titanium bits won't really do anything on a handheld drill, but with a press they do OK. I've had good luck with both Kobalt and Dewalt bit kits. Reasonably priced (~$20) and will last long enough to save you multiples of their cost on replacement parts.

 

The rears on my rusty car came right out with heat and oil. The rears on my rust free car were massively seized within the bushing. Go figure.

Apply penetrating oil and heat for ~3 minutes before attempting to remove the bolt. If you have an impact, use it. If not, get a big wrench on the head of the bolt and hit it with a 3lb sledge to act as an impact. You probably won't have any issues. If you do, replace it with a class 10.9 bolt and nut (ignoring the existing threads, you might have to drill those out). I can get you the exact specs on what I used when I get home. Menards should have what you need in stock.

 

Sorry OP, I realize I may have threadjacked, and it was not my intention. Just hoped to share good information.

I replaced my remaining front strut last night. This time I removed the assembly from the car before doing any work. Heat/oil did nothing to help the bolt. But drilling it out was much easier with the assembly in a vice. I cooked my drill in the process, but at least the work is done.

All 4 struts have been replaced with B4s, and springs remained OEM. The car is MUCH more flat through turns now (and I thought it was good before) but I wouldn't consider the ride quality even remotely bone jarring or teeth rattling. I'd argue its comfortable, and that's coming from torn up Wisconsin roads. My buddy and I test drove it yesterday and both had the same opinion. Great handling and good comfort for a mini. Highly recommended for the price.

 

Be very careful with the rear lower bolts. They are self-threading and a fine pitch, and like to strip VERY easily. I am super **** about screwing things together and one of my rears still almost caught me off guard. I had to thread it in backwards a couple times to get the initial threads to play nice. You want to use a jack and leave the top bolts loose while putting the lower bolt on. Align it perfectly before starting and hand tighten as much as you can before using a socket wrench (no impact). You should be able to hand thread it in 1/4-1/2 way.

I bought new pinch and rear lower bolts for my car when I did the suspension, and I used a tiny bit of anti-seize on the bolts and the lower shock body on the front.