I took my mini in a few weeks ago to have it inspected for its 60k mile check and after them telling me the cost they wanted for various things such as oil change, air filter, cabin filter etc I ended up using these wonderful forums to find performance parts and doing the work much cheaper for myself and ended up with some cool parts to show for it!

One of the items the said needed fixed was the bottom front engine mount and top engine mount. They wanted aprox $275 for the both so i started again looking through NAM to see what i could find to do better/cheaper than them.

Powerflex Bushings: I have seen many positive reviews but hadnt seen anyone say whether they inserted them into older 'worn' factory bushings or if you had pressed in new oem bushings then inserted powerflex.

I consider myself pretty handy a can knock this one out myself but need to know if i need to replace the oem bushings or if i can keep them in since the powerflex inserts will support the engine movement.

if you recomend any other brands/types of bushing speak up too. I saw some from bsh and others.

Thanks in advance.

 

Depending on the year of your mini depends on your options for mounts. The top front one in the later models is oil filled. I think Way sells a non-OEM replacement that has gotten very good reviews. Other then that you're looking at the OEM.

Same goes for the bottom mount. I'm sure more people will chime in soon...

 

If you are debating between buying a new OEM lower motor mount and then inserting Poly-Urth Bushings, then the BSH Lower Motor Mount is for you. Its a full bushing insert and is capable of taking more abuse than the stock mount. Also you can swap it out for the race bushings if you are up for the ride

 

I think aftermarket bushings are avalable in almost all pistions.....in general I think they are superior in almost all attributes for 90%+ of mini drivers..f you read this forum...the power flex bushings are for you. Now for engine/motor/tranny mounts...there are tradeoffs with noise, vibration, and harshness....and they are good for maybe 65% of folks...it jus depends. Get the standard poweflex bushings...then get an alighnment...you will be happy you did it... You car will feel as good, or in my case, better than new! The fact they are actually a bit cheaper than oem from the ones I looked at is a pluss. Some are a pain to install though...like any mini or suspension parts some go on easier/quicker, some may need a tourch, a big hammer and a press.

 

Since you said engine mounts when I re-read..... As previously stated, the year of your car will determine you options... If the upper is oilfilled....the TSW seems to be popular, but adds some NVH, and costs a bit more than oem, but should last for life, instead of a few years...but a new oem mount and stablizer works for many, extends the life of the oem mount, looks cool....if it is leaking, and oil filled...it needs to be swapped out very soon before excessive wear occurs....it just depends on how raw you want you car, and if you mind a non-factory look/feel.
There are many different mounts/bushings...the exact ones you are replacing will affect you options.....more info on your cars age, and you goals wold help!!

 

I'm in the same boat - Tech said my upper mount was bad. I'm about to place an order.

I am going to replace the upper mount/bushing with an OEM and insert a powerflex bushing into it. People say the insert on the upper can introduce a lot of NVH, but I'm willing to give it a whirl.

I have the '04 motor mount (10/03 build, not the oil filled mount) that I'm going to have the tech inspect while he's doing the other mounts/bushings and replace as necessary although MINI owners haven't reported a lot of issues with wear on this part.

I was going to get the BSH Lower Engine Mount w/Street Bushing, but again people are advising me that I may want to do OEM mount with powerflex bushings due to the amount of NVH introduced with the BSH mount.

Getting my control arm bushings replaced with powerflex bushings at the same time, so everything should be MUCH tighter when it's done, no matter which option I choose.

 

Thanks for all of the feedback! My car is a 2002 6spd MCS, 63k miles. It doesnt appear that any of the bushings are leaking. At least for the top engine mount I can tell you that it looks intact but some of the 'webbing' if that the right term; looks a bit worn.

So can you guys help me answer the questions regarding the number of engine/transmission mounts? I beleive there is an upper and lower engine mount and another for the transmission???

After knowing the number of mounts i will be looking for a setup that is tighter than stock but not too rough; possibly considered 'street' tuned?

Thoughts?

 

PF has three grades of bushings and inserts which are color coded from mild to very stiff in this order.

yellow
purple
black

What I have found is that they tend to work themselves in some over time. Any initial NVH is reduced over time.

PF Front Control Arm Bushings - Purple - they rock. Direct replacement.

Transmission mount insert - Yellow. Had some initial NVH which disappeard after 600 or so miles. They were inserted into original rubber mount at 87,000 miles to stiffen up that side after installing a 2nd gen TSW engine damper ( on opposite side and new OEM upper engine mount )

PF Rear lower Control Arm bushing Inserts - yellow - Inserted into original bushings.

PF Front sway bar bushings - Purple - Direct replacement. Installed onto OEM bar after installing Hotchkis 25mm hollow rear bar. Would probably go black next time.

As far as stiffer engine mounts on a street MINI DD ( daily driver ), I cant say for sure. But NVH may be more than what you bargained for.

 

Stiffer is better.

 

i used to have a loud clunking sound every time i powered out of this uphill off-camber turn at one of the local tracks but it doesn't clunk during city driving, even if i floor it & suddenly release the gas. so i'm pretty sure one of the mounts was toast, but the clunk on the track disappeared after i had powerflex bushings inserted in the lower engine mount & transmission mount


i started a topic here about 2 years ago about which powerflex bushings do we really need because there are a LOT of bushings that can be replaced/inserted with powerflex especially in the rear. meb, one of the veterans here, advised to get the control arm bushings (according to him, it gets kinda harsh when the temps dip) and NOT replace anything in the rear. i eventually went with the upper/lower engine & transmission inserts. i didn't get to install the upper insert because i have the oil-filled thing. come to think of it, i should get those front control arm bushings soon

 

I recently installed the lower engine mount bushing inserts from Mini Madness (not Powerflex) in my 04 Cooper and the NVH was just awful, especially with the a/c on. I took them back out almost immediately.

 

I replaced my later style leaking upper with the TSW mount Way sells (no fluid to leak) and the lower with the BSH (Street Durometer). I won't have to worry about replacing these for a while and the motor doesn't move ;-)

Some minor NVH (got better after about 1k miles) but nothing I would complain about.....but NVH is highly subjective.

 

The BSH mounts are excellent quality. I would recommend doing mounts one at a time to be sure that you're not going to rattle your teeth out. Certain powerflex bushings (such as the control arm bushings) don't transmit vibration to the cabin, others do.

 

I can't believe it, but I need the the same thing, and my 05 MINI has 13k on it(!)
So, the TSW is not bad for NVH? I want to minimize it as much as possible, but I can stand a little more than stock.

What about the mount from VIP? Has anyone seen that one, or heard anything about it?