Is anyone running the Madness MINI Cooper S Polyurethane Rear Suspension Bushings, rear trail arm bushings, or front control arm bushings? what kind of difference would they make to my stock steup?

 

That'd take away some of the slop from the oem bushings, get more direct feel, more firm....but if you wanted to do something with the lateral links, it'd be best just to get aftermarket ones instead of just changing bushings.

 

I just want to get rid of some slop, I'm more interested in front end grip..

 

Are you referring to endlinks? Just want to make sure we are on the same page as my suspension vocabulary isn't as large as I would like. And at that point, wounldn't it be better (money being no object) to get both, or would the new links come with the bushings? I guess that would depend on each product though.

Do you, or anyone who reads this for that matter, believe that aftermarket sway bar endlinks alone would make a noticable improvement? With or without a larger rear swaybar? On a daily driver that will see the track one to three times a year? Hopefully more, but, well, that's wallet limited.

Thanks a lot for any information. Sorry if we are talking about two different things.

 

I think lateral links are on control arms. The sway bar end links would give you better corner balance by pre-loading your sway bar for better handling. Correct?

 

the worst bushing on the car is the one for the front control arm. That will be your biggest bang for the buck.

Matt

 

Yeah the lateral links are the two links that connect to the trailing arm and extend inward to the centerline of the car....but if you wanna focus on the front you should look at camber/caster plates and look at Alta's PSRS.

 

Everyone is correct. The front lower control arm bushings will make the biggest difference. We've had great luck with the Alta's http://www.waymotorworks.com/product...cat=366&page=1 but also have done very well with the Powerflex bushings http://www.waymotorworks.com/product...cat=366&page=2
The feel and imrovement you get in handling from either is Great.

 

I have all of the Mini Madness bushings and believe them all to be worthy investments. I agree with everyone else that replacing the front control arm bushings provide maximum benefit but it's also the most difficult to install. Steering input is more directly translated to the wheels and both traction and the road surface are more noticeably felt in the steering wheel but it's not harsh in any way. I found that the bushings in the rear eliminated quite a bit of slop. I no longer get the slight side to side sway in the rear end on the freeway and if I'm really throwing the car around a corner on the track I can feel the exact level of traction I have. I cannot feel any negative effects caused by the poly bushings.

During hard cornering the sway bar endlinks and OFE rear lower control arms will flex, which makes handling less predictable and alters wheel alignment. By replacing those with the much stiffer and adjustable aftermarket solutions you eliminate even more play in the suspension. Adjustable rear control arms also give you the ability to significantly adjust camber. I haven't gotten that far so I can't comment on how noticeable it is to performance or if there are any negative side effects.

 

Hm....I'm thinking Front Control Arm Bushings (Madness or Powerflex) or the alta front endlinks

 

do sway bar endlinks last especially if its just the stock sway bar, since your talking bout the front.

 

So what should the order be, All the bushings first (only have money for one set right now which I'm doing on the front) then the endlinks. I highly doubt I'm going to do control arms.

 

1) Front control arm bushings first. These suck from the factory, plain and simple.

2) Watch the marketplace for a set of rear control arms. They come up for sale and you can save a lot of money buying used.

3) Rear trailing arm bushing.

4) End links last.... if at all. I'd consider skipping them completely if you're not lowering your car a lot or using adjustable coil overs....

But this is just my recipe, others may have different opinions....

Matt

Oh, and before I did any of that, I'd do some camber plates to fix the crappy factory camber settings.

 

Matt
are stand alone adj camber plates available for the r56?

 

IE, H-Sport, TSW.


Update I ended up order the Alta Rear Endlinks.

 

let us know if they make a handling difference

 

Will do ! I got it shipped UPS home delivery ETA: Dec. 30

 

OMFG! Yes, they do. They give the front tires more bite in turns, helping with the front/rear balance of the car (you don't need as big a rear bar to get neutral balance with them).

FWIW, it was my very first mod....

Matt

 

as far as I know, only Ireland Engineering, K-Mac (through Mini Mania), and Vorshlag have R56 camber plates out so far. TSW said they are working on them. Of what I've seen, the Vorshlags look far superior in build quality so far. It's next on my short list of mods well worth the cost

The endlinks won't be a very noticeable upgrade but the stock ones are so frail they'll bend in hard turns negating the ability for the antiroll bar to work as intended. The rear lower OEM control arms are also flimsy and bend in hard cornering, throwing rear alignment off, so in addition to the benefits of further adjustability, you're removing parts with the potential to snap in half if you push the car too hard.

The end result of adding poly suspension bushings, endlinks, and lower control arms is that you eliminate play from areas of the suspension that shouldn't be moving, allowing it to behave more consistently and predictably and also gaining the benefit of better feedback from the drivers seat. You'll much more easily be able to tell what's going on by how the car feels.

 

Anyone have DIY instructions for the Rear trailing arm bushings ?